DISCOVERY 



247 



have led to positive results. There are other experi- 

 ments, however, on which speculation sets great 

 hopes, which consist in outline (as one newspaper 

 put it) in giving '"the solar plexus of an atom a tA\o 

 million \olts punch." But so far such punches have 

 done nothing. Perhaps some day they will, but that 

 is another story. .Advances in science to-day as in 

 the past are real enough but gradual — very gradual. 

 It is best to \\ ait and see ; and, to see the advance 

 in realities, a fairlv large-scale map is necessary. 



A. S. R. 



PROGRESS OF CI\"1L AVI.ATION. 



The latest Half-Yearly Report on this subject pub- 

 lished by the Air Ministrv contains facts and figures 

 worthy of attention. It covers the period October, 

 192 1 — March, 1922. The period shows an increase 

 in British carried passenger traffic with the Continent 

 over that of the same period in 1920-1921, the total 

 number of passengers carried on British machines 

 being 1,686, as compared with the previous 1,418. 

 This period has established a safety record, for there 

 was not a single fatal accident to any machine of 

 an\' nationality. 



-Arrangements are being made for opening the 

 English section of the London-Paris route for night 

 flying. Aerial route lights are being set up at Tats- 

 field Hill and Cranbrook, and an automatic 

 illuminated ground sign, which will be situated at 

 Penshurst emergency landing ground. These various 

 lights will operate for a year without attention. In 

 addition, an automatic wind indicator for night flving 

 has been completed at Crovdon, while the progress 

 made with searchlights and other apparatus designed 

 to simplify night landing has placed the Crovdon 

 and Lympne aerodromes in a position to cope with 

 night services at short notice. 



Some interesting details are given of projects and 

 undertakings in other countries. In Australia, for 

 instance, tenders have been received from various 

 firms and accepted by the Government, not only for 

 the Geraldton-Derby air service, but for working lines 

 between Sydney and Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane, 

 and Charlieville and Cloncurry (Central Queensland). 

 \\'hen these plans are put into effect, direct overland 

 communication will exist betw^een the north and south 

 regions of Western Australia, Geraldton being con- 

 nected by rail with Perth, while South Australia, 

 New South \\'ales, and Queensland will be placed 

 in quick touch with one another. It is to be expected 

 that Germany will now forge ahead with air schemes, 

 for last February the Conference of Ambassadors 

 fixed May 5th as the date on which the Republic 

 might resume the manufacture of civil aircraft. .At 

 present there are in Germany five important air 



transport companies, and twelve air routes have been 

 approved for regular operation by the Ministry of 

 Transport. N\ e may also see Sweden playing an 

 important part in Continental air travel before long, 

 lor the Swedish Aeronautical Commission's report on 

 civil aviation recommends the establishment of three 

 air lines — Stockholm-Goteborg, with connections to 

 Petrograd and London, to be operated by airships; 

 .Stockholm-Malmo, with connection southward to the 

 Continent ; Malmo-Goteborg, w ith a connection to 

 Christiania. Suggestions are also put forward for a 

 direct airship service between Stockholm, Berlin and 

 .Southern Europe. In the L'nited States the chief use 

 of air flight has been made by the Post Office, 

 25,496,560 letters having been thus carried during the 

 period July ist, 1921, to June 30th of this year. 



.Another announcement from the Air Ministry 

 inlorms us that a new company, probably with the 

 title of the British Marine Air Navigation Company, 

 Ltd., is being formed to operate services between 

 .Southampton and the French ports of Cherbourg and 

 Le Havre, and possibly later a Channel Islands 

 service. The existing British services use land types 

 of aircraft only, but the new companv intends employ- 

 ing special marine aircraft. 



E. L. 



SPLXOZA. 



Those of our readers who have investigated, slightly 

 or deeply, the doctrines of pantheism will be inter- 

 ested to hear that an international society (Societas 

 SpiuoDana) has been lately formed for the study of 

 the philosophy of Spinoza. This most famous of all 

 modern advocates of pantheism was born at Amster- 

 dam in 1632, and died at the Hague in 1677. His 

 system of philosophy considered God as both the 

 cause and substance of the universe, advocated the 

 necessity of the Divine nature, and abolished the idea 

 of free-will. 



The new society proposes to hold conferences at 

 fixed intervals, to reissue rare books and documents 

 relating to Spinoza, and to publish an annual volume 

 of original studies. The first volume of these studies 

 has already been published, and includes contribu- 

 lit)ns from Dr. Harold Hofl'ding, .Sir Frederick 

 PoUcjck (who is English representative on the 

 Society), and Professor Leon Brunschvicg. It is 

 printed with type specially cast in imitation of the 

 fount used in the original edition of the Etliics, 

 Spinoza's most important work, which was not 

 published till after his death. 



The headquarters of the society are at the Hague, 

 but British persons interested in its \\ork are invited 

 to communicate with Mr. L. Roth, Exeter College, 

 Oxford. 



E. L. 



