April 2, 1903] 



NA TURE 



5i9 



The report of Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co., Ltd., 

 which has just been issued, contains some interesting par- 

 ticulars of the work that has been done. The list of stations 

 which have been erected, including Lloyd's stations, con- 

 tains twenty-five names ; three of these are the Transatlantic 

 stations at Poldhu, Cape Breton and Cape Cod ; of the rest 

 eight are in England, four each in Ireland and the United 

 States, two each in Canada and Germany, and one each in 

 the Isle of Wight and Belgium. With reference to the 

 Navy, it is stated that thirty-two ships have already been 

 equipped, and arrangements have been made by which the 

 use of wireless telegraphy in the Navy will be greatly ex- 

 tended. The subsidiary company, the Marconi International 

 Marine Communication Co., Ltd., is able to report satis- 

 factory progress; seven lines of steamships are using the 

 system, the total number of ships so far equipped being 

 thirty-one. The report also contains a number of details 

 concerning the work which has been done by the Company 

 and its offshoots in Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, the 

 United States, Canada and other countries. 



Two reports referring to disturbances of the earth's crust 

 have appeared since we went to press last week. They are 

 as follows : — Naples, March 27. The activity of Vesuvius is 

 again increasing. Explosions occur with frequency, and 

 rumblings are heard. Jerusalem, March 30. A shock ef 

 earthquake occurred last night, at 12.35, throwing the entire 

 population into a state of great excitement. 



The Board of Trade has received information, through 

 the Colonial Office, that a uniform time, based on the 30th 

 meridian, or two hours east of Greenwich, has been adopted 

 by all the South African Governments with the exception 

 of that of German South-West Africa. It is announced on 

 the same authority that on February 28, at ti. 30 p.m., the 

 time was advanced to midnight in the Transvaal, and that 

 similar steps were taken in the other South African colonies, 

 •except Natal, where no change was necessary. 



A few details referring to the earthquake in the midland 

 counties on March 24 (see p. 491) have reached us from 

 correspondents. Mr. F. W. Shurlock says that at Derby a 

 double shock occurred about 1.29 p.m., the two shocks being 

 separated by a few seconds only, but no shock was felt at 

 1. 10 p.m. At the Harris Institute, Preston, Mr. J. Harrison 

 noticed a vibration of the building at about 1.32 p.m., and it 

 was remarked that the suspended electric lamps were set 

 swinging by the movement. Mr. W. French noticed a 

 peculiar shaking of the floor of a room at Lancaster at about 

 1.30 p.m., and remarked that it was an earth tremor. A 

 correspondent, writing from Rock Ferry, says there were 

 three distinct shocks, the second being of a compound 

 character. " There were about three principal movements 

 in this middle shock, the first being most, and the last least, 

 pronounced ; but I could also distinguish in addition to this 

 rolling a pitching motion at right angles to it, and a com- 

 bination of the two, the greatest dip of the pitch being to- 

 ward - I he N.E. Of the other two quakes the first had one 

 chief motion towards the S.E., and the last had one similar 

 but of less force, and then slight pitching which gradually 

 died away. There was no noise, and the time the earth- 

 quake lasted appears to me to be longer than that given in 

 the accounts I have seen." Prof. E. Wiechert records in 

 the Daily Mail that the earthquake was registered by a 

 seismograph at Gottingen. 



The death is announced of Dr. Gustav F. R. von Radde, 

 who was born at Danzig on November 27, 183 1, and 

 distinguished himself as a naturalist. From the Times we 

 NO. 1744, VOL. 67] 



learn that in 1855 he was called to St. Petersburg by the 

 Russian Imperial Geographical Society, which was dis- 

 patching an important expedition to Eastern Siberia and 

 Kamtchatka, to which he was attached. It extended over 

 five years, and at the request of Count Muravieff, the then 

 Governor General of Siberia, von Radde founded a Cossack 

 settlement, which was named Raddowka after him, and 

 is one of the most flourishing settlements in those parts. 

 For the reports which he published on his travels the 

 Russian Academy of Science awarded him the Demidoff 

 prize, and published them at its own expense. In 1863 he 

 accepted a call to the Caucasus and went to Tiflis. There 

 he founded a Caucasian museum of natural history, ethno- 

 graphy, and archaeology, of which he was made the director, 

 a post he held until his death. He was able, nevertheless, 

 to undertake many other scientific journeys, not only in 

 Caucasia, but in Transcaspia and along the whole border- 

 land of Russia in Asia, as well as in other parts of the 

 East, which resulted in many very valuable contributions 

 to the scientific literature of the day. 



Tut; Royal Academy of Sciences of Turin offers the follow- 

 ing prizes : — The Bressa prize of 9600 lire for the most valu- 

 able discovery made by an Italian in the period 1901-1904, in 

 a large number of various specified departments covering a 

 very extended portion of the domain of science. Two prizes 

 of 30,000 lire, both open to foreigners, are offered, one for 

 the best printed work on Latin literature, published in 1903— 

 1906, the other for the most valuable work on any of the 

 physical sciences printed in 1907-19 10. Finally, a prize of 

 2500 lire, founded by Gautieri, is offered for the best work 

 on philosophy, including the history of philosophy, published 

 in 1900-1902. 



The Royal Meteorological Institute of the Netherlands 

 has published its fifty-third year-book, containing observ- 

 ations and results for 1901. For the last few years the value 

 of this publication has been much enhanced by its conformity 

 to the scheme adopted by the International Meteorological 

 Committee. Hourly observations are published for four 

 stations, tri-daily observations and monthly and annual 

 summaries for a number of other stations, and rainfall 

 values for 106 stations. An appendix gives an interesting 

 account of the storm-warning service ; 745 per cent, of the 

 warnings issued met with complete success, and 15 per cent, 

 with partial success. Recognition js made of the value of 

 special warning messages received from the English 

 Meteorological Office. 



We have received from the president of the International 

 Aeronautical Committee a preliminary report upon the 

 balloon and kite ascents made in Europe and the United 

 States on the morning of February 5. The space at our 

 disposal will only allow of reference to the most noteworthy 

 altitudes attained by the registering balloons. At Trappes 

 the register recorded a height of 15,700 metres ; the minimum 

 temperature, — 59°'S C, was registered at 10,940 metres. 

 The reading on the ground was 5°'4 ; at 1850 metres there 

 was an inversion, i°'8. At Itteville the greatest height was 

 15,020 metres, minimum temperature — 6i°'2 at 11,650 

 metres, temperature on the ground 5', inversion o°'6 at 

 1880 metres. At Strassburg the low temperature of — 66°'o 

 was recorded at 12,500 metres, reading at starting o° ; two 

 inversions were shown, 2°'4 at 300 metres and 6°'4 at 1400 

 metres. A second balloon recorded — 62°'o at 12,100 metres, 

 inversion 5°'5 at 1850 metres. These ascents were made 

 in an area of high barometric pressure. 



The annual meeting of the Scottish Meteorological Society- 

 was held on March 25. The report of the council, presented 



