July 28, 1887] 



NATURE 



307 



this second portion full justice is done to the recent researches of 

 the Hon. R. Abercromhy, and a lengthy report is given of the 

 results of a conference between that gentleman and M. Hilde- 

 brandsson at Upsala at the end of 1886. This report points 

 out that the study of the forms of clouds may be undertaken 

 with different objects in view. If the object be weather-predic- 

 tion, a detailed terminology is necessary, and for this purpose 

 M. Hildebrandsson thinks Mr. W. C. Ley's classification of the 

 higher clouds is unsurpassed. One of the principal objects 

 is the determination of the directions of the wind in the higher 

 regi:insof the atmosphere, and for this it is not necessary to 

 distinguish so many forms ; but we must be sure (i) that these 

 forms are, generally speaking, everywhere the same, and (2) we 

 must determine the mean heights of the various forms by. direct 

 measurements. With the view of settling the first point, Mr. 

 Abercromby has made two voyages round the globe. The second 

 question has been partially solved by the researches of MM- 

 Ekholm and Hagstrom at Upsala (Nature, June 30, p. 206). 

 It is, however, necessary that such measurements should be 

 made at various other places, and the same gentlemen intend to 

 make further experiments elsewhere during this summer. Dr. 

 Koppen concludes his article by some remarks on the history of 

 the development of clouds, and recommends a series of observa- 

 tions in balloons similar to the celebrated ascents made many 

 years ago by Mr. Glaisher. The same number of the Zeitschrift 

 contains interesting articles on the results of meteorological 

 observations during solar eclipses, by Mr. Winslow Upton, and 

 on the method of counting the number of rainy days in various 

 countries, and its influence on the resulting period of rain- 

 frequency, by Dr. E. Bruckner, of Hamburg. The amount of 

 rainfall which is taken as representing a rainy day differs con- 

 siderably in different countries. The author recommends the 

 general adoption of 0'CX)5 inch, without reference to whether 

 it be caused by rain, snow, dew, &c. The amount has not 

 yet been definitely fixed by the Meteorological Congresses, but 

 that adopted by this country is 0"ol inch (or 0*005 '"ch where 

 the rainfall is measured to thousandths of an inch). The Inter, 

 national Polar Committee have adopted o'l millimetre ( — 0*004 

 inch; as representing a rainy day in all their publications, while 

 for Prussia twice that amount is taken as the minimum quantity. 



Time-signalling on the German coasts began(we leain from a 

 recent paper by Prof Foerster) twelve years ago, and there are at 

 present seven time-balls in action ; viz. at Bremerhaven, 

 Cuxhaven, Swinemiinde, Neufahrwasser, Wilhelmshaven, Kiel, 

 and Hamburg. In this respect, our country stands first. We 

 began some thirty years ago, and have at present fourteen time- 

 balls on our coasts, also five other arrangements for the same 

 end. In our colonies and dependencies there are twenty-six 

 time-balls. France possesses four time-balls (and two other 

 arrangements) ; Sweden and Norway, Austria-Hungary, Holland 

 h Belgium, and the United States, have five each ; Denmark 

 - two ; Spain and Portugal one each. Italy has none as yet. 



TiiK list of examples illustrating the law of isomorphism has 



received a strong reinforcement at the hands of M. Charles 



'ire, who describes in the last number of the Coinptes rendus 



result of his attempt to prepare a series of selenium alums 



norphous with the corresponding double sulphates. Following 



the work of Wohlvil, Wohler, and Pettersson, Fabre has 



ceeded in preparing double selenates of the general formula 



8604)3 . M2Se04 . 24H.2O, in which M represents respectively 



I lassium, sodium, coesium, rubidium, thallium, ammonium, 



elhylamine, di- and tri-ethylamine, and propylamine. Each of 



' ■■>€ alums crystallizes in the cubic system, generally in colour- 



^ octahedra ; and some of them, notably the double selenate 



.. .duminium and thallium, form exceptionally beautiful crystals. 



Further, the French chemist finds, as might be expected, that 



chromium forms a similar series of isomorphous double selenates, 

 most of which build up splendid octahedra, black by reflected 

 and violet by transmitted light. These alums are comparatively 

 easy to obtain crystallized if the temperature be kept low, but 

 at slightly elevated temperatures the small amount of chemical 

 attraction by which the two constituent selenates are constrained 

 to combine together in molecular proportions is overcome, and 

 the alum can never be formed. 



The last numbers of the Journal of the China Branch of the 

 Royal Asiatic Society (vol. xxi. Nos. i and 2) contain an 

 interesting "symposium" on the question whether the Chinese 

 should be taught Western science through the medium of their 

 own or a European language. If the latter, no doubt the 

 language would be English. The stumbling-block in the way 

 of teaching science to the Chinese is the difficulty, not to say 

 impossibility, of finding Chinese equivalents for the terms of our 

 science. The Japanese have made the attempt at translation, 

 but do not appear to be quite satisfied with the result. The 

 missionaries who take part in the discussion appear to be of 

 opinion that the Chinese language is the best medium, while on 

 the other side it is contended that as long as it is taught by 

 foreigners it had better be taught in a foreign language, "and 

 probably by foreigners who have not had their faculties para- 

 lyzed by the task of mastering the Chinese language." Most of 

 the laymen appear to be of this opinion. The question, after 

 all, appears to be one of terminology ; for if this difficulty can 

 be overcome there is, we presume, no dispute that men, whether 

 Orientals or Europeans, can best acquire knowledge through the 

 medium of their native tongue. In the terminology the ques- 

 tion appears, in Japan at least — and the same is doubtless true 

 of China — to be whether the terms of Western science 

 should be translated approximately or transliterated app.-oxi- 

 mately. Should there be, for example, an attempt to reproduce 

 by transliteration the words hydrogen, nitrogen, logarithm, &c., 

 or an attempt to translate their meanings into concise terms 

 which will take their places in Chinese and Japanese science ? 

 In either case the student will have to learn a new terminology, 

 exactly as students in the West do. This is a point for Oriental 

 scholars to decide, but it certainly does seem at first sight that 

 transliteration is preferable to translation, for in the latter there 

 is room for dispute and differences of opinion and practice, while 

 the former has severe simplicity to recommend it. 



Severe earthquakes were noticed on July 11 in the Hungarian 

 districts of Arad, Temesvar, and Torontal. 



On July 17 shocks of earthquake were felt at Catania, 

 Lecce, Ischia, Livorno, and Parma. Oscillations were felt in 

 Rhodes, Crete, and Chios, and at Smyrna. Several houses 

 were damaged at Canea, and in Rhodes a part of the fortress- 

 wall and some chimneys were destroyed. 



M. BtiRCH says, in Cosmos, that in America he saw six wild 

 geese, when flying in a storm, killed by lightning. 



The French Academy of Sciences has received the Giffard 

 legacy of 50,000 francs, and has resolved to employ the interest 

 in grants to learned men in pecuniary difficulties. 



Prof. Lunge, of Zurich, has re-written and added to the 

 treatise on "Coal-Tar Distillation" which he brought out in 

 1882. The new edition, with many new working drawings, 

 will be ready very soon, and Messrs. Gurney and Jackson, Mr. 

 Van Voorst's successors, are to publish it. 



In the Moniteur Beige of the 3rd inst., a Royal decree was 

 published nominating the Vice-Presidents, Chief Secretary, and 



