Marcu 26, 1914] 
NATURE, “a 95 
bulletin. The present report describes as an introduc- 
tion the general nature of the nomenclature to be used, 
and this is generally of a meteorological type, the 
observations being described under the four headings, 
snow, clouds, colours and shading, canals and lakes. 
The observations here dealt with cover the interval 
from July 27 to October 30, 1913. 
A METEORITE FROM ZULULAND.—Prof. G. H. Stanley 
gives a very interesting description and analysis of a 
meteorite which fell in the N’Kandhla district of Zulu- 
land (South African Journal of Science, vol. x., No. 5, 
January, 1914). The meteorite was observed to fall on 
August 1, 1912. The first occurrence noted was the 
usual sound of an explosion, which attracted attention 
over a considerable area, and a rapidly moving body 
was seen which left a spiral trail of smoke and at 
the same time appeared to produce a rumbling or 
crackling sound. While possibly more than one was 
found, Prof. Stanley has only been able to locate one 
definitely, and this forms the subject of his communi- 
cation. It fell near the junction of the Buffalo and 
Tugela Rivers, on the Pokinyoni hill in the N’Kandhla 
district, within a few yards of a native woman. The 
meteorite weighs nearly 38 lb., and consists almost 
entirely of nickel-iron alloy, and is therefore classed 
as a siderite; it is coated with a skin of magnetic 
oxide exhibiting flow lines, and shows also a profusion 
of ‘*thumb marks.’’ The communication is accom- 
panied by numerous photographs of the specimen, and 
also several photographic sections. The complete 
analytical results are given in percentages as follows : 
iron, 89-28; nickel, 10-68; silicon, 0-004; sulphur, trace ; 
carbon, 0-030; phosphorus, 0-057; traces of aluminium, 
magnesium, platinum, and chlorine. The presence of 
manganese, cobalt, or chromium could not be detected. 
A SOLAR OBSERVATORY FOR NEW ZEALAND.—In our 
issue of July 3, 1913 (p. 460), we announced that Mr. 
Thomas Cawthron, of Nelson, New Zealand, had 
offered to build, equip, and endow a solar physics 
observatory in New Zealand. From a short article in 
the Times of March 23, we learn that Mr. Cawthron 
is prepared to give 50,o0o0l. for this purpose. Mr. J. 
Evershed, director of the Kodaikanal Solar Observa- 
tory in India, who has visited New Zealand to advise 
as to the erection of the Cawthron Observatory, has 
spoken highly of the suitability of Nelson, from the 
geographical and climatological points of view, for 
the purpose of researches in solar physics. 
THE INSTITUTE OF METALS. 
HE spring meeting of the Institute of Metals was 
held in the building of the Institution of 
Mechanical Engineers on March 17 and 18. The after- 
noon of the first day was devoted to formal business 
and to the delivery of the presidential address by the 
newly elected president, Sir Henry J. Oram, Engineer- 
in-Chief of the Fleet. The morning and afternoon of 
the second day were devoted to the reading and dis- 
cussion of reports and papers. The attendance of 
members at the meetings was unfortunately rather 
small, but a large number assembled for the annual 
dinner, which proved a particularly successful function. 
The presidential address was chiefly devoted to the 
evolution of the Admiralty condenser tube, the various 
steps being described which have led to the present 
satisfactory position, in which the number of failures 
from either corrosion or splitting is as low as one in 
60,099 per annum; the steps in question consisted 
mainly in the imposition of increasingly stringent con- 
ditions and tests, and in inducing manufacturers to 
work to these. Sir Henry Oram also directed atten- 
tion to the steady decrease in the quantity of non- 
NOmeem7, VOL: 93) 
! 
ferrous metals employed in warship machinery, steel 
taking the place of brass, bronze, and copper wherever 
possible. Such a state of affairs points to the need 
of vigorous progress in non-ferrous metallurgy in order 
that alloys may be produced which are capable of 
rendering services to which iron and steel are not 
applicable. 
The nomenclature committee, appointed by the In- 
stitute of Metals, but including representatives of the 
principal technical societies and institutes in this 
country, presented its first report. The committee was 
appointed for the purpose of formulating, if possible, 
a rational system of nomenclature for alloys which 
should abolish the existing confusion. In its first 
report the general lines to be followed are laid down; 
these consist in the construction first of a ‘‘ systematic 
nomenclature,’’ in which every alloy is described by 
the names of its constituent metals, in English, 
arranged in ascending order of their numerical im- 
portance in regard to composition by weight. This 
logical but cumbersome system is not intended for 
ordinary daily use, and for this purposes a system of 
‘practical’? nomenclature is to be set up, the names 
comprised in this system being defined as simple 
verbal. abbreviations of the terms of the systematic 
nomenclature, 
The committee has so far presented definitions only 
of the terms ‘‘brass’”’ and “bronze.’’ Brass is defined 
as an abbreviation for the systematic term “‘zinc- 
copper,” and therefore when used alone denotes an 
alloy consisting substantially of zinc and copper only, 
and containing more copper than zinc. If other 
metals are present in notable proportions, their names 
are to be prefixed, so that an alloy containing, say 
I per cent. of tin, would be called ‘‘tin-brass.’’ Simi- 
larly the term ‘‘bronze”’ is defined as equivalent to 
‘“tin-copper.’” Dr. Rosenhain, as chairman of the 
committee, in presenting the report, claimed that an 
important step would be gained if the recommenda- 
tions in regard to the terms ‘“‘brass”’’ and ‘‘ bronze” 
were widely adopted, because much of the present 
confusion centred around those very terms; he there- 
fore appealed for the steady support of all concerned 
on the ground that even if the system put forward by 
the committee were not the ideally best one, what was 
really essential was uniformity of nomenclature. In 
the discussion, Sir H. J. Oram, on behalf of the Ad- 
miralty, several important manufacturers and _ con- 
sultants, and some professors and teachers of metall- 
urgy promised their cordial support of the committee’s 
recommendations, so that the committee may approach 
its further task of defining other alloy names with 
considerable confidence in the ultimate success of its 
labours. 
Dr. Desch, in his first report to the Beilby Prize 
Committee, presented a valuable and interesting sum- 
mary of existing knowledge on the solidification of 
solids from the liquid state in particular reference to 
the freezing of metals and Quincke’s ‘‘foam cell” 
hypothesis. The report contains a great quantity of 
information and a useful bibliography; Dr. Beilby com- 
mended the impartial and judicial attitude of the re- 
porter, but Dr. Rosenhain likened it to a judge’s 
summing-up, which must, ultimately, be followed by a 
sentence, and this was unlikely to be in favour of 
Quincke’s hypothesis. Thanks to the further 
generosity of Dr. Beilby in providing the necessary 
funds, the committee is in a position to invite a 
further report on fresh experimental work from Dr. 
Desch. 
A paper by Dr. J. E. Stead and Mr. Steadman, on 
the ‘“‘Muntz metal” brasses, dealt with the effects of 
heat treatment. In this respect the paper was shown 
—in the discussion—to have been largely anticipated 
by the much earlier work of Bengough and Hudson, 
