2 7 6 



NA TURE 



[January 22, 190^ 



Marconi's Transatlantic wireless telegraphy. I sincerely recipro" 

 cate, in the name of the people of the British Empire, the 

 cordial greetings and friendly sentiment expressed by you on 

 behalf of the American nation, and I heartily wish you and your 

 country every possible prosperity. (Signed) Edward R." 

 We heartily congratulate Mr. Marconi on this fresh success and 

 hope that both the Transatlantic systems will soon be in con- 

 tinuous and useful operation. 



As an example of the way in which wireless telegraphy can 

 contribute to the pleasantness, if not to the safety, of travelling 

 by sea, we may call attention to the chess match which took 

 place between two Atlantic liners whilst both were at sea. The 

 Lucania started a match by wireless telegraphy with the Mitt- 

 netonka, but after a few moves the communication was broken ; 

 later, however, the Lucania got into communication with the 

 Philadelphia, and a second game was started, which was played 

 out to a finish ; the game lasted for three hours, and ended 

 in a victory for the American team over the English. The 

 ships were about fifty miles apart during the playing of the 

 game. 



According to the Daily Mail, Mr. Marconi's system of 

 wireless telegraphy is to be utilised to help forward the through 

 telegraphic communication from the Cape to Cairo. A definite 

 scheme, it is stated, is to be prepared at once, and in the mean- 

 time the African Transcontinental Telegraph Company will stop 

 all further extensions from the south. At present, wires have 

 been erected as far north as Lake Tanganyika, and it is 

 expected that the final link between Cairo and Fashoda will be 

 open very soon. Wireless telegraphy, it is hoped, will enable 

 some of the difficulties of the country north of Lake Tanganyika 

 to be surmounted successfully. 



Mr. Quintin Hogg, whose death we regret to record, was 

 one of the few wealthy men in England who are sufficiently 

 interested in educational work to devote their time and means 

 to its advancement. Me founded the Polytechnic Institution in 

 Regent Street, London, in iSSi, and is said to have spent about 

 100,000/. upon his scheme. The place was designed for 2000 

 members, but during the first winter the number reached 6800, 

 and there are now between 17,000 and 18,000 members and 

 students of both sexes. For quite twenty years (says the Timts), 

 Mr. Hogg devoted a large portion of his time, and much of his 

 wealth, to this institution, the object of which was to provide 

 evening teaching, technical training, gymnastics, music and 

 rational amusement to the young men and girls of the com- 

 mercial class in central London. The success of the Polytechnic 

 was immense, and it provided the model on which all the others 

 in London were formed in later years. No one can say how 

 much the Polytechnic cost him in actual money, but it is 

 believed that 6000/. a year is a moderate estimate, up to the 

 date when the institution (with those newly founded on the 

 same model) began to receive grants of public money. Mr. 

 Henry Cunynghame points out in the Times that but for 

 Mr. Hogg, London might still be without its polytechnics. 

 It appears that an Act passed in 18S3 enabled the Charity 

 Commissioners to schedule the obsolete charities of the City of 

 London and devote '.hem to education. The Commissioners' 

 attention was called to the Regent Street Polytechnic, "and 

 ultimately on this model there arose that group of polytechnics 

 which accommodate in London over 30,000 boys, and stand 

 like forts in the sea of London temptations to youthful dis- 

 sipation, ignorance and idleness." 



The article which Dr. A. R. Wallace contributes to Black 

 and White of January 17, on his relations with Darwin in con- 

 nection with the theory of natural selection, is a historical 

 document of great scientific interest. Dr. Wallace was intro- 



NO. 1734, VOL. 67] 



duced to Darwin in the insect- room of the British Museum in 

 1854. While living in Borneo in 1S54, Dr. Wallace wrote a 

 paper "On the Law which has Regulated the Introduction of 

 new Species," which was published in the Annals of Natural 

 History in the following year. Hearing that Darwin was pre- 

 paring some work on varieties and species, Dr. Wallace sent 

 him a copy of his paper and received a long letter in reply, but no 

 hint was given by Darwin of his having arrived at the theory of 

 natural selection. Darwin had, however, actually written 

 out a sketch of his theory in 1S42, and in 1844 this 

 sketch was enlarged to 230 folio pages, giving a complete 

 presentation of the arguments afterwards set forth in the 

 " Origin of Species." Dr. Wallace arrived at the idea of the 

 survival of the fittest as the operating cause in evolution in 

 1858, and immediately sent the outlines of this theory to 

 Darwin, who brought the communication before Sir C. Lyell 

 and Sir Joseph Hooker, and urged that it should be printed at 

 once. Upon their advice, however, he consented to let an 

 extract from his sketch of 1844 be presented to the 

 Linnean Society with Dr. Wallace's paper on July I, 185S. 

 " In conclusion," Dr. Wallace says, " I would only wish to add 

 that my connection with Darwin and his great work has -helped 

 to secure for my own writings on the same questions a lull 

 recognition by the Press and the public : while my share in the 

 origination and establishment of the theory of natural selection 

 has usually been exaggerated. The one great result which I 

 claim for my paper of 1858 is that it compelled Darwin to write 

 and publish his 'Origin of Species' without further delay.' 

 The story reflecis great credit upon both Dr. Wallace and 

 Darwin, and many naturalists will be glad to read it. We con- 

 gratulate Dr. Wallace upon having presented the world with 

 such an interesting record after attaining his eightieth birthday. 



The death is annouced of Prof. Sirodot, correspondant of the 

 section of botany of the Paris Academy of Sciences, and of Piof. 

 Charles J. Bell, professor of chemistry in the University of 

 Minnesota. 



REUTBR's agency reports that a sharp shock of earthquake 

 of vertical direction and lasting two seconds was experienced 

 at Davos on Monday afternoon. 



Prof. J. H. Long, of Northwestern University, has been 

 elected president of the American Chemical Society, in succes- 

 sion to Prof. Ira Remsen. 



The report of the committee appointed by the Board or 

 Agriculture to consider the question of forestry as regards Great 

 Britain has been issued as a Blue-book. 



A Manchester telegram states that Dr. Schunck's bequest 

 to Owens College, Manchester, does not include an endowment 

 of 40,000/. as reported. It is confined to his valuable labor- 

 atory and laboratory buildings. 



Prof. Gustav Bischof, formerly professor of technical 

 chemistry at Anderson's College, Glasgow, died in London, on 

 January 13, in his sixty-ninth year. He was known as an, 

 analytical chemist, principally in connection with water analysis. 



Mr. Thomas Sutton Timmis, of Allerton, near Liverpool, 

 has vested in trustees a sum of 10,000/. to initiate systematic 

 research into the origin and cure of cancer. The investigations 

 will be conducted at the Liverpool Royal Infirmary and the 

 new laboratories of experimental medicine in University College, 

 Liverpool. 



A Central News telegram states that the tests of the new 

 16-inch gun, just mounted at Sandy Hook, took place on 

 January 17 with complete success. Three shots were fired, one 

 with the full service charge 0^640 lb. of smokeless powder, said 



