460 



NATURE 



[September 8, 1898 



Some of my hearers, however, may think that, instead of 

 rendering the subject clearer, I have brought it perilously near 

 to the obscure region of metaphysics ; and certainly, if to argue 

 the insufficiency of the mechanical explanation of a phenomenon 

 is to be metaphysical, I must plead guilty to the charge. I will, 

 therefore, appeal to a judgment — metaphysical, it is true, but to 

 be found in a very exact treatise on physical science — namely, 

 Newton's " Principia." It has a marked bearing on the subject 

 in hand : — 



" A caca necessitate metaphysica, qua ntique eadem est semper 

 et ubique, nulla oritur reriitn variatio. " 



I will merely add this is certainly true of the particular rerum 

 variatio in which optically active organic compounds originate. 



NOTES. 



The funeral of Dr. John Hopkinson and his three children, 

 whose sad deaths on the Dent Veisivi were recorded in last 

 week's Nature, took place on Friday last at Territet. The 

 coffins were covered with flowers, and many of the wreaths had 

 been sent from England. After a service in the English church 

 the coffins were carried to the cemetery, where they were 

 interred. — At a special meeting of the Council of the Institu- 

 tion of Electrical Engineers, held on August 31, the following 

 resolution was passed unanimously : — " That the Council of the 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers do hereby place on record 

 this expression of their sincere sorrow and deep regret for the 

 great and irreparable loss sustained by the Institution through the 

 untimely and calamitous death of Dr. John Hopkinson, F.R.S., 

 past President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, Major 

 commanding the Corps of Electrical Engineers, Royal Engineers 

 (Volunteers), and Professor of Electrical Engineering in King's 

 College, London." It was further decided that, subject to it 

 being consonant with the wishes of the family, the members of 

 the Council should attend the funeral as representatives of the 

 Institution. Owing to the sudden alteration in the arrange- 

 ments for the interment, however, it was impossible for them to 

 carry out their intention ; but Prof. Ewing, member of Council, 

 who was in Switzerland at the time, was accessible by telegraph, 

 and was therefore able officially to represent the Institution and, 

 in its name, to lay a wreath of flowers upon the grave of his 

 former colleague. 



The American Association for the Advancement of Science 

 appear to have had a very successful meeting at Boston. Fol- 

 lowing the usual custom the retiring president, Prof. Wolcott 

 Gibbs, delivered an address, taking for his subject the constitu- 

 tion of the complex-inorganic acids and their salts, which class 

 of compounds was selected by him because it is well adapted to 

 throw light upon the structure and modes of combination of 

 molecules. We regret that on account of the large amount of 

 space which will be devoted during the next few weeks to the 

 proceedings of the British Association, room cannot be found to 

 print Prof. Gibbs's address in full, but a summary of it will be 

 given in a subsequent number, together with a general account 

 of the meeting at which it was delivered. 



The Secretary of State for the Colonies has appointed Dr. 

 Daniel Morris, C.M.G., Assistant Director of the Royal Gardens 

 at Kew, to be Commissioner of the new Imperial Agricultural 

 Department for the West Indies. 



We are requested to state that all communications regarding 

 the full Report of the International Congress of Zoology should 

 be addressed to Adam Sedgwick, Esq., Trinity College, 

 Cambridge. 



Prof. Virchow has formally accepted the invitation to the 

 banquet to be given in his honour on October 5, in the White- 

 hall Room of the Hotel Metropole. The number of stewards 

 who have signified their intention to be present at the dinner is 

 NO. 1506, VOL. 58] 



now 180. Gentlemen who wish to be present should com- 

 municate without delay with Mr. Andrew Clark, 71 Harley 

 Street, London, W. 



Mr. C. E. Stromeyer, writing from Whitby, says that on 

 Friday evening, September 2, from 7.45, to 8. 15 an aurora was 

 visible there, with the centre of the rays apparently resting on 

 the horizon about N. 25° E. The rays revolved from west to 

 east at the rate of about 20° in ten minutes. The sky was rather 

 cloudy, but numerous stars could be seen. Twilight was still 

 noticeable in the west, and the full moon was occasionally 

 shining brightly; otherwise, Mr. Stromeyer thinks, the phenomena 

 would doubtless have been very conspicuous. In connection 

 with this observation, it is interesting to call attention to the 

 announcement in this week's Astronomical Column that a fine 

 sun-spot has been visible during the past few days. 



Mr. Arthur Jenkin sends from Redruth some very in- 

 teresting observations on the motion of falling spray. He points 

 out that if the spray resulting from the breaking of sea-waves 

 on rocks is observed, it will be noticed that after the spray has 

 reached its greatest elevation it exists in the form of drops. 

 Shortly after the downward motion has begun a sudden change 

 takes place, the drops being seen to burst and falling in a state 

 of fine division. Mr. Jenkin adds: "I have repeatedly ob- 

 served this ; and the kind of twinkle which takes place at the 

 moment of change, and the marked difference in appearance, 

 render the phenomenon very noticeable. I have further ob- 

 served that just before the spray-drop breaks up it momentarily 

 assumes a shape similar to a vortex ring." These observations 

 require an unusual endowment of quick eyesight and power of 

 attention. Mr. Jenkin endeavours to account for the appear- 

 ance by an explanation based upon difference of velocity be- 

 tween the mass of water and the component particles, due to 

 change of direction of motion. 



As already announced, the seventieth Congress of German 

 Naturalists and Physicians will open at Diisseldorf on Monday, 

 September 19, under the presidency of Prof. Mooren. We 

 learn from the British Medical Jmcrnal 'Cn.zX. Prof. F. Klein, of 

 Gottingen, will give an address on University and Technical 

 High Schools, and Prof. Tillmanns, of Leipzig, an address on 

 a Hundred Years of Surgery. The Sections will commence 

 their business on Tuesday, September 20, at 9 a.m. , and will 

 sit again in the afternoon. In the evening there will be a gala 

 performance of Wagner's Die Walkure in the town theatre. 

 On Wednesday the Medical Sections will meet together under 

 the presidency of Prof. His, of Leipzig, when a discussion will 

 take place on the results of recent investigations into the 

 physiology and pathology of the circulatory organs. In the 

 evening there will be a banquet, which will be attended by 

 ladies as well as by members of the Congress. On Thursday 

 the Sections will meet morning and afternoon, and in the evening 

 there will be a ball. The second general meeting will take 

 place on Friday morning, when addresses will be given by Prof. 

 Martius, of Rostock, on the causes of beginnings of disease, by 

 Prof, van 't Hoff, of Berlin, on the increasing importance of 

 inorganic chemistry ; and by Dr. Martin Mendelssohn, of Berlin, 

 on the importance of sick nursing to scientific therapeutics. In 

 the evening the city of Diisseldorf will give a farewell entertain- 

 ment, and Saturday will be spent in excursions. During the 

 meeting there will be four exhibitions: (i) a historical exhibi- 

 tion, (2) an exhibition of scientific medical, hygienic, chemical, 

 and pharmaceutical inventions, (3) an exhibition of photography 

 in relation to science, and (4) a collection of physical and 

 chemical teaching appliances for use in intermediate schools. 



The Ottawa correspondent of the Times announces that some 

 Indians who have just arrived at Dauphin from the far north 

 report meeting Esquimaux, who told them of the appearance 



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