July 17, 1890] 



NATURE 



277 



barograph, and a Redier's barograph. My observations, 

 made alternately with these four, came to the same result. 

 If the wind appeared to have lulled for a short time, 

 there would be a sudden fall in the barometer of often more 

 than two millimetres. A violent gust would then follow 

 on the fall in the barometer, its strength varying in 

 proportion to the fall of the barometer. During the gust 

 the barometer would rise nearly as much as it had 

 previously fallen. 



From these observations, carried on through whole 

 days, and often far into the night, it seemed to me that 

 the cause of the gusts must be that slight, quickly 

 passing depressions were over us. 



If these observations are correct, and I can hardly 

 doubt them, the suction of the wind is of secondary 

 importance in considering the causes of the " pumping " 

 ('•' oscillations "). 



I cannot allow myself to enter into all the interesting 

 meteorological subjects that there presented themselves, 

 and my views upon them, without trespassing too largely 

 on the space assigned to me in these pages. I would only 

 refer briefly to what I observed of the marked electrical 

 activity in the telephone. It may seem strange to speak 

 of a strong electrical development in winter, and I must 

 confess to have been surprised on many days to hear a 

 loud crackling at the telephone, so loud that it was almost 

 impossible to speak through it. Still more astonished 

 was I to see electric sparks going off from the electric 

 plate i^' Blitz Platte"). Unfortunately I had not time to 

 examine this increased electric activity in its relation to 

 the weather ; but I fancied that a fall of snow with a 

 south wind had most influence upon it. I requested 

 Lechner to make daily observations of the crackling in 

 the telephone, at a given hour, and to register the four 

 stages — weak = i, moderate = 2, strong = 3, electric 

 sparks = 4. I have heard from him that he has been 

 recording his observations five times a day, and, he 

 thinks, with good result. A prolonged series of ob- 

 servations will easily determine its cause. 



From these hastily collected extracts of my experiments 

 and investigations on the Sonnblick, all must be satisfied 

 of what great importance to science is the Observatory 

 on its summit, and not less to Alpinists. It matters 

 little how highly I prize it ; my aim is to make its value 

 known in wider circles. 



But it behoves us, scientific men and tourists, not merely 

 to wax enthusiastic over the Sonnblick Observatory, but 

 to take measures to ensure its permanency. I am aware 

 that the Alpine Club has already done its part,^ and 

 do not doubt but that in future it will shrink from no 

 sacrifice to uphold and support this, its foster child, 

 which, in conjunction with the Meteorological Society, 

 it has brought into life. But I am inclined to think that 

 there are nearer supporters of this our most important 

 mountain Observatory, on whom there exists a prior 

 claim. I am under the impression that certain influential 

 members of the Alpine Club had been called upon to 

 form a special Sonnblick Verein, part scientific, part 

 tourist, who by a small yearly subscription should ensure 

 the keeping up of this invaluable station. 



My descent from the Sonnblick began on March 4, 

 amid a storm of north wind, mist, and temperature at 

 - 22° F. We rode down on miners' sledges {Knappen- 

 rossen), but even then had great difficulty in forcing a 

 passage, snow having fallen knee-deep overnight. We 

 often had to call a halt, and wade through the snow, 

 thereby causing great delay ; it took us two hours to 

 reach Kolm, a distance usually accomplished in one. 

 • On March 5 I reached Rauris ; leaving on the 6th with 

 Dr. Trabert for Lend. Even on these two last days, the 

 weather followed us with unremitting severity. The way 



' The corporation of the Alpine Club has just signed an agreement with 

 Herr Kojacher, by which it guarantees him a grant of 5000 fl. towards the 

 enlargement of the Sonnblick Observatory. 



from Kolm to Rauris had been made under a heavy snow- 

 fall ; and in the night of the 5th-6th there were such 

 deep snow-drifts, that we were two hours making our way 

 from Rauris to Landsteg. 



On March 7 we reached Vienna. 



BEDFORD COLLEGE. 

 COME time ago we drew attention to the fact that 

 *^ Bedford College, which has done so much for the 

 education of women, was in need of funds. The new 

 laboratories are now in use, but they are not yet paid for, 

 and the stock of apparatus is not all that could be desired. 

 Our readers will remember that Mr. Henry Tate had 

 promised a donation of ;^iooo provided the Council 

 could raise a like amount from other sources. We 

 believe that the College authorities are nearly in a posi- 

 tion to claim his generous gift ; but though this will free 

 the building itself from debt, at least ^^500 more is 

 wanted to pay for equipment on a very moderate scale. 



The last twelve months have been, in matters educa- 

 tional, a ladies' year ; but the true meaning of the successes 

 which have been won at Cambridge and elsewhere will 

 be missed, if they are regarded only as a nine days' 

 wonder, or as proving ambulando that the higher levels 

 of undergraduate attainment can be reached by girls. 

 The lesson which has been so strikingly enforced is that 

 no branch of learning is the exclusive property of either 

 sex, and that girls are wronged if we do not afford them 

 the same opportunities for acquiring knowledge which are 

 provided for their brothers. 



The founders of Bedford College acted on this prin- 

 ciple when it was not so widely accepted and not so 

 self-evident as in 1890, and we can only urge on the 

 friends of the education of women not to forget, in the 

 hour of their triumph, the toilers who have paved the 

 way to their success. 



In an unpretending building in an uninteresting Lon- 

 don street an effort has for long been made to supply 

 education of the highest class for London girls. Faith 

 in the future and effort in the present have never been 

 wanting, even when the story of the past seemed most 

 discouraging. The College is now undeniably a success, 

 but it is still sadly hampered by want of means. The 

 adequate equipment of its laboratories is surely an object 

 for which an appeal will not be made in vain to those 

 who believe that the benefits which science can confer 

 will never be fully attained till a knowledge of its main 

 principles and methods forms part of the training of all 

 educated men and all educated women alike. 



NO. 108 1, VOL. 42] 



NOTES. 



We regret to have to record the death of Mr. William 

 Kitchen Parker, F.R.S., formerly Hunterian Professor of 

 Comparative Anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons. Next 

 week we hope to give some account of his services to science. 



A Reuter's telegram from New York states that the remains 

 of the Swedish inventor, John Ericsson, will be conveyed to 

 Sweden by one of the two new American war-vessels, Baltimore 

 and Philadelp/iia. 



The Dutch Academy of Sciences in Haarlem has offered a 

 gold medal of the value of 150 gulden for the best work in each 

 of the following subjects : — (i) Researches on the part played 

 by bacteria in the decomposition and formation of nitrogenous 

 compounds in various kinds of soil ; (2) Microscopic investiga- 

 tion of the mode in which different parts of plants can unite 

 with one another, and especially the phenomena which accom- 

 pany healing after the operation of grafting. The papers must 

 be written in German, Dutch, or Latin (not in the handwriting 

 of the author), and must be forwarded to Dr. J. Bosseka, 

 Haarlem, by January I, 1891. 



