June 2, 1892] 



NA TURE 



119 



ration. Of this, all things considered, there was probably a 

 vast reservoir at a depth probably far below the bottom of the 

 adjacent sea (which is 670 metres on the east, and 500 metres 

 on the west). At intervals the steam included in this molten 

 lava would acquire sufficient force to burst forth, producing 

 the premonitory tremor (see (/) above, and pp. 125-28); and 

 though it is not very clearly stated, I gather that the interval 

 of calm between the first and second tremors is considered to 

 have been occupied by the escape of such steam into the space 

 between the surface of the deep-seated lava and the crater 

 floor, till it acquired sufficient pressure to force an exit through 

 the mouth of the crater (which became plugged by the fall of 

 ejecta after each eruption). Then the visible explosion would 

 take place, accompanied by the second tremor. 



The "bread-crust" bombs (with pumiceous interior and 

 cracked subvitreous crust) are said to commonly contain inclu- 

 sions of older rock, and it is suggested (pp. 163 and 209) that 

 the frothing up of the interior is in part due to these, for, says 

 he, fragments of rock falling into a superhydrated molten lava 

 inay not improbably act as centres of ebullition, just as solids 

 (in proportion to their extent of surface) cause rapid disengage- 

 ment of gas when dropped into "soda"— or other aerated- 

 waters. 



The compact fragments and masses sometimes ejected 

 (pp. 120, 160, and 209), notably in the last eruption, might be 

 explained as pieces of the shells of domelike bubbles which 

 had partly consolidated below the volcano, or as derived from 

 less hydrated parts of the magma. 



If there was this huge lake of lava and so much steam, why 

 did not the lava appear at the surface ? Silvestri points out 

 that the rise of the lava will depend on the proportion of the 

 compressed steam to the mass of the lava that contains it, and 

 on the resistance offered to its escape. If the exit of the 

 steam is blocked by lava, we may have all the phenomena of a 

 "Plinian" ("Vesuvian") eruption. On the other hand, in 

 1888 Etna had eruptions of vapours only, and we get all stages 

 between these two. In the case of a large space partly filled 

 with lava at a great depth below the surface, the conditions 

 might well be such that the steam would escape long before the 

 lava overflowed. 



Among other points dealt with in the Report may be noticed : 

 — Pp. 143-45. the breaking three times during this eruptive 

 period of the submarine cable between Lipari and Milazzo 

 in Sicily. The first and third breaks were near the same spot, 

 and near a place where the sea was seen to " boil," with pumice 

 rising to the surface. 



On p. 147 observations are recorded which support the view 

 that the electric discharges accompanying eruptions depend 

 principally on the friction of much dust and fine ejecta. Violent 

 explosions discharging large masses, if unaccompanied by such 

 finer matter, might be without the electric phenomena (p. 146). 



There are ten pages on the state of Stromboli during the 

 eruption of Vulcano, from which there appears to have been no 

 relation between the two. Nor do the "secondary phenomena " 

 (the hot springs and fumaroles) in these islands appear to have 

 been markedly affected. Some of the fumaroles increased and 

 some decreased in vigour, and some showed no change. 



From what has been said as to the slight seismic effects, we 

 are prepared to hear that no change in the level of the land was 

 produced. In this connection there is a chapter on the tides, 

 which have an amplitude at Lipari of about 30 cm. 



On p. 120 are given four sections, in three, of the crater of 

 Vulcano before, during, and after the eruption, from which it is 

 seen that the crater has been much filled up. 



On November 18, 1891, the writer found the crater still in 

 the quiet solfatara condition, so that one could descend into it. 

 The higher slopes were covered with white, and the lower, where 

 the fumaroles were more marked, with yellow and red crystalline 

 deposits. A little water lay at the bjttom. The deepest part 

 was a funnel-like depression, a little to the north of the middle, 

 somewhat as shown in Mercalli's figure for April 1890. This 

 marked the last eruptive vent. 



In conclusion, then, the Report contains a great mass of facts, 

 and in addition generalization and theory, which, as often 

 based on long experience, are also welcome ; and the Com- 

 mission is to be congratulated. 



G. W. Butler. 



NO. II 79, VOL. 46] 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



London. 

 Anthropological Institute, May 10.— Dr. Edward B. 

 Tylor, F.R.S., President, in the chair.— The election of the 

 Duke of Devonshire and Dr. H. Colley March was announced.— 

 Mrs. Bishop (Miss Isabella Bird) read a paper on the Ainos of 

 Japan, amongst whom she had spent some time in a village 

 near Volcano Bay. It is doubtful whether the Ainos were the 

 aboriginal inhabitants of japan ; they say themselves that they 

 conquered and exterminated an earlier race who dwelt in caves. 

 The men are strongly built and muscular, and their stature varies 

 from about 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 6 inches. The extreme hairiness 

 ascribed to the Ainos applies only to the mountain tribes, and 

 to the men only amongst them ; the women, and the men of the 

 coast tribes not being more hairy than many people of other 

 races. The houses are rectangular and built of wood ; they are 

 all constructed on the same plan, and have a large window at 

 the east end opposite the door, and two smaller ones in the 

 south side, below which is the shelf on which the boys of the 

 family sleep ; the girls occupy a similar shelf on the north side 

 of the room, and during the night the sleeping-places are 

 screened off by mats. The women are remarkable for their 

 modesty, and the men are exceedingly gentle, obliging, and hos- 

 pitable. They are a religious people, and offer copious libations 

 of " saki " on the slightest provocation. The race is dying out, 

 and will no doubt be quite extinct in the course of a few 

 generations. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, May 24.— M. d'Abbadie in the 

 chair. — Heats of combustion and formation of alcohol and of 

 formic and acetic acids, by MM. Berthelot and Malignon. 



Cal. 



( liquid ... -f 69*9 

 Cj (diamond) ^- H« -F O = CgHgO j gas ... + 59-8 



f solution -t- 72 '4 

 Heat of combustion of liquid alcohol at constant pressure 

 = 324-5 cal. 



Cal. 



i solid ... -f- I03'3 

 liquid ... -f IOO-8 

 gas at 200° -f 90 'o 

 Heat of combustion of liquid formic acid at constant pressure 

 = 62-5 cal. 



Cal. 



I solid ... -f- 119-7 

 Cj (diamond) -j- H4 -I- O2 = C2H4O2 j liquid ... -f- 117-2 



( gas at 250° -f 107 -I 

 Heat of combustion of liquid acetic acid at constant pressure 

 - 209-4 cal.— Some facts in the chemical history of nickel, by 

 M. P. Schutzenberger.— Degradation products of the tissues, 

 particularly of the muscles, separated from the living being • 

 analytical methods, by MM. Armand Gautier and L. Landi.— 

 On the Bramus, a new type of fossil rodent from the Quaternary 

 phosphorites of Berberah, by M. A. Pomel.— On the flexure of 

 Gambey s mural circle, by M. Perigaud.— On the appearance of 

 Saturn s ring at the present time, by M. G. Bigourdan. On 

 May 21 M. Bigourdan made some observations of Saturn's ring, 

 with special reference to its thickness. He noted several uneven 

 portions at different points, thus confirming the observations of 

 previous workers.— On integrals in dynamics, by M. P. Pain- 

 leve.— On equations in dynamics, by M. R. Liouville.— 

 Approximate equation to the trajectory of a projectile in air 

 when the resistance is supposed to be proportional to the fourth 

 power of the velocity, by M. de Sparre.— Experimental re- 

 searches on the vtatSriel de la batelleHe, by M. F. B. de Mas.— 

 On the characteristic equation of various vapours, by M. Ch. 

 Antoine.— The two phases of the persistence of luminous im- 

 pressions, by M. Aug. Charpentier.— Plastic sulphur formed 

 1?»T ^-^i'P^""" vapour, by M. Jules Gal. -Some basic nitrates, by 

 MM. G. Rousseau and G. Tite.— On the preparation and pro- 

 perties of arsenic cyanide, by M. E. Guenez.— Occurrence of 

 tluonne m modern and fossil bones, by M. Ad. CamoL — 

 Apoanchonine and diapocinchonine, by MM. E. Jungfleisch 

 and E. Leger.— Monosodium pyrocatechol, by M. de Forcrand. 

 •—bubstitution reactions in carbon or nitrogen nuclei : applica- 

 tion to explosive compounds, byM. C. Matignon.— Ondibromo- 

 malonic acid, by M. G. Massol. The heats of neutralization 

 by each successive KOH are about 10 cal. superior to those of 

 malonic acid. The general conclusion is drawn that the sob- 



