December 8, 1904] 



NA TURE 



139 



of the principal Swiss watchmakers, M. P. Nardin, of 

 Le Lode, and M. P. Ditisheim, of La Chaux de Fonds, 

 expressed a wish to make a trial of the new balance. The 

 first attempt gave so perfect a result that the balance has 

 not since been modified ; its adoption by Swiss watchmakers 

 was very rapid, and to-day it is employed in the majority 

 of their best timepieces. It was with a pocket chronometer 

 fitted with this balance that IM. P. Ditisheim beat in 1903 

 all records at Kew with a total of 94-9 points, the previous 

 best being 92-7. The compensation was awarded 19-7 

 points, the maximum of ideal perfection being 20. The 

 dark-lined curve of Fig. 10 shows the theoretical variations 

 of a perfect chronometer compensated by the usual method ; 

 the curves N, N', and H represent the average results 

 obtained at Neuchatel with two groups comprising in all 

 sixteen chronometers, and at Hamburg with six chrono- 

 meters, all made by M. Nardin. 



Incandescent Lamps and Crookes's Tubes. — In con- 

 clusion, a few words may be given to an application, less 

 scientific in its nature than the preceding, but likely to be 

 welcomed by all who regret the systematic destruction of 

 the world's store of platinum. The curve in Fig. 2 shows 

 that two nickel-steels of definite composition have an ex- 

 pansion equal to that of glass ; but only one of these can 

 be practically considered, namely, that containing about 

 45 per cent, of nickel ; the alloy which contains 29 per cent., 

 at a slightly higher temperature passes the point A of 

 Fig. I and enters the region of high expansion. 



For a metal to fuse in glass it is indispensable, but in- 

 sufKcient, that it should possess the same expansibility as 

 glass ; fortunately the alloy containing 45 per cent, of nickel 

 possesses all the other properties which are necessary, pro- 

 vided that it be not unduly oxidised during the softening 

 of the glass. As a matter of fact, several manufacturers of 

 incandescent lamps have adopted, under the name platinite, 

 this welcome substitute for platinum, thereby economising 

 several hundred kilograms of the precious metal. If this 

 economy spreads, a ton of platinum may be saved annually 

 for science and those industries in which its use is indis- 

 pensable. 



Conclusions. 



It is time to conclude this over-long article. The appli- 

 cations which have been described are not the only ones 

 which might be predicted or have been attempted with these 

 curious alloys, the properties of which for a time seemed 

 so paradoxical that a number of physicists and metallurgists 

 refused to believe in their existence. All the applications 

 which to-day give new resources to science and nev/ 

 economies, representing large sums, to industry arise from 

 a peculiar phenomenon of equilibrium in the mutual solution 

 ■of two isomorphous metals ; that is one interesting side of 

 the question. There is another on which I would insist in 

 concluding ; it is that these results have been obtained as 

 a sequel to a long series of delicate measurements in which 

 the thousandth of a millimetre was the ordinary unit, and 

 without which no discovery in this domain would have been 

 possible. Ch. io. Guillaume. 



S//0 IVER OF ANDROMEDIDS FROM BIELA'S 



COMET {?) 

 V^/H.^T certainly appears to have been a well defined 

 shower of Andromedids occurred on November 21 

 .and following nights to November 28. Yet this display, if 

 it really represented the debris of Biela's comet, like the 

 meteors seen in November 1872, 1885, 1892, and 1899, was 

 •not true to its time, for no return was to be expected, in 

 ordinary circumstances, until 1905 or 1906. The period is 

 about 6-7 years, and if the shower displayed itself this year 

 It must mean that the swarm has been much disturbed, or 

 that the meteors are rapidly distributing themselves round 

 the orbit, and will soon form a continuous stream, visible 

 annually as the earth intersects it in the third week of 

 November. 



Dr. Schulhof and Prof. Abelman {Astr. Nach., 3516) 

 pointed out some years ago that a convulsion of the orbit- 

 motion of the Andromedids would occur in 1901, as Jupiter 

 Avould approach the group to within 05 of the earth's 

 ■distance from the sun in March of the year named. The 

 effect would be a displacement of the node to the extent of 



NO. 1832, VOL. 71] 



b°, which would bring the maximum on November 17, or 

 ten days earlier than in 1S72 and 1885. 



The Rev. W. F. A. Ellison, of Enniscorthy, Ireland, 

 writes me that the most remarkable meteoric shower he 

 witnessed in November was furnished by the Andromedids. 

 He was extremely surprised to find the radiant of this stream 

 very active on November 21. At 7 p.m. he counted 8 

 meteors in fifteen seconds, and although this rate was not 

 maintained, he continued to observe numerous Andromedids 

 until midnight. From yh. to 8h. 24 were seen, from 8h. to 

 gh. 22, after which the number decreased. Until 

 November 28 meteors continued to fall from this radiant, 

 and many of them were objects of remarkable brilliancy, 

 quite equal to the Leonids, but the motions were slower 

 and the paths shorter. The prevailing colour was pure 

 white, the trains being greenish. The radiant seemed 

 further north than Mr. Ellison expected to find it, the posi- 

 tion being at about 21° + 50°. 



The following are some of the larger meteors recorded 

 by Mr. Ellison : — 



Nov. 21. 8h. 2m. G.M.T. = Vega. From a point a little 

 above a Cygni exactly across 5 and about 15^ 

 further, directed precisely from Vega. 

 ,, 21. Sh. 49m. = 5 . Low down in west where no stars 

 could be seen to fix the path, but evidently 

 Andromedid. 

 ,, 21. 9h. 8m.= l/. From 337° + 7° to 329° -7°. 

 ,, 21. 9h. i6m.= :|. From 354" + 30° to 348^+ 18". 

 ,, 26. 7h. 35m.= 9. From 52" + 27" to 64° 4- 8i°. Dura- 

 tion 2 sec, vivid flash at end. 

 ,, 28. 8h. 50m. >?. From about 2 1 5° -I- 50° to 2 1 5° + 46° 

 Very short path, swift and flashing. Impossible 

 to fix path accurately. 

 It seems desirable to inquire whether any other observers 

 noticed an abundance of meteors on about November 21, 

 and if so whether their paths were directed from the usual 

 radiant point of the Andromedids. 



W. F. Denning. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge.— Mr. J. H. Jeans, of Trinity, has been 

 appointed university lecturer in mathematics in the place 

 of Prof. Macdonald, now of Aberdeen University. 



The late Mr. G. T. B. Wigan has bequeathed to the 

 university some 9000L, the interest of which is to be used 

 for the purpose of promoting scientific education and re- 

 search. It is proposed to divide the fund equally between 

 the board for physics and chemistry and the board for 

 biology and geology. Each board will administer the in- 

 come of its moiety subject to the condition that no portion 

 is to be applied to one specified purpose for longer than five 

 years at a time. 



The name of the late Frank McClean, F.R.S., the founder 

 of the Isaac Newton studentships in astronomy, and a 

 generous donor to the observatory, has been added to the 

 university roll of benefactors. 



Dr. Donald MacAlister, the representative of the uni- 

 versity on the General Medical Council for the last fifteen 

 years, has been elected president of the council in succession 

 to Sir William Turner, K.C.B., principal of Edinburgh 

 University. 



Mr. F. F. Blackman, of St. John's, has been appointed 

 reader in botany in the place of Mr. Francis Darwin. 



A university lectureship in botany, stipend loo!., is vacant 

 by the resignation of Mr. F. F. Blackman, recently 

 appointed reader. Application is to be made to the Vice- 

 Chancellor by December 17. 



Prof. E. Waymouth Reid, F.R.S., has been approved 

 for the degree of doctor of science. 



Prof. Woodhead has obtained from friends resident in 

 or connected with Huddersfield a sum of more than i6oo(. 

 for the endowment of a Huddersfield lectureship in special 

 pathology. The general board proposes that the gifts be 

 gratefullv accepted by the university, and that the lecture- 

 ship be forthwith established. 



The museums and lecture rooms syndicate reports that 



