DECEMBER 6, 1906 | 
NALTORE 
143 
the coil leads consisted of thin strips of tinfoil. The error 
caused by the expansion of these wires due to the passage 
of the current was negligibly small. The balance was 
enclosed in a partially exhausted box, the weighings being 
carried out under a pressure of from 1-6 cm. to 5 cm. of 
mercury. 
The experiment consisted in observing (by means of 
telescope and scale, and a mirror attached to the beam) 
the equilibrium position of the beam before heating the 
mass of oil, and noting any deflection of the same which 
might occur during and after the passage of the heating 
current. Only very minute, transient deflections were 
obtained, and as these did not persist it was evident that 
they could not be due to actual alterations of weight due 
to rise of temperature. The results seem to show that no 
variation of weight greater than 1 in 10° occurs during 
an increase of temperature of 1° C. for the substance used 
in the experiments. 
Geological Society, Novemb?r 7.—Sir Archibald Geikie, 
Sec.R.S., president, in the chair.—The Upper Carboniferous 
rocks of west Devon and north Cornwall: E. A. Newell 
Arber. After a reference to the previous work in the area, 
the author gives a description of the coast-sections, which 
display a highly-disturbed sequence of Upper Carboniferous 
rocks. Special attention is paid to two lithological types : 
the Carbonaceous rocks, which contain inconstant and 
impersistent beds of the impure, smutty coal, known locally 
as ‘‘culm’’; these beds have yielded plant-remains; and 
the Calcareous rocks, partly of marine and partly of fresh- 
water origin, consisting of well-marked, impersistent bands 
of impure limestone, and conglomeratic beds of calcareous 
nodules embedded in shales. One of the limestone-bands, the 
Mouthmill Limestone, is marine, and contains an abundant 
fauna, while in others the only fossils are Calamites 
suckowt and Alethopteris lonchitica. Two distinct and 
unmingled faunas are present in the rocks: one consists 
of fresh-water lamellibranchs, and the other of marine 
fishes, cephalopods, and lamellibranchs, and the evidence 
as to horizon obtained from them agrees with that yielded 
by the plant-remains.—The titaniferous basalts of the 
western Mediterranean: Dr. H. S. Washington. In 1905 
the author visited the volcanic districts of Catalonia, 
Sardinia, Pantelleria, and Linosa. He recognises the 
existence in this region of a hitherto unrecognised petro- 
graphic province, in which the basalts contain a remark- 
ably high percentage of titanium. The rocks are of 
Tertiary age. Labradorite, augite, and olivine are the 
essential minerals, with titaniferous magnetite and apatite, 
and in some cases subordinate nepheline. The extent of 
the region is as yet problematical, and the author points 
out that along the southern coast of France there are 
several ‘‘ basaltic ’’ volcanoes, and it is possible that these 
may eventually turn out to be connecting links between 
the rocks of Sardinia and those of Catalonia, or possibly 
extrusion southward is indicated by the occurrence of 
phonolite at Maid Gharian, near Tripoli. 
Royal Astronomical Society, November 9.—Mr. W. H 
Maw, president, in the chair.—Account of recent work at 
the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, Sir D. 
Gill—The systematic motions of the stars: A. S. 
Eddington. The author’s conclusions supported Kapteyn’s 
hypothesis that there exist two drifts of stars; one drift 
moves relatively to the sun with a speed between three 
and four times that of the other, and the numbers of the 
stars in each drift are nearly equal.—The irregular move- 
ment of the earth’s axis of rotation: a contribution towards 
the analysis of its causes: Prof. J. Larmor and Major 
E. H. Hills. The movement of the earth’s axis of rota- 
tion is compounded of a ‘‘ free precessional’’ period of 
428 days, with irregular disturbances superimposed. The 
authors give a graphical method of setting out the direc- 
tion and magnitude of the forces giving rise to the 
irregular disturbance, and hence arriving at its cause. 
_ The curve representing the movement of the pole about its 
mean position is first referred to an axis revolving in a 
period of 428 days. The hodograph of the derived curve 
is constructed, and this is transferred into the correspond- 
ing hodograph referred to axes fixed in the earth. The 
last curve then becomes a ‘‘ torque diagram,’’ showing in 
direction and relative magnitude the couple or torque act- 
NO. 1936, VOL. 75 | 
ing upon the earth’s axis at any date which would account 
for the observed motion of the pole. The forces to which 
these torques are due may be either internal or external 
transfer of material on the earth, the latter being in the 
form of change of ocean level, melting of polar ice, earth- 
quake disturbances, or changes of barometric pressure. A\ 
numerical estimate of the possible amount of shift due to 
these various causes was distribution of 
energy in the continuous spectrum. The resolving power 
of spectroscopes: E. T. Whittaker. 
Physical Society, November 9.—Prof. J. Perry, F.R.S., 
president, in the chair.—Exhibition and description of 
apparatus for students’ practical work in physics: G. F. C. 
Searle. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, November 26 —M. H. Poincaré 
in the chair.—The determination of the integrals of certain 
partial differential equations by the values ,of the normal 
differential coefficients along a contour: Emile Picard. 
—The alcoholysis of cocoa butter: A. Haller and M. 
Youssoufian. Three kilograms of cocoa butter were sub- 
mitted to the action of methyl alcohol in the presence of 
either hydrochloric or phenylsulphonic acid, and _ the 
methyl esters separated by fractional distillation under 
reduced pressure. The methyl esters of caproic, caprylic, 
capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids 
Were separated and identified. Butyric acid was carefully 
searched for, but not found.—Some remarks on the observ- 
ations of contacts in total eclipses of the sun: Ch. André. 
It is shown that the perfect concordance between the times 
observed at the same place for the same contact by two 
different observers does not prove that this result is the 
real time of contact. A correction is necessary, depending 
on the observer and the aperture employed.—The history 
of the principle employed in statics by Torricelli: P. 
Duhem.—An improvement in the eudiometer: its trans- 
formation into a grisoumeter. Detection and estimation of 
methane and carbon monoxide: Nestor Gréhant. The 
fine platinum wire, first introduced by Coquillion as a 
means of combustion of gases, is fitted to the graduated 
tube by means of a rubber cork. The wire is heated to 
redness from two to six hundred times. In a 1 per cent. 
mixture of methane and air, 0-92 per cent. was found by 
this improved method, or an accuracy of 92 per cent. of 
the amount present.—The determination of the geo- 
graphical coordinates of Tortosa and of the new Ebro 
Observatory: R. Cirera.—Partial differential equations of 
the second order with two independent variables admitting 
a group of even order of transformations of contact: J. 
Clairin.—The integration of differential equations: J. 
Le Roux.—The electrical conductivity of selenium : Maurice 
Coste. From the point of view of electrical conductivity, 
light produces the e?ne effect on selenium as a rise of 
temperature. A specimen of selenium possessing a large 
residual conductivity is insensible to the action of light.— 
A mode of preparation of hydrated hypovanadic acid : 
Gustave Gain. Ammonium metavanadate is gently ignited 
at a low temperature, and the resulting mixture of V,O, 
and V,O, placed in a stoppered flask with an excess of 
saturated sulphurous acid solution. The blue solution thus 
obtained is submitted to prolonged ebullition, when the 
acid H,VO, is deposited.—The elements producing phos- 
phorescence in minerals. The case of chlorophane, a 
variety of fluorspar: G. Urbain. By converting the 
fluoride into oxide, and examining the kathode spectrum 
of the phosphorescent line thus obtained, traces of the 
rare earths, including samarium, terbium, dysprosium, and 
gadolinium, have been detected.—The oxide-ethers of 
glycollic nitrile: Marcel Sommelet.—The transformation 
of cinnamic alcohol into phenylpropylene and phenylpropy! 
alcohol by the metal-ammoniums: E. Chablay. The 
metal-ammoniums reduce cinnamic alcohol in a_ similar 
manner to the unsaturated fatty alcohols, giving the corre- 
sponding hydrocarbon, and according to the same 
mechanism; but the yield is very poor, the principal re- 
action being the production of phenylpropiolic alcohol.— 
A method of preparing the oxynitriles ROCH,CN: D. 
Gauthier. The monochlor- ethers, RAO CHE Gl, are readily 
prepared by Henry’s method, the reaction of hydrochloric 
acid upon a mixture of the alcohol, ROH, and formaldehyde 
