May 12, 1 910] 



NATURE 



19 



The evidence, however, is so uncertain that all geographers 

 will hope that Lieut. Filchner will settle the problem by 

 direct observation. Prof. Penck insists that to determine 

 this question is much more important than reaching the 

 Pole. His letter closes with the announcement of a con- 

 tribution by an anonymous donor of 300,000 marks. 



In the monthly meteorological chart of the North 

 Atlantic Ocean for May, issued by the Meteorological Com- 

 mittee, we note with pleasure two advances of considerable 

 importance in maritime meteorology : — (i) Synoptic charts 

 for barometer and wind have been drawn for the Atisptic 

 and adjacent coasts, for 7h. a.m. daily, for current dates, 

 based upon telegraphic reports for north-western Europe, 

 reports by radio-telegraphy from the Atlantic, and informa- 

 tion given in the Paris Bulletin international. These data 

 cannot fail to be of great use in elucidating the conditions 

 which aflfect the weather changes of our own region. 

 (2) Charts showing the temperature of the sea surface, also 

 for recent dates, are drawn for the North Atlantic for con- 

 secutive periods of seven days, with isotherms for each 

 10° F. As these means correspond to those given for the 

 land in the Weekly Weather Report, they will be available 

 for tracing any connection which may exist between sea 

 temperature and the weather over the British Islands. 

 We also note that the area of the monthly chart relating 

 to the Indian Ocean has been extended from lat. 15° S. to 

 35° S., thus embracing the region traversed by vessels 

 trading to India, China, &c. 



Cosmos of April 23 states that Chile has fallen in line 

 with Japan, Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Russia, the 

 U.S. -A. and other countries by establishing a Seismological 

 -Service. The director is the distinguished seismologist 

 Comte de Montessus de Ballore. Earthquake-observing 

 stations now exist between Tacna and the South Shetlands, 

 that is, along a meridian nearly 3000 miles in length. At 

 five of these heavy Weichert's pendulums l^ave been estab- 

 lished, while seismoscopes have been installed at thirty 

 condary stations. Altogether 550 observers note earth- 

 ^iuakes at 430 different localities. During six months 740 

 different shakings have been recorded. This means that 

 Chile, as an earthquake-producing country, runs neck and 

 neck with Japan. .\t the central station in Santiago an 

 arrangement of P. Maccioni has been set up. We are told 

 hat this instrument responds to electromagnetic waves, and 

 ^ives warning of approaching earthquakes. This installa- 

 tion is said to be the first of its kind. Other instruments 

 which have been installed, besides those mentioned, are the 

 Bosch-Omori and Staittesi pendulums. Instruments of the 

 type adopted by the British .Association, although they yield 

 more records of undoubted seismic origin than any other 

 type of instrument, do not appear to find a place in the 

 Chilian programme. 



A LARGE proportion of the Electrical Eevieiv for April 29 

 is devoted to the problem of electrically driving the 

 machinery of cotton and other textile mills. It appears 

 that a considerable number of mills in Lancashire and 

 Yorkshire have recently discarded mechanical in favour of 

 • lectrical driving, the usual method being to instal a 

 separate motor in each room. There appears to be no 

 doubt that an increase of output has been obtained, but 

 the figures given vary considerably. Two well-illustrated 

 articles deal with the equipment of one of the mills men- 

 tioned, and with that of a mill in Germany. In the latter 

 almost every machine is provided with its own motor, so 

 that no shafting is to be seen in the rooms of which views 

 are given. 



The .\pril number of the Journal de Physique contains 

 a communication made to the Societe fran^aise de Physique 



NO. 2 II 5, VOL. 83] 



in December last by MM. Buisson and Fabry on the 

 application of their interference method of measuring 

 small differences of wave-length to the problems of solar 

 physics. It will be remembered that in their method the 

 light to be investigated is sent through an interferometer 

 consisting of two plane surfaces lightly silvered, and pro- 

 duces a system of light and dark rings, which are focussed 

 on the slit of a grating or prism spectroscope by means 

 of a lens. Each ring produces in the field of view of the 

 r.psctroscope two points of light the distance apart of 

 which may be determined directly or by measurement of a 

 photograph. When two wave-lengths are to be compared 

 it is only necessary to measure with precision the differ- 

 ence of the distances of these points of light apart. On 

 comparing the iron lines of the solar spectrum with those 

 of the arc in air, the authors find that for some lines the 

 solar is greater, for others less, than the arc wave-length. 

 The solar wave-length is in every case greater, however, 

 than that for the arc in vacuo. The authors conclude that 

 if the latter differences are due to the pressure in the 

 reversing layer of the solar atmosphere, that pressure is 

 5 to 6 atmospheres. 



Continuing their physico-chemical studies on phosphorus, 

 Messrs. Ernst Cohen and Katsuji Inouye give an account 

 in the current number of the Zeitschrift fur physikalische 

 Chemie (April 26) of the solubility of ordinary phosphorus 

 in carbon bisulphide, as the previous work on this subject 

 by Giran indicated either the formation of a compound 

 between phosphorus and the solvent or the formation of a 

 new allotropic modification of white phosphorus. The 

 puritv of the materials and the method of determining 

 the concentration of the phosphorus in the solutions were 

 carefully controlled, and solubility determinations carried 

 out for nine temperatures between +10° C. and —10° G. 

 The solubility curve found furnished no indication of the 

 compound suggested by Giran, neither was any hitherto 

 unknown allotropic modification of phosphorus obtained. 



Science Progress for April contains the two first articles, 

 by Dr. H. W. Wiley and Dr. R. Vincent, of a general 

 series dealing with the ethics of food. The question is one 

 of such great national importance, and so much has been 

 talked and written on it of late years, that it is eminently 

 desirable to have serious and unbiased criticism published 

 under authoritative names. Dr. Wiley's legislative crusade 

 in the United States in favour of pure food has made him 

 the centre of a storm of indignation and attack from the 

 threatened interests, but he has maintained his attitude that 

 all considerations other than scientific truth and the public 

 welfare are to be set aside in dealing with the purity of 

 food. No doubt there is much need of a similar crusade 

 in. this country, but perhaps the initiative should come 

 from the general public, backed by the manufacturers of 

 repute, rather than from the analytical chemist, as appears 

 at present to be the case. Dr. Vincent's article on milk 

 should be studied by all wht» have to do with the feeding 

 of children. He makes a very strong point of the fact 

 that recent developments in the milk trade have been dis- 

 tinctly retrogressive, and unhesitatingly condemns the 

 boiliflg and pasteurising of milk. 



A NEW experimental steam engine has been installed at 

 the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College, and 

 was described by Prof. A. L. Mellanby at the meeting of 

 the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland 

 on April 26. The engine was made by Messrs. Cole, 

 Marchent and Morley, of Bradford, and is of the hori- 

 zontal, compound, side-by-side type. The high-pressure 

 cylinder is 12 inches, and the low-pressure cylinder 



