28o 



NATURE 



[Aug. 5, 1875 



place, with few exceptions, over' a large area, embracing the 

 British Isles, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the basin of the 

 Mediterranean, and Algiers. The point is an interesting one, and 

 we hope that meteorologists will inquire how far the rainfall 

 observations of their respective countries agree with the result 

 obtained by Prof, Raulin for the southern half of France. 



In the Journal of the Scottish Meteorological Society for 

 1874-5, J"s*^ published, will be found a long and elaborate paper 

 by Mr. A. Buchan and Dr. Mitchell, on the Influence of Weather 

 on Mortality from different diseases and at different ages ; some 

 of the results which have been arrived at will be found in an 

 abstract by Mr. Buchan, which we publish to-day. Other papers 

 in the Journal are on proposed portable Iron Barometers, and 

 on a simple form of Anemometer, by Mr. T. Stevenson, C.E. ; 

 Meteorological Register at Inveresk for 1874 ; Table of Obser- 

 vations connected with the periodical return of the Seasons ; 

 Additional Rainfall returns for 1874 ; and Meteorological 

 returns, with notes of the prevailing weather and state of vege- 

 tation at the Society's stations for the year ; besides reports of 

 the general meetings of the Society held on July 3, 1874, and 

 February 10, 1875. 



It is expected that an important meeting of the Council of 

 the Paris Observatory will be held to-day, a member of the 

 Academy having been desired to explain his assertions relating 

 to astronomical observations. The results will very likely be 

 made public. 



The recent French inundations have recalled to memory an 

 experiment which was tried twelve years ago before Napoleon III. 

 The design was to manufacture mattresses of cork, so that any 

 one on board a ship or in a house which could be flooded would 

 have in his bed a ready-made raft capable of floating under a 

 weight of more than i cwt. for any length of time. Cork is a 

 material so soft that mattresses made of it are not inferior to any 

 other for comfort. 



A MEMORIAL in marble of Sir John Franklin was uncovered 

 on Saturday by Sir George Back in Westminster Abbey. The 

 monument has been erected by the late Lady Franklin, and con- 

 tains some appropriate lines by Mr. Tennyson. 



The recent attack upon Lieut. Conder's Palestine exploring 

 party occurred near Acre. Lieut. Conder was badly, but not 

 dangerously, wounded. 



The election to the vacant Professorship of Medicine in the 

 University of St. Andrews will take place on Sept. 22 next. 



The Shearwater, which was commissioned by Capt. Nares 

 (now commanding the Arctic Expedition) on July 20, 1871, for 

 surveying service on the Mediterranean Station, arrived at Sheer- 

 ness on July 23 last. In Saturday's Times will be found a brief 

 account of the work done by the ship during her four year's 

 service. During part of the cruise in the Mediterranean Dr. 

 Carpenter was on board to investigate the results of soundings 

 and dredgings. Commander W. J. L. Wharton took command 

 of the ship on Capt. Nares leaving to join the Challenger. 

 After having been two years in the Mediterranean the Shearwater 

 proceeded to Zanzibar, in order to survey the island and the 

 opposite coast. In February 1874 the ship proceeded to the 

 Cape of Good Hope, leaving Cape Town on July 14 with the 

 Rodriguez Transit party. At Rodriguez the ship was constantly 

 employed on work connected with the Transit, running meridian 

 distances, surveying the island, and assisting the shore party in 

 various ways. After landing the Transit party at Mauritius, the 

 Shearwater again proceeded to Zanzibar to continue surveying 

 work, officers and men, however, suffering greatly from fever. 

 Zanzibar was left on May 8, and the Shearwater reached Eng- 

 land as we have said on July 23 last. During the four years the 

 ship has been in commission, she has surveyed in detail 790 



miles of coast line and sounded closely over an area of 5,900 

 square miles. Most of the earlier surveys have been published. 



In the new part for May 1875 of Hoffmann's Nieder- 

 Idndisehes Archiv Jiir Zoologie there are two papers of 

 interest— one by Dr. A. A. W. Hubrecht, on the Nemertines 

 of the Gulf of Naples, the other by Prof. P. Harting, on the 

 eggs of Cyanea- Otoliths of Cyanea, and Chrysaora-nerve ring 

 and organs of sense of Eucope-Chromatophores of the embryonic 

 Loligo ; being notes made during a stay at Scheveningue. 



The following candidates have been successful in the compe- 

 tition for the Whitworth Scholarships, 1875 :— Joseph Harrison, 

 21, Mechanical Engineer ; George Goodwin, 20, Mechanical 

 Engineer; John Alldred, 21, Locomotive Engine Fitter; 

 Franklin Garside, 20, Pattern Maker ; Frank W. Dick, 21, 

 Mechanical Engineer ; Joseph Poole, 20, Fitter and Turner. 



The forty-third meeting of the British Medical Association 

 opened on Tuesday in Edinburgh. Sir Robert Christison, the 

 President, in his inaugural address, treated of the subject of 

 Medical Education, entering into a complete history of the 

 Medical School of Edinburgh. 



The twelfth number of Mr. Hermann Strecker's quarto work 

 upon indigenous and exotic lepidoptera has lately been published 

 by him at Reading, Pennsylvania, and contains, as usual, one 

 plate filled with figures of butterflies. Among them are several 

 very conspicuous forms, the most prominent being that called by 

 him Eudamonia Jehovah, a term to which very serious objec- 

 tion has been raised on account of its apparent irreverence, but 

 which he stoutly defends. Several new species are described ; 

 one of them being figured under the name of Hepiolus thule. 



The Report of the Agri-Horticultural Society of Madras, for 

 1874, shows that the Society is effecting much substantial benefit 

 in its district, especially in the assistance and encouragement it 

 offers in the introduction and cultivation of useful plants, that 

 will thrive in the different climatal regions of Southern India, 

 European vegetables, fibre-producing plants, coffee, tea, tobacco, 

 indigo, &c. The cultivation and preparation of tea is strongly 

 encouraged, and substantial prizes awarded for the best sample 

 of different sorts. Some of the samples submitted to the brokers 

 at Calcutta for their judgment are described as being of superior 

 quality. A flower, fruit, and vegetable show is held annually, 

 and it is worthy of note that all the prizes for ferns and other 

 plants with ornamental foliage were gained by native gentlemen. 

 There was last year a special class for the vegetable production* 

 of native market gardeners, and the European vegetables exhi- 

 bited are reported to have been of fair quality. The " list of 

 new plants introduced in 1874" is remarkable for the very small 

 proportion of correctly spelt names. 



In reference to Tidal Mills (vol. xii., p. 212), a correspondent 

 writes that they have engaged the attention of Gregory, Barlow, 

 Belidor, and Aldini, as will be seen on turning to the article on 

 Tidal Mills in the " Penny Cyclopaedia." 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Punjaub Wild Sheep ( Ovis cycloceros) from 

 Muscat, presented by Commander Yarforth ; a Ruffed Lemur 

 {Lemur varius), a Mongoose Lemur {Letnur mongoz) from 

 Madagascar, two Rheas {Rhea americana), a West Indian Rail 

 (Aramides cayennensis) from S. America, a Golden-naped Amazon 

 {Chry soils auripalliata) from Central America, two Yarrell's 

 Curassows {Crax carunculata) from S.E. Brazil, two Razor- 

 billed Curassowi {Mitua tuberosd) from Guiana, deposited ; a 

 Short-tailed Muntjac {Cervulus micrurus), a Crested Pigeon 

 (Ocyphaps lophotes), five Amherst Pheasants {Thaumalea am- 

 herstice), and six Japanese Pheasants {Phasianus versicolor), bred 

 in the Gardens. 



