June 14, 1894J 



NA TURE 



16: 



in naiural science of the value of jTto per annum, with labora- 

 tory fees not exceeding £20 per annum, on December 1 1 next. 

 The examination will consist of papers in biology and che- 

 mistry, and all inquiries respecting the examination should be 

 addressed to Mr. \V. Ilatchett Jackson, Keble College. The 

 examination will begin on Thursday, December 6. 



Mr. R. Warington, F. R. S., has been elected to the Sibthorpian 

 Chair of Rural Economy, in succession to Sir John Gilbert. 



Camhridgk. — This year, for the first time on record, there 

 is a bracket of two for the Senior Wranglership. In 1887 four 

 names were bracketed for the highest place. These are the 

 only instances in which the Senior Wrangler of the year has not 

 stood "alone in his glory." Messrs. \V. S. Adie and \V. F. 

 Sedgwick, both of Trinity College, share the honour. There 

 is one lady wrangler. Miss E. H. Cooke, of Girton, who is 

 bracketed twenty-eighth. In 'he second part of the .Mathe- 

 matical Tripo;, a lady of Newnham, Miss A. M.J. E. Johnson, 

 who was between fifth and si.tth in the first part last year, heads 

 the list, as she is placed alone in the first division of the first 



class. The Tyson Medal, for astronomy, olTered this year for 

 the first time, is not awarded. 



Seven names appear in the first list of the Mechanical Sciences 



Tripo, all three of those in the first class having already taken 



the B..\. degree on some other examininalion. 

 The Ilarkness Studentship in Geology has failed of award, 



in the absence of candidates. 



The degree of Sc.D. is to be conferred on Professor Demetri 



Ivanovitch Mendeleef, of .St. Petersburg, who was not able to 



accept the honour when it was offered him in 1SS9. 



The following are appointed examiners for the new diploma 



in Agricultural Science: \V. F. Darwin, Mr. \V. G. P. Ellis, 



Professor Liveing, Mr. T. B. Wood, Professor Foster, Mr. A. 



Eichhok, Mr. .\. E. Shipley, Mr. C. Warburton, Professor 



Hughes, Mr. P. Lake, Mr. O. P. Fisher, Mr. E. Clarke, and 



Mr. R. Meniies. 



The Scottish .Association for the Promotion of Technical 

 and Secondary Education have presented a memorial to Mr. 

 Acland asking that the vearly examinations of the Depait- 

 ment of .Science and Art shall be held in the day as well as in 

 I the evening. It is pointed out that originally arranged, as they 

 i were, to suit the convenience of artisan pupils who could not be 

 expected to attend during the day, these evening examinations 

 are now taken by large and increasing numbers of pupils of 

 secondary and higher grade schools. While, therefore, fully 

 recognising the necessity which exists for examinations in all 

 stages of art and science subjects being continued in the even- 

 ing as heretofore, the memorialists urge the desirability of pro- 

 vision being made by the Department for the examination, 

 within school hours, of pupils attending day schools. 



Sir Philip Magnus has been appointed to represent the 

 University of Lond m at the bicentenary celebration of Halle 

 University, to be held in August next. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. 



Bulletin lie fAcadimie Royale de Bdgique, No. 3. — Experi- 

 mental demonstration of the purely accidental character of the 

 I critical state, by V. de Heen. A small quantity of amylene 

 was introduced into the bottom of a tube, and surmounted by 

 mercury, the lube being so thin that the mercury remained at 

 |the top. The tube was placed inside a box with glass windows, 

 I which was then heated to temperatures ranging from 201' C, 

 the critical temperature of amylene, to about 350°. The tube 

 was connected at the lop with a Cailletct compression apparatus. 

 It was found that even under pressures less than 5 atmospheres 

 the amylene could be healed to 350' without evaporating. 

 The critical stale, characterised by turbulent movements, was 

 never exhibited, but if by some accident a small quantity of 

 vapour w.as formed the critical state set in at once. The author 

 concludes that the critical state consists of a non-homogeneous 

 mixture of " liquidogenic " and " gazogenic " molecules. At a 

 certain high temperature, estimated for most liquids at 800° or 

 900", the lormer are completely dissociated, ant the pressure- 

 volume curve becomes a simple isothermal. But the state of a 

 fluid is not defined by pressure and temperature alone, 

 since at the critical temperature, and at zero pressure, 

 the volume can vary from unity to infinity.— Facts 



NO. 1285. VOL. 50] 



relating to ihe properties of carbon bisulphide, by H. 

 Arctowski. The boiling point of pure carbon bisulphide is 

 46''27, but this rises steadily during the process of determining 

 it. The bisulphide is partially decomposed by the sun's rays, 

 by moist air, and by a slight elevation of temperature continued 

 for some lime. — On the solubilities of the haloid salts of 

 mercury in carbon bisulphide, by the same author. These salts 

 show different solubilities, the iodide being the most, and the 

 chloride the least soluble. The solubilities show a point of 

 upward inflection at about 15° C. From 15° to - 10' the lines of 

 I solubility converge in such a manner that il produced they 

 would meet the axis of solubilities at a point corresponding to 

 - 25°. — Some experiments in experimental pathological embry- 

 ology, by P. Francotte. Some ova of Leploplana tremellaris 

 were opened with a find steel point to admit schizomycetes. 

 The microbes were either digested or excreted. The author 

 concludes that microbian diseases cannot be transmitted by 

 either ova or spermatozoa. 



The Meteorologischi Zeilschrifl for May contains a discussion 

 of the results of meteorological observations on the Pic du 

 Midi, by Dr. F. Klengel. The observations dealt with are those 

 made during the years 1874-81 (excepting 1877), at the Plantade 

 station, situated at a Pass, at an elevation of 7760 feet, and 

 they furnish important materials respecting the climatic 

 peculiarities of the high Pyrenees. The mean temperature was 

 34''2 ; the absolute minimum was - ii°'2 injauuary 1878, and 

 the maximum 77°'4, in August i88i. Frost was observed on 

 an average on 224 days in the year ; the absolute maxima in all 

 months.were above 32', and the minima mostly below 32', even 

 in July and August. The rainfall was exceedingly copious, 

 amounting in ihe year to no less than 93'5 inches, a quantity 

 which is only equalled at a few other places in Europe. The 

 wettest month was April, with iS inches, and the dryest July, 

 with 27jnches. The distribution of rainfall throughout the year 

 was extremely irregular ; the number of wet days in the year 

 amounted to 184. The most prevalent winds were from north- 

 west, 25 per cent. , and from south-west, 23 per cent. The 

 French .Meteorological Office has published in its Annates the 

 observations made at the summit of the mountain since October 

 1S81, at a still greater altitude ; these will, no doubt, be dealt 

 with in a subsequent paper. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Royal Society, May 24, — " .Measurements of the Absolute 

 Specific Resistance of pure Electrolytic Copper." By J. W. 

 Swan and J. Rhodin. 



This paper is a record of measurements of the absolute 

 specific resistance and temperature coefficient of pure 

 electrolytic copper. The authors compared a large num- 

 ber of different specimens of electrolytic copper. Several 

 of the specimens were at first roughly examined, and the best 

 chosen for further investigation. The best of these was then 

 eleclrolytically refined. This, without previous fusion, was drawn 

 through sapphire dies to the requisite diameter, and the result- 

 ing wire subjected to careful measurements. The first speci- 

 men, ".-V," was measured both when hard and also after 

 annealing at a red heat in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide 

 gas ; the second sample, " U," was only examined after anneal- 

 ing. The authors took extreme care in finding the dimensions 

 of the wires and the temperatures at which they were 

 measured. 



The values of the two specimens in C.G.S. units were as 

 follows, the density being 8'9587 at 15° C. 



Absolute specific Temp, 

 resistance. coeflicient. 



C.G.S. units. A/. 



Sample A. Hard, as drawn 1603 O'oo4o8 



,, A. Soft, as annealed 1566 o'004l8 



,, B. Soft, as annealed.... 1559 000415 



May 31. — "On Rapid Changes of .Vtmospheric Temperature, 

 especially during Fuhn, and the Methods of observing them." 

 By J. V. Buchanan, F.R.S. 



In July 1S93, on the west coast of Scotland, fuhn of a well- 

 defined type prevailed. It was characterised by puffs of very 

 hot air occurring every two or three minutes in the midst of the 

 abnormally warm air of the day. On July 7 and 8 these hot 



