July 7, 1892] 



NA TURE 



227 



may be covered partly by the volcanic chain (Fig. ii). 

 Fig. 12 (profile), and Fig. 13 (surface of the same experi- 

 ment) show that pulling (tearing) and pushing (folding) 

 are reciprocal processes. The strata, gliding away from 

 the highland, are torn in this district, whereas compression 

 and folding occur in the lowland. 



The surface of the strata (Fig. 13) was divided into 

 squares of different colour (like a chess-board), so that 



University College Electrical Engineering Apparatus Fund.'' 

 Prof. Fleming is anxious that the sum should, if possible, be 

 obtained within the next six months. Donations should be* 

 i sent to the Secretary of University College, marked "Electrical 

 Apparatus Fund." 



The services rendered by the late Sir William Macleay to 

 the Linnean Society of New South Wales and to science in 



Fig. 13. 



we may see and measure directly the direction and 

 amount of pushing and pulling in both districts. Black 

 fissures occur at the left hand, grey folds at the right 

 hand. 



The base in this, as in the other cases, was rigid ; 

 there occurred no compression in the depth, yet folding 

 succeeded in the gliding strata. 



Folding, according to my opinion, does not depend on 

 a contraction of our planet, but is a simple gliding 

 phenomenon. E. Reyer. 



NOTES. 



At the meeting of Section A of the British Association on 

 Monday, August 8, there will be a discussion on the subject of 

 a National Physical Laboratory. The discussion will be opened 

 by Prof. Oliver J. Lodge, F.R.S. 



The Academy of Sciences at Berlin has conferred upon 

 Lord Kelvin one of the first four Helmholtz gold medals. 



The French Association for the Advancement of Science will 

 hold its twenty-first meeting at Pau from September 15 to 22. 



The Council of University College have accepted a tender for 

 the erection of new technical laboratories for the practical teaching 

 of mechanical and electrical engineering. Care has been taken 

 that the buildings shall accord with all the conditions of modern 

 teaching, but of course it is necessary that provision shall also 

 be made for an adequate supply of apparatus and plant. The 

 part of the proposed laboratory which is to be set apart for 

 electrical engineering cannot be properly fitted up for a sum of 

 less than;^20io, and Prof. Fleming has issued an appeal to all 

 who may be able and willing to help him in obtaining this 

 amount. In the course of his appeal he says : '* The Council 

 do not at present see their way to incur this additional expendi- 

 ture over and above the cost of the buildings, and yet it is 

 absolutely essential to the completion of the project. The 

 Council have, therefore, by a minute of their proceedings of 

 May 7, 1892, recommended this very essential part of the pro- 

 posed work to the notice and liberality of those who may be 

 disposed to help. Thus'sanctioned and authorized by the 

 Council, the Professor of Electrical Engineermg begs per- 

 mission to bring under your notice the necessity for a special 

 Electrical Apparatus Fund, and desires to invite your aid in the 

 formation of such a fund of ;d20io, to be entitled ' The 

 NO. 1184, VOL. 46] 



general are to be commemorated by the publication of a me- 

 morial volume. This was decided recently at a general meeting 

 of the New South Wales Linnean Society. It is proposed that, 

 in addition to a portrait and memoir of Sir William Macleay, 

 the volume shall consist of original papers on those branches of 

 science in the advancement of which he was especially interested 

 — zoology, ethnology, botany, and geology. Promises of papers 

 have already been received from Sir F. von Mueller, Prof. 

 Hutton, Prof. J. Parker, Prof. Baldwin Spencer, and other 

 leading Australian biologists. It is intended that, as regards 

 "style of get up and illustration," the volume shall be fully 

 worthy of the occasion. The expense is to be met by means of 

 a public subscription. Every ordinary member of the Society 

 subscribing one guinea or upwards, and any non-member sub- 

 scribing two guineas or upwards, to the memorial will receive a 

 copy of the volume. At the meeting of the Society on May 25, 

 the President announced that a number of subscriptions had 

 been received in answer to a circular issued a few weeks 

 previously. It was necessary, however, he said, that a con- 

 siderably larger sum should be collected before the Council 

 would be in a position to proceed with the work. 



The Governors of the Merchant Venturers' School, Bristol, 

 have elected to the vacant Lectureship in Biology Mr. G. P. 

 Darnell-Smith, B.Sc, assistant to Dr. W. Marcet at University 

 College, London. Mr. Smith is a student of University 

 College, and graduated with honours in botany and zoology 

 in 1891. 



The thunderstorms which we referred to in our last issue gave 

 a very decided, but temporary, check to the temperature, the 

 highest day readings falling about 20° after the storm ; and the 

 heavy rains which accompanied the disturbed weather have 

 materially lessened the deficiency of rainfall, which has been so 

 characteristic a feature for some months past. By the end of 

 last week the temperature had recovered, and the weather be- 

 came very fine in the southern parts of the kingdom, the maxima 

 reaching from 80° to 85° at some inland stations on Sunday ; 

 while conditions remained unsettled, with heavy rain, in the 

 north and west, owing to a cyclonic area which passed along the 

 Irish coast, and caused a thunderstorm on the east coast. During 

 the last day or two, depressions have passed to the northward of 

 our islands, again causing unsettled weather, with rain in most 

 parts ; while the westerly winds have increased considerably in 

 strength, reaching the force of a gale on our north-west coasts. 



