158 
NATURE 
[ DECEMBER 13, 1906 
approach. From the information now supplied by Father 
Gutiérrez-Lanza, it is clear that both in the local news- 
papers and in messages to the U.S. Weather Bureau at 
Washington, Father Gangoiti had on October 12 announced 
the existence of a cyclonic disturbance south of Barbados ; 
on October 16 that it was about 500 miles south of 
Havana; at 6 a.m., October 17, that it was approaching 
western Cuba and moving towards Florida; and at 3 p.m. 
of the same day that the cyclone was nearing Havana 
province. The the city of Havana at 
1o p.m. The word “ apparently’? in the note was in- 
tended to cover any possible imperfections in the hurried 
early reports of the calamity. With the information bear- 
ing upon the predictions of the approach of the recent 
hurricane towards Havana, Father Gutiérrez-Lanza has 
forwarded an interesting brochure on ‘‘ The Pioneer Fore- 
casters of Hurricanes,’’ by the Rev. Walter M. Drum, S.J., 
of Georgetown University. 
storm reached 
“ec 
In Engineering (vol. Ixxxii., No. 2135, December 1) Mr. 
H. Burcharts gives illustrations of the sand-blast apparatus 
used for testing building materials at Gross-Lichterfelde 
Institute. Some results of tests are given showing that 
the new method gives useful information with regard to 
the power of resistance to wear in practical use, and to 
the quality of road and floor materials. The duration of 
the exposure to the sand-blast has, after many experiments, 
been fixed at two minutes, the steam-gauge indicating a 
pressure of two atmospheres. This short time suffices to 
give a good indication of the structure of the materials 
tested and their resisting qualities. The sand used is a 
natural quartz sand of fine and nearly round grains, pro- 
cured by washing and drying the original sand and pass- 
ing it through a sieve with 120 meshes per square centi- 
metre, or about 774 meshes per square inch. It is the 
waste from the German standard sand used for testing 
Portland cement, the grains of which pass the sieve of 
sixty meshes, and are retained on the sieve with 120 meshes 
per square inch. Granite from: Malmo lost 0-09 cub. cm. 
per square cm, blast-furnace slag, Bochum, red 
pine.o-ro, and linoleum 0-02. 
0-12, 
Sicnor Guripo Borponi-Urrrepuzi gives a summary of 
sanitary progress in Milan, accompanied by diagrams of 
statistics of death-rates, particularly from infectious 
diseases, during the past thirty years. The paper is pub- 
lished in the Lombardy Rendiconti, xxxix., 14. 
Pror. ‘Trmistocte Catzeccut-OnEstr, writing in the 
Rendiconti of the Lombardy Institution, xxxix., 14, re- 
garding the discovery of the coherer, directs attention to 
his experiments made in 1884, before Branly had worked 
on the subject. He further points out the important part 
played by Righi in the discovery of wireless telegraphy. 
In the American Journal of Mathematics, xxviii., 3, 
Mr. F. J. B. Cordeira discusses the analogy between 
gyroscopes and cyclones. The author considers that the 
oscillations of a gyroscope have a close analogy in the 
motions of cyclones about a position of equilibrium. It is 
also suggested that the frictional couple due to cyclones 
tends to accelerate the earth’s rotation, and that the 
effect is cumulative, though it should be noticed that the 
only possible result is the transference of angular momen- 
tum between the atmosphere and earth, and that the 
total angular momentum of both cannot be altered. 
In the Proceedings of the Royal Philosophical Society of 
Glasgow, under the title ‘‘ Solution of Physical Problems,” 
NO. 1937, VOL. 75 | 
Prof. Andrew Gray, F.R.S., discusses two problems in the 
theory of attractions. The first is the determination of 
the attractive force between the two halves of a sphere of 
gravitating matter, the surfaces of equal density being 
concentric spheres. The problem for the case of uniform 
density was solved by Prof. Tait in a very simple way by 
considering the hydrostatic pressure on the supposition 
that the sphere was fluid. In the present paper three 
methods are considered, namely, the hydrostatic method, 
a method based on Gauss’s well-known theorem of the 
flux of force over a closed surface, and a third based on 
a simple theorem according to which the attraction between 
two concentric hemispherical shells is the same as if the 
mass of the inner shell were concentrated at the centre. 
The second part of the paper consists in a re-discussion 
of the problem of the attractions of ellipsoids, with some 
historical notes and alternative methods of treatment. 
Tue number of the Journal of the Chemical Society 
published on November 29 contains abstracts of several 
mineralogical papers. One of these (F. Zambonini) de- 
scribes crystals of galena deposited by sublimation on the 
scoria at the edge of the crater formed as a result of the 
eruption of Vesuvius in April. This galena appears to owe 
its origin to the action of hydrogen chloride on the vapours 
of lead chloride. An abstract (E. Hussak) describes the 
bean-shaped pebbles, considered to be a good indication 
of the presence of diamonds, in the alluvial gravels at 
Diamantina, Brazil. They include two new mineral 
species, and consist of barium aluminium phosphate, 
named gorceixite ; strontium aluminium sulphato-phosphate, 
named harttite; and lead aluminium phosphate, probably 
identical with plumbogummite. An abstract of a paper by 
Mr. A. Pauly describes a new mineral of the zeolite group 
from Hainburg, Lower Austria, and another (G. d’Achiardi) 
deals with a similar mineral from Elba. 
Messrs. W. HEFFER AND Sons, Cambridge, have pur- 
chased the mathematical library of the late Prof. Joly, of 
Dublin, and the botanical library of the late Prof. Marshall 
Ward, of Cambridge. Catalogues of the libraries are im 
preparation. 
WE have received a copy of an important contribution to 
the American Anthropologist (vol. viii., No. 3, July- 
September), which has been published separately. The 
paper, which was presented by the American Anthropo- 
logical Association to the International Congress of 
Americanists held at Quebec this year, deals with recent 
progress in American anthropology, and is a review of 
the activities of institutions and individuals from 1902 to 
1906. 
Every attempt to increase the number of people with an 
intelligent interest in science deserves encouragement. Our 
contemporary Knowledge and Illustrated Scientific News 
continues its efforts in this direction, and presents its 
readers month by month with accurate and interesting 
accounts of modern scientific work prepared by writers in 
close touch with knowledge in the making. In addition 
to illustrated articles, each issue of the magazine includes. 
sections in which the progress made in the various branches 
of science is noted in correct though popular and easily 
understood language. 
Tue issue of ‘* Who’s Who ”’ for 1907 is even more com- 
plete than the edition of a year ago. Its size has been 
increased by nearly a hundred pages, and there are now 
1958 pages of short autobiographies of persons of import- 
