July 21, 1892] 



NATURE 



277 



n a Reuter's telegram from Catania, that there were then 

 ighteen openings in the mountain, of which nine were active. 

 The lava," said the writer, "is flowing in the direction of 

 Vicolosi at the rate of $0 yards an hour. It has already passed 

 :ie deposit of lava formed by the eruption of 1886. The flow 

 towards Pedara is less rapid. Every hour the devastation 

 increases, and the alarm of the inhabitants grows in proportion. 

 Their terror is not lessened by the explosions and rumblings 

 proceeding from the volcano." On July 15 a Reuter's telegram 

 from Catania stated that the eruption was that day more 

 formidable than ever. " The main crater is extending in size, 

 and the showers of stones and masses of molten matter are con- 

 tinually increasing in volume, some of the projectile-; being 

 carried to a height of looo feet. Meanwhile, two fresh cones, 

 800 feet in height, have been formed, and from these streams 

 of lava are constantly flowing in the direction of Nicolosi, from 

 which they are now only about two miles distant. No imme- 

 diate danger threatens the inhabitants of the village, but the 

 destruction caused to the surrounding country goes on increas- 

 ing." On Ju}y 16 and 17 telegrams to a like effect were de- 

 spatched. On the latter date, indeed, it was stated that the 

 eruption had been less active on the previous night, and the 

 reports of the internal explosions less frequent and not so loud ; 

 hut the volcano continued to throw up enormous blocks of 

 incandescent rock together with clouds of steam. The lava 

 -tream had reached the village of Venatura, where it had 

 lestroyed several houses, besides doing enormous damage to the 

 adjacent chestnut woods. On the l8th it was announced from 

 Catania that during the previous night loud rumblings had con- 

 tinued, and that the discharge from the craters of Mount Etna 

 had increased in violence, stones and ashes being projected to a 

 height of over 1200 feet. In the morning the subterranean 

 noises were less frequent and not so loud. At Patagonia, 

 besides the volcanic explosions proceeding from Mount Etna, 

 subterranean rumblings had been heard, while in the neighbour- 

 ing naphtha lake, and the fountains of Vachella, gaseous erup- 

 tions had occurred. On the 19th, although the smoke proceeding 

 from the craters was less dense, the eruption continued with re- 

 newed violence. The subterranean rumblings were more fre- 

 quent and of longer duration, but not so loud as during the 

 previous days. 



On July 15 it was announced from Naples that Mount 

 Vesuvius had become active, and that lava in large quantities 

 was pouring down the part of the mountain called the A trio del 

 Cavallo. 



During the latter part of last week the weather over these 

 islands was much disturbed by the influence of a deep depres- 

 sion which lay over the Baltic. The temperature was below 60'' 

 in the northern and below 70° in the southern parts of the 

 kingdom, and the rainfall exceeded an inch in the south of 

 Ireland. At the close of the week another depression appeared 

 over the Bay of Biscay, and spread over our southern districts, 

 accompanied by rain, while owing to the northerly winds the 

 temperature continued very low, the maxima scarcely exceeding 

 60° in any part. In London on Sunday it did not exceed 55% 

 which, with about one exception, is the lowest daily maximum 

 in July during the last half-century. During Monday night a 

 deep depression advanced over Scotland from the northward, 

 and travelled south-eastwards, accompanied by heavy rain, 

 while on Tuesday increasing winds or gales were experienced on 

 all our coasts, the wind direction varying from N.E. to N.W. 

 and W. According to the Weekly Weather Report the rainfall 

 for the week ending the 1 6th instant was considerably less than 

 the mean in all the northern districts, while over the eastern, 

 central, and southern parts of the kingdom there was a consider- 

 able excess, the amount being in many cases more than double 

 the mean for the week. Temperature was below the mean 

 NO. I I 86, VOL. 46] 



in all districts excepting the Channel Islands ; in the eastern 

 and central parts of England the deficiency for the week 

 amounted to from four to six degrees. 



Last week two despatches were received at the Colonial 

 Office from Mr. Jerningham, Acting Governor of Mauritius, 

 relative to the recent hurricane there. Mr. Jerningham states 

 that the lives lost through the disaster were 1230, and the num- 

 ber of wounded still living 3167. Over sixty-two churches and 

 chapels had been damaged or wrecked, and there had been a 

 partial and enforced cessation of the celebration of Divine ser- 

 vice throughout the island. The number of public buildings 

 injured was 123, and the damage done to Government property 

 w^as estimated at 286,807 rupees. The injury to the railways 

 would cost about 55,435 rupees to make good. All the tele- 

 graph wires throughout the island were destroyed. About 

 16,976 houses and huts had been destroyed or damaged j ex- 

 clusive of those in Port Louis, and about 170 sugar factories had 

 been wrecked or injured. The task of repairing these disasters 

 was one of great magnitude, and wholly beyond the unaided 

 power of the colony. A later despatch states that in Port Louis 

 1453 houses, churches, and public buildings, representing a 

 value of nearly five million rupees, had been wholly or partially 

 destroyed. 



The Kew Bulletin for May and June contains several contri- 

 butions which will be of great interest to botanists and to various 

 classes connected with the industrial applications of botany. 

 One of these contributions is a valuable report (with a plate) by 

 Mr. George Massee on a disease that has attacked vanilla plants 

 in Seychelles. In the same number are printed the second of 

 the Decades Kewenses Plantarum Novarum in Herbario Horti 

 Regii conservatarum, and the second decade of new orchids. 

 An excellent illustration of the way in which the authorities at 

 Kew seek to promote industry is afl'orded by a correspondence 

 on Sansevieria fibre from Somali-land. The increased attention 

 devoted to the production of white rope fibres in the Western 

 tropics appears to have had a stimulating effect in the East 

 Indies, and now the production of fibre from Agave vivipara in 

 Bombay and Manila is followed by a fibre obtained from Somali- 

 land from a singular species of Sansevieria. This fibre was first 

 received in this country as an "Aloe" fibre. It was soon 

 noticed, however, that it possessed characteristics differing from 

 all ordinary "Aloe" fibre, and a request was made to the 

 Foreign Office that Colonel Stace should be invited to obtain for 

 the Royal Gardens a small sample of the fibre, a large leaf from 

 the plant yielding it, and, if possible, a few small plants for 

 growing in the Kew collection. In due time the specimens 

 arrived in excellent order, and it was found that the fibre is one 

 of the many so-called Bow-string Hemps, and probably yielded 

 by Sansevieria Ehrenbergii, a plant first collected by Dr. 

 Schweinfiirth. Little or nothing was known of it until it was 

 described by Mr. J. J. Baker, F.R.S., in the Journal of the 

 Linnean Society, vol. xiv., p. 549. Its locality is there stated 

 as " between Athara and the Red Sea." The plant is described 

 in a letter to the Foreign Office, written by Mr. D. Morris, as a 

 very interesting one, and he adds that its existence as a source 

 of a valuable supply of fibre will be sure to awaken attention 

 among commercial men in Great Britain. Messrs. Ide and 

 Christie, writing to Mr. Morris, speak of the fibre as an excel- 

 lent one of fair length and with plenty of " life." " In charac- 

 ter," they say, "it strongly resembles the best Sisal hemp, 

 with which we should have classed it but for your statement 

 that it is derived from Sansevieria. With the exception of its 

 colour, its preparation is perfect, and even as it is, we value it 

 to-day at ;^25 per ton. We are of opinion that if care were 

 taken to improve the colour a considerably higher price would 

 be readily attainable, perhaps as much as £$0 per ton, if a pure 

 white fibre could be attained without loss of strength and lustre." 



