L 



May 13, 1897] 



NATURE 



47 



Paris, 



Academy of Sciences, May 3.— M. A. Chatiii in the 

 chair. — New classification of the Phanerogams, based upon the 

 ovule and the seed, by M. Ph. van Tieghem. A summary of 

 the preceding papers on this subject. — Researches on the com- 

 position of wheat, and on its analysis, by M. Aime (ierard. 

 During the process of milling, some 30 per cent, of the wheat 

 is not included in the flour. The composition of this residue is 

 given for samples of wheat of different origin, stress being laid 

 upon the importance of suitable mechanical treatment preceding 

 the chemical analysis. — The morphological signification of the 

 caudal vertebra;, by M. Armand Sabatier. — Remarks by M. Faye 

 on the presentation of the sixth volume of the " Annales de 

 rObservatoire de Nice." — Remarks by M. Darboux on the 

 inauguration of the monument to M. Lobatschevsky at Kazan. — 

 The Committees of Judges were appointed for the Clrand Prize 

 of the Physical Sciences, and for the Bordin, Damoiseau, 

 Fourneyron, Pourat, and Gay Prizes. — On the law of variations of 

 latitude, by iM. F. Gonnessiat. Results of experiments under- 

 taken with a view of seeing whether the meridian circle, at the same 

 time that it furnished the absolute positions of the stars observed, 

 could not also serve to show the variations of latitude with as 

 much certainty as the differential methods hitherto adopted. — 

 Oil the problem of Dirichlet, by M. S. Zaremba. An applica- 

 tion to this problem of the notation of the theory of electricity. 



— On the comparative accuracy of the various methods used in 

 securing the vertical in astronomical, geodesic, and topographical 

 observations, by M. Ch. Lallemand. Four methods of levelling 

 were compared — the use of a mercury bath as a plane mirror, 

 the plumb-line, the spirit-level, and the contact of three points 

 with a mercury bath, the last-named having been lately suggested 

 as more rapid and more accurate. As a result of the experi- 

 ments, supposing in each case the most favourable conditions, 

 the spirit-level was found to be preferable, its accuracy being, 

 in a portable apparatus, about fifteen times that of any of the other 

 methods. —New properties of the kathode rays revealijig their 

 complex com{X)sition, by M. H. Deslandres. Whenever a 

 kathode ray is deviated by a neighbouring body, it is, at the 

 same time, divided into several distinct rays, which are un- 

 equally deviated. — On the partial polarisation of the ladiations 

 emitted by some luminous sources under the influence of the 

 magnetic field, by MM. N. Egoroff and N. Georgiewsky. The 

 polarisation in the case of most of tHe metals employed was 

 shown exclusively in the rays most easily reversed. This was 

 es|5ecially marked with copper. The rays from hydrogen and 

 helium have, up to the present, given no definite results. — The 

 part played by peroxides in the phenomena of slow oxidation, 

 by M. A. Bach. In all the cases of slow oxidation by the air 

 examined by the author, the application of reagents for hydrogen 

 ))eroxide showed that this substance is invariably present. The 

 results of experiments on the oxidising substance pro- 

 duced by the action of air upon palladium charged with 

 hydrogen showed that in this case a higher oxidising 

 power upon indigo than is possible for hydrogen peroxide, 

 and it is suggested that a higher oxide, possibly H2O4, is present. 

 — Study of the action of potassium permanganate upon cupric 

 bromide, by MM. H. Baubigny and P. Rivals.— On the consti- 

 tution of the metallic alloys, by M. Georges Charpy. From 

 the study of a large number of alloys by the micrographical 

 method conclusions are drawn concerning the nature of alloys 

 in general. Eutectic alloys are stated to be not really homo- 

 geneous, but to consist of a mixture of the two constituent 

 metals in the form of excessively thin laminae, which are only 

 visible under very high magnification. — Estimation of the dis- 

 solved oxygen in sea water, by MM. Albert I>evy and Felix 

 Marboutin. The method previously adopted with success for 

 ordinary potable water, namely, addition of ferrous oxide in 

 known excess, and subsequent estimation of the excess with 

 j)otassium permanganate solution, does not give good results 

 in the presence of chlorides, and hence fails for sea water. 

 The replacement of the permanganate by bichromate solu- 

 tion, however, removes this difficulty, the test analyses 

 given being very concordant.— On the combinations of 

 metallic salts with organic bases, by M. D. Tombeck. 

 .Aniline and pyridine bases arc capable of forming definite 

 combinations with the haloid salts of zinc and cadmium. 



— On a combination of silver chloride with methylamine, by M. 

 R. Jarry. The compound formed is AgCUNHj.CHj). Its 

 dissociation pressures are given for temperatures ranging from 

 o to 65°C.— On the search for naphthol-yellosv and analogous 



NO. 1437, VOL. 56] 



colouring matters in white wines and cordials, by MM. Alberto 

 d'Aguiar and Wenceslau da Silva.— The evolutive cycle of the 

 Coccidia in the Arthropods, by M. Louis Leger.— The origins 

 of the vaso-dila or nerves and their trophic centres, by M. J. P. 

 Morat. — On the parallel folds forming the mass of Mount Blanc, 

 by M. J. Vallot. — On the Tectonic of the Nivollet-Revard 

 Chain, by MM. J. Revil and J. Vivien. — On the determination 

 of the proximate composition of the gluten in wheat flour, by 

 M. E. Fleurent. The gluten is separated into two constituents^ 

 named respectively glutenine and gliadine, by treatment with a 

 solution of alcoholic potash of suitable strength. The ratio of 

 glutenine to gliadine determines the baking value of the flour. — 

 Researches on the biological action of the X-rays, by MM. T- 

 Sabrazes and P. Riviere. — The postulates of geometry, by M, 

 Leon Fabre. — Influence of the temperature of fermentation 

 upon the amount of nitrogen in wines, by MM. L. Roos and 

 F. Chabert. 



Amsterdam. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, March 27.— Prof, van de 

 Sande Bakhuyzen in the chair. — Mr. Verbeek, on the geology 

 of Bangka and Billiton. Both islands consist of sedimentary 

 rocks, probably of palaeozoic age-sandstones, quartzites and/ 

 shales, broken through by granites. Both of them are covered 

 with quaternary sediments, loose sand and clay, the lowest 

 (perhaps pliocene) strata of which contain tin ore ; along the 

 coast are alluvial deposits. The tin ore deposits are newer than 

 the granite eruption, but probably they are not much more 

 recent, Mr. Verbeek next dealt with " the glass-balls of 

 Billiton." In the quaternary or, perhaps, pliocene tin ore 

 deposits of Billiton there occur peculiar, rounded glass-balls 

 wich grooved surfaces ; they are also found, though very 

 rarely, in certain quaternary tuff strata in Java, and in the 

 equally quaternary gold and platinum mines of south-eastern 

 Borneo, The author classed these objects with the diluvial 

 " Bouteille "-stones (Moldavites) of Bohemia, and the quaternary 

 glass-balls found in Australia, and described by Stelzner (Zeiischr^ 

 d. d. g. Gcselhch., 1893, p. 299). The origin of none of these 

 bodies is known. They cannot be of volcanic origin, because 

 the nearest volcanoes are too far distant, and have, moreover, 

 produced glassy rocks of quite a different nature. For various 

 reasons they cannot be artificial either. The author, therefore, 

 took them to be of non-terrestrial origin, and considered it 

 probable that they are thrown out by lunar volcanoes during the 

 quaternary and, perhaps, already during the pliocene period. 

 The author drew attention to the researches of Landerer 

 (Co)irptes rendus, cix. p. 360, and cxi. p. 210), which, it seems» 

 tend to show that a large portion of the surface of the moon> 

 consists of acid glass-rocks. — Prof. Hoffmann on the teleneurones 

 in the retina of Lcucisciis rutilus, in connection with researches 

 by Mr. A. G. H. van Genderen Stort. — Prof. Haga presented, 

 for publication in the Proceedings, a paper by Mr. J.W. Giltay, en- 

 titled '* Polarisation of telephonic receivers." In 1884 the 

 author proved that the speaking condenser required a charging 

 battery to be employed, and that the telephone necessitated the 

 use of a permanent magnet, because otherwise the apparatus 

 renders the sounds to be reproduced an octave too high. The 

 author has lately repeated the experiments with the better micro- 

 phones of recent times, and found that some condensers (paraffin, 

 paper, gutta-percha paper) also speak intelligibly, though dis- 

 agreeably, without a polarising battery being used, in conse- 

 quence of the stronger telephonic charges penetrating into the 

 insulator. A mica condenser, without a battery, is perfectly un- 

 intelligible. When it has been connected with the battery for 

 a few seconds, it speaks very distinctly, and continues doing so 

 for some seconds after the removal of the battery. When the 

 battery is left in connection with the mica condenser for some 

 time, the polarising action of the battery is found to decrease 

 gradually. After a minute or two the sound has' become quite 

 unintelligible. As soon as the battery is removed, the sound 

 immediately becomes very distinct, which, however, lasts only 

 a few seconds. The author cannot yet give an explanation of 

 this phenomenon, A not too tight coil of insulated wire without 

 any iron gives perfectly the same results as' a condenser with 

 writing-paper: altogether unintelligible without the battery, quite 

 distinct with it. — Prof, van der Waals gave, on behalf of Mr. Z. 

 P, Bouman, for publication in the Proceedings, a survey of the 

 results of an experimental incjuiry into the emission and absorp- 

 tion of glass and quartz at different temperatures. The results- 

 obtained with the radio-micrometer (in a somewhat modified 

 form) for plates I mm. in thickness may be formulated as. 



