2l6 



NA TURE 



[December 28, 1899 



1897. The nieibod was describerl in No. i, vol. viii. of the 

 Transaction^ of the Academy of Science of St. Louis. An 

 invitation was extended to menil)ers lo visit the University and 

 inspect the apparatus. — Prof. H. Aug. Hunicke spoke briefly 

 on some observations which he had recently made on the 

 boiling temperature of hydrocarbons, from which it appeared 

 that when T is the boiling temperature (absolute scale), p is 

 radi.is of gyration of the molecule, and o is a constant, then 

 T-=ap. This holds for the entire series of saturated hydro- 

 carbons, including all isomers. 



Amsterdam. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, N<)v<mber 25. — Prof. Van 

 de Sande Bakhuyzen in the cliair. — Prof. Kanicrlingli Oniies 

 read, on behalf of Prof. Lorentz and himself, a report on the 

 treatise by Prof. R. Sissingh, entitled " Tht general properties 

 of the optical image by central rays in a series of centred 

 spheiical surfaces." The conclusion, arrived at in the report, 

 viz., to insert the treatise in the Transactions of the Academy, 

 was approved. Dr. Hamburger made a communication con- 

 cerning the absorption of fat and soap in the large and the small 

 intesiine. (i) It may now be considered as settled that the 

 large intestine of the dog possesses the power of absorbing fat. 



(2) Contrary to what has hitherto been assumed, this power is 

 considerable and not even inferior to that of the small intesiine. 



(3) To bring about such a considerable absorption, it is necessary 

 to take an emulsion which will keep a long time in the intesiine. 

 The usual Na.^COa is not suitable for preparing such an emulsion, 

 much less NaCl, because both are absorbed quickly and the 

 emulsion consequently soon ceases to exist. A solution of sapo 

 medicatus, however, ajipears to answer the requirements. (4) 

 As regards the soap solution itself, it appears that it is absorbed, 

 though much more slowly than Na.^COg, and that during the 

 aljsorption it is, partly at least, converted into fat already in the 

 mucosa. This conversion goes on in the severed intestine, 

 nay, it is even effected when the mucosa has been chopped up. 

 Heating to 80°, however, destroys the above mentioned 

 property. (5) As regards the course, taken by fat during absorp- 

 tion in the large intestine, it is very likely that part of it is carried 

 off by the blood capillaries. At any rate in the case of the small 

 intestine, this has been proved beyond a doubt by the above 

 described experiments. — Prof. Cardinaal made a communication 

 concerning an application of the involutions of a higher degree. 

 — Prof. W. Kapteyn made a communication on certain particu- 

 lar cases of Monge's differential equation. All these communi- 

 cations will be inserted in the Proceedings. The following 

 were further presented for insertion in the Proceedings, (a) By 

 Prof. Bakhuis Roozeboom, two papers, by Dr. Ernst Cohen, 

 entitled respectively: (i) The enantiotropy of tin (HI.), and 

 (2) The alleged identity of red and yellow mercuric oxide. 

 (b) By Prof. Lobry de Bruyn : (i) On behalf of Mr. W. Alberda 

 van Ekenstein and himself, a paper on ^'-sorbinose and 

 /-sorbinose ((|)-tagatose) and their configuration. The inquiry 

 into d?-sorbose has shown that this ketose possesses the following 



H OH H 



configuration formula : CH.pH— CO- C—C—C—CH2OH. On 



OH H OH 



reduction it yields, besides a^-sorbite, ^-idite as well ; its osazon 

 is identical with idosazon, and gulosazon. (p-tagatose, a new 

 ketone, which, besides tagatose, is obtained from galactose, 

 under the transforming influence of alkalis, has been found to 

 be the optical antipode of ^-sorbose, consequently /-sorbose with 



OH H OH 



the configuration CH„OH— CO— C— C— C— CH.pH. A de- 



H OH H 



tailed article on this subject will appear in the Rectieil. (2) On 

 behalf of Mr. J. J. Blanksma, a paper on the action of sodium 

 mono- and disulphides on aromatic nitro compounds. The 

 inquiry has proved that a nitro group of ^-dinitrobenzol is easily 

 replaceable, and that dithio combinations are formed (also 

 obtained from chlorine nitrobenzol and bromine nitrobenzol), 

 which on oxidation yield sulphonic acids. (^)' By Prof. J. C. 

 Kapteyn, on behalf of Mr. S. L. Veenstra, a paper on the 

 results of his inquiries into systematical corrections of the stars' 

 own motions in Auwer's Catalogue of Bradley and the co- 

 ordinates of the apex of the sun's motion. The computations 

 are founded on data, derived from a still unpublished catalogue, 

 compiled by Prof Kapteyn, which contains, besides the motions 

 of the Bradley stars, a number of auxiliary magnitudes. The 



NO. 1574. VOL. 61] 



result of the computation of the apex does not point to a relative 

 motion of stars of different spectral types, {d) By Dr. J P. van 

 der Stok, a paper on two earthquakes, observed respectively 

 at Batavia and in Europe, [e) By Prof. Van der Waals, on 

 behalf of Dr. G. Bakker, a paper on the potential functions 



A sin {ijr -f o) 

 (/-) = , and Van der 



, ^ Ae-9'-+B^'- , 

 ( '■) = 1. and 



Waals' potential formula 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, Dec 



Rest : C. V. Boys, 



REK 2S 



.n .-xnd 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Fluids in Mi 

 1 F.R.S. 



! SATURDAY, Decemhek 30. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Fluids in M 01 ion and at Rist : C. V Boys, 



I "' 7)/(9A^Z)/iK, Jantary I. 



i Victoria Institute, at 4.30. — Sub-Oceanic Terraces and River Valleys : 

 Prof. Lobley. 



TUESDAY, Janiary 2. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Fluids in Motion and at Rest : C. V. Hoys, 



THURSDAY, lK-i\h\^y ^. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Fluids in jNloiion and at Rest : C V. Koys, 



F.R.S. 

 RoNTGEN Society, at 8. — The Interpretation of Skiagrams : Chisholra 

 Williams. 



FRIDAY, January 5. 



Grologists' Association, at 8. — Our Older Raised Beaches : Address 

 by Sir Archibald Geikie, F.R.S.— A iNew Rh.ttic Section at Kri-^tol : W. 

 H. Wickes. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Peopling of Australia. By Prof. Alfred C. 



Haddon, F.R.S 



Cyprian Archaeology 



Text-Book on the Strength of Materials. By S. D. 



A New Work on Lead 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Wedekind : " Zur Stereochemie des fiinfwertigen 

 Stickstoffes mit besonderer Beriicksichtigung des 

 asymmetrichen Stickstoffes in der aromatischen 



Reihe."— F. S. K 



Schnabel : " Handbook of Metallurgy."— Sir W. C. 



Roberts-Austen, K.C.B., F.R.S 199 



Nicati : " La Philosophie Naturelle."— H. W. B. 199 



Kohlrausch : "Kleiner Leitfaden der Practischen 



Physik."— A. W. P. 200 



French and Osborn : '^ Elementary Algebra " . . . 200 

 I Hadley : " Magnetism and Electricity for Beginners " 200 



■ Letters to the Editor:— . 

 I Racial Aspect of Voluntary Enlistment.— R. C. T. 



Evans 200 



The Wind during Eclipses of the Sun.— John W. 



Evans . • , 200 



The Approaching Total Eclipse of the Sun. {With 



Map.) 201 



Hero of Alexandria. [Illustrated.) 202 



The Situation of Ophir 203 



Formalin as a Preservative. By R. L 204 



A Great Salt Lake Problem 204 



Paul Knuth. By L H. B 205 



Notes 205 



Our Astronomical Column: — 

 j Astronomical Occurrences in January, 1900 .... 207 



I Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America . 208 



Day Numbers of Nautical Alwana: 208 



Popular Astronomy for Decemlier 208 



The South-Western Polytechnic. (Illustrated.) 



I By A. T. Simmons 208 



I Prize List of the Paris Academy of Sciences ... 211 

 I Results of Recent Soundings in the Pacific ... 211 



University and Educational Intelligence 212 



Scientific Serial 213 



Societies and Academies 213 



Diary of Societies 216 



193 

 195 

 197 

 1 98 



[99 



