226 



NA TURE 



[July 4, 189- 



Prof. Bell points out the danger which consequently 

 exists of the formation of a distinct deaf-mute variety of 

 mankind. 



All this is clearly brought out in Prof Bell's memoir ; 

 but Mr. Packard goes so far as to state that Mr. Bell's 

 statistics appear to "almost demonstrate the fact of the 

 transmission of characters acquired during the life-time 

 jf the individual," and also says that "deaf-mutes already 

 appear to breed true to their incipient strain or variety, 

 whether congenitally deaf or ri-iidcred so by disease during 

 the life-time of either or hotli parents." (The italics are 

 ours J. We are thus left in no doubt as to Mr. Packard's 

 interpretation of Mr. Hell's researches ; but an attempt 

 on our own part to find in Mr. Bell's pages the particular 

 statistics or remarks which may be regarded as all but 

 demonstrating the inheritance of acquired characters has, 

 remarkably enough, been completely unsuccessful. Mr. 

 Bell's conclusions lend no support to such a view. So 

 far as they bear upon the present subject, they are briefly 

 as follows : (l) That the great factor in determining the 

 production of deaf-muteness in offspring is the existence 

 of a hereditary- taint in the direction of deaf-muteness in 

 one or both branches of the family. (2) That this 

 hereditary' taint is not the less potent in its effects if it 

 fails to manifest itself in the actual parents of the deaf- 

 mute. (3) That "non-congenital deafness, if sporadic, 

 is little likely to be inherited." 



It would thus appear, both from Chilton's presentation 

 of the facts, and from the failure of Packard's appeal to 

 analogy, that — often as the contrary- opinion has been 

 urged — the peculiarities of cavernicolous animals do not 

 lend any particular degree of support to the Lamarckian 

 principles of evolution. W. G. 



PROPOSED liALLOON VOYAGE TO THE 

 POLE. 



DUKIXCi the last ccntuiy many expeditions to the 

 North Pole have been undertaken, but with no 

 result so far as reaching it is concerned. Baron Nordcn- 

 skiold, the great .Arctic explorer, has made four expeditions 

 to .Spitzbergen, and two to Nova Zenilia and Crccnland, 

 besides having taken part in the celebrated voyage of the 

 Vega. In all explorations both he and others have found 

 the icebergs the chief obstacle ; and it may be said that 

 Arctic explorers are now almost all unanimously con- 

 vinced that the I'ole can never be reached in steamer or 

 sledge. .Attempts on foot have likewise failed, for the 

 ■distance of about ten miles has never been e.\ceeded, 

 owing to the great difficulties and dangers. 



Notwithstanding these facts, Dr. Nansen, the celebrated 

 Norwegian explorer, attempted yet another way, and 

 instead of cutting a path through the ice, he has allowed 

 himself to be carried polewards Ijy a northerly current. 

 This took place a year and eight months ago, and he has 

 not been heard of since. 



Quite recently, at the Royal Academy of Jicience, 

 Stockholm, an even more perilous project was proposed 

 by M. Andree, a .Swedish engineer. M. Andree proposes 

 making the expedition in a balloon. The project is not a 

 new one, but it has never been seriously discussed by Arctic 

 explorers. M. Andr(?e, however, has had much expe- 

 rience in polar regions, having spent the winter of 1882-83 

 in the far north, and also taken part in the Swedish 

 Meteorological Expedition, which lasted a year. He 

 has also proved hnnself to be a dauntless aeronaut, his 

 most interesting voyage being one from (lothenburg to 

 the Isle of (iothland, in which he had to cross part of the 

 Baltic. Everything in connection with this proposed 

 xpcdition has been minutely studied and discussed ; 

 nd infinite pains have been taken to solve all ilifficullies. 



The balloon would require a double outer covering, 

 and a volume of 6500 cubic yards. The ascensional 



NO. 1340, VOL. 52] 



power thus obtained would be sufficiently great to 

 earn.' three persons, furnished with provisions for four 

 months, besides allowing for the car being fitted up with 

 necessary instruments for observation, life-buoys, and 

 Bertons collapsible boats. The car could be suspended 

 in such a way as to allow of instant detachment in case 

 of a descent into the sea. The entire weight of the 

 balloon must not exceed about three tons. In the 

 instance of Henri Giffard's captive balloon, exhibited in 

 1 8/8, and which weighed about six tons, it only required 

 newly inflating after a yeai^'s use. .According to G.raham's 

 observations, a balloon measuring 8| yards in diameter 

 can be made sufficiently air-tight so as to suffer, per 

 month, merely a loss of 13^ lbs. of its ascensional force. 

 M. .Andrde, however, hopes to produce an absolutely 

 impermeable covering. 



The balloon, being protected from the wind by a 

 wooden enclosure, would be inflated as far north as 

 possible, by means of hydrogen compressed in cylinders. 

 This once accomplished, it would begin to ascend. To 

 a certain extent it might be steered by means of a sail 

 and several guide-ropes, which, dragging on the earth, 

 form as it were a brake. The ropes, however, would 

 have to be of special composition, in order to produce 

 the same effect in water. The hindrance thus caused to 

 the flight of the balloon, together with the pressure of 

 the wind, would allow the use of a sail. The flight then 

 might reach an angle of 40" away from the wind tlirec- 

 tion. This steering apparatus, inxcntcd by M. Andrde, 

 has often been used by him in his aerial voyages. 



Besides the guide-ropes, heavy lines, on which would 

 be placed numbered metal plates, would be attached to 

 the car ; these would serve as ballast. In case of a 

 lowering of temperature, and a consequent descent of 

 the balloon, it could be lightened by throwing off these 

 plates, which, if found, would, to a certain extent, show 

 the course taken by the explorers. 



Spitzbergen has been chosen as the starting-point, for 

 this island is almost always clear of ice by the middle of 

 June. The departure would lake place in July, on a 

 clear day, with a southerly wind. .At Spitzbergen the 

 average rate of wind per second is loi yards ; the guide- 

 ropes would cause a hindrance of about 2^ yards per 

 second, therefore the average rate of balloon would be 

 nearly 8 yards per second, which is about 16 miles an 

 hour. .At this rate the I'ole should be reached in 43 

 hours. 



The summer is in all respects the most suitable time 

 for an aeronautic voyage in Spitzbergen. The lowest 

 temperature observeti at Ca|)e Thordsen in July, 1883, 

 was 4- o^'S C, and the highest 4- 1 1 6 C. The move- 

 ments of the balloon would therefore be very regular. 

 Besides this, there are pr.utirally no storms, and the 

 fall of snow in June and July is both slight and rare. 



M. Andree's project has been highly approved of by 

 the most experienced .Arctic explorers. Baron Nordcn- 

 skiiild has declared himself in favour of it, and M. 

 Eikholm, chief of the .Swedish Meteorological Expedi- 

 tion to Spitzbergen in 1882-83, states that the conditions 

 of the .\rctic regions are most favouralile for this voy.ige. 

 He thinks, moreover, that in the future the lialloon will 

 be the principal means of exploring that part of the 

 world. 



For many of the above details, we are indebted to an 

 article in the /uTi/e Seientiliqiie^ bv M. Cliarles Rabol. 



W. 



THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY. 

 ■\X7E regret to announce that, after an illness extending 

 * "^ back to last March, and relieved only by two or 

 three brief periods of improving luallh. Prof. Huxley 

 passed peacefully into the silence of death on Saturday 

 afternoon. 



