572 



NA TURE 



[April 12, 1894 



Dublin. 



Royal Dublin Society, March 21, 1894. — Sir Howard 

 Gruhb, F.R.S., in the chair.— Prof. G. F. Fitz^eraM, F.R.S., 

 and Dr. J Joly, F. R. S., read a paper on a method of deter- 

 -.Tiining the ratio of the specific heats of gises. — Dr. J. Alfred 

 Si;ott descrihed a method for colouring lantern-slides f)r scientific 

 diagrams and othei purposes. The author explainei that the 

 gelatine surface should be soaked and then drained. In this 

 damp condition the aniline dyes may be applied in watery 

 solutions with a brush ; the depth of colour depending on the 

 strength of the solution and the length of time it is allowed to 

 act on any one spot. The colours most suitable were found to 

 be eosin, tartrazine yellow, vesuvin, indigo-carmine. These 

 colours can be mixed without forming new chemical bodies of 

 a different colour, and spread very evenly. Eosin is, however, 

 liable to fade, if very pale ; it should therefore be painted rather 

 more intensely if the slide is intended to be often in the lantern. 

 Coloured inks suitable for writing with a pen on plain, cleaned 

 glass, can be made by thickening solutions of aniline with ten 

 per cent, of dextrine; good colour for this purpose being eosin, 

 and iodine green. A good, nearly black, colour may be made 

 from writing ink, "encre noire," made slightly alkaline with 

 ammonia, and thickened with ten per cent, dextrine. — Prof. 

 Arttiur A. Ram'^aut read a paper on the great meteor of 

 February 8. This remarkable object was seen at a great 

 many places, from Whitby in the north to London in the south, 

 and from Ballinasloe, co. Galway, to Chelmsford. To have been 

 so widely conspicuous within a few minutes of noon in bright 

 sunshine, the meteor must have been one of very unusual 

 dimensions. The time of the occurrence was 28 mins. after 

 noon (Greenwich mean time). As seen from Dunsink the 

 meteor fell vertically from an altitude of 25° to within 5° of the 

 liorizon at an azimuth of 10° N. of E. A large number 

 of accounts from different parts of the country reached Prof. 

 Rambaut, from which he concludes that it was first seen at a 

 heiiiht of 59 4 ± 4-1 miles, in longitude z" 54' W. and latitude 

 53° 40' N., and was last seen at a height of fourteen miles 

 in longitude i%35' W., and latitude 53' 35' N. The 

 duration and consequently the velocity is very variously esti 

 mated, but the mean of the best estimates gives a velocity of 

 ab 'Ut nineteen miles per second. The path was very distinctly 

 curved ; and therefore the radiant is very doubtful. No account 

 of anything unusual, in the way of a fall of meteoric stones or 

 iron, is forthcoming, and the meteor seems to have been wholly 

 dissipated in mid-air. — Prof. Johnson exhibited the sporangia 

 of Litosiphon laminaricE, Harv., by means of the Society's 

 lantern. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, April 2.— M. Lcewy in the chair. 

 The decease of M. Brown-Sequard was announced by M. 

 Troost. — Observations of the new comet Denning (1894, March 

 26), by M. O. Callandreau.— Observations of the planet 1894 

 AZ (Courty, March 5) and Denning's comet, made with the 

 great equatorial at Bordeaux observatory, by MM. G. Rayet 

 and L. Picart. — Observations of the same comet, made at Paris 

 observatory, by M. G. Bigourdan. In the remarks on this 

 Cimet, it is noted that the tail points (March 27) in a direction 

 apparently perpendicular to the line joining the comet and the 

 sun. — Observations of the same comet, made at Toulouse 

 otiservatory (Brunner equatorial), by MM. E. Cosserat and 

 F. Rossard. — Parabolic elements of the same comet, by 

 M. L. Schulhof. — On the movement of a system of variable 

 form, by M. L. Picart.— On the first differential projective 

 invariant of rectilinear congruences, by M. Emile Waelsch. — 

 Disiriiiution of deformations in metals submitted to strains, by 

 M. L. Hartmann. New experiments give the same laws for 

 the effects of percussion as were found for the distribution of 

 deformations produced under the application of a static strain. 

 —Action of water on bicalcic phosphate, by MM. A. Joly and 

 E. Sorel. By boiling with successive quantities of water the 

 tricalcic phosphate, CagP.p,, JH.p, is produced. With a 

 single quantity of water and long contact at the boiling point, 

 a further action produces anhydrous bicalcic phosphate.— Oa 

 the blue c ilouratiori which leuco-auramine assumes in contact 

 with acids, by M. A. Rosenstiehl.— On the fixation of iodine 

 by starch, by M. E. G. Rouvier.— The disease " Toile," pro- 

 duced by Botiytis cinerea, by MM. Prillieux and Delacroix.— 

 Oil the spark spectra of some minerals, by M. A. de Gramont. 



^O. 1276, VOL. 49] 



A large number of oxides, arsenides, antimonides, sulph- 

 arsenides, and sulphantimonides are given, together with 

 crocoisite, anglesite, and a few others. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — Man and WoTian : H. Ellis (W. Scott). — A Manual of Micro- 

 chemical Analysis: Prof. H. Behren.s ( vlacmillan). — A Tt-xt-B >ok of Field 

 Ge "logy : W. H. Penning, 2nd edition (BailliereV — Odorographia, 2nd 

 series : J. C. Sawer(Giirney) — An Introduction to Structural Botany : Dr. 

 D. H. Scott (Black). — Observations Iiitf^'- Polaires, 1832-S3 : Expedition 

 Danoise, Observations faites a Godthaab : A. F. W. Paulsen (Copenhague). 

 — The Ex-Meridian : H. B. Goodwin (Philip). — The Country Month by 

 Month , April : J A. 1 nven and Prof. Boulger (Blis-) —Handbook of Tas- 

 mania, i8q3 : R. M. Johnston (Hobarl). — Magnetical and Meteorological 

 Observations made at the Government Observatory, Bombay, 1891-92 

 (Bombay). 



Pamphlets — Report for 1893 O" 'hs Lancashire Sea-Fisheries Labora- 

 tory at University College, Liverpool : Prof. Herdcnan (Liverpool). — Illus- 

 tratt-d Official Handb ok to the Aquarium, &c. under the Control of the 

 Exhibition Trustees, Melbourne ( vlelbourne). — What has Opium-smoking 

 to do with Christianity? (Shanghai). — Ueber das Verh.'xltniss des Mann- 

 lichen und Weiblichen Geschlechts in der Natur: Llr. G. Klebs (Jena, 

 Fischer). — Guide to the Exams, in Hygiene and Answers to Questions, 

 Elementary Stage, 1886-93 • ^ ■ J- Harrison (Blackie). — Guide to the 

 Exams, in Heal and Answers to Questions, Advanced Stage, 1881-93 

 (Blsckie). — Di un Nuovo Elettrometro Idiostatico : Prof. A. Righi 

 (Bologna). — On the Modifications of Clouds, London, 1803 : L. Howard ; 

 No. 3 of Neudrucke von Schriften und Karten iiber Meteorologie und 

 Erdmagnetismus (Berlin, A.'^her). — Bird-Life in Arctic Norway : R. CoUett, 

 translated by A. H. Cocks (Porter). 



Serials. —Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, March ("-tanford). — 

 Minnesota Botanical Studies, Bulletin No. 9, Part 2 (Minn ).- Geological 

 Magazine, April (K. Paul). — Medical Magazine, April (Southwood). — 

 Annals of Scottish Natural History, April (hdinhurgh, Douglas). — Zeit- 

 schnft fiir Physikalische Chemie, xiii. Band, 3 Heft (Leipzig, Engelinann). 

 — Engineering Magazine, April (New York). — Himmel und Erde, April 

 (Berlin). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Future of Civilisation. By Dr. Alfred R. 



Wallace, F.R.S. . 549 



Essays in Historical Chemistry. By M. M. Patti- 



son Muir 55[ 



The Origin of Glacial Drifts. By G. A. J. C. ... 552 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Schulz : " Grundziige einer Entwickelungsgeschichte 

 der Pflanzenwelt Mitteleuropas seit dem Ausgang 



der Tertia'zeit •' 553 



Leland : " Elementary Metal Work."— J. S. G. . . 554 

 Letters to the Editor :— 



Earth Currents.— W. H. Preece, C.B., F.R.S. . , 554 



The Aurora of March 30. — Prof. J. Ryan .... 554 

 Crystalline Schists of Devonian Age. — Arthur R. 



Hunt 554 



William Pengelly. — ^J. Starkie Gardner 555 



A Rejected Address. — Nubes 555 



The Limbs of Lepidosiren Paradoxa. [Illustrated.) 



By Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S 555 



Bees and Dead Carcases. By W. F. Kirby .... 555 



Charles Edward Brown-Sequard 556 



Professor Robertson Smith 557 



Notes 558 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Denning's Comet S(>2 



The Natal Observatory 562 



A New Comet . 562 



The International Medical Congress : The Or- 

 ganisation of Science. — The Position of the 

 State in Respect to Modern Bacteriological 



Research 563 



Across Central Asia 567 



Electric Traction. By E. F. Bamber 567 



Educational Agricultural Experiments. {With Dia- 



grain. ) 5^^ 



The Influenza Epidemic in Germany in 1S89-90 . . 569 



Scientific Serials 570 



Societies and Academies. [Illustrated.) 570 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 57* 



