SI- 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[August, 1906. 



The 



Eruption of Vesuvius. 



Bv the courtesy of Dr. Tempest Andersoti, of York, the 

 well-known vulcanologist, we are enabled to reproduce a 

 photograph of a stage of the recent eruption of 

 Vesuvius, taken by himself, on April 26 last. The 

 Observatory is to the left of the picture. In the centre 

 is the cone of the eruption of i8g8, now known as the 

 Colle Umherto I", •nhile the cone of Vesuvius in the 

 distance shows the tracks of ash-slides. 



The top of the cone of \"esuvius before the recent 

 outburst was situated at a height of 1330 metres, or 

 4,400 feet, and aneroid measurements, averaged with 

 those taken by Mr. Perrett, of the Observatory, showed 

 a lofs of at least 350 feet. 



Vesuvius— the Observatory from the Fossa Vetrana. 



The recent eruption of Vesuvius (late stage). 



The small figure is a photograph, taken during the 

 eruption of 1898, showing Dr. Matteucci's Observatory, 

 with lava in the foreground. The hill on which the 

 Observatory is situated forms part of the great crater 

 ring of Somma, but is separated from that part of the 

 mountain by the valley. Fossa Vetrana. \'esuvius is 

 to the left, out of the picture. The picture shows that 

 the Observatory is secure from damage by any ordinary 

 eruption. 



It should be added that these photographs formed part 

 of the lantern demonstration given by Dr. Anderson at 

 the Royal Society's soiree on June ig. 



Telephones and the American Accent. 



It is said that the general use of the telephone in the 

 United States of America is destroying the distinctive 

 Southern intonation, and that the American accent is tend 

 ing to l)ecome uniform all over the country. This is be 

 cause the use of the telephone is bringing all normal voices to a 

 sameness of pitch, and is engrafting a similarity of enunciation 

 That must especially be the case in long-distance conver 

 sations, because the talker has to exert a conscious cffoit 

 in clearness and distinctness of enunciation. It is possible 

 that from allied causes the character of spoken English might 

 as a whole become changed. English is called by foreigners 

 the hissing language, because of the [predominance of the 



