430 



NATURE 



[February 28, 1895 



crease of schools for technical education may help or hinder the 

 development of the Central Technical College remaini to be 

 seen. If to ^onoe extent it increases the competition for 

 students, on the other hand it may, in the long run, more than 

 compensate for this by increasing the public appreciation of the 

 value of technical education. It is also su^^ested that probably 

 the falling off in the number of candid.ites for admission is 

 chiefly due to the continued commercial depression, and happily 

 this is a disadvantageous condition which may be expected to 

 pass aw.iy. 



A copy of the programme of the College, received at the 

 same tir.ie as the report, shows that the College is far and 

 away in advance of similar institutions in London, and is in 

 the highest degree competent to provide "for the higher 

 technical education, in which advanced in'^lniction shall be pro- 

 vided in those kinds of knowledge which bear upon the 

 different branches of productive industry, whether manufac- 

 tures or arts." 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



American Journal of ScirnLC, February. — On the relation of 

 gravity to continental elevation, by T. C. Mendenhall. De- 

 terminations of the intensity of graviia'ion made by the Coast 

 and Geodetic Survey, and by Commander Deffo'ges, and ex- 

 tending across the North American con' inent, bring out the fact 

 that the deviations from the values of gravitation as deHuced 

 from the theoretical shape of the earth's spheroid, are in a direct 

 relation to the elevation of the observing station above sea-level. 

 .\n explanation based upon differences in the density of the 

 surface layers is difficult to find, but the fact is undoubted. — 

 Glacial phenomena of Nf wfoundland, Labrador, and Southern 

 Greenland, by G. F. Wright. The ice-sheet of Southern 

 Greenland formerly sent glaciers down through all the fiords, 

 filling ihem to a height of about 2000 feet, and pushing even to 

 the very margin of the continent. Greenland, iherctore, like 

 the re.st of the world, has had its ice age, which has already 

 partially passed away. During the maximum of the ice 

 extension, ihe mountains bordering the sea in Southern Green- 

 land formed innumerable "nunataks." The ice was not thick 

 enough to cover them in solid mass, and there is no probability 

 that the ice extended far out into Davis Stiaits. In Labrador 

 and Newfoundland, on the other hand, all the mouniains were 

 completely covered with gL-icial ice, which extended far out 

 over the borderini; coniinental plateau. The facts point to con- 

 siderable preglacial elevali.ins of land, followed in Labrador, at 

 least, by a period of extensive depression below the present 

 level, and subsequent gradual elevation. There is evidence of 

 the recent dale of the glacial period, while the indicaiions of 

 recenlchangesof level point 10 terrestrial rather than astronomical 

 causes to account for the vici.ssiiudes of the glacial leriod. 

 — The I'ithecanlhrofu$ ereclus, Dubois,' from Java, by O. C. 

 Maish (see pp. 428-29). 



liultilin of the American Malhematieal Society, vol. i. 4 (New 

 York, January 1895) — A pathetic interest is attached to the 

 second article, " Note on a memoir in Smith's collected papers," 

 as it must have been amongst the last pieces of work d<ine by 

 Prof. Cayley. The memoir is that on the Theta and Omega 

 Functions (Smith papers, vol. ii. pp. 415-623). The notice is a 

 very slight one, and gives an abstract of the contents of the 

 memoir —The opening paper is a presidential address, delivered 

 iKfore the American Mathematical Society at its annual mett- 

 jog, December 28, 1894, •>' which the title is, " The Past and 

 Future of the Society." Dr. McClintock traces the growth of 

 the Society from in origin in 188S as a small mathematical club, 

 meeting at Columbia College, whose first meeting was called by 

 a circular signed by three young men, up lo its present mem- 

 bership ol 251. A paragraph points out that the pioneer ol all 

 these mathematical socie'ies which have subsequently sprung 

 up was the Lond .n Mathematical Society. " There hid been 

 no previous example of a similar organisation, and fears were 

 felt and expres-ed that its management mi);ht natur.illy drift 

 into Ihe hands of a few havint; time and energy to give to its 

 affairs, and that there might thus be serious danger of its falling 

 into the control of a clique. The lapse of time has developed 

 Ihe fad that Ihe leading members ol that Socie'y have been 

 men o( broad views, unusually free from personal prejudice, and 

 <iuick 10 recognise talent wherever displayed. VVc may almost 



NO. 3122, VOL. 51] 



her P 



ccnclude frcm Ihe hittory of that Society that proficiency in the 

 science of maiheiralics is distinct evidence of a well-bnlonced 

 mind." We repeat the wish we have previously expressed for 

 the conlirued success ol this flourishing young branch. In the 

 Notes the new officers ard Council are given, the new President 

 being Dr. George W. Hill.— A long list of new publications 

 closes the number.) 



In the numbers of the Journal of .Si'/oty for Janu.aiy and 

 February, new plants are descrihed by Mr. A. Fr)er from 

 Scotland (a new hybrid Polamogelon); by Mr. R. P. Murray, 

 from Tereriffe ; by Mr. W. Fawcett, from Jamaica ; and by 

 Mr. H. N. Ridley, from Ihe Malay Peninsula. Mr. A. Bennett 

 discusses the claims of /uncus lcinii< to r.ank as a Kritish 

 species. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London 

 Chemical Society, February 7. — Dr. II. K. Armstrong, 

 President, in the chair. — The following papers were read : 

 The action of heat on ethylic S-amidocro|onate ; Part ii , by 

 J. N. Collie. During the destructive distillation of this salt, 

 oydimethjl a' ethoxypyridine, a dimethylpyrrol and a pyridine 

 derivative, C,jH,N„0, are produced together with ethylic 

 lutidonemonocarboxylate. — The acidimrtry of hydrogen fluo- 

 ride, by T. Haga and Y. Osaka. Phenolphthalein is the best 

 indicator to use in the titration of hydrofluoric acid. The 

 authors' experiments with litmus suggest that the molecular 

 composition of hydrogen fluoride is II3F3 or H4F4. — Composi- 

 tion of ancient silver ornaments from Peru, by Miss C. Walker. 

 — Molecular change in a silver amalgam, by Mi^s F. T. Little- 

 ton. — On heating silver amalgam, preferably of the composition 

 .•\g Hgj, considerable swelling occurs ; this can only be attri- 

 buted to molecular change, inasmuch as gas is not evolved. 

 Sulphocamphylic acid II., by W. II. Perkin, jun. Further 

 evidence has been obtained indicating that this acid has the 

 composition C8H,._,(S03ll).COOH ; the acid yields two 

 isomeric acids CjIlii.COOH on fusion with potash. Oiher 

 new derivative; have been obtained. — Derivatives ol eihylor- 

 Ihololuidine, by W. MacCalKim, jun.— Acetyl derivatives of 

 bcnzaconine and aconitire, by W. R. Dunstan and F. II. Carr. 

 A number ol unsuccessful attempts have been made to convert 

 bcnzaconine into aconilinc by intioducing an acetyl group ; two 

 isomeric triaceijlbenzaconiiies and a telr.icct)llicnzaconine are 

 obtained on acetylalion. The authors have also prepared di- 

 and triacetylaconiiine and triacetylpytaconitinc. — Aconitine 

 aurichlorides, by W. R. Dunstan and II. A. D. Jowclt. A new 

 examination of the three modifications of aconiiine aurichloride 

 confirms the authors' previous assertions as to the existence and 

 natuie of these compounds. The alcoholaie of aconitine 

 aurichloride dc-icribed by Freund and licck is the 18-autichloride 

 containing a little alcohol. 



Entomological Society, February 6. — Prof. Raphael 

 Mcldola, F. R.S., President, in the chair. — Tne President 

 announced ihat he had nominated the Kight Hon, Lord Wal- 

 singham, F.R.S., Mr. Henry John Flwcs, and Prof. lidward 

 H. Poulton, F. R S. , Vice-Presidents of the Society for the 

 Session 1895-96. — Sir. W. F. II. HIandford m.ade some re- 

 marks regarding Mons. Brongnian's donation 10 ibe library, of 

 his monograph entitled " Rccherches pour servira I'hisioire des 

 Inscctes Fossiles des Temps Primaires." Mr. lilandford also 

 called attention to figures of pupa; of species of Sf-algii 

 (l.ycacnida;), in the Journal of the Bombay Natural Hisiory 

 Society. A discussion followed, in which Mr. Ilaiupson and 

 Mr. McLachlan look pan. — Canon Fowler exhibiiid, on behalf 

 of Mr. C. A. Myers, an unusually fine specimen of Splu-ria 

 rclietisi, growing dom Ihe prolhorax of an underground larva 

 ol a Hrpialiis, supfiosed lo be //. vireicens, f^om New Zealand. 

 Mr. McL.ichlan said that there was n doubt whether the cater- 

 pillar slioiild be rtfcricd lo this species. Mr. Blandfnrd staled 

 tbal the French Government had set aside a .sect on of Ihe 

 Pasteur Instituic at Paiis (or the study o( cniomi.phagnus fungi. 

 -Prof. L. C. Miall, F.R.S., and Mr. N. Walker, communi- 

 cated n paper eniitled "On the Life Histmy ol J'.moma 

 cane.'cens (Psychodida;)," with an Appendix by Baron Oslin- 

 Sackcn. — Heir Jacohy read ap.npir entitled "Contributions 

 to C)Ur Knowledge o( Aftiian Phyiophagous Colcopicra." Dr. 

 D. Sharp, FRS., remarked that Etichscn began Ihe "In- 



