May 2, 19 1 8] 



NATURE 



179 



:,uch provision for complete • knowledge of the arts 

 ind sciences can we as a nation maintain our place 

 n the world.", Each of the pamphlets appeals to the 

 leader in the following words :—" For vour own sake, 

 your children's sake, your ^country's sake, do all you 

 can to push through the Education Bill. Get in touch 

 with your M.P." 



The following letter from Lord Stamfordham, the 

 King's private secretary, has been received by Mr. 

 Fisher, President of the Board of Education :— " It 

 has given the King and Queen much pleasure to visit 

 recently schools of various types, and thus gain an 

 insight into the daily life of the rising generation at 

 work and at play. Their Majesties are aware of the 

 magnificent response which the educational service 

 throughout the country has made to the demands of 

 the present time, not only in its contribution to the 

 fighting forces,- but also in the assistance which it has 

 rendered in many kinds of important war work. Above 

 all, they wish to express their admiration of the self- 

 denial and devotion of the teachers, who, it is evident, 

 while training the mind and body of their pupils] 

 recognise the importance of the formation of character! 

 These visits have brought home to the King and Oueen 

 ihe keenness and patriotism of the youth o7 the 

 country. They realise the unselfish and hearty manner 

 in which boys and girls, inspired by the example of 

 their teachers, have formed War Savings Associations, 

 subscribed money for charitable purposes, and, by their 

 liandiwork, contributed to the personal needs and com- 

 forts of the troops.. Their Majesties feel that the 

 nation can be proud of its young sons and daughters, 

 whose example during this great war augurs well for 

 the future of our race. I am commanded to request 

 \ou to convey to the school authorities and teachers 

 the hearty congratulations of the King and Queen 

 upon the admirable manner in which the public ser- 

 vice of education is being maintained, the progress of 

 which their Majesties will ever watch with interest 

 and sympathy." 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



London. 



Royal Meteorological Society, April 17.— Sir Napier 



-Shaw, president, in the chair. — E. G. Bilham : The 



variations of underground watel-level near a tidal 



river. The paper is chiefly devoted to a comparison 



! records from the Kew Observatory water-level 

 corder and the Richmond Lock tide-gauge for a 

 jjeriod of two years beginning May, 19 14. The 

 seasonal variations, determined from lunar-monthly 

 means, were found to be very similar, as was to be 

 anticipated on general grounds. A better method of 

 determining the extent to which the variations of sub- 

 soil water-level were directly controlled by the River 

 Thames consisted in the analysis of the well records 

 to find tidal oscillations analogous to those which 

 were well-marked in the river. The well responds but 

 slightly to the lunar semi-diurnal tide, but the lunar- 

 fortnightiy oscillation is well reproduced with a lag of 

 live days and a reduction of amplitude in the ratio of 

 I to 14 (approximately). After allowing for the direct 

 action of the river, the well is found to be very sensi- 

 tive to local rainfall during winter months. The 

 eftects of rainfall upon river-level and underground 

 water-level appear to be in many respects closely 

 similar.— J. Fairgrieve : Suggestions' as to the condi- 

 tions precedent to the occurrence of summer thunder- 



•<irms, with special reference to that of June 14, 1914. 



1 lie paper deals particularly with the thunderstorm of 

 June 14, 1914. The meteorological phenomena accom- 

 panying the rainfall are put on record. The cloud dis- 

 tribution, the barometric pressure, the wind move- 

 NO. 2531, VOL. lOl] 



ments, and the temperature are specially dealt with. 

 From an examination of the data it is evident that the 

 clouds and the rainfields lie in parallel belts, and that 

 the former appear some hours before the rain begios 

 to fall. It is suggested that this belting of wind and 

 rain may be due to rippling on a large scale, the 

 rippling being brought about by the interaction of two 

 currents of dilTerent temperatures. If the conditions 

 are unstable, and especially if relief also induces dis- 

 turbance, thunderstorms will develop along lines of 

 rippling, and will drift with the wind Thunder- 

 storms have apparently three movements, a develop- 

 rnent along a belt, a sideways movement in the direc- 

 tion of the prevailing wind, i.e. to leeward, and a 

 spread to windward. The first may be due to rippling ; 

 the second is a drift; the third may be explained if it 

 is granted that a local ridge of high pressure develops 

 along the axis of the thunderstorm. The thunder- 

 storm then breaks up into two belts, of which the lee- 

 ward soon dies out owing to the lack of a supply of 

 rising air. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, April 8.— AL Paul Painlev^ in 

 the chair.— Col. Vailier : Obituary notice of Gen. 

 Zaboudski. Gen. Zaboudski, correspondant in the sec- 

 tion of mechanics, was assassinated in Petrograd in 

 March, 1917, but his death has only recently come to 

 the knowledge of the Academy. — ^A, Lacroix : Some 

 sodium rocks, lode-like in character, of the Archi- 

 pelago of Los, French Guinea. Thirteen minerals are 

 described and complete analyses given. Even in the 

 rocks most removed from syenites the alkaline char- 

 acter persists, with a predominance of soda over 

 potash. The connection between the lodes and the 

 surrounding syenites is also indicated. — E. Fournier ; 

 The causes and effects of the resistance of water to 

 the translation of ships' hulls.— L. Maquenne and 

 E. Demoussy : The influence of acids on germination. 

 Care has to be taken to prevent the disturbing influence 

 of calcium salts on the experiments, calcium derived 

 either from the water or from the integuments of the 

 seeds themselves. It is concluded that the mineral 

 acids, even in extreme dilution, are poisonous and 

 hinder germination. — E. Ariis : The anomalies pre- 

 sented by the saturated vapour pressures of certain 

 diatomic liquids. A comparison of the formula derived 

 by the author in previous communications with the 

 experimental figures for oxygen and nitrogen shows 

 marked differences; the data for nitric oxide are also 

 not in agreement with the calculated figures. The 

 causes of the divergence are discussed.— B. de Font- 

 violant : Strains developed in bridges with straight 

 girders, with double lines, when one line only is 

 loaded.— D. Eydoux : Conduits closed at both ends. 

 Accumulators and buffer cylinders. — E. Baticle : The 

 determination of the most advantageous dimensions 

 of the principal elements of a hydraulic installation. — 

 A. Mailiie and F. de Godon : A new preparation of the 

 methyltoluidines by catalysis. The method described 

 in a preceding communication of preparing mono- 

 methylaniline and dimethylaniline by passing a mix- 

 ture of the vapours of methyl alcohol and aniline over 

 alumina heated to 350° to 400° C. is now shown to be 

 i applicable to the preparation of the methyltoluidiHes.— 

 E. Belot and C. Gorceix : The experimental reproduc- 

 tion of the formation of great mountain chains. — 

 E. Hesse : Caidleryella anophelis, a schizogregarine 

 parasite of .'\noplielcs bifurcatiis. — R. Combes: The 

 equine paratyphoid baciilus.^ — -A. Vernes : The pre- 

 cipitation of an organic colloid by human serum, 

 normal or syphilitic. It is shown to be possible so to 

 regulate the state of a colloidal suspension that it can 

 be flocculated by syphilitic serum, and not flocculated 

 bv normal serum,— R. Dubois: The svnthesis of luci- 



