320 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[Oct. 13, 1882. 



The quantity of gas usod in London last year, accord- 

 ing to the analysis of the London gas companies' accounts, 

 pivpared l>y >ir. .John Field, was, in round numl>ers, 

 20,230,000,000 cubic feet, which is equal to a bulk of one 

 mile square bv 726 ft. high, and its cost to the pul>lic was 

 £2,911.000. ■ 



The proposition to hand over Kew Eyot to a speculator 

 is, of course, an atrocity of which only such beings as 

 Commissioners of Woods and Forests or Tlianies Con- 

 servators could be guilty. But a counter proposition to 

 hand it over to Sir Joseph Hooker's tender mercies is in- 

 finitely worse. Judging from the development of Kew 

 Oardens under his suave administration, the eyot would 

 presently Ije surrounded by a wall 1 •'> ft. high, with one gate 

 (0 ft by 2 ft.) to admit visitors between two and five p.m., 

 subject to the courteous admonitions of a red-striped 

 functionary, apparently selected for his fitness to terrify 

 •■hildren. Walking sticks and reticules rigorously excluded. 



M. FossEGRivE discusses, in the lievue PhUosophupie, 

 the various meanings which have been assigned to the 

 words analysis and synthesis. He shows that Newton, 

 wlio said analysis means passing from etFects to their 

 causes, was right, — "that is comprehensive analysis": but 

 Heoke, who said that analysis consists in passing from 

 causes to their elFects, was not wrong — for the comprelien- 

 sive analysis of Newton is also txlennive syntheiiis. It is, 

 however, more important to make correct analysis or 

 synthesis than rightly to define either. 



M. P. DE TcHlFlATCHEFF contends that the great deserts 

 of Africa and Asia arc not sea-beds, recently laid dr)', but 

 h*ve 1)een upraised at remote geological epochs, their sands 

 being not of marine origin, but the product of rocks dis- 

 aggregated by \4-indB, changes of temperature, and so fortL 

 The Asiatic deserts are far older than Sahara. 



The TELEpnoxK ix America. — According to a report 

 presented to the recent telephone convention held in 

 Boston, there are about 00,000 to 70,000 subscribers in 

 the United States. In New York there are 2,873, and the 

 smallest numlier in any one place is 10. There is a steady 

 and continued growth all over the country. 



The sugar- beets on the Continent have been attacked 

 by a new disease. 



The female woodcock in America has been observed by 

 Mr. F. L. Harvey to carry away her young from danger 

 between her feet 



The author of " In.sect Variety" is preparing for pub- 

 lication a Ta>)lc of Sun-spots and Earthquake Phenomena, 

 "by means of which many public calamities may be pre- 

 dictJ-d' Public institutions or privat<; individuals desirous 

 to assist are )nvit<rd to suliscribe. Address — but no, our 

 advertising columns are open. Zadkiel's Almanac also 

 predicts public calamities, price Od., and is likely to be 

 ''<]aa1ly truutworthy. 



A JOINT annual meeting of the two ./Vnti-Vivisection 

 Societi<-« took place, fays the QiiarUrhj Joumnl o/ Science, 

 at the end of August. There were present, " besides the 

 Rev. Mr. firove and the inevitable Mr. Jesse, no fewer 

 than three men, four women, a small girl, and four 

 reporters. " The A. V. S. Societies are looking up. 



At Princeton, N.J., a splendid new equatorial has been 

 set up at the Halsted Observatory. Its object-glass is 

 23 in. in diameter, and it has a focal length of 30 ft 

 Professor Young, one of the most skilful astronomers of 

 the day, lias charge of the observatory. 



SKAitcn LioiiTS von the Navy. — The British Electric 

 Light Oomjiany have received an order from tho Admiralty 

 to supply tho following search-light apparatus for war 

 vessels : — Eight large 40,000 candle-power Gramme ma- 

 chines, eight projectors, and eight hand-lamps, as used in 

 the late war. 



At a meeting of tho Birmingham School Board last 

 week, the Education Committee submitted a memorial to 

 the Privy Council seeking the power for School Boards to 

 establish training colleges for teachers owing to the in- 

 sufficient accommodation in the present training colleges. 

 The memorial was generally approved, but referred back 

 to the Education Committee for a slight alteration, after 

 which the Board will appoint a deputation to wait upon 

 the Education Department 



During the last voyage of the steamship Kirklicafon, 

 Captain Cook, from Goole to ]?ruges, when she was but a 

 few miles from the mouth of tho JIumber, bearing towards 

 the Newark lightship, a violent thunderstorm broke over 

 the ship. In the course of it a violent shock was expe- 

 rienced, as if she had been in collision with another vessel. 

 The portion of the crew who were below ran on deck to 

 see what had happened. It is believed that, though no 

 damage was done, the vessel must liave been struck in 

 some way or other by a flash of lightning. 



Fatal Accident. — The Stanrlard's New York corre- 

 spondent says : — " A workman who was repairing a lofty 

 Brush light here received tho electric current which was 

 supplying forty lights. It passed through the man, who 

 fell dead, the body dangling among the telegraph wires 

 below. The hands were seared, and the face bore the 

 expression of intense agony." 



Elkctric Railways. — The number of railways to be 

 worked by electricity is now considerable. Those which 

 are working, authorised, or in course of construction, show 

 a total length of about 100 miles. Tho lines actually at 

 work are those of Lichterfelde, 1 .')G miles, and that from 

 the Spandeur Bock to CharlottenVjerg, near Berlin ; the 

 Port Bush to Bush Mills, in tho North of Ireland, about 

 G5 miles; and also in Holland, one from Zandvoort to 

 Kostverloren about 1 3 miles long. Among lines autho- 

 rised or in construction, tho following are noted : — In 

 Austria, tho Miedling line, near Vienna, 15 miles, to be T^ 

 constructed by the Southern llailway Company there. In 

 Germany, the line from Wiesbaden to Nurnberg, 13 miles, 

 and that from tlio Boyol mines of Saxony to Zankerode. 

 Tho line under the Thames connecting Cliaring-cross and 

 Waterloo stations will V)o about three-fourths of a mile ; 

 also a line in South Wales thirty-seven miles, for which 

 the power will be derived from fall of water. In Italy, 

 Turin, and Milan will soon begin the construction of 

 electric tramways. In America, the Edison Company have 

 arranged for the working of HO kiloniitres on one of the 

 great lines from .N'ew York. Another small line, ll miles, 

 is to be made at St I^ouis, in Missouri, by Mr. Heisler. 



