May 8, 1879] 



NATURE 



38 



as a detonating agent, a few wordb may be said upon the 

 report of the Chief Inspector of Explosives that has just 

 been issued by the Home Office. If only because it con- 

 troverts a popular notion as to the dangers of this sub- 

 stance in a frozen state, the report in question is of 

 considerable interest. Ever since the disastrous accident 

 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, when Mr. Mawson, the mayor 

 of the city and several others lost their lives through the 

 explosion of some packages supposed to have contained 

 frozen nitro-glycerine, a wholesome dread of this sub- 

 stance has been entertained. But, strange to say. Major 

 Majendie and Mr. E. O. Brown, of Woolwich, who ap- 

 pears to have been asso::iated with the Chief Inspector 

 in these experiments with frozen nitro-glycerine, found 

 the latter far less sensitive either to blows or to fulminate 

 powder than when in its ordinary condition. In some 

 cases the frozen material allowed itself to be scattered by 

 the violence used, without detonating at all, and it was 

 only by using a very large charge of fulminate powder 

 that its explosion succeeded. Frozen dynamite was still 

 more obstinate, and under some circumstances, indeed, 

 its detonation appeared almost impossible. Another cir- 

 cumstance of an unexpected character presented itself in 

 these experiments. Mr. Brown found that the solidifica- 

 tion of nitro-glycerine — a phenomenon that usually hap- 

 pens very readily some degrees above the freezing-point 

 of water — is particularly difficult to bring about when the 

 liquid is in a pure state. Continued subjection of the 

 pure liquid to a temperature below freezing-point failed 

 altogether to effect its solidification, and it was only upon 

 the addition of a few grains of a solid body that the 

 desired result was secured. The reason, therefore, why 

 commercial nitro-glycerine so readily solidifies at a com- 

 paratively high temperature is obviously because it is not 

 perfectly pure. H. Baden Pritchard 



THE BRITISH MUSEUM LIBRARY 

 TN Nature, vol. xix. p. 253, attention was drawn to the 

 ■*• state of the literature of science as available for 

 reference in the library of the British Museum. The 

 publications of scientific societies, home, colonial, and 

 foreign, and those of the scientific departments of different 

 governments, were especially mentioned both as defective 

 in regard to completeness of series, and as difficult to find 

 in the catalogue. 



Pending steps being taken to secure some approxima- 

 tion to completeness of series, which must take time, it 

 may be useful to offer some suggestions with regard to 

 the cataloguing, a modification in which would save much 

 time to readers. Any fundamental alteration would no 

 doubt be undesirable, for from a librarian's point of view, 

 the cataloguing at the British Museum has been so often 

 pronounced excellent. There is, however, also the 

 worker's point of view, and if the catalogue is not one 

 which, after years of experience he can easily use, it is 

 not to be accounted as perfect. 



The simplest solution of the present difficulty would be 

 to have printed a separate list, such as the Patent Office 

 periodically prints, "a list of the scientific and other 

 periodicals and transactions of learned societies in the 

 free library." Should there be, however, a financial 

 difficulty in the way of carrying this out, it would be a 

 saving of time to readers if these transactions, proceed- 

 ings, &c., of societies were entered in some distinctive 

 way, such as by a coloured ink, or even by a stroke in 

 the margin, so that tliey might be easily picked out from 

 bye-laws, lists of members, reprints of separate papers, 

 &c. Several of the older societies occupy many pages in 

 the special catalogue "academies." It is the publication 

 of the societies containing the papers that are, of course, 

 most frequently wanted, but these are so mixed up with 

 other entries, that it takes time to find their press mark. 

 Further than that, different series, when such exist, have 

 different press matks, and it is not every one who has a 



date and a volume number for reference that knows 

 whether there is more than one series, so a wrong press- 

 mark may be given. In some cases there are two or 

 three sets, more or less incomplete, of a series of publica- 

 tions, some, perhaps, in the King's library, some in the 

 Granville, some in the general library, &c. This is very 

 confusing, as it is only in a few cases that any note is 

 made of the extent of incompleteness, and if the wrong 

 set should be written for, it involves the loss of at least 

 half an hour, and on busy days probably an hour. 



If all the serial publications of a society were given at 

 the head of the entries of that society, or even if only 

 marked in the margin as just suggested, it would save a 

 reader much time in finding the press mark, and would 

 also save still further time often by giving the press mark 

 for the part of the series which contains the volume wanted. 



There is another point which is worth consideration, 

 and that is whether those who are known to use the 

 library for purposes of research could not be in some way 

 put on a different footing from those who go simply to 

 read. It would not be an innovation, but only an exten- 

 sion of a principle already recognised. For example, if a 

 reader wishes to consult certain MSS., he is taken into a 

 separate room, if he wishes to consult some of the older 

 or rarer books, there is another room for such purpose, 

 and there is but little time wasted in bringing him what 

 he wants. Students are admitted to the natural history 

 collections on days when they are closed to the public. 

 There are a large number of people who use the museum 

 for other purposes than work. They write their letters, 

 read their magazines and newspapers, go round among 

 their friends and gossip, write a ticket for some interesting 

 book of travel or a novel, and read bits of it in the interval 

 of receiving visits. Not a few appear to go there for a 

 rest. The objection to all this is that these people occupy 

 seats, and it is becoming more and more difficult for a 

 reader with many books out at once for consultation or 

 search to find table space. It is a very trying thing for a 

 writer with references to verify or to follow up, to see 

 while he is waiting for his books that the time of attend- 

 ants is occupied in fetching novels that can be bought at 

 any railway book-stall, or pieces of music that can be 

 obtained for a few pence. (It may be mentioned in 

 passing that for the cataloguing of comic songs and dance 

 music, the British Museum is unsurpassed in excellence.) 

 It must require a strong sense of the immorality of making 

 quotations or references second-hand, to give a man 

 patience under the circumstances. If the works are 

 wanted for reading there is of course no help but waiting. 



Surely there might be some distinction made between 

 those who go to the reading-room for systematic work, 

 and those who go for amusement. The British Museum 

 reading-room is something more than a library for 

 Londoners ; people come up to town on purpose to 

 consult it. It is a national library. An average mecha- 

 nics' Institute would supply the wants of many who now 

 use the Museum, occupy seats there, and take up the time 

 of attendants. There are other free libraries in London 

 besides the British Museum. 



If it is not found practicable to make a distinction for 

 workers generally it might be worth while to try how it 

 would do to have tickets of a special colour for "Acade- 

 mies" and that these should not be obliged to wait their 

 turn with tickets for novels. There are abready white and 

 coloured slips in use. 



It would be a great advantage if the publications of socie- 

 ties and scientific departments of governments were kept 

 all together and placed directly under the care of an officer 

 who should see to their being kept up in completeness. 



ON THE FIGURE OF THE EARTH 



THE columns of NATURE recently contained an in- 

 teresting series of articles on this subject, with 

 notes. One of these notes, which I here repeat, has_a 



