2l6 



NA TURE 



[June 28, 1900 



that the rainfall is considerably greater in the west than in 

 the east. The monthly diagrams brought out prominently 

 some interesting features, among which were (i) that the 

 monthly rainfall in the west is subject to a much greater range 

 than in the east ; (2) that in the west the maximum at all altitudes 

 occurs in November, but in the east it is generally in October ; 

 (3) that in the west the spring months, April, May and June, 

 are very dry ; and {4) that both in the west and east there is 

 a very great increase in the rainfall from June to July. — A paper 

 by Mr. J. Baxendell was also read, giving a description of a new 

 self-recording rain-gauge designed by Mr. F. L. Halliwell, of 

 the Fernley Observatory, Southport. This rain-gauge, which 

 "the author believes approaches very closely to an ideal standard, 

 ^Jiasalso the merit of being constructed at a moderate price. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, June 18.— M. Maurice Levy in the 

 -chair. — On the monument erected to Lavoisier, by M. Berthelot. 

 ■ The monument is now finished, and will be unveiled on July 27. 

 — The problem of the cooling of the earth's crust treated from 

 Fourier's point of view, but by a much simpler method of integ- 

 ration, by M. J. Boussinesq. — Actinometric observations during 

 the eclipse of May 28, by M. J. Violle. A diagram of the 

 results obtained is given which closely approximates to the 

 theoretical curve, the divergence being mainly due to the lag of 

 the instrument, but also apparently in part owing to an absorp- 

 tion of heat by the solar atmosphere. The minimum ratio 

 ■deducted from the observations was 0'I2, distinctly less than the 

 ratio of the radiant surfaces, 0"I4. Two sets of observations 

 •were carried out, one on the Pic du Midi, at a height of 2860 

 metres, and the other from a balloon, at a height of about 10,000 

 metres. — On the formation of nitric acid in the combustion of hydro- 

 gen, by M. Berthelot. Hydrogen was burnt frgm a jet in oxygen 

 -containing varying amounts of nitrogen, and also in the calorimetric 

 bomb at pressures of from one to twenty atmospheres, and the 

 amounts of nitric acid formed determined. The proportion of 

 fnitric acid formed was greatest in the bomb, and increased with 

 the initial pressure of the gases. — The combustible gases of the 

 atmosphere : the air of towns, by M. Armand Gautier. Air is 

 •drawn, after careful purification from dust, moisture and carbon 

 dioxide, over red-hot copper oxide, and the amounts of water 

 and carbonic acid determined. The mean results for twenty- 

 two days was i"96 mgr of hydrogen and 6 "8 mgr. of carbon 

 per 100 litres of air; but these quantities become 3 96 mgr. 

 and I2"45 mgr. respectively when a correction is applied for 

 the incomplete combustion effected by the particular length of 

 copper oxide used. — The last eclipse of the sun and the zodiacal 

 light, by M. Perrotin. — The occultation of Saturn by the moon 

 of June 13 last, by M. Perrotin. — On the formation of beds of 

 stipite, brown coal and lignite, by M. Grand'Eury. In the 

 formation of brown coals marsh plants were the chief factor, 

 trees only occurring rarely. — M. Dwelshauvers-Dery was elected 

 a Correspondent for the Section of Mechanics, and M. D. P. 

 <Ehlert a Correspondent for the Section of Mineralogy. — Obser- 

 vations of the total eclipse of the sun of May 28 last, made at Arga- 

 jmasilla, in Spain, by M. H. Deslandres. The work undertaken 

 included the measurement of the velocity of rotation of the 

 corona, and the examination of its ultra-violet spectrum ; the 

 study of the ultra-violet spectrum of the reversing layer ; the 

 calorific spectrum and the direct photography of the corona. — 

 The partial eclipse of the sun of May 28, at the Observa- 

 tory of Toulouse, by MM. Montingerand, Rossard and Besson. 

 The results obtained were confined to direct observation of 

 contacts, measurement of the common chord, photographic 

 observations and the knowledge of meteorological phenomena. 

 — The total eclipse of May 28 studied at Elche, by M. J. C. 

 Sola. Photographs of the spectra of the chromosphere and 

 corona were taken. — Observations of the shadow fringes made 

 ■during the total eclipse of the sun of May 28, by M. Moye. — 

 •On the uniform integrals of the problem of n bodies, by 

 M. Paul Painleve.— On the general theory of rectilinear con- 

 .gruences, by M. A. Demoulin. — On the expansion of fused silica, 

 by M. H. Le Chatelier. The mean coefficient of expansion of 

 fused silica for a temperature range of 0° to 1000° is o'ooOjOoo;, 

 the smallest coefficient known for any common substance. — 

 Action of oxidising agents upon alkaline iodides, by M. E. 

 Pechard. A study of the interaction of alkaline iodides with 

 potassium permanganate, sodium periodate, potassium man- 

 ganate, ozone and hydrogen peroxide. — Study of the viscosity of 

 sulphur at temperatures above the temperature of maximum 

 viscosity, by M. C. Malus. — On the selenides of iron, by M. 



Fonzes-Diacon. Several selenide? of iron can be prepared of 

 the composition indicated by the formulae FeSe2, Fe2Se3, Fe3Se4, 

 Fe-Scg, and FeSe. They are attacked by hydrochloric acid 

 with difficulty, FeSeg being unaffected by this reagent. — The 

 true atomic weight of boron, by M. G. Hinrichs. From two 

 analyses of boron carbide made by M. H. Gautier, the author con- 

 cludes that the true atomic weight of boron is exactly 11. — Action 

 of sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide upon pyridine, by M. G. 

 Andre Sulphur dioxide gives a crystalline compound with 

 pyridine, C5H.5N.SO.2, and the action of suphuretted hydrogen 

 upon this gives pyridine trithionate and tetrathionate. 

 — On the a;8-dimethylglutolactonic acids, by M. E. E. 

 Blaise. — On the reserve carbohydrates in the seed of Tri- 

 folium repens, by M. H, Herissey. A mannogalactane was 

 isolated from the seeds of Trifolium repens, resembling in 

 its properties the carbohydrates obtained from lucerne and fenu- 

 greek. — Presence bf iodine in the blood, by MM. E. Gley and 

 P. Bourcet. Iodine was found to be present in the blood of 

 dogs in amounts varying from "013 mgr. to '06 mgr. per litre of 

 blood. The iodine is in the liquid portion of the blood existing 

 combined with proteid matter, analogous to the iodine in the 

 thyroid gland. — Reality of urinary toxicity and of autointoxica- 

 tion, by M. A Charrin. — On the anticoagulating power of 

 serum in the pathological state, by MM. Ch. Achard and A. 

 Clerc. Human blood serum, when present in sufficient 

 quantity, prevents the coagulation of milk by rennet, the quantity 

 of rennet solution required to produce coagulation measur- 

 ing the activity of the serum. The anticoagu'.ating power of 

 the serum is unaffected by many diseases, but in others, such 

 as pneumonia, septicemia with acute nephritis, uterine cancer, 

 and advanced tuberculosis, this power is reduced to one-half or 

 even less. 



Cape Town. 

 South African Philosophical Society, May 2. — L. 

 Peringuey, President, in the chair. — Mr. Sclater exhibited a 

 portion of a bons found at a considerable depth below the surface 

 in Grave Street, and presented to the Museum by Col. Feilden. 

 The bone was obviously the upper portion of the radius and ulna 

 of a large ungulate animal ; it appeared to be too large for an 

 ox, and Mr. Sclater suggested that it might perhaps be that of a 

 hippopotamus. — The Rev. Dr. F. C. Kolbe read his paper, 

 entitled "Ultimate analysis of our concept of matter." The 

 lecturer first briefly stated the four prevailing views on the 

 subject — the mechanical, the dynamic, the vortical, and the 

 scholastic or Aristotelian. The first two theories being for various 

 reasons rejected, the lecturer stated that the purpose of this 

 paper was to reconcile the third and fourth. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Christmas Island. By R. L 193 



A New Work 6n Silver 194 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Sweet: "The History of Language " 195 



Jorgensen : " Micro-organisms and Fermentation." — 



A. M 195 



Bayley : " Photography in Colours " 195 



Fannenberg : " Le9ons nouvelles sur les applications 



geometriques du calcul differentiel "... . 196 

 De Morgan: "Elementary Illustrations of the Differ- 

 ential and Integral Calculus " 196 



Letter to the Editor: — 



A Surface-Tension Experiment. {Illustrated.) — T.J. 



Baker 196 



The International Catalogue of Scientific Litera- 

 ture. By H. E. A 197 



Notes 198 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



Astronomical Occurrences in July 202 



The Next Total Eclipse of the Sun 202 



Ancient Records of Meteor Showers 203 



A Modern University. II 203 



Third International Conference on a Catalogue of 



Scientific Literature, London, June 1900 .... 206 



The Royal Society Conversazione . . ... 208 



The Re-organisation of the Education Department 209 



University and Educational Intelligence 209 



Scientific Serials 210 



Societies and Academies 211 



NO. 1600, VOL. 62] 



