121 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[JCNE, 1901. 



as well as upon the temperature determined by deep- 

 sea thermometers. Observations of waves will also be 

 attempted, the article for the Antarctic Manual on this 

 subject being written by Captain Wilson-Barker, R.N.R., 

 some of whose results on wave observations are given 

 by Mr. Cornish in Knowledge for May (page 97). 



Obsei-vations of the tides will be of extreme im- 

 portance, for it is in the great southern ocean that the 

 tidal systems of the earth have their birth, and here may- 

 lie the tidal effects are more approaching the state that 

 would exist were the globe entirely covered with water. 

 The prediction of tides by applying various factors for 

 local conditions to the theoretical conditions of attraction 

 is a problem of no mean order. 



There are many other problems to be attacked, but 

 it is beyond the scope of the expedition to do all that 

 might be of interest. But among the many things that 

 may be attempted if time and circumstances pennit, is 

 the study of the variation of carbonic acid in the atmo- 

 spheie. Determinations of the amounts of this gas in 

 the air of regions devoid of vegetation would be of high 

 importance in testing Schloessing's theory of glaciation. 



Another series of observations which might be made, 

 should the expedition not return previously, are those 

 in connection with the total eclipse of the sun, Septem- 

 ber 20, 1903. The maximum duration of totality is 

 2|^ minutes, and the central line, although starting in 

 longitude 40° E. and latitude 46° S., does not touch 

 land until it reaches the Antarctic area near the hypo- 

 thetical Termination Is., it then passes over unexplored 

 tei-ritory, and leaves the earth somewhat south of the 

 volcanoes Erebus and Terror. 



ON THE AUDIBILITY OF THE MINUTE-GUNS 

 FIRED AT SPITHEAD ON FEBRUARY 1. 



By Charles Davison, sc.d., f.g.s. 

 When H.M.S. " Alberta " left Cowes on the afternoon 

 of February 1 with the body of our late Queen, its course 

 to Portsmouth lay to the south of a line of thirty 

 men-of-war, ranging from third-class cruisers of about 

 2000 tons to first-class battle-ships of 14,900 tons. The 

 ends of the line, indicated by crosses on the map, were 

 occupied by the "Alexandra" on the west, and the 

 " Majestic " on the east, the two ships being about 

 eight miles apart. A shorter line, to the south of the 

 other, was formed by the foreign ships of war and a 

 group of torpedo-gunboats. As soon as the funeral pro- 

 cession left Cowes. about 3 p.m., a gun was fired from 

 the " Alexandra," after which minute-guns were fired 

 from the " Majestic," the other ships taking their time 

 from the latter. Each ship stopped firing as the tail 

 of the procession passed it, thus causing a gradual fading 

 away in the intensity and duration of the reports. As 

 the yachts rounded the " Majestic," the minute-guns 

 were continued from the coast^defences and men-of-wai- 

 in Portsmouth Harboiu-.* I am indebted to the Secre- 

 tai-y of the Admiralty for the information that 6-inch 

 guns were used with blank charges of 7 lbs. large gi'ain 

 powder. The guns, he adds, could not be fired simul- 

 taneously, but several were fired practically together, 

 which would account for the reports occasionally sound- 

 ing louder. 



During the days succeeding the Funeral, many letters 

 or abstracts of letters appeared in Nature, the Times, 

 the Diiilij News, and especially in the Standard. The 

 editors of the last two papers and of others published 



* Most of the above details are taken from the admirable account 

 which appeared in the Times for FebruarT 2ud. 



in the southern and midland counties kindly inserted 

 requests from nie for notes of observations. The total 

 number of records from all sources at my disposal 

 amounts to 97 from 84 places. These places are repre- 

 sented by dots on the accompanying sketch-map. There 

 are also others, indicated by small circles, where, so far 

 as known, not a single report was heard. The circular 



arcs are drawn with the position of the " Majestic " as 

 centre, and radii of 40, 60, 80, and 100 miles. 



Most of the distant records of the minute-guns are un- 

 usually trustworthy, owing to the regularity of the dis- 

 charges and the peculiar character of the reports. As 

 a rule, a loud boom was heard, due to the nearly simul- 

 taneous discharge of several guns, followed by a rumble, 

 lasting in some places for twenty seconds, as ship after 

 ship along the line uttered the note of mourning. 



From east to north-west, the places where the sounds 

 were heard are scattered fairly uniformly between the 

 60 and 80-mile circles. Beyond the limit of the latter 

 circle, they diminished rapidly in number, except in the 

 neighbourhood of Cheltenham, where one newspaper 

 editor, less sceptical than others, published my request 

 for information. It should be mentioned that some of 

 the most interesting accounts which appeared in the 

 daily press were so far curtailed as to omit distinct 

 reference to the minute-intervals ; among this group 

 being the records from Shelford (near Cambridge, 111 

 miles from the " Majestic "), St. Ives (Hunts., 118 miles), 

 and Holme (near Peterborough, 125 miies). But there 

 can be no doubt in this respect as to the observations 

 from Northleach (82 miles), Kingham (near Chipping 

 Norton, 84 miles), Egginton (near Leighton Buzzard, 

 84 miles), Moreton-in-Marsh (90 miles), Bishop's Cleeve 

 (near Cheltenham, 93 miles), Alderton (near Winch- 

 combe, Glos., 95 miles), and Alderton (near Woodbridge, 

 Suffolk, 139 miles). 



At several places the vibrations were occasionally 

 strong enough to make windows shake. This occurred 

 at Lingfield (56 miles), Sutton (58 miles), Wallington 

 (58 miles) and Richmond Hill (61 miles), in Surrey; at 

 Tunbridge Wells (65 miles) and Hayes (66 miles) in 

 Kent; at Ashford (55 miles) and Pinner (67 miles) in 

 Middlesex; and at Great Missenden (69 miles) and 

 Ludgershall (77 miles) in Buckinghamshii-e. 



While the soxtnd-waves were thus heard at great 

 distances, it is remarkable that in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of Spithead they were almost or quite in- 

 audible. The nearest place to the " Majestic " from 



