November 23, 1899] 



NATURE 



H 



between midnight and 4 a.m. saw no evidence of a display but 

 sixteen I^eonids and a few sporadic meteors. Several other 

 observers who observed from Hampstead Heath on the Thurs- 

 day morning early also reported no shower, but simply a meteor 

 or two. 



It must be concluded therefore that the exjjected shower did 

 not arrive, or rather that the earth has not passed through 

 any very dense portion of the swarm. It may be recollected 

 that in the two preceding Novembers the Leonids were con- 

 spicuous by their absence, and this may practically be said of 

 the recent display. i 



In addition to the above reports, the communications printed 

 below have been received : — 



Mr. E. C. Willis, of Ipswich, reports as follows : 



November \\: — 



November 15. — Observed Occasionally from iih. to i8h. 

 The clouds at times covered the entire sky, while at times they 

 were much broken up. No meteors were seen. The condi- 

 tions were such that a brilliant shower could not have passed 

 unobserved. 



November 16. — Observed from 11.40 till 12.10. The sky 

 was mostly covered with cloud. No meteors were seen. 



The following notes by the Rev. Martin Wall, Fort Augustus, 

 N.B., have been received from the Meteorological Office : — 



"Great meteor" seen at 8,20 p.m., November 15. Flying 

 with tremendous velocity south-east to north-west. Described, 

 by an engineer, as a mass of flame of between 2 and 3 feet 

 square ; in brilliancy like the arc-light ; leaving a trail of flame 

 in its course, and lighting up the sky with a white light. It was 

 seen by a second person to explode, over hill to north-west. 



[N.B. — Indoors, where the electric light was burning, the 

 diffused light of the meteor was distinctly noticeable.] 



Two or three Leonid meteors were seen on the night of 

 November 14 (one or two at 2 a.m., and one at 5.45) ; but the 

 15th and 1 6th were totally clouded over ; hence photographic 

 preparations were of no avail. 



[N.B. — Numerous ordinary meteors were also seen on the 

 14th.] 



NOTES. 



The scientific lessons of the war are crowding upon us. We 

 have already referred to the blunder made by our military 

 authorities, in not sending Marconi apparatus to South Africa 

 among the first equipments. We now learn indeed, after the 

 investment of Ladysmith is drawing to a close, that Marconi 

 apparatus is being sent out. The silence of Ladysmith during 

 the last eventful weeks will point the moral, which is not likely 

 to be forgotten in the future ; and it may well be that in the 

 movements about to take place, in which the Ladysmith and 

 the relieving force should be able to work in concert, the 

 absence of a sure and rapid method of signalling, the absence 

 of the Marconi apparatus, may render this difficult if not 

 impossible. We have l)een informed on good authority that 

 some time ago the importance of a locomotive search-light in 

 operations of war was strongly represented to the military 

 NO. 1569, VOL. 61] 



authorities ; but they would have none of it. Fortunately, 

 however, the naval force in Natal has now provided the army 

 with one. It is certain ta^do good service. 



There can be little doubt that the presence of another scientific 

 instrument, the balloon at Ladysmith, has saved the situation. 

 A moment's consideration of what this touch of science can do 

 for us will indicate that the above expression is well grounded. 

 Imagine two identical maps of Ladysmith and its surroundings, 

 including the region dominated by our guns, carefully marked 

 with squares, so that the position of any patch can be exactly 

 defined by the rectangular coordinates shown at the side. Al, 

 A20, &c., X6, Z30, Z40, &c. Imagine one of these in the 

 hands of an officer who knows the ground thoroughly well, ii> 

 the car of the captive balloon. He telephones the position of 

 the enemy to the officer commanding the artillery down below, 

 who is possessed of an identical map. From this he can at 

 once determine the azimuth and range, and in a few minutes 

 the shell may be fired in the required direction. The telephone- 

 of the balloon will inform the gunners how the shell has been 

 dropped, and any directions regarding range can be given. It 

 will therefore be impossible for the rebels, thanks to the balloon, 

 to form in daylight in any large numbers for an attack on the 

 camp, without rendering themselves liable to the searching fire 

 of the guns. May we hope therefore that the balloon will also- 

 be used along the chief line of advance ? During a calm day it 

 is possible that this scientific instrument may be far more valuable 

 than an army of scouts, though the difficulties attending its 

 working are fully recognised. Seeing then how important 

 scientific instruments are in this struggle, in which millions are 

 freely spent, we return to our question, how is it that there is no 

 scientific committee^to advise the Government in such matters, 

 even if only to anticipate scientific applications ? and how is it 

 that from the Grand Council of the nation, the Privy Council, 

 men of science are rigorously excluded ? 



A CONFERENCE of representatives of electric railway and 

 electric tramway enterprises on the one hand, and representatives 

 of the Government interested in the Greenwich and Kew 

 Observatories on the other, was held at the Board of Trade on 

 Wednesday in last week. The object of the conference was to 

 ascertain the best means of dealing with the interference with 

 the delicate instruments in the observatories by the leakage 

 which there is reason to believe will follow from the introduction 

 of large systems of electric traction. After Sir Courtenay Boyle 

 had opened the proceedings. Prof. Rucker and the Astronomer 

 Royal showed that magnetic instruments are seriously affected 

 by the proximity of systems of electric traction ; but Sir Douglas 

 Fox and Major Cardew would not admit that any interference 

 with observatory instruments had at present been proved. As 

 a result, a committee was appointed " to investigate the amount 

 of magnetic disturbance produced in the neighbourhood of elec- 

 tric tramways and railways constructed and worked under the 

 Board of Trade regulations ; and to report as early as possible." 

 The committee consists of Profs. Rucker, Ayrton and Perry> 

 representing the laboratories ; Prof. Kennedy, Mr, H. F. 

 Parshall, Major Cardew and Mr. Brousson, for the electric 

 traction companies ; and Mr. A. P. Trotter for the Board 

 of Trade, 



The Paris correspondent of the Chemist and Druggist makes- 

 the following announcement :— The Professorship of Inorganic 

 Chemistry at the Paris School of Pharmacy, vacant by the re- 

 tirement of Prof. Riche, has been given to M. Henri Moissan. 

 The latter's appointment as professor of toxicology at the School^ 

 which he already held, was perhaps due more to a very natural 

 desire to attach the brilliant professor to the teaching staff than 

 to poisons being his forte. He will now lecture on the subject 

 that has practically been his life study. His first lesson oa 



