504 



NATURE 



[June 23, 1910 



Usually some of the visitors attending the lectures and 

 conversazione become sufficiently interested to join the 

 society and become useful members ; the University also 

 profits in turn, as the conversazione enables many persons 

 to see it and learn what it is doing who otherwise would 

 not have an opportunity. 



The society does not restrict itself to work which is 

 done by its own members, but, where possible, it is 

 always willing to assist others ; e.g. it greatly assisted 

 in the formation of the Australasian Association 

 for the Advancement of Science ; it also took an active 

 part in the foundation of a marine biological laboratory 

 near the entrance to Sydney Harbour, which, unfortu- 

 nately, was required a few years afterwards by the Govern- 

 ment for defence purposes, and it is to be hoped that the 

 trustees, who received compensation from the Government, 

 will see their way before long to start a new marine 

 station and laboratory ; it has on several occasions brought 

 matters of importance under the notice of the Government 

 where legislation has been necessary for the good of the 

 public health, the preservation of the native flora and 

 fauna, also for the assistance of scientific exploring expedi- 

 tions in the Antarctic and elsewhere and in other similar 

 matters, and it has helped in the extension of the British 

 Science Guild in Australia. 



For many years it has been one of the main objects of 

 the society to get together a good library of the principal 

 British, American, French, German, and other scientific 

 journals, and it now has complete series of many of these, 

 some by purchase, others by gift and in exchange for its 

 own publications, so that, taking the limited resources of 

 the society into account, quite a creditable and useful 

 library has been gradually built up. Without such books 

 of reference the research student is at a great disadvantage, 

 and the society regards the formation of such a reference 

 library as of equal importance to the publication of papers 

 read before it. 



In 1878 the society obtained possession of its present 

 freehold premises in Elizabeth Street, Sydney. Since then 

 it has twice added to them, in 1896 and again in 1905 ; the 

 last time it was to increase the accommodation required 

 for the growing library, and also to provide accommodation 

 for kindred societies by sub-letting some of the rooms, not 

 immediately required, to them at low rentals ; in this way 

 it affords (as was stated in an article on the Australasian 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, Nature, 

 December 30, 1909) some of the advantages enjoved by 

 the English societies in Burlington House. 



The Parliament of New South Wales has generously 

 helped the society for some years ; for several years the 

 Government printed the society's annual volume of papers 

 and proceedings ; of late years, in place of printing the 

 volume, it has contributed los, per annum for each ^os. 

 of the members' subscriptions ; but, in spite of this, the 

 society's income is insufficient to enable it to undertake 

 many things it would like to do for the advancement of 

 science, and it finds difficulty in carrying on its present 

 efforts. 



A. LiVERSlDGK. 



THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 

 'T'HE general meeting of the American Philosophical 

 Society was held at Philadelphia on April 21-23, ^"d 

 we have been favoured by the secretaries with a report of 

 the proceedings. The afternoon of April 23 was devoted 

 to a symposium on experimental evolution, the principal 

 papers being given by Prof. H. S. Jennings, on inheritance 

 in non-sexual and self-fertilised organisms; Mr. G. H. 

 Shull, on germinal analysis through hybridisation ; and 

 Dr. C. B. Davenport, on new views about reversion. 



At the session on April 22 the following were elected to 

 membership : — Residents of the United States : Dr. S. E. 

 Baldwin, Dr. F. G. Benedict, Dr. C. F. Brush ; Dr. 

 D. H. Campbell, Dr. W. E. Castle, Dr. G. B. Gordon, 

 Dr. D. J. Hill, Dr. H. C. Jones, Dr. L. Loeb, Mr. J. 

 McCrea, Dr. R. C. Maclaurin, F.R.S., Dr. B. O. Pierce, 

 Dr. H. F. Reid, Dr. J. F. Rhodes, and Dr. O. W. 

 Richardson. Foreign residents : Dr. A. von Baever, 

 Madame S. Curie, Sir David Gill, K.C.B., F.R.S., Dr.' E. 

 Meyer, and M. C. E. Picard. 



MO. 2 12 I, VOL. "'"^ 



In addition to the symposium on evolution, tifly-one 

 papers were presented. Brief summaries of the contents 

 of a few of these papers are subjoined. 



Physical notes on Meteor Crater, Arizona, Prof. \V. F. 

 Magie. Meteor Crater is a vast crater situated in Coco- 

 nino County, Arizona, formed by the impact of an iron 

 meteorite or group of meteorites. Scattered specimens of 

 these meteorites (the Canyon Diablo siderites and the 

 " shale ball " siderites) are found around the crater, but 

 the main mass has not yet been found. It probably is 

 buried 1000 feet below the surface, (i) The Canyon Diablo 

 iron shows a magnetic permeability not very different from 

 that of cast iron. The shale ball iron seems to be gener- 

 all}' similar to it in its magnetic properties. Several 

 observations indicate an intrinsic magnetisation, peculiarly 

 arranged, in the shale ball iron. The magnetic field of 

 the crater shows no local peculiarities such as would be 

 expected from the presence of a large continuous mass of 

 iron. The inference is that the mass is fragmentary, 

 perhaps intrinsically magnetised, and also, perhaps, largely 

 oxydised. (2) The distribution of the ejected material and 

 the inclinations of the exposed strata around the crater 

 wall show a remarkable symmetry with respect to a nearly! 

 north and south axis. This symmetry, even in details, 

 appears in holes made by bullets in a suitable mass of 

 compacted powder. The inference is that the crater was 

 formed by a projectile. (3) The mass ejected is estimated 

 at 330 million tons. The energy used to lift it out of thei 

 hole is a negligible fraction of the energy expended. Mostj 

 of the energy expended was used in crushing the rock. 1 

 An estimate based on the assumption that the powdered 

 sandstone was heated to 2500° C. would indicate an ex- 

 penditure of 92-5x10'- ft. tons of energy. Taking 

 everything into account, it seems reasonable to estimate 1 

 in all an expenditure of 60x10'^ ft. tons of energy.; 

 Taking this for the energy expended, and estimating the 

 probable velocity of the meteor as lying between three and! 

 • forty-eight miles a second, the mass of the meteoric group! 

 would lie between fifteen million and sixty thousand tons, j 

 The size and shape of the crater lead one to estimate a| 

 mass larger than this lowest limit, and the final estimate 

 is that the mass is 400 thousand tons, and that its velocity 

 was from eighteen to twenty miles a second. 



The conversion of the energy of carbon into electrical 

 energy by solution in iron. Prof. Paul R. Heyl. It is 

 found that carbon dissolves in molten iron with a libera- 

 tion of energy, which, by providing a suitable negative 

 element, may be obtained as an electric current. The 

 electromotive force thus developed has not yet been 

 definitely determined, but is probably not more than one- 

 or two-hundredths of a volt. There is no possibility of" 

 compounding this electromotive force with the accompany- 

 ing thermal effect, as the two are opposite in direction. 



The one-fluid theory of electricity. Prof. F. E. \ipher. 

 The author has shown in a former paper that what have 

 been taken for discharges from the positive terminal of an 

 electrical machine are really optical illusions. The posi- 

 tive discharge is really an inflow of the electrical dis- 

 charge which flows outward from the negative terminal. 

 This is in harmony with the one-fluid theory of Franklin. 

 With this paper he presents photographic plates showing 

 the discfiarge from its first stages until the disruptive spark 

 appears. These plates fully confirm the former conclusion 

 that there is no positive electrical discharge. The dis- 

 charge comes from the negative terminal and goes to the 

 positive. The illusion which has led to the idea of n 

 positive discharge is compared to one which might prevail 

 if Niagara Falls should suddenly' recede from Lake Ontario 

 to Lake Erie. It might deceive us into the idea that there 

 had been a positive discharge into Lake Erie. 



The past and present status of the aether, Prof. A. G. 

 Webster. The history of the conception of the luminiferor.- 

 ajther was covered from the time of Newton and Huygen 

 to the present. For the last hundred years the belief i 

 the aether as necessary to transmit light has been uni versa 

 Lord Kelvin devoted most of his life to establishing i: 

 properties. The various mechanical theories were sut 

 ceeded by Maxwell's successful electromagnetic theory, 

 confirmed twenty years later by the electric wave experi- 

 ments of Hertz. To explain astronomical aberration and 

 the phenomena due to the earth's motion. Maxwell's theory 

 •.Voi severely strained, and was perfected by Lorentz. I he^ 



