1 84 



NATURE 



\Jnne 19, 1879 



the Mayor at the Buckingham Palace Hotel on Saturday, when 

 they discussed with him the preliminary arrangements and pro- 

 visionally fixed September 24, 25, and 26 for the meeting, which 

 ivill be the first held by the Institute in that town. 



In the annual .report of the Deputy Master of the Mint, 

 issued last week, we find some remarks on several points of 

 scientific interest more or less intimately connected with the work 

 of minting. Among these may be mentioned the adjustment of 

 blanks by electrolytic agency, to which attention had been 

 directed in former years. The process, originally advocated by 

 Mr. Roberts, the chemist of the Mint, has already been employed 

 on a large scale in the Indian Mint. The question of the change 

 in the density of a metal by annealing is one of some importance 

 in the operations of minting. The experiments commenced in 

 1877 showed that the effect of even moderate temperatures was 

 appreciable, and the results of their continuation are given by 

 Mr. Roberts. In connection with this subject, Mr. Fremantle 

 remarks that it is interesting to turn to such experiments of M. 

 Tresca on the flow of solids as have special reference to mint 

 work, and to those which have been undertaken in the English 

 Mint on the flow of molten metals through capillary tubes. It 

 is hoped that the latter may ultimately throw light on the pheno- 

 menon of liquation. 



The conversazione of the Society of Arts will be held in the 

 South Kensington Museum on June 25. 



The members of the International Telegraphic Conference 

 were entertained at dinner on Tuesday night, and last night a 

 conversazione was held in connection with the Conference. The 

 labours of the Conference have been chiefly administrative and 

 financial. 



We learn from the Colonies and India that rich deposits of 

 gold have been discovered in various parts of Nova Scotia, 

 where its existence has hitherto been hardly suspected. The 

 most important discovery made has been near Bannockburn, in 

 the township of Madoc, where a large nugget of gold of fine 

 quality was recently found, and an extensive gold field is being 

 opened out. Coal and iron are also plentiful in the province. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include an Indian Antelope (Antilope cervicap-a) from 

 India, presented by the Hon. A Greville, 60th Rifles ; a White- 

 whiskered Paradoxure (Paradoxurus lencomystax) from the East 

 Indies, presented by Mr. Carl Bock ; two Common Paradoxures 

 (Paradoxurus typus) from India, presented by Mr. G. Bradbury ; 

 a Common Magpie (Pica caudata), British Isles, presented by 

 Mr. J. Loraine Baldwin, F.Z.S. ; a Laughing Kingfisher (Z'rtrc/isi 

 gigantea) from Australia, presented by Mr. E. Hawkins ; a 

 Tuberculated Lizard (Iguana tuberculata) from the West Indies, 

 presented by Dr. A. Stradling ; a Caspian Ouaran (Psammo- 

 saurus caspicus) from Persia, presented by Commander J. Pratt, 

 s.s. Java; a West African Python (Python selit) from West 

 Africa, presented by Mr. G. H. Garrett ; five Climbing Anabas 

 (Anabas scandens) from India, presented by Mr. A. F. Dobson; 

 a Tamandua Anteater ( Tamandua telradactyia), a Sun Bittern 

 (Eurypyga helias) from South America, a Black-eared Marmoset 

 (Hapale penicillatd), a Brazilian Csx\3.x{a(Caria>na cristata) from 

 South-east Brazil ; a Crested Screamer (Chauna ckevaria) from 

 Buenos Ayres, a Daubenton's Curassow ( Crax daiibcntoni) from 

 Venezuela, a Negro Tamarin (Midas ursulus) from Guiana, a 

 Spotted-billed Toucanet (Selenidera macuHrosiris), three Violet 

 Tanagers (Euphonia violacea), two Saffron Finches (Sycalis 

 flavcola), a Pileated Finch (Coryphospingus pileatus) from Brazil, 

 a Great American Egret (Andea egretta), a Red and Yellow 

 Macaw (Ara chloroptera) from South America, deposited ; a 

 Black Hombill (Buceros atratus] from West Africa, a Green- 

 winged Trumpeter (Psophia viridis) from Brazil, a Common 



Crowned Pigeon (Goura coronata) from New Guinea, two 

 Orinoco Geese (Chenalopex jubata) from South America, six 

 Melodious Finches (Ihonipara canora) from Cuba, purchased ; 

 two Geoffrey's Doves (Peris/era e'coffroii), two Yellow-legged 

 Herring Gulls (Lams leitcopheeus') bred in the Garden.=. 



THE RECENT HONORARY DEGREES AT 

 CAMBRIDGE 



TT may interest our readers to see the terms in which the Public 

 Orator of Cambridge University spoke of the eminent men 

 of science on whom the degree of LL.D. was conferred on 

 June 10, as we announced last week. Mr. Sandys spoke as 

 follows of Sir William R. Grove : — 



luris initium a natura esse ductum auctore Tullio accepimus ; 

 iuris peritiam summam cum intima rerum naturae cognitione esse 

 consentaneam, non modo Baconis nostri exemplo confirmatum 

 est, sed huius quoque iudicis auctoritate defenditur. Magnum 

 profecto rerum naturae amorem testatur oratio ilia, qua tredecim 

 abhinc annos societatis Britannicae scientiarum finibus pro- 

 ferendis annul praesidis munus auspicatus, in universa rerum 

 natura ordinem quendam serie perpetua continuatum inesse 

 docebat ; testatur oratio ilia altera plusquam triginta abhinc 

 annos primum edita, qua primus indicavit lucem, calorem, vim 

 electricam, vim magneticam, mutuam rerum quae dicitur affini- 

 tatem, ipsum denique motum, omnes alium ex alio posse generari, 

 omnes necessitudine quadam inter se aptos et connexos esse, 

 " ostendens" (ut Lucreti verbis utar) 



corpuscula material 

 ex infinito summam rerum usque tenere 

 undique protelo plagarum continuato. 



Quod si ipse continue tenore totam tanti ingeni vim rerum 

 naturae cognoscendae intendisset ; ille profecto qui luci elec- 

 tricae novum splendorem addidit, talium rerum obscuritati etiam 

 maiorem lucem attulisset. Ceterum ille qui non modo legum 

 scientiam sed scientiarum quoque leges optime interpretatus est, 

 iure optimo legum doctor hodie creabitur; duplicis palmaelaudem 

 meritus, vestro omnium plausu iure excipietur Wilelmns Robertus 

 Grove. 



In introducing Dr. William Spottiswoode the Public Orator 

 said : — 



Societatis Britannicae scientiarum finibus proferendis praeses 

 ille quem Regiae quoque Societatis praesidem hodie salutamus, 

 fines quam amplos mathematicorum regno assignaverit, memi- 

 nistis omnes qui anno proximo orationem illam Dubliniensem 

 audivistis. Imperium neque temporis neque spatii finibus ter- 

 minatum illis dedit quos nonnunquam iuvat quasi oceani infiniti 

 propter litora calculos numerare, nonnunquam 'in pnrum illud 

 caelum, regionem illam inexplicabilem evolare, ubi spatium 

 multiplex extenditur, ubi nodi tantum abest ut solvi ut ne necti 

 quidem possint. Ipse ne Europae quidem philosophorum finibus 

 contentus, Indorum quoque doctrinam mathematicam et antiquam 

 linguam sacram exploravit ; Asiae et Europae confinia bis lustra- 

 vit, lustrata litteris mandavit. Populi in nsum, ordine quam 

 lucido lucis et coloris leges ipse illustravit ; quot aliorum libros 

 e prelo suo regio in lucem emisit, et sua et nostra cum Academia 

 privilegiorum communium iure adhuc aliquatenus coniunctus ; 

 quanta denique liberalitate, et ministrorum suorum et populi 

 universi liberaliter educandorum causa, pro virili parte laboravit. 

 Ut viro integerrimo, titulis plurimis aliunde cumulate, nostri 

 quoque tituli mantissa accedat, duco ad vos Wilelmum Spottis- 

 woode. 



Of Prof. H. J. S. Smith he said :— 



Pariter iniquum esse existimavit Aristoteles ab oratore rerum 

 omnium rationes accuratas exigere, atque mathematicum ad per- 

 suadendum apposite dicentem tolerare. Atqui ipse exemplar 

 egregium fj.a8T}fj,aTiKov ■jriOavoXoyovi'Tos libenter admiratus esset, 

 si in senatu Oxoniensium flumen orationis aureum fundentem 

 hunc geometriae professorem audire potuisset, qui nomine duplici, 

 et linguarum antiquarum et scientiarum mathematicarum peritia, 

 cathedra ilia dignus est quam Savilius ille, et Chrysostomi editor 

 et interpres Euclidis, primus occupavit, occupatam annuo reditu 

 in perpetuum ornavit. Tertii quidem ordinis linearum enumera- 

 tionem Newtonus ille noster olim Latine conscripsit, hie autem, 

 quarti ordinis lineis eadem lingua descriptis, e certamine toti 

 Europae ab Academia Berolinensi proposito, duplicis palmfc 

 particeps discessit. Quanta igitur spe et expectatione libros illos 

 de recentiore quae dicitur geometria, de subtilioribus numeroram 



