-40 



NA TURE 



[July 4, 189- 



1) M. >.. Ailolphe Borel. — On the \-ariations of " ecroiiissage " 

 of metals, by M. K.iurie. — On punching, by M. Ch. I'remont. 

 An experimenlal inquir)' into the conditions affecting the amount 

 of play nccessan- between a punch and its bed. The results 

 lead to the conclusions : ( I ) That the maximum effort in punch- 

 ing metals is independent of the clearance .space in the ordinary 

 practical conditions ; (2) that the clearance space or play is a 

 function of the thicknesis of the metal to be punched, and not of 

 the diameter of the punch : (3) that it is also a function of the 

 elongation of the metal, but in a less pro|x>rtion ; (4) that the 

 play allowed ought to be about a fifth of the thickness of the 

 metal puncheil. .V figure is given illustrating the form of punch 

 I)est adapted for piercing perfect holes. — Properties of solid car- 

 t>onic acid, by M.\I. I'. \'illard and K. Jarry. Carbon dioxide 

 solidifies and melts under a pressure of 5-1 atmospheres at 

 — 56 ■" C. In free air, the solid has the tem|)erature - 79°; 

 ether does not lower this temperature, as h-as been hitherto sup- 

 posed, but methyl chloride and solid carbon dioxide produce 

 a temperature of - 85° C. .\t a pressure of 5 mm. the solid 

 has reached a temperature of - 125°. — On M. Ciuye's hypo- 

 thesis, by M. .\. Colson. — On the alcohols derived from a 

 dextrorotatory tur|ientine. eucalyptene, by MM. c;. Bouchardat 

 and Tardy. — Condensation of the unsaturated alcohols of the 

 fatty scries with dimethylketone. — Synthesis of aromatic hydro- 

 carlxins. by .MM. I'h. Harbier and L. Bouveault. — Double com- 

 |)ounds of the fatty and arom,atic nitriles with aluminium 

 chloride, by M. ('•. Perrier. — .-Vctlon of the air on raisin must, 

 by M. \ . Martinand. — On the preservation of wheat, by M. 

 Balland. — On the .sexual dimorphism of the Nautilus, by Nl. A. 

 \'ayssiere. — On the variations of apparent clearness with the 

 distance, and on a law of these variations as a function of the 

 luminous intensity, by .\l. Chailes Henry. — Seismic observations 

 made at Orcnoble, by M. Kilian. — On the dissolved gases at 

 the bottom of Lake dcneva, by MM. .\ndre Delebeccpie and 

 .Mexander Le Rojer. — The effects of the synodic and anoma- 

 listic revolutions of the moon \x\ion the distribution of pressures 

 in the season of winter, by M. \. Poincare. — On the subject of 

 the treatment of the bites of venomous serpents by chloride of 

 lime and by antitoxic serum, by M. A. Calmette. 



.Vmsierham. 



Royal Academy of Sciences, May 25. — Prof. Van de 

 Sande-B.akhuyzen in the chair. — Prof. J. C. Kapteyn showed 

 how the follow ing three laws may be deduced from otxservations : 

 (I) the law according to which the linear vek)cities of the 

 stars are <listributed ; (2) the law according to which the 

 number of stars per unit of volume varies with the dist.ance from the 

 .sun: (3) the law according to which the absolute .stellar magnitudes 

 (magnituile at unit of ilistance) are distributed. The hypotheses 

 on which the author's conclusions were based were as follows : 

 (a) the real movements of every degree of m.ignitude of the stars 

 in space are ei|ually numerous in every direction ; {h) the law of 

 the tlistribulion of stellar vehKilies does not vary with the ilis- 

 tance from the sun ; (i)thc function representing this law has but 

 a single maximum. — Prof. Kngelmann treated of reciprocal 

 and irrecipr<Kal con<luclivily of muscles, with special relation 

 to the theory of the heart. — Prof. Van der Waals treated of 

 the relation between the critical temperature and the critical 

 pressure for a mixture (tacno<lal curve). — Prof. H. Behrcns 

 descrilHKl some cases of artificial dichroism. .Strong dichroi.sm 

 were observed on flax and hemp fibres after havmg been dyed 

 with congo-red or benzo-azurine. A similar result was ob- 

 tained with the majority of the tetrazo-dyestuffs used for <lying 

 cotton ; whereas, by the application of naphthol i>range, 

 croceinc scarlet, and other .similar dyestufls, no dichroism was 

 developed. Only three lasic dyesluffs were found to be 

 raiwhle of making flax dichroic. Among other fibres the straw 

 ' . next to flax and hemp ; the cotton and the woral 



I lower in the .scale ; silk requires to be ilyed a deep 



: ., in acidulated solution of bcnzo-azurinc, and on wool 



the phenomenon of artificial dichroism has not Iwen produced 

 liy any of the colouring matters named above. Klax and 

 hemp are strongly |>olarising, and can be rendered strongly 

 dirhroir, whil"- In cotton these two qualities are found in a 

 liut silk, ranging above straw in polarisation, 



■ oiton as to artificial ilichroisui. The phcno- 



■ !>c of a complex nature, not ex]>lainefl by 

 inati'in of ordmary absorption with ordinary 



ri. — I'rof. \'an rier Waals presenleil a paper by 

 Pro). \V. H. Juliu.s, entitled "(Jn an arrangement for protecting 



NO. 1340, VOL. 52J 



measuring instruments from the ordinary vibrations of the 

 ground." — Prof. Kamerlingh Onnes presented, (i) on behalf of 

 Prof. \V. Einthoven, an isolation arrangement against vibrations 

 of contigxious bodies ; (2) on behalf of Dr. J. P. Kuenen. the 

 influence of gravitation upon the critical phenomena of simple 

 substances and mixtures. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — .\ M. -inu.il of Hot.-iny : Prot'. J. R. tlreen. Vol. i. Morphology 

 and Anatomy (Churchill). — Architecture for General Readers : H. H. 

 St.ithant (Chapman). — The Manufacture of Explosives, i Vols. : O. Gutt- 

 niann (Whitlaker).— The Cell : Dr. O. Hertwis, translated by M. C.-unpt»ll. 

 and edited by Dr. H. J. Campbell (Sonnenschein).— Studies in the Evolu- 

 tion of.\nimals: Dr. E. Bonavia (Constable). — Electrical [.aboratorj- Notes 

 and Forms : Prof. J. .\. Fleminc i^EUctriiian Company). — Ostwald's 

 KKissilcer der Ewikten Wissenschaften, Nos. 60, 61, 62 (Leipzig, Engel- 

 mann). — .\ Manual of Book-keeping : J. Thornton (M.-icmil)an). — Geo- 

 graphical Journal. Vol. v. (.St.anford). 



Pa.\U'HI.ets. — 11 Porto di Venezia ; Prof. L. Prime (Verona, Drucker). — 

 The Genesis of Californi.i's First Constitution (1846-49) : R. D. Hunt (Balti- 

 more). — Enumeracidn Sistem.'itica y Sinonimica »le los Peces de las Cost.xs 

 .-Vrgentina y Uruguaya : Dr. C. Berg (Buenos .\ircs). — Origine e DiflTusionc 

 della Stirpe Mediterranea : G. Sergi (Roma, Societ^ Editrice Dante 

 .\lighicri). 



Serials. — Journal of the Roj-al Microscopical Society, June (20 Hanover 

 Square). — Chambers's Journal, July (Ch.imbers). — tJood Words, July (Is- 

 bister). — Sund.iy Mag.i7inc, July (Isbislcr). — Humanitarian, July (Hulchin* 

 son). — English Illustrated Magazine. July (198 .Strantl). - Zeitschrift fiir 

 Physikalischc Chemie, xvii. Band, 2 Heft (L.eipzig, Engelm.ann). — N.ational 

 Review, July (.-Vrnold).— Natural Science, July (Rait).— Bulletin de 

 r.\cad6mie Imp^riale des Sciences de St. Piterstwurg, March and April 

 (St. Petersbourg). — The Rcliquar>' and Illustrated .'Vrch.xologist, July (Bem- 

 rose). — Contemporary Review, July (Isbister). — tleographical Journal, July 

 (Stanford). — Journal of the Royal .\gricultur.al Society of England, Vol. o, 

 Part 2 (.Murray). — Fortnightly Review, July (Chapman). 



PAGE 



CONTENTS. 



The Moluccas. By Dr. Hugh Robert Mill .... 217 



Mill Engineering. By N. J. L 2ii5 



Lectures on Darwinism. Hv E. B. P 219 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Mumnierv : '" Mv Climlis in the .\lps and Caucasus." 



Prof. T. G. Bonney. F.R.S 219 



Kreudenreich : " Dairy Bacteriology " 220 



Beard and Telfer : Longmans' School ."Mgebra "... 220 

 Babington : " Kallacies of Race Theories as .-Ypplied 



to N'ation.il Characteristics" 220 



Sharpe : " .\ Chapter on Birds " 220 



Swann : " Nature in .\cadie" 220 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Size of the Pages of .Scienlific Pulilicalions. G. 



H. Bryan, and Prof. S. P. Thompson, F.R.S. 221 

 (Jn the Mlninniin Theorem in the Theory of Gases. — 



Prof. Ludwig Boltzmann 221 



.•\rgon and the Kinetic Theory. — Colonel C E. 



Basevi 221 



Romano- British Land Surface. — Flint I'lakes Replaced. 



(///wi/™/,-!/.)— Worthington G. Smith .... 222 

 The Bifilar Pendulum at the Royal Observatory, 



ICdinliurgh. Thomas Heath 223 



Migration of a Water- Beetle. Rose H. Thomas . 223 

 Argon and Helium in Meteoric Iron, liy Prof. W. 



Ramsay, F.R.S. 224 



Subterranean Faunas. By W. G 225 



Proposed Balloon Voyage to the Pole. By W. , . 226 



Thomas Henry Huxley 226 



Notes 229 



j Our Astronomical Column: — 



\ariable Stars 23I 



The Temperature of the Sun 232 



The Rotation of S;iturn 232 



The Visibility of Ships' Lights 232 



The Relative Powers of Large and Small Tele- 

 scopes in showing Planetary Detail. By W. F. 



Denning 232 



Subjective Visual Sensations. By Dr. W. R. 



Gowers, F.R.S 2j4 



High-Level Meteorological Stations. By A. Law- 

 rence Rotch 2j6 



University and Educational Intelligence 2^7 



Scientific Serials ' v 



Societies and Academies - i7 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 240 



