522 



NATURE 



{Sept. 25, 1879 



In the spectra of some of the July meteors a red line was also 

 observed, but a blue one was looked for in vain ; yet the pro- 

 fessor would not deny that the red line in question may have 

 been a potassium line and that the blue K)3 was simply overlooked 

 on account of its extreme weakness. 



The meteors observed on August 12 and 13 resembled those 

 observed in July in almost all details. Thus a yellow meteor of 

 the first magnitude was observed, which evidently originated 

 from the Per.-eus radiating point. In the spectrum of the head 

 of this meteor, besides the bright sodium line, the lithium lines 

 were distinctly visible ; three seconds later another meteor of 

 about the second magnitude passed through the field of the spec- 

 troscope in a direction exactly parallel to the former one, and the 

 spectrum of both head and tail in this case was simply a toler- 

 ably bright continuous one, without any appearance even of the 

 bright sodium line. 



At loh. 46m. los. Prof, von Konkoly saw a magnificent 

 meteor in the northeastern sky ; it moved very slowly, its colour 

 was emerald green, its brilliancy equal to that of Jupiter ; he at 

 once directed his spectroscope towards it. At the first appear- 

 ance the head showed the sodium line only, but soon a number 

 of lines were seen in the green and blue, of which one was 

 recognised as a magnesium line, while others were suspected to 

 be copper 1 nes. There were also two faint lines visible in the 

 red. On August 14 several other meteors were observed with 

 the spectroscope, but only one was seen in the spectrum of 

 which a faint red line appeared besides the sodium line ; of these 

 meteors several were of the first magnitude and did not show the 

 sodium line ; other ones of a lesser magnitude showed the sodium 

 line very brightly besides a continuous spectrum more or less 

 brilliant. 



At the same observatory two stationary meteors were observed : 

 one by Capt. von Reviczky on July 26, at I ih. 48m. O-Gyalla 

 mean time (position : 2h. om. R.A and 29° o' decl. N., magni- 

 tude 3) ; the other by Herr J. Rosenzweig, the assistant at the 

 observatory, on August 11 at gh. 47m. Is. 0-GyaIla mean time 

 (position : 2h. 14m. R.A. and 55° 18' decl. N., magnitude 3). 



The total numbers of shooting stars of the two showers re- 

 ferred to, which were observed at O-Gyalla were as follows : — 



Meteors. 



72 



87 



26 



no 



SO 



5° 



35 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



The Calendar of the Yorkshire College for the sixth session 

 (1879-80) has just been published. It appears this year for the 

 first time in siiff covers, and with the prospectus of the Leeds 

 School of Medicine makes a book of 204 pages. The growth 

 in the size- of the calendar corresponds with the extension 

 of the College curriculum, for several new classes are an- 

 nounced for the approaching session, which begins on October 

 7 next. Mr. W. Philp, M.A., B.Sc, has been appointed 

 mathematical and classical tutor, and the College authorities 

 have thus been able to arrange for a systematic oversight of 

 students who are preparing for the examinations of the University 

 of London. The Natural Philosophy lectures are now arranged 

 in two courses. The first year's course comprises the require- 

 ments for London Matriculation, viz., Mechanics, Optics, and 

 Heat ; the second year courses, those for the B.A. and other 

 degrees, viz., Mechanics, Heat, Acoustics, Light, Electricity, 

 and Magnetism. The Chemistry Classes remain the same as 

 last year. Students have the privilege of pursuing a course of 

 practical chemistry in the laboratory at times convenient to 

 themselves, and for such periods as they are able to devote to 

 that study. The Saturday morning chemistry lecture and 

 practical class are to be continued, schools and teachers having 

 largely availed themselves of this opportunity in past sessions. 

 The arrangements and the classes in Mathematics, Geology and 

 Mining, Biology, Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, Botany, 

 Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Latin, Greek, French^ 

 German, Oriental Languages, Coal Mining, and Textile Indus. 

 tries remain for the most part unaltered, but the importan^ 

 subject of Mental and Moral Science has been added, Logig 



being taken in the earlier part of the session, and Psychology icr 

 the later part. The classes in Modern Literature and History 

 have been multiplied and rearranged, so as to give a complete 

 course in Literature and History for the London Matriculation 

 and 1st B.A. examinations, a complete course on the special sub- 

 jects in Literature and History for the Cambrid<;e Higher Local' 

 examination, and a course of History for the Cambridge Senior and 

 Junior Local examinations, besides other classes for students not 

 reading for examinations. The fees in some of these classes arc- 

 fixed on a very low scale, to meet the requirements of teachers 

 and others preparing for the University Local examination. This 

 is an endeavour to extend the usefulness of the college, which 

 will, no doubt, be warmly appreciated by the large class of 

 persons directly affected by it. The department of Textile 

 Industries continues to receive the attention it deserves, and 

 although the students <annot be located in their new premises at 

 Beech Grove at the opening of the Session, as had been hoped, 

 their interests have been amply provided for in the temporary 

 class rooms and in the weaving annexe in Cookridge Street. 

 The practical value of the instruction given by Mr. Beaumont is 

 widely recognised, and we observe that the committee are doing 

 what they can to impress on the students in this department the 

 value of a thorough acquaintance with the most important 

 branches of textile manufacture. Arrangements for the esta- 

 blishment of a school of dyeing are in an advanced state. In 

 the evening classes there are to be courses of lectures on 

 Mechanics, Chemistry, Geology, Biology, Botany, and Engi- 

 neering, and classes in Latin, Greek, English Grammar, and 

 Textile Industries. A somewhat bold experiment is to be tried 

 by the introduction of two short courses of lectures of a nore 

 popular character than the ordinary evening class lectures. 



Mr. T. Jeffery Parker, B.Sc, Demonstrator of Biology 

 in the Royal School of Mines, has been appointed to the new 

 lectureship on Biology at Bedford College, York Place, Portman 

 Square. 



The City and Guilds of London Institute for the Advance- 

 ment of Technical Education have issued a detailed programme 

 of subjects in which examinations will be held in i88o. It 

 embraces a great variety of subjects, in the more scientific of 

 which some eminent men of science have been obtained as 

 examiners. Any one interested in the matter will, no doubt, 

 obtain a copy of the programme by applying to the Secretary, 

 Mercers' Hall, E.C. 



M. Jules Ferry has published a regulation tending to 

 diminish the importance given to the Compcsitions des Prix in the 

 several French educational establishments and to shorten the 

 time assigned to the young competitors for writing their essays. 

 Much dissatisfaction is felt by teachers and the best pupils at 

 Government trying to repress the sense of emulation. It is ex- 

 pected that petitions will be sent to the French Parliament pro- 

 testing against the supposed retrograde step taken by the. 

 Administration. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Annalin der Physik und Chemie, No. 7. — In the opening 

 paper, on electric limiting layers. Prof. Helmholtz studies the 

 case where there is a difference of potential at the limiting surface 

 of two different bodies, giving, along this surface, what he calls 

 an "electric double layer," as, e.g., when a zinc and a copper 

 plate, in metallic connection, are approximated to each other. 

 He groups together, in this relation, the phenomena of metallic 

 electrodes in an imdecomposed electrolyte, frictional electricity, 

 flow of liquids on solids, and applies an explanation of the last- 

 named case to various recorded phenomena of electrical action in 

 liquids. — Herr Beetz describes a new investigation of the heat- 

 conducting power of various liquids. The differences in this 

 property, according as the temperatures were above or below 20°, 

 are made manifest, and the discrepancies of previous data in part 

 explained. The phenomena of heat conduction in liquids are 

 considered to depend on mechanical molecular processes, or 

 friction phenomena, as Kcjhlrausch has shown to be the case, 

 with electrolytic conduction. — A paper by Herr Bams treats of 

 the thermo-electric position and electric conductivity of steel in 

 its relation to hardening. He shows that the steel bars examined 

 fell into two classes, those of the one class (the harder) being 

 electronegative to copper, those of the other (the softer) electro- 

 positive. A simple method of classing steel is deduced from thi'. 

 — In a second communication on experimental determination of 



