February 5, 1903] 



NA TURE 



335 



This condensation and rarefaction of the ether gave to the 

 matter a quasi inertia, in virtue of which particular kind of 

 loading of the ether the velocity of light was affected and a change 

 of refractive index produced. In the second paper referred to (see 

 Archives Ne'erlandaises des Sciences, &c, November, 1901), the 

 single electric fluid theory of Aepinus was "atomised," the 

 negative electricity consisting of minute atoms called electrions 

 much smaller than the atoms of ponderable matter. These 

 electrions freely permeate the spaces occupied by the material 

 atoms as well as empty space. They repel one another, but 

 attract the atoms of matter, and the atoms of matter also repel 

 one another. The electrions passing within the spherical atom 

 tend to neutralise the action of the atom of matter, and in the over- 

 lapping of two atoms and the consequent transformation of old 

 configurations of equilibrium of the atoms and the associated 

 electrions into new configurations, an endless scope was found 

 for explaining many electrical phenomena. Any such change in 

 configuration would be followed by the electrions vibrating about 

 their new positions of equilibrium and sending off ethereal waves 

 through space. The non-neutralised material atom is supposed 

 to repel the ether and the electrion to attract it. In the neigh- 

 bourhood of a neutralised atom, the ether is unaffected ; but 

 within the atom there are condensation and rarefaction of the 

 ether, depending upon the particular distribution of electrions 

 within it. When we consider the behaviour of such a dynamical 

 system in regard to trains of ethereal waves incident upon it 

 and, it may be, passing through it, not only are the well-known 

 Fresnel laws for the reflection of polarised light at once obtained, 

 but the phenomenon of metallic reflection finds an immediate 

 explanation. — Sir John Murray and Mr. Laurence Pullar 

 presented the first of a series of communications on tfie bathy- 

 metrical survey of the fresh-water lochs of Scotland, this first 

 paper dealing with the lochs of the Tay Basin. During last 

 summer, the work had been vigorously prosecuted, depths, tem- 

 peratures, vegetable and animal life being specially studied. 

 The oscillations familiar to the Swiss geologists and known as 

 Sciclies were also observed. — Dr. Hornc followed up this paper 

 with a lucid account of the geological features of the Tay Basin, 

 illustrating the tectonic structure of the Highlands by means of 

 sections, and drawing attention to the succession of uplifts and 

 denudations which had affected the Tay Basin during geological 

 time. The importance of the results obtained by Sir John 

 Murray and his associates was dwelt upon, especially in regard 

 to the strong evidence in favour of the glacier origin of certain 

 of these lochs, notably Loch Tay itself, which could be nought 

 else than a true rock basin produced by ice erosion. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, January 26. — M. Albert Gaudry 

 in the chair. — Researches on the chinchona alkaloids : cin- 

 chonine, cinchonidine and cinchonamine, by MM. Berthe- 

 lot and Gaudechon. A thermochemical paper giving the 

 heats of combustion, formation and solution of these alka- 

 loids and some of their salts. Recently precipitated cincho- 

 nine appears to possess the same physical state as 

 crystallised cinchonine ; cinchonidine behaved in a similar 

 manner. — On some functions and point vectors in the 

 motion of a fluid, by M. Paul Appell. — On the reduci- 

 bility of differential equations, by M. Paul Painleve. 

 — The theory of the absorption of light by symmetrical 

 crystals, by M. J. Boussinesq. — On the magnetic 

 deviability and the nature of certain rays emitted by radium 

 and polonium, by M. Henri Bccquerel. It has been shown 

 that the radiation from radium is partly deviated by a mag- 

 net, and that this portion of the rays is identical in properties 

 with the kathode rays. The other part, considered as un- 

 affected by a magnetic field, consists of two kinds of rays, 

 one very penetrating and the other easily absorbed. The 

 latter have recently been identified by Rutherford, under the 

 name of the a-rays, with the canal rays of Goldstein. The 

 electrical method used by Rutherford was one of extreme 

 delicacy, but it appeared desirable to confirm this result by 

 an independent method, and for this purpose measurements 

 were made by a modification of the photographic method 

 previously used by the author. The results were in general 

 agreement with Rutherford's experiments, the a-rays resem- 

 bling the canal rays in carrying positive charges with 

 greater masses and smaller velocities than those of the 

 kathode rays. — On the use of a telegraph wire for register- 

 ing automatically earth vibrations and measuring their 



NO. 1736, VOL. 67] 



velocity of propagation, by M. G. Lippmann. In a con- 

 tinuous seismograph, considerations of cost necessitate a 

 reduction of the curve to small dimensions, and an apparatus 

 designed to give the curves on a large scale must be started 

 during the earthquake, with the result that the first portion 

 of the record is lost. A telegraphic arrangement is described 

 by the author by which the arrival of the seismic wave at a 

 distant station works a relay, starting the clockwork of the 

 recording apparatus at a second station, advantage being 

 taken of the relatively slow rate of transmission of the 

 seismic disturbance. The same apparatus will also serve to 

 measure this rate. — The principal results obtained in 1902 on 

 the radial velocities of the stars, and on the causes of error 

 peculiar to these researches, by M. 11. Deslandres. The 

 causes of error are numerous : optical and mechanical de- 

 fects in the telescope and spectrograph, errors in adjust- 

 ment, the effects of temperature changes on the flexure of 

 the supports, and the varying condition of the atmosphere. 

 — On two recent comets, by M. Perrotin. Of the two 

 comets recently discovered by M. Giacobini at the Observa- 

 tory of Nice, the first is new; the second may be identical 

 with the Tempel-Swift comet, the return of which is ex- 

 pected about this time. — On the fourth campaign of the 

 Princess Alice II., by Prince Albert 1. of Monaco. The 

 work was carried out partly in the Mediterranean and partly 

 in the North Atlantic. A summary of the results obtained 

 in oceanography and zoology is given. In view of the re- 

 sults of M. Armand Gautier on the normal presence of 

 arsenic in the animal organism, systematic search for this 

 element was made on the animals caught during the voyage 

 by M. Gabriel Bertrand, M. Gautier's views being com- 

 pletely confirmed. — The eruptions of dense clouds from 

 Mont Pek4e, by M. A. Lacroix. It was found possible to 

 fix approximately the temperature of one of the hot blasts 

 at a distance of 6 kilometres from the volcano ; it was lower 

 than the melting point of tin (230 C.) and higher than 

 125 O, since the latter was the temperature found for a 

 layer of ashes some time after the eruption. — The Observa- 

 tory of Besancon. The elements of the Giacobini comet 

 (1902 d), by M. P. Briick, and observations of the Giacobini 

 comet (1903 a), by M. P. Chofardet. — On regular differen- 

 tial systems, by M. Ch. Riquier. — On induced radio-activity 

 and on the emanation from radium, by M. P. Curie. In a 

 former note it was shown that the disappearance of the 

 radio-activity induced by radium in a closed vessel and main- 

 tained at a constant temperature followed an exponential 

 law with the time. Similar experiments have now been 

 carried out at 450 C. and - 180 C., and it has been found 

 that the law is the same. From these results it is regarded 

 as improbable that the effects accompanying the existence 

 of the emanation can have their origin in chemical action, 

 since there is no known chemical reaction the velocity of 

 which remains constant over a temperature range from 

 — 180 C. to +450° C. — On the micrography of the nickel- 

 steel alloys, by M. Leon Guillct — On the existence of 

 electrolytic superoxides of lead, nickel and bismuth, by M. 

 A. Hollard. From the chemical formula, any weight of 

 lead peroxide deposited electrolyticallv, multiplied by 0.866. 

 should give the weight of lead. — Experiments were carried 

 out with amounts of lead varying from 0.01 gr. to 10 gr. 

 of lead, and the amount of peroxide deposited weighed. The 

 results show that the factor 0.866 is only approached when 

 large quantities of lead are present, the factor falling to 

 0.74 for the smallest amount. The author interprets this 

 as being due to the formation of a higher oxide of lead, but 

 no direct evidence of this is produced. Similar experiments 

 with nickel and bismuth lead to the conclusion that the oxides 

 Ni0 4 and Bi 2 O v can be separated electrolytically. — On the 

 equilibria produced between copper, silicon and manganese, 

 and on the silicide of manganese Si 2 Mn, by M. P. Lebeau. 

 — On two acids containing phosphorus derived from methyl- 

 ethyl-ketone, by M. C. Marie. — On a new diiodophenol, by 

 M. P. Brenans. — On the rotatory power in homologous 

 ethers of borneol, isoborneol and camphocarbonic acid, by 

 MM. J. Minguin and Gr. de Bollcmont. — On the chlorin- 

 ation of aromatic substituted hydrocarbons by ammoniacat 

 plumbic chloride, by MM. A. Seyewetz and P. Trawitz. 

 The chlorinating action of (NH 4 ) 2 PbCI|5 on chloro-, 

 bromo-, iodo- and nitro-derivatives of aromatic hydrocar- 

 bons has been studied. Ortho-chlor-toluene is attacked es 



