544 



NA TURE 



[April 9, 1903 



kommenden Rohmaterialien, Produkte, Nebenproduckte 

 und Hilfssubstanzen " has been published by Messrs. Vieweg 

 and Son, Brunswick. The work is a standard one on sugar 

 from the point of view of the technical chemist, and the new 

 edition contain- several additions which increase its value. 



Messrs. Vieweg and Son, of Brunswick, have issued the 

 third edition of Dr. Robert Fricke's treatise on the calculus 

 and differential equations (" Hauptsatze der Differential 

 und Integralrechnung" "). It is writen primarily for use in 

 technical schools, but it contains in the compass of 218 

 pages the principal subject-matter commonly studied by the 

 average mathematical student, including an appendix on 

 functions of complex variables. 



Messrs. J. and A. Churchill have published a sixth 

 edition of " Quantitative Chemical Analysis," by Dr. Frank 

 Clowes and Mr. J. B. Coleman. This edition differs from 

 the last in that the section on organic chemistry has been 

 revised, and processes for determining molecular weight by 

 elevation of boiling point and for the analysis of aluminium 

 alloys have been added. Moreover, to facilitate neci 

 calculations, tables of four-figure logarithms have been 

 added. 



The first number of a new illustrated magazine dealing 

 with scientifii subjects, and called La Science au XX' 

 Siecle, has appeared. The magazine is published in Paris, 

 under the editorship of M. (.. Maneuvrier, by M. Ch. Dela- 



Judging by the contents of this issue, thi 

 journal should be popular; there are, with others, articles 

 on Mont Pelee, on wireless telegraphy, and on the scientific 

 work of M. P. -P. Deherain. Attention is also given to the 

 experimental teaching of science in schools, several experi- 

 ments suitable for school laboratories being described. 

 Applied science receives due attention, and separate sections 

 are devoted to zoology, applied chemistry, botany, physics 

 and photography. 



Prof. H. II. Turner, Savilian professor of astronomy in 

 the University of Oxford, contributes to the Fortnightly 

 Review for April a reply to Dr. Wallace's article on " Man's 

 Place in the Universe " which was published in the same 

 review last month. Dr. Wallace suggested that the universe 

 is limited in extent ; that it has a definite centre at which 

 the solar system is, and has been situated for millions of 

 years; and that by reason of its position the earth has had 

 an opportunity to develop humanity, and probablv this 

 opportunity has been nowhere else in the universe. Prof. 

 Turner shows that the limitation of the universe is not 

 proved ; that there is no true centre of the universe, even 

 if limited, and even if there were the solar system could 

 not occupy it for long, on account of the sun's proper 

 motion ; he also shows that there is no reason whatever why 

 life should not be developed in any part of the interior of 

 even a limited universe. 



The new issue, the fortieth, of " The Statesman's Year- 

 Book, " edited by Dr. Scott Keltic, is conspicuous for its 

 exhaustive completeness. An examination of its contents 

 suggests that similar annual compilations dealing respec- 

 tively with the data of each of the great divisions of science 

 would be of great value to men of science everywhere. Dr. 

 Keltic points out that recent important events have necessi- 

 tated the addition of much further information. Among 

 these occurrences may be mentioned the final incorporation 

 of the two South African Republics in the British Empire, 

 and the passing of the new Education Act. Further details 

 Keen embodied of the recent censuses taken in various 

 countries— the British Empire (especially India), France, 



NO. I745, VOL. 67] 



Germany, and the United States. The maps and dia- 

 grams, as usual, add greatly to the interest and value 

 of the " Year-Book. " There are maps of the new arbitra- 

 tion boundary between Chile and the Argentine Republic, 

 the new Abyssinian boundary, and the transcontinental rail- 

 way projects. Diagrams exhibit graphically comparative 

 tonnage of merchant shipping belonging to the principal 

 countries for the past twelve years, comparative outputs 

 of iron-ore and of coal of the principal countries for the last 

 twenty years, the public debt of the principal countries in 

 pounds sterling for the past eleven years, and the emigration 

 from the principal countries for the last ten yeai 



In following up their researches on chemical affinity at 

 low temperatures, Messrs. Moissan and Dewar describe in 

 the current number of the Comptes rendus further experi- 

 ments on liquid fluorine. Various substances, dried with 

 1 arr, and previously cooled to —190° C. by liquid air with 

 the exclusion of atmospheric moisture, were brought in 

 contact with liquid fluorine also at — 190 C. No reaction 

 was observed with iodine, oxygen, tellurium, nitrogen, 

 antimony, carbon, silicon, and boron. On the other hand, 

 sulphur, selenium, phosphorus and arsenic catch fire on 

 contact with the liquid, the reaction with calcium oxide and 

 anthracene being still more violent; potassium, after a 

 short time, gives rise to a violent explosion. It is evident, 

 therefore, that even at this low temperature the forces of 

 chemical affinity are not suspended when so energetic an 

 element as fluorine is concerned. 



Tin: additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during 

 the past week include a Pinche Monkey (Midas oedipus) 

 from Colombia, presented by Mr. A. G. Kemp ; a Blood- 

 rumped Parrakeel (Psephotus haematonotus) from Australia, 

 presented by Mr. B. C. Thomasset ; a Sparrow Hawk 

 (Accipiter nisus) from Pekin, presented by Mr. W. R. G. 

 Bond ; a Moor Monkey (Semnopithecus maurus) from Java, 

 ten Olivaceous Lizards (Luccrla littoralis, var. olivacea) 

 from the Island of Brazza, deposited ; a Bactrian Camel 

 (Camelus bactrianus), a Mouflon (Ovis musimori), a St. 

 Kilda Sheep (Ovis aries, var.), five North African Jackals 

 (Canis lupaster), born in the gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Comet 1902 d. — Herr F. Ristenpart gives a daily 

 ephemeris for this comet in No. 3853 of the Astronomische 

 Nachrichten. The following is an abstract therefrom : — 



Date. 



12/1. Af.T. Berlin. 



5 iooj:. \og >: 



lo£. a Magnitude 



April 10 7 6 22-58 + 30 37 67 04447 0-4306 11-76 

 14 7 11 12-85 + 3' 10 jS'i 0-4452 0-4395 



l8 7 16 20-II + 31 41 34-7 0-4458 O4482 

 22 7 21 43-29 + 32 9 59-6 0-4465 O4567 



26 7 27 21 62 + 32 35 570 04472 0-4650 



30 7 33 I3'8S + 32 59 29-5 0-4481 0-4731 11-94 



An observation made by Herr Millosevich on February 21 

 gave a correction of — o'9is., — 59"'b to this ephemeris. 



Comet 1903 a. — The apparent brightness of this comet is 

 now rapidly declining, having reached its maximum value 

 (eighty-two times its brightness when discovered) on March 

 28. The comet is now too near to the sun in R.A. to be 

 observed, and in any case its great southerly declination 

 would prevent its observation in these latitudes. 



An ephemeris published by M. Paul Briick in No. 3S51 of 

 the Astronomische Nachrichten gives its position for April 

 1; as n = oh. 8m. 58s., 5 = — 41 5''6, and its brightness as. 

 36, taking its brightness when discovered as unity. 



