September i8, 1919] 



NATURE 



to justify the description of the revelation of the 

 secret of synthetic indigo by reference to nn accident 

 which occurred in the investigation of the processes 

 for the manufacture of phthalie acid and cer- 

 tainly greatly facilitated the production of this sub- 

 stance — an intermediate in the manufacture of arti- 

 ficial indigo. So, if the initiated emphasise the 

 unessential, why should we blame the layman and be 

 surprised that well-ordered and planned design should 

 appear to be but the workings of chance, for every 

 such achievement is a witness to the conquest of well- 

 founded theoretical speculation? 



But I do not wish to conclude on a despondent 

 note, nor is it right that I should do so in view of 

 the many activities operating for the promotion of 

 scientific research, and of such evidence as that sup- 

 plied by the magnificent endowment of the chemical 

 department of the University of Cambridge, all of 

 which are evidences of what we may reasonably hope 

 to be a happy augury for the future of chemistry and 

 chemists in this country. 



NOTES. 



The James Watt centenary celebrations in Birming- 

 ham were opened with lectures by Prof. F. W. 

 Burstall and Prof. Hele-Shaw on Tuesday morning 

 (September i6). In the afternoon there was a 

 memorial service at Handsworth Parish Church, in 

 which Watt, Boulton, and Murdoch were buried, an 

 address being delivered by Canon E. W. Barnes, 

 Master of the Temple. This was followed by a 

 garden-party at Heathfield Hall, and a reception by 

 the Lord Mayor at the Council House. On Wednes- 

 day morning, as we go to press, lectures are to be 

 given by Sir Oliver Lodge, Prof. .Alex. Barr, and 

 Prof. J. D. Cormack, and in the afternoon visits will 

 be made to some of Watt's engines. In the evening 

 will be held the centenary dinner. On Thursday the 

 L'niver«ity will hold a special Degree Congregation to 

 confer honorary degrees on the American Ambassador 

 (the Hon. J. W. Davies), Sir Charles Parsons, Vice- 

 Admiral Goodwin, M. Rateau (of Paris), Sir George 

 Bcilbv, Col. Blackett, Prof. Barr, and Mr. F. W. 

 Lanchcster. The response to the appeal for the 

 memorial fund has up to the present been very 

 meagre, and unless large additions are made to the 

 subscription list the realisation of even one of the 

 objects of the fund will not bei possible. It is to be 

 hoped that a marked improvement may be made 

 during the week. 



Summer time is to end this year at 2 a.m. on 

 Si ptember 29. Each year the terminal dates of 

 summer time have varied, and, though the dates will, 

 of course, be known to our future compilers of natural 

 phenomena, the use of summer time can scarcely fail 

 to result in some errors. Even so simple a change 

 as that of the Gregorian calendar has been attended 

 by mistakes. Some years ago, for instance, the late 

 Sir Edward Fry referred to some entries on British 

 earthquakes in the diary of John Wesley (Nature, 

 vol. Ixxix., 1898, p. 08). He remarked that the 

 London earthquakes of February 8 and March 8, 

 1750, which Wesley describes, are not mentioned in 

 Mallet's Catalogue. Wesley's dates are correctly 

 given, for the Gregorian calendar came into force 

 after September 2, 1752. Mallet, however, gives the 

 days in new style as February 19 and March 19. 

 The error in this case is easy to detect; but, unless 

 the letters "G.M.T." or the words "summer time" 

 are added, it may be difficult to decide whether records 

 of an earthquake at, say, 2.1.2 and 3.8 relate to the 

 same shock at about 2.10 G.M.T. ' or to different 

 shocks. 



NO. 2603, VOL. 104] 



We regret to learn from Dr. G. C. Simpson, 

 Director-General of Observatories, Simla, that Mr. 

 W. L. Dallas, who was Scientific .Assistant to the 

 Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India 

 from 1882 to 1906, passed away ;it Simla on .'\ugust 5. 

 Mr. Dallas's original meteorological work was devoted 

 almost entirely to a study of the weather conditions 

 over the Indian seas, although he published a few 

 papers on more general subjects. He discussed for 

 the Government of India the marine observations of 

 the Indian seas collected by the London Meteorological 

 Office during twenty years — 18,6-75. He also inves- 

 tigated the nature and causes of storms in the Arabian 

 Sea, using all records available for the period 1648- 

 i88g, on which inquiry all later work undertaken by 

 the India Meteorological Department for \yarning 

 ships approaching India from the west was based. 

 Mr. Dallas fittingly closed his long olTicial connection 

 with the India Meteorological Department by the com- 

 pilation of a meteorological atlas of the Indian seas, 

 which will be found in use on most ships visiting the 

 East. 



Mr. Edwin O. Sachs, whose death we announced 

 last week, will be remembered mainly by his keen 

 interest and untiring activity in relation to all ques- 

 tions regarding fire protection 'and fire prevention. 

 The terrible holocaust of the Paris Charity Bazaar 

 fire in 1887 led Mr. Sachs to form the British Fire 

 Prevention Committee, of which he was the chair- 

 man and guiding spirit up to the time of his death. 

 In his work with the committee Mr. Sachs was sup- 

 ported by a number of public men and professional 

 friends. Thanks to his energy and devotion and his 

 able leadership, the committee's work, from very 

 small beginnings, soon covered a vast field of activity, 

 which widened from time to time until the founda- 

 tions of a comprehensive organisation were firmly 

 laid. The large number of tests undertaken by the 

 committee were made in a specially constructed 

 testing station which Mr. Sachs designed, and to 

 which he not only gave unstinted and devoted labour, 

 but also largely financed. This testiniJ station, which 

 has been enlarged and improved from time to time, 

 was the first of its kind, and has served as a model 

 for similar centres of investigation throughout the 

 world. The numerous activities of the committee— 

 which durinf the war were greatly increased, and 

 included arrangements for a voluntary fire survey 

 force for more than two thousand war hospitals, 

 camps, and factories, also research vyork of the 

 highest importance to the nation — were initiated and 

 guided by Mr. Sachs's unceasing energies, even 

 during his latter years. All this work on the com- 

 mittee, as well as his other public activities, were 

 rendered entirely voluntarily, and in all he did he was 

 inspired by the highest ideals. 



During the evening of September 11 an earthquake 

 shock, causing considerable damage, was felt in the 

 region of Monte .'\miata, near Siena. At San 

 Casciano several houses were wrecked. K slighter 

 earthquake was also felt on September 12 at Ebingen 

 (Wiirtemberg). 



The Times correspondent at New York reports 

 that on September 13 Mr. Roland Rohlfs, a testing 

 pilot with the Curtiss .Aeroplane Corporation, rose 

 from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, to a height of 

 34,200 ft. This -'record" is not officially confirmed, 

 but Mr. Rohlfs will try on the first favourable day 

 to make an authenticated attempt to exceed the 

 altitude believed to have been reached by him. 



On May 20 the volcano Kloet, in Java, discharged 

 suddenly a great quantity of hot mud, which, spread- 



