

August 25, 1892] 



NATURE 



399 



British Rainfall for 1891, compiled by Mr. G. J. Symons 

 and Mr. H. T. Wallis, has been published, and in consequence 

 of the exceptional character of the year of which it treats, is 

 rather later in making its appearance than its predecessors have 

 been. The Devonshire blizzard was the cause of much work, 

 and praise is due to those observers who were brave and per- 

 severing enough to take their observations, notwithstanding the 

 very exceptional difficulties by which they were confronted. One 

 observer was barricaded with five feet of snow against every 

 door, and another — a lady — finding that the wind had swept 

 the grass clean all round the rain gauge and piled the snow 

 more than five feet deep near the entrance gates to her house, 

 wrote to enquire what she was to enter as the depth of the 

 snow. 



Symons' s Monthly Meteorological Magazine for August con- 

 tains a summary of the climate of the British Empire for the 

 year 1 89 1, compiled from sixteen representative stations. The 

 highest shade temperature occurred at Melbourne, 103° in 

 January. This is the first occasion since the publication of these 

 interesting tables in 1884, that the temperature of Melbourne 

 has exceeded both Adelaide and Calcutta. In connection with 

 high temperature, attention is drawn to the record at Alice 

 Springs in the centre of Australia, which shows an absolute 

 shade maximum of 117' in December, and an average maximum 

 of above 100° for the month. The extreme maximum in the 

 sun 165°, and the lowest mean humidity 57 per cent, were re- 

 corded at Adelaide. Winnipeg, as usual, had the lowest shade 

 temperature, - 34° "5, in February, as well as the greatest total 

 range 128° 'i, and greatest mean daily range 22° •9. Ceylon 

 recorded the highest mean temperature, 80° "], and also the least 

 range in the year, there being only 21.'' "3 between the maximum 

 of the hottest day and the minimum of the coldest night. Malta 

 usually has the smallest rainfall or the least cloud ; this year, 

 however, Adelaide had the least rainfall, 14 inches, and Bombay 

 the least cloud, the average amount being 3*0. The greatest 

 rainfall was at Colombo, Ceylon, 119 inches. It is unfortunate 

 that both the West Indian returns have had to be omitted owing 

 to incompleteness. 



About the middle of last week the low pressure areas which 

 advanced over this country from the south-westward caused a 

 rapid rise of temperature in England, the maximum shade tem- 

 peratures reaching 83° in the south and east. These conditions 

 were accompanied by violent thunderstorms over the southern, 

 midland, and eastern counties on Thursday and Friday, the area 

 embraced by the storm extending from Devonshire in the west 

 to Norfolk in the northeast, while the rainfall was very 

 heavy, amounting to i -4 inch in several parts. During the early 

 part of the present week the temperature continued high over 

 the greater part of England, being about 10° above the mean 

 for the time of year, but was much lower in Scotland and Ire- 

 land. Conditions were again unsettled on the 23rd, and about 

 I "5 inch of rain was measured in the south-west of Ireland on 

 that morning, while areas of low pressure lay over our south- 

 west coasts, and severe thunderstorms occurred in the evening 

 over all the southern half of England. The heat on the Con- 

 tinent has been excessive, the thermometer in the shade 

 registering 100° and upwards at many stations, and even reaching 

 108° at Biarritz and Bilbao. During the last few days, however, 

 the weather has become somewhat cooler over Europe, although 

 very high temperatures were still maintained. During the week 

 ended the 20th inst. the rainfall exceeded the mean in Ireland and 

 .Scotland, but in most of the English districts there was a con- 

 siderable deficit (except in the south and east, where there was 

 an excess, owing to the thunderstorms). There still exists a 

 deficiency in all districts from the beginning of the year amount- 

 ing to 5 inches in the south and to 8 6 inches in the south-west 

 of England. 



NO. I 1 9 I , VOL. J /^l 



The firm of P. J. Kipp and Sons, Delft, have constructed a 

 new form of their electrodynamometer for the measurement of 

 telephonic currents, in which several improvements have been 

 introduced. As in the old form, in accordance with the sug- 

 gestion of M. Bellati (Atti del R.I. Ven. 1883), a cylinder of 

 soft iron wires takes the place of the usual movable bobbin. 

 The cylinder becomes magnetized under the action of the current 

 in the fixed coil ; its magnetization being proportional to the 

 strength of the current when sufficiently weak, and becoming 

 reversed on the reversal of the current. The instrument is there- 

 fore eminently suitable for the measurement of weak alternating 

 currents. The coil is wound in two parts, which may be used 

 in series or in multiple arc, the resistance of each being about 

 250 ohms. A damping arrangement, similar to that employed 

 in Thomson's quadrant electrometer, can be used. When the 

 vibrations are not damped, speaking in a low voice into a Siemens 

 telephone in connection with this instrument produces a deflection 

 of 1 80mm. on a scale placed at the proper distance from a mirror 

 which is attached to the iron cylinder. If one speaks at the 

 distance of three or four metres from a microphone placed in the 

 primary circuit of a small induction coil — the electrodynamometer 

 being in the secondary circuit— a deflection of 48mm. is obtained. 

 The price of the instrument is 225 or 240 francs, according as a 

 concave, or a plane, mirror is supplied. A guard ring of soft 

 iron can be supplied for twenty-two francs additional. The firm 

 believe that the instrument will be of great use to physiologists. 

 It is largely used in continental laboratories. 



Reporting lately to the Societe d' Encouragement on the 

 industrial preparation of carbonic acid in France, commenced 

 by M. Gall, M. Troost points out that in Germany, which pre- 

 ceded France in this matter, what greatly stimulated the work 

 was the consumption of beer, as it was found that by pressure 

 of carbonic acid on beer, the latter could be brought up from 

 cellars to bars in excellent condition, while compressed air 

 spoiled the beer. In France, on the other hand, success has 

 been due to the large quantities of salicylic acid used in medical 

 treatment, this substance being largely produced by the reaction 

 of liquid carbonic acid on sodium-phenol. The Compagnie 

 generate des produits antiseptiques has works near Hermes 

 (Oise), directed by M. Gall. Pure carbonic acid is there pro- 

 duced very economically by combustion of coke ; is collected 

 in a gasometer, from which it is drawn, to be dried and com- 

 pressed with pressures of 5, 25, and 70 atmospheres, and 

 stored in iron bottles. Most of the acid is used for making 

 salicylic acid ; but other applications occur, and M. Gall is 

 increasing the power of manufacture. At present 300 kilo- 

 grammes are produced daily, but it will be possible ere long to 

 produce 1000 kilogrammes. The liquid is now supplied in 

 Paris at 60 c. the kilogramme (say 6d. for 2i lbs.). Thus 

 the French production is in a condition to compete with the 

 German. Among other uses besides those already mentioned 

 are the manufacture of aerated waters, the filtering of wine, 

 cooling by virtue of the great absorption of heat in vaporizing, 

 and solidification of fused metals under high pressure (which 

 greatly improves the quality). 



From a recent report on the telephone system in Belgium 

 (which has grown rapidly since 1883) we learn that the State has 

 considerably supplemented the work of the companies construct- 

 ing and working various small lines, and using on all of them 

 the double wire (while the companies have mainly continued the 

 single one). The material used is the phosphorus bronze of 

 Montefiore. The subscription varies largely, from 250 fr. in 

 a radius of 3 km. in Biussels and Antwerp, to 125 fr. in 

 Louvain and Malines. One interesting feature of the Belgium 

 lines is that they are all connected with the principal telegraph 

 offices, so that subscribers can send to these, by telephone, any 

 telegrams they -wish sent, and similarly they cs" receive tele« 



