4S8 



NA TURE 



[September 12, 1895 



well attended, and the work of the lecturers was much assisted 

 by the travelling libraries sent out by the Victoria University in 

 connection with the \'arious courses. A new departure was 

 made by the institution of short lectures on poultrj-keeping. At 

 the close of the session examinations were held, at which iSS 

 candidates from 26 centres presented themselves, and of this 

 number 145 passed, 58 attaining distinction. The prospectus 

 of the Courses in .-Kgriculture. .Session 1895-6, is now ready, and 

 may be had on application to the Registrar. 



The .Agricultural Department of the University College of 

 North Wales, Bangor, has just issued its prospectus for the 

 approaching session, in which all information respecting classes, 

 &c. , is given, .\rrangements have been made by which farms 

 in the neighbourhood of the college may l>e made use of by the 

 professors and their students for practical instruction. The 

 prospectus can be obtained from the Secretarj'. 



The Techniial World .says: "One of the most interesting 

 experiments undertaken by the Durham College of Science is 

 the proWsion of a series of agricultural stations, of which there 

 are now about sixty in Northumberland, Cumberland, and 

 Durham. At these stations practical instruction is given by 

 means of experiment and demonstration in the science of agri- 

 culture. Manures are supplied to the stations from the college, 

 where they are analysed and blended as may be required for the 

 particular experiment, and the re.sultani crops are afterwards 

 tested under the direction of the Professor of Agriculture. These 

 experiments give valuable opix)rtimities to students to observe 

 the varying results obtained under the different conditions ot 

 soil and climate in the various districts of the North, and also 

 provide useful data for agriculturists therein." 



A NEW technical school was opened at Runcorn on .\ugust 

 31, by Sir John T. Brunner, M. V, The school was erected at a 

 cost of ;f 4200, and contains eleven class-rooms and a lecture- 

 hall. 



In \iew of the forthcoming opening of the Medical Schools, 

 the current issues of our contemporaries, the Lancet and British 

 J/edical foiimal, are devoted almost exclusively to ]xnrticulars 

 likely to be of service to medical students. The Cliemica! A'ctcs 

 for September 6 is likewise a " student's number," and contains 

 much information respecting the various schools of chemistry. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, September 2. — M. Fizeau in the 

 chair. — The work of 1895 "' ^'ont Blanc Observatory, by M. 

 J. Jansscn. Determinations of the intensity of gravity have 

 been made with very delicate instruments at Grands-Mulets 

 (3050 m.) and at Chamounix by M. Bigourdan. It is hoped to 

 carr)- out a similar determination on the summit of .Mont Blanc 

 next year. All the parts of the 33 cm. parallactic lelesco|x' 

 have been conveyed to the site at the head of the glacier where 

 it is to be erected. — On the presence of argon and of helium in 

 certain mineral waters, by M. Ch. Bouchard. (See Notes, 

 p. 487). — On the combination of magnesium with argon and 

 with helium, by M.\l. L. Troost and L. Ouvrard. (See Notes, 

 p. 487). — On a continuous group of transformatiims with 

 twenty-eight parameters which occurs in the theory of deforma- 

 tion of surfaces, by M. Paul Stacckcl. — Researches on the 

 combinations of mercuric cyanide with bromides, by M. Kaoul 

 Varel. Thermochemical data are given for a number of 

 compounds of the general type 2HgCyj.MBr,.xII,0. It is 

 shown that in solution these substances yield but a slight 

 isopurpuratc reaction, an<l slightly redden litmus. With heat the 

 effect IS increased. The substances imssessa^milar constitution 

 to the chlorocyanidcs, the cyani>gen remaining mostly in 

 combination with the niercur)'. Rather a greater proportion of 

 the cyanogen passes over to the second metal than in the case 

 of the cnlorocyanidcs. A slight evolution of heat occurs 

 in the change, a result contrary to what would be 

 cx[x;cicd from the character of the iodo-com|X)unds. — 

 On the formation of hydrogen .selcnide, by M. II. I'elalmn. 

 ' ' ' ' rbs hydrogen sclenirle. Carrjing out 



tnation of hydrr>gen scleniile in relali(m to 



■ , ■ ^ smallest excess of selenium in order to 



avoid this source of error, it is found that the formula of Cibbs 

 and Duhem, 



/. _ M 



log 



-f- N log T + S, 



NO. 1350, VOL. 52] 



accurately represents the experimental results (/, and /, represent 

 the partial pressures of II and SeHj, T is the abs.' temp, of 

 experiment, log means Napierian log, M, N, and S are con- 

 stants). The ratio p = ^ "- — has a maximum value at a 



temperature/ = ^ - 273. With ralues of the constants cal- 

 culated from the experimental results, / = 575°, the exiwrimental 

 maximum agrees with this result. The molecular heat of 

 formation calculated by Duhem's formula with the found values 

 for the above constants is - 17380 Cal., Kabre found - 18000 

 Cal. The diflerence is not great, and may be readily accounted 

 for when it is remembered that (i) in this formula hydroger* 

 and hydrogen selenide have been assumed to be perfect gases ; (2) 

 the formula has been applied beyond the limits of temperature 

 of the experiments from which M and N are determined. — 

 .\ction of carbonic acid, water, and alkalis on cyanuric acid and 

 its di.ssolved sodium and potassium salts, by M. Paul Lemoult. 

 .•\ heat of neutralisation |>aper in which the decomjiosition of 

 cyanuric acid slowly occurring in presence of bases is 

 shown to .agree with the equation CjNjOjHj diss. 

 + 3H,0 + .\q = 3CO2 diss. + 3NHj dis,s. + 200 Cal.— 

 The eclipsoscope, an apparatus for viewing the chromosphere 

 and solar protuberances, by M. Ch. V. Zengcr. — M. Ch. V, 

 Zenger sends another note rekitive to the possibility of predicting 

 great seismic and atmospheric disturbances during the passage 

 of periodic swarms of shooting-stars when great activity of the 

 solar surface is observed at the same time. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLET, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Hooks.— The Herschels .-ind Alodcni .\stronomy : A. M. Gierke (C;iiScll). 

 — The Growtli of the Hr.-Lin : Prof. H. H. Don.ildson (Scott).— Peasant 

 Rents (Economic Classics): R. Jones, 1831 (M.icmillan). — Cubature des 

 Tcrrasses ct Mouvcment des Terres : 0. Darics (P.iris, G.'iUlhicr.Villars). — 

 Quantitative Chemical .Analysis : Clowes and Coleman, 3rd edition 

 (Churchill). — Notes on the Nebular Theory in relation 10 Stellar, Sol.ar, 

 PlancLiry, Cometary, .and Geological Phenomena : W. F. Stanley (K, 

 Paul).— On the Structure of Greek Tribal Society : H. K. Sccbohm (Mac- 

 mitlan). — Observations and Researches made at the Hong Kong Observa- 

 tory in the Year 1894 : Dr. W. Dobcrck (Hong Kong). 



Pamphlet.— The Movements of the Kosi River: F. A. Shillingford 

 (Calcutta). 



Skkials. — Science Progress, September (Scientific Press). — ProceedingSf 

 of the Physical Society of London, Scpteud>er (Taylor and Francis).—^ 

 Himmcl und Krde, September (Berlin). — Journal of the .Asiatic .Society of 

 Bengal, Vol. Ixiv. Part 2, No. 2 (Calcutta). — Journal of the Franklin Instp- 

 tutc, September (Philadelphia). — Memoirs and Proceedings of the Man* 

 Chester Literary and Philosophical Society, Fourth Series, Vol. 9, Nos. 3, 4, 

 (Manchester). — American Journal of Science; September (New Haven). 



CONTENTS. PACK 



A New Standard Dictionary 457 



The Chemistry of Lighting. Hy W. T 457 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Murche : " Science Readers " 45$ 



K. V. B. : " .\ (iarden of Pleasure " 458 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The ••4020-5" Line and I),.— Prof. C. A. Young . 458 

 On the Temperature Variation of tlu- TlRruial Con- 

 ductivity of Rocks.— Prof. Robert Weber . . . 458 

 Experimental Mountainlniililiiig. (//'//// Diiiipam.) 



-L. Belinfante . 45J 



Jo.seph Th.)nison. W. Bolting Hemsley, F.R.S. . 459 



l-alf Nestlings. — Jas. Shaw 459 



The Institute of France. Hy Dr. Henry de Varigny 459 



The Ipswich Meeting of the British Association . 46I 



Iiiaugiir:d .\<lilriss hv Sir Douglas Gallon, K.C.B., 



F.R.S., President' 461 



.Section .\. — Mathematics and Physics. — Opening Ad- 

 dress l)y Prof. W. M. Hicks, F.R.S., President 



of the Seclitm ... 47* 



Section B. — Chemistry. ^Opening Address by Prof. 

 Raphael Meldola, F.R.S., Prcsideiil of the 



Section 477 



Notes 484 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



The Proper Motion of the Sun 487 



The Rot:ilioM of \enus 487 



University and Educational Intelligence 487 



Societies and Academies 488 



Books, Pamphlet, and Serials Received 488 



