

May 28, 1903J 



NA TURE 



85 



and in the Annales of the geological and scientific societies 

 of Brussels. 



A Reutkr message from Stockholm, dated May 22, states 

 that the expedition which is being fitted out to relieve the 

 Nordenskjold Antarctic Expedition will be provided with 

 stores for three years. It will be under the command of 

 Captain Gylden, of the Swedish navy, who was in charge 

 of the expedition sent to Spitsbergen in 1901 for the 

 measurement of an arc of meridian. 



A CORRESPONDENT of the Times states that an earthquake 

 was widely felt in Turkish Armenia on April 29. More 

 or less severe shocks were experienced from Van to Baiburt, 

 on the north-west, and it is feared that the loss of life has 

 been extensive. So far no actual details as to the effects 

 of the earthquake seem to have been received, except some 

 relating to the military losses at a town about 100 railes 

 north of Erzerum. 



The annual report to the Conseil de I'Observatoire de 

 Paris, which M. Maurice Loewy is preparing for publica- 

 tion, will contain an account of the recent observations 

 made at Greenwich and Paris for the determination of the 

 difference of longitude between the two observatories. In 

 each observatory a French and an English astronomer made 

 observations independently in the spring and autumn of 

 last year, and a Paris correspondent informs us that the 

 discussion of the two series shows no sensible difference 

 between the French and English results. When the calcu- 

 lations have been completed, the results will be described 

 in papers to be presented at the same time to the Royal 

 "society and the Paris Academy of Sciences by Mr. Christie 

 md M. Maurice Loewy respectively. 



The Australasian Association for the Advancement of 

 Science will hold its next meeting at Dunedin in January, 

 1904, under the presidency of Prof. T. W. E. David, of 

 Sydney University. The sections and their presidents will 

 be as follows : — A — astronomy, mathematics, physics, and 

 mechanics. Prof. W. H. Bragg; B — chemistry, Mr. J. 

 Brownlie Henderson ; C — geology and mineralogy, Mr. 

 W. H. Twelvetrees ; D — biology. Colonel W. V. Legge ; 

 \l — geography, Prof. J. W. Gregory, F.R.S. ; F — anthro- 

 pology and philology, Mr. A. W. Howitt ; G — (i) social 

 and statistical science, president not yet appointed ; G — (2) 

 agriculture, Mr. J. D. Towar ; H — architecture, engineer- 

 ing, and mining, Mr. H. Deane ; I — sanitary science and 

 hygiene, Dr. Frank Tidswell ; J — mental science and educa- 

 tion, Mr. John Shirley. 



The annual congress of the South-eastern Union of 

 Scientific Societies will be held at Dover, June 11-13. On 

 Thursday evening, June 11, the president-elect, Sir Henry 

 II. Howorth, F.R.S., will deliver the annual address. The 

 following papers will be read on June 12 : — Atmospheric 

 moisture as a factor in distribution, by Mr. A. O. Walker ; 

 xperiences of leprosy in India, by Dr. Jonathan Hutchin- 

 on, F.R.S. ; the diminution and disappearance of south- 

 fastern flora and fauna within the memory of present 

 observers, by Captain McDakin and Mr. Sydney Webb; 

 the seedlings of geophilous plants, by Miss Ethel Sargant ; 

 the white chalk of Dover, by Dr. Arthur Rowe ; a late 

 Keltic cemetery at Harlyn Bay, by Rev. R. Ashington 

 i^ullen. On June 13 Mr. A. T. Walmisley will lecture on 

 international communication. 



The first section of the London County Council's electrical 



tramways, opened a few days ago by the Prince and Princess 



if Wales, is of special interest because in the electrification 



•if this tramway the conduit system has been adopted in- 



NO. 1752, VOL. 68] 



stead of the overhead trolley system, which has been almost 

 universally installed elsewhere throughout the country. The 

 appearance of the line is unquestionably very much superior 

 to that of lines equipped on the overhead system, but it re- 

 mains to be seen whether it will work equally well in prac- 

 tice ; for this reason the working of the new lines will be 

 watched with special interest during the next few years. 

 The cost of installing the conduit system has proved much 

 greater than that of equipping an overhead system, and it 

 is to be hoped that some other advantages will be found to 

 result in working in addition to the gain in appearance, as 

 the district can hardly be said to be one of such great natural 

 beauty that overhead lines would have spoilt it. 



The Middlesex Hospital at the beginning of this year 

 established a complete electrical installation for electro- 

 medical work. The equipment includes all the necessary 

 apparatus for X-ray work, high-frequency, Faradic and 

 galvanic treatment. There are two Finsen lamps for the 

 treatment of lupus, and experiments are also being tried in 

 the treatment of this disease by the Cooper Hewitt mercury 

 vapour lamp. The greater part of the apparatus has been 

 set up in a special temporary building. This is already 

 being found somewhat too small for the number of patients 

 passing through, which amounts to about three hundred a 

 week. Two trollies fitted with apparatus and coils for 

 treatment and radiographic work have also been equipped. 

 It is stated that the results obtained in cases of lupus have 

 been most satisfactory, and that the X-ray treatment of 

 cancer is also giving promising results. The high-frequency 

 treatment of cancer has not been found as yet to justify the 

 claims made in its favour, but further experience and obser- 

 vation are required. 



A DofZy Mail correspondent at Rome states that shortly 

 before eleven a.m. on May 22, an earthquake shock was felt 

 throughout Italy. 



Robins frequently build in curious places. Miss E. M. 

 Milner sends from Stafford a photograph of a robin's nest 

 built in a small leather handbag that was hung in an arbor 

 near her house. Five eggs were laid and hatched in this 

 nest. 



Referring to the discovery of a radio-active gas in water 

 by Prof. J. J. Thomson (April 30, p. 609), and the demon- 

 stration by Prof. Rutherford that the emanation from 

 radium and thorium is a gaseous body, Mr. W. A. D. 

 Rudge writes to suggest that some interesting results 

 might be obtained from the examination of the gases with- 

 drawn from deep mines for the purpose of ventilation. Mr. 

 Rudge also suggests that these radio-active gases may be 

 of the nature of metallic carbonyls, " because they are the 

 only known metallic compounds which are gaseous to any 

 extent at ordinary temperatures." 



The Meteorological Council has issued a notice stating 

 that it will, as before, supply forecasts of weather during 

 the summer months (June to September inclusive) for the 

 benefit of agriculturists and others as was arranged last 

 year. These forecasts are sent by telegraph at about 

 3h. 30m. p.m. to those who express a wish to receive them 

 regularly, and who defray the cost of the telegrams, which 

 will be so worded that the cost of each message will be 

 6d. for any one district, including an address of three words. 

 This service of harvest forecasts is, in addition to the 

 ordinary service of forecasts, prepared at iih. a.m. and 

 8h. p.m. The harvest forecasts refer to the weather of the 

 next day. 



International scientific balloon ascents were made on 

 the morning of March 5 ; the balloons were both manned 

 and others equipped with recording instruments only, while 



