September 24, 1903] 



NATURE 



519 



as a convenient, though necessarily condensed, account of 

 essential points in inorganic and organic chemistry, and it 

 will doubtless remain a popular volume of ready reference 

 for students. 



Messrs. C. Griffin and Co. have published a second 

 edition of the late Dr. Alder Wright's work on " Animal 

 and Vegetable Fixed Oils, Fats, Butters, and Waxes," 

 edited and partly rewritten by Mr. C. A. Mitchell. The 

 scope of the work has been extended in the direction of the 

 requirements of practical chemists, more details being given 

 of analytical methods and processes for detecting adulter- 

 ation of individual oils. The systematic description of tests 

 for adulteration occupies 222 pages, and consists almost 

 entirely of new matter. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during 

 the past week include a Vervet Monkey {Cercopithecus 

 lalandii) from South Africa, presented by Mr. A. F. Putz ; 

 a Lesser White-nosed Monkey {Cercopithecus petaurista) 

 from West Africa, presented bv Dr. S. Carew ; a Sooty 

 Mangabey {Cercocehus fuliginosus) from West Africa, pre- 

 sented by Mr. Frank Ree ; a Getulian Ground Squirrel 

 (Xeriis getulus) from Morocco, presented by Mr. D. Seth 

 Smith ; two Green Lizards {Lacerta viridis), European, pre- 

 sented by Mr. R. E. McLaren ; a Chimpanzee (Anthropo- 

 pithecus troglodytes, c?) from West Africa, two Suricates 

 (Suricata tetradactyla) from South Africa, an Indian Coucal 

 (Centropus rufipennis) from India, deposited. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Rotation Period of Saturn. — In No. 3900 of the 

 Astronotyiische Nachrichten, Mr. W. F. Denning gives a 

 resume of his observations of the white spots which have 

 been visible on Saturn since July i ; out of thirty-two 

 observing nights only seven were recorded as giving " good 

 seeing." Mr. Denning finds it difficult to reconcile the 

 rotation period observed with that usually given, i.e. 

 loh. 15m., but finds that a period of loh. 39^m. agrees 

 with the observations much better. As the mean of many 

 observations of seven of the markings, he obtains the period 

 loh. 39m. 211S., so that if the bright spot discovered by 

 Prof. Hall in December, 1876, near to the equator of Saturn, 

 really represented, in its period of loh. 14m. 23-83., the 

 rotation of that part of the planet, there is a difference of 

 25 minutes between the equatorial and the north temperate 

 currents, the latter being the slower ; this is in accordance 

 with the Jovian phenomena, where the north temperate 

 markings take 5^ minutes longer for one rotation than do 

 the equatorial markings. 



A collection of the observations, made by various 

 observers, of Barnard's large white spot indicates a 

 rotation period of loh. 38m. for that region of the 

 planet. 



Xewly Determined Stellar Radial Velocities. — From 

 spectrograms obtained at Potsdam with the spectrograph 

 No. iv., in conjunction with the 32-5cm. refraator. Prof. 

 X'ogel has determined the radial velocities of P Arietis, 

 a L'rsa? Majoris, and e UrsaE? Majoris. From measure- 

 iients of the magnesium line at X 4481, he has found the 

 relative vekxity in the line of sight of the components of 

 13 Arietis to be between 60 and 70km., of <u Ursae Majoris 

 about 45km., and of e Ursae Majoris about i5-2okm. 

 {Astronomischc Nachrichten, No. 3898). 



Report of the Cape Observatory. — In his report of the 

 Cape Observatory for the year 1902, H.M. Astronomer, 

 Sir David Gill, refers to several additions and improve- 

 ments of the instrumental equipment. 



The new 24-inch Zeiss objective prism, presented to the 

 observatory by Dr. Frank McClean, F.R.S.. is now ready 

 for mounting, and has a refracting angle of ii^°. 



NO. 1769, VOL. 68] 



The oppositions of Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune 

 were observed with the heliometer, and 476 observations of 

 o Centauri were made in connection with a redetermination 

 of the parallax of that star undertaken by Messrs. Cookson 

 and Lowinger. 



Two hundred and eighty successful spectra of stars 

 ranging in magnitude from 35 to 55 were obtained with 

 the 24-inch " Victoria " telescope fitted with the " Grubb " 

 objective prism. 



In connection with the astrographic chart work 522 

 triple charts have now been taken, and 434 plates, contain- 

 ing 248,921 stars, have been completely measured up to 

 dale. 



The geodetic survey of South Africa is being carried out 

 despite climatic difficulties, but the determination of the 

 Anglo-German boundary in south-west Africa has been 

 delayed by the imperative necessity for giving the workers 

 a rest and a change of climate ; the whole of the triangula- 

 tion is, however, complete. 



Liverpool Astronomical Society. — The first annual re- 

 port of this society shows that a successful session has been 

 held. The Society possesses a fine 5-inch equatorial by 

 Cooke and Sons, of York, a 3-inch transit instrument, a 

 sidereal clock, and a valuable library. 



Amongst the papers read during the session, and sum- 

 marised in the report, may be noted the presidential address, 

 entitled "The Nebular Hypothesis," by Mr. W. E. 

 Plummer ; "Sun-spots and ' Terrestrial Magnetism," by 

 Father Cortie, S.J. (a vice-president) ; and an account of 

 a visit to the Yerkes Observatory by the Rev. R. Killip, 

 secretary of the Society. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



A school of electricity is to be established in connection 

 with the Harris Institute, Preston. The cost will be de- 

 frayed out of a legacy of 2000/. left for the purpose of 

 advancing mechanical and electrical engineering by the late 

 Mr. J. Billington Booth, of Preston. Of the bequest, 1000/. 

 will be devoted to the electrical engineering department, 

 which will be under the superintendence of Mr. G. E. 

 Gittins. 



From the calendar for the session 1903-4 of the Bristol 

 University College we learn that, excluding medical 

 students, there were 285 day students during the session 

 1902-3, and 751 evening students. The subscriptions to the 

 sustentation fund for the same year amounted to more than 

 six hundred pounds ; a special fund of 5500/. has been com- 

 pleted, and amongst other amounts from various persons 

 and public bodies, the Bristol Town Council has contributed 

 five hundred pounds for fifteen free studentships. 



Science announces that Prof. J. Mark Baldwin, of Prince- 

 ton University, has been called to a new chair in philosophv 

 and psychology in the Johns Hopkins University, where it 

 is proposed to organise a university department in these 

 subjects. Dr. E. W. Scripture, assistant professor of ex- 

 perimental psychology at Yale University, has resigned and 

 is succeeded by Dr. Charles H. Judd. Dr. Scripture is 

 spending the year at Leipzig, where he is carrying on re- 

 searches on the analysis of speech by means of gramo- 

 phone records, under the auspices of the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution. 



As is customary at this time of the year, we have recently 

 received a number of prospectuses of technical institutions, 

 and to some of them reference has already been made in 

 these columns. The polytechnics of London appear to try, 

 year by year, to make their courses of study more and more 

 attractive to practical workmen as well as increasingly 

 useful. The workshops in them are excellently equipped, 

 and the practical demonstrations and lectures in connection 

 therewith should prove of great benefit in supplying work- 

 men with a knowledge of the scientific principles upon which 

 their particular branches of technology are based. It is 

 gratifying to observe a tendency towards specialisation on 



