No. 107 1, Vol. 42] 



NATURE 



39 



with on the voyage, so that the recording of results was much 

 interfered with. It will be noticed that the figures bearing on 

 tlie efficiency of the Tartar'' s boilers are not given in the table. 

 The reason is that the coefficient based on the recorded data 

 comes out so high that the boilers could hardly have been 

 evaporating all the feed water pumped into them. In ordinary 

 cases we should naturally attribute this to priming ; but the 

 power developed was so small that we hesitate to apply this 

 solution in the present case. On the other hand, the pheno- 

 menon of excessive cylinder condensation would be induced by 

 working a big engine at low power. We have not, however, 

 sufficient data to enable anything positive to be advanced in 

 this connection. We understand that in ordinary working the 

 boilers show no sign of excessive priming, and the steam space is 



said to be ample. The Meteor, the first vessel experimented 

 1 upon, is 261 feet long, 32-1 feet wide, and I9"3 feet deep. Her 

 trial displacement was 2090 tons. The engines are of the triple 

 compound type, with three cranks at equal angles, 

 i It will be evident that we have not space to give details of the 

 trials as set forth by Prof. Kennedy, and any fairly intelligible 

 abstract is difficult to make. The paper itself is merely a record 

 of facts — a most admirably arranged record we may say in 

 passing — and each fact is so interdependent on others, that it is 

 difficult to make a selection. We will, however, briefly state in 

 the form of a table a few of the leading features and final results, 

 referring those of our readers most interested in the subject to 

 the report itself. We include the Meteor, as her record is necessary 

 to make the matter complete. 



Boiler pressure above atmosphere in pounds per square inch... 

 Vacuum in condenser below atmosphere in pounds per square inch... 



Revolutions per minute 



Total mean indicated horse- power 



Coal burnt per square foot grate per hour 



,, ,, ,, total heating surface per hour 



,, ,, I horse-power per hour 



Carbon value of coal 



Feed water per square foot total heating surface per hour in pounds 

 ,, ,, pound of coal 



,, from and at 212° F 



,, per indicated horse- power per hour 



Calorific value of 1 pound of coal as used in thermal units 



Percentage of calorific value of fuel taken up by feed water ... 



,, ,, ,, ,, carried away by furnace gases .. 



,, ,, ,, ., lost by imperfect combustion ... 



,, ,, ,, ,, expended in evaporating moisture in coal 



,, ,, ,, ,, unaccounted for 



fficiency of boiler per cent 



,, ,, engine 



,, ,, ,, and boiler combined 



1 45 '2 

 1217 



7178 



Name of vessel 

 Fuii Yama. 



56-84 

 12-48 



55*59 



Cokhester. \ Tartar. 



8o-5 

 1249 



I 87-1 1 

 / 1022-5 \ 

 I 957-2/ 

 26-1 

 0-987 

 2 90 

 0913 

 7-39 

 7 49 

 8-53 

 21 73 

 13,280 

 62-0 

 28-0 



1-3 

 04 



8-3 

 62 

 IO-7 



6-6 



I 143-6 

 I 12-9 



70*0 



1087-4 



11-93 

 0-367 



I 77 

 I 03 1 



4-13 



i 11-23 



1 3 06 



, >9-83 



I '4,995 



I 22'I 

 GO 



i 0-0 



"'5 

 9-7 



A discussion followed the reading of the paper, the most in- 

 teresting feature of which was a description, by Mr. Willans, 

 of a device he had used for investigating the effect of condensed 



steam in an engine cylinder. For this and other points in 

 connection with the trials we must refer our readers to the 

 Transactions of the Institution. 



THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS OF THE 

 FfSHERV BOARD FOR SCOTLAND} 



AArHATEVER may be wanting to Scotchmen in the way of 

 Home Rule, they have no cause to complain of a want of 

 Home Rule in their fisheries. The Fishery Board for Scotland 

 is a complete and independent body, exercising complete juris- 

 diction over all the Scottish coasts, provided with an ample 

 staflP, and in receipt of a considerable amount of Govcfrnment 

 money. We learn from the introduction to the present Report 

 that the scientific staff consists of three trained naturalists and an 

 assistant naturalist, and besides these there is a Committee of 

 eminent scientific men, including representatives from all the 

 Scottish Universities. Finally, the Board has a steamer, the 

 Garland, specially devoted to scientific investigations, and is 

 able to make use of the fishery ciuisers for the same purpose. 



Under these favourable circumstances, and especially in virtue 

 of the powers granted by the Sea Fisheries (Scotland) Amend- 

 ment Act, 1885, the Scotch Fishery Board has exceptional 

 opportunities for making extensive and continuous scientific 

 investigations. The investigations for 1888 are embodied in 

 the Report which is here dealt with. The Report is divided 

 into three Sections. Section A is largely devoted to the experi- 

 mental trawling of the Garland in the areas closed against 

 beam-trawling, and to a number of statistical tables drawn up 

 for the purpose of comparison with those experiments. This ex- 

 perimental trawling requires some explanation. The Act above- 



» "Seventh Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, being for 

 the Year 1888. •• Part III., Scientific Investigraions. Presented 10 both 

 Houses of Parliament m pursuance of Act 45 and 46 Vict , cap. 78. 

 (Edinburgh, 1889.) ' 



j mentioned empowers the Scotch Fishery Board, under stated 

 \ circumstances, to make by-laws for restricting or prohibiting, 

 j either entirely or partially, any method of fishing for sea fish 

 j within any specified area in any part of the sea adjoining Scot- 

 i land, and within the exclusive fishery limits of the British 

 I Islands. 



In accordance with the Act, by-laws were framed, prohibiting 

 I beam-trawling in districts which may roughly be described as 

 ' the Firth of Forth, St. Andrew's Bay, and the Firth of 

 Tay, and part of the sea off the coast of Aberdeenshire and 

 Kincardineshire. This by-law came into force on April 5, 18S6. 

 Since that date the Garland has trawled periodically over certain 

 definite stations within the prohibited areas, and the catches have 

 bsen carefully tabulated, both as regards size and quantity. The 

 object of the experiment is, of course, to study the effect of an 

 enforced period of rest on the piscine fauna of the inclosed and 

 adjacent areas, and to obtain information under the following 

 heads: — (i) Whether the cessation of beam-trawling would 

 cause any marked increase in {a) the number, (/>) the size of 

 trawl-fish within the closed areas. (2) Whether the closure 

 would affect the catches of line-fishermen working in those 

 areas. (3) Whether the closur-i would affect the catches of 

 trawlers and other fishermen in adjacent areas. No fault can 

 be found with the method of investigation, which is the only 

 possible one under the circumstances ; but, as might be ex- 

 pected, the results are influenced by a number of secondary 

 causes which obscure the effect of prohibiting beam-trawling in 

 the places mentioned. This may easily be seen by reference to 

 the published accounts of the experiments. It was found in 

 1S87, a year after the closure, that the average take of fish per 

 "shot " was much greater than in the previous year in the closed 



