November io, 1904J 



NA TURE 



41 



to the reception committee, proposed by Mr. E. Windsor 

 Richards and seconded by the secretary, Mr. Bennett H. 

 Brough. The meeting was attended by more than 300 

 members, and an attractive programme of visits to metal- 

 lurgical works in various parts of America was arranged. 



THE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRICAL 

 CONGRESS AT ST. LOUIS. 

 triNCE the article on the proceedings of the International 

 Electrical Congress at St. Louis appeared in our issue 

 of October 27, we have received the subjoined report to the 

 congress of the chamber of Government delegates referred 

 to on p. 639. 



It will be noticed that the resolutions ask for the appoint- 

 ment by Governments of one international commission, at 

 first of a temporary character, but which, it is hoped, may 

 become permanent, to deal with electric units. 



Report of the Chamber of Delegates. 



At the meeting on September 13, after discussion in the 

 chamber, two subcommittees were appointed to deal with 

 the questions of international electromagnetic units and of 

 international standardisation respectively. 



.\t the meeting on September 15 the following report of 

 the committee on international electromagnetic units was 

 accepted and unanimously adopted : — 



Coininittee on International Electromagnetic Units. 



The subcommittee appointed September 13 begs leave to 

 suggest that the chamber of delegates should adopt the 

 following report : — 



It appears from papers laid before the International 

 Electrical Congress and from the discussion that there are 

 considerable discrepancies between the laws relating to 

 electric units, or their interpretations, in the various 

 countries represented, which, in the opinion of the chamber, 

 require consideration with a view to securing practical 

 uniformity. 



Other questions bearing on nomenclature and the deter- 

 mination of units and standards have also been raised, on 

 which, in the opinion of the chamber, it is desirable to have 

 international agreement. 



The chamber of delegates considers that these and similar 

 ■questions could best be dealt with by an international com- 

 mission representing the Governments concerned. Such a 

 ■commission might in the first instance be appointed by those 

 ■countries in which legislation on electric units has been 

 adopted, and consist of (say) two members from each country. 



Provision should be made for securing the adhesion of 

 other countries prepared to adopt the conclusions of the 

 commission. 



The chamber of delegates' approves such a plan, and re- 

 ■quests its members to bring this report before their respective 

 -ijovernments. 



It is hoped that if the recommendation of the chamber of 

 ■delegates be adopted by the Governments represented, the 

 commission may eventually become a permanent one. 



The following report was also received and unanimously 

 •adopted from the committee on international standard- 

 isation : — 



Committee of the Chamber of Delegates on International 

 Standardisation. 



The committee of the chamber of delegates on the 

 standardisation of machinery begs to report as follows : — 



That steps should be taken to secure the cooperation of 

 the technical societies of the world by the appointment of 

 a representative commission to consider the question of the 

 standardisation of the nomenclature and ratings of electrical 

 apparatus and machinery. 



If the above recommendation meets the approval of the 

 chamber of delegates, it is suggested by your committee 

 that much of the work could be accomplished by corre- 

 spondence in the first instance, and by the appointment of 

 •a general secretary to preserve the records and crystallise 

 the points of disagreement, if any, which may arise between 

 the methods in vogue in the different countries interested. 



It is hoped that if the recommendation of the chamber of 

 ■delegates be adopted, the commission may eventually be- 

 come a permanent one. 



At the meeting on September 16 the following resolutions 

 were unanimously adopted : — 



" That the delegates report the resolution of the chamber 

 as to electrical units to their respective Governments, and 

 that they be invited to communicate with Dr. S. W. Stratton 

 (Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C.) and Dr. R. T. 

 Glazebrook (National Physical Laboratory, Bushy House, 

 Teddington, Middlesex, England) as to the results of their 

 report, or as to other questions arising out of the resolution." 



" That the delegates report the resolution of the chamber 

 as to the international standardisation to their respective 

 technical societies, with the request that the societies take 

 such action as they may deem best to give effect to the 

 resolution, and that the delegates be requested to com- 

 municate the result of such action to Colonel R. E. B. 

 Crompton, Chelmsford, England, and to the president of 

 the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, New York 

 Citv." 



THE NATIONAL ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 

 'T'HE narrative of the National Antarctic Expedition, re- 

 lated by Captain Scott to an audience of about seven 

 thousand people at the Albert Hall on Monday, was the first 

 account of the work of the expedition given to the Royal 

 Geographical Society since the Discovery returned horne. 

 Captain Scott made a general statement of the work of the 

 expedition, referring particularly to the various sledging 

 journeys — nine of which were made in the first season and 

 six in the second season — for exploration to the south, west, 

 and east ; but his remarks were chiefly of the nature of 

 descriptions of a magnificent collection of photographs of 

 scenes and incidents in the areas visited. These pictures 

 themselves constitute a unique record of Antarctic conditions, 

 and with the results of meteorological, magnetic, hydro- 

 graphic, biological, and geological observations make the 

 expedition most notable in the history of polar exploration. 

 An exhibition of the photographs taken by Lieut. Skelton, 

 water colour sketches and coloured drawings by Dr. E. .\. 

 Wilson, and other objects of interest connected with the 

 voyage of the Discovery, is now open at the Bruton Galleries, 

 13 Bruton Street, Bond Street, W. 



At the end of the lecture the chairman. Sir Clements 

 Markham, K.C.B., on behalf of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, presented a gold medal to Captain Scott and silver 

 medals to the officers and men. The gold medal of the 

 Geographical Society of Philadelphia for 1904 was presented 

 to Captain Scott by the United States Ambassador in the 

 name of that society. The medal bears on one side a 

 medallion of Dr. Elisha Kane, their own discoverer, in whose 

 honour the society was organised, and on the reverse this 

 inscription : — " For eminent geographical research. Per 

 mare et terram. The Philadelphia Geographical Society. 

 Incorporated 1803. .^warded to Captain Scott in the year 

 1904." 



As the scientific work of the expedition will be described 

 at subsequent meetings of the Royal Geographical Society, 

 Captain Scott only made incidental reference to it, and 

 added little to what has already appeared in these columns 

 (vol. Ixix., p. 543, April 7). The following brief summary 

 of the lecture is, however, of interest in showing some of 

 the incidents and inquiries of the expedition. 



NO. 1828, VOL. 71] 



The Antarctic area was divided into four quadrants, of 

 which the Ross quadrant was allotted to the British e.\- 

 pedition. It was there that Sir James Ross in 1840 dis- 

 covered the sea that bore his name. But Sir James Ross 

 was in a sailing ship, and only saw things dimly and in 

 the distance. The geographical problem was therefore in 

 brief to find out what lay to the east, to the west and 

 to the south of what Ross had seen. In addition to the 

 geographical problem, there were many scientific ones con- 

 nected with a region so little known. The principal of 

 these was magnetism, and the course taken by the Discovery 

 was especially adapted for a magnetic survey. 



Accompanied by two other members of the expedition. 

 Captain Scott left the ship for a southern journey earlv in 

 November, 1902, and on December 29 arrived at a point in 

 latitude 80° 17', when they were obliged to retrace their 



