56 



NA rURE 



\Nov. 1 6, 187 1 



the Cypriote and Lycian alphabets, and stated that they were 

 both derived from the same source, the Lycians having however 

 engrafted upon the ancient forms a great many Grecian Letters, 

 while in Cyprus the character was preserved in its original fulness 

 and power. Mr. Daniel Sharpe had endeavoured to prove that 

 the Lycian alphabet was of Indo-Germanic origin, and so also 

 might be the Cyprian. Mr. Lang alluded to the attempt which 

 had been made both by l)e Luynes and von Riith to read the 

 Cypriote writing, especially as regarded a word A\hich both 

 gentlemen agreed in rendering "Salamis," and which they con- 

 sidered to be the key to the Cypriote characters. Mr. Lang, on 

 the contrary, gave his reasons for dissenting from this reading 

 upon the testimony of coins, and showed wliy he thought that 

 the word should be read as "King." The evidence of the 

 bi-lingual inscription before referred to was dwelt upon in con- 

 firmation of this reading. A resemblance was further pointed 

 out between the word translated "king" by Mr. Sharpe in 

 Lycian, and that proposed to be read in the same way in Cypriote, 

 and a reading was suggested for the whole of the first line in the 

 Cypriote part of the bi-lingual inscription. Many other points of 

 interest connected with this alphabet were also detailed, and Mr. 

 Lang concluded by observing that in it " we have a child long 

 lost both to the sight and knowledge of the world, and he felt 

 convinced that more extended research would prove that the 

 pedigree of the foundling was of more than usual philological 

 interest and importance."— Mr. G. .Smith then read a paper " On 

 the Decipherment of the Cypriote Inscriptions," in which, after 

 alluding to the antiquities discovered by General Cesnola and 

 Mr. Lang, particularly the bi-lingual inscription already mentioned, 

 he went on to detail the discovery of the values of eighteen 

 Cypriote signs from that inscription alone. He further related 

 the discovery of the sounds of twenty other signs by comparison 

 of various texts, together with the reading of the names " Ida- 

 lium Citium Evagoras," anil many others. His conclusions 

 were that the Cypriote language belonged to the Aryan group, 

 and was written with about fifty-four syllabic signs. Diagrams show- 

 ing case endings of nouns, proper names, and part of the bi-lingual 

 inscription, illustrated the paper. A collection of electrotypes of 

 the Cypriate coins referred to in the foregoing papers was ex- 

 hibited by Mr, Ready of the British Museum. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, November 6. — A memoir was read 

 by M. A. Mannheim on the properties relating to the infinitely 

 small displacements of a body wlien these displacements ate only 

 defined by four conditions, and one by M. ^Iaurice Levy on the 

 integration of equations with partial differences relating to the 

 internal movements of ductile solid liodics, when these move- 

 ments take place in parallel planes. — M. I'hillips also communi- 

 cated a memoir containing a summary of observations made 

 during the last seven years at the Observatory of Neuchatel upon 

 chronometers furnished with spirals with theoretical final curves. 

 — M. P. A. Favre presented a continuation of his thermic inves- 

 tigations upon electrolysis. This paper contains chiefly the 

 results of experiments upon various acids. — General Morin com- 

 municated a paper by M. H. Tresca on the effects of torsion pro- 

 longed beyond the limits of elasticity. — M. Le ^'errier communi- 

 cated a note on the observation of the flight of meteors of the 12th, 

 13th, and 14th of this month at the stations of the French Scientific 

 Association. — M. E. Peligot presented a further memoir on the dis- 

 tribution of potass and soda in plants, upon which MM. Dumas and 

 Chevreul made some remarks. — M. L Pierre presented someobser- 

 vaiions on the solubility of chloride of silver, with reference to the 

 noieonthis subject recently communicated by M. Stas. — M. Peligot 

 communicated a note by ^L J. Bonis on the determination of 

 hydrochloric add in cases of poisoning, in which he recommends 

 the hea'ing of the filtered liquids in contact with a plate of gold 

 af er the addition of a few fragments of chlorate of potass. The 

 dissolution of the gold indicates the presence of hydrochloric 

 acid, and it is determined by means of protochloride of tin.— RL 

 Berthelot presented a note on the formation of precipitates, in 

 which he commenced the discussion of the phenomena connected 

 therewith, and noticed especially the heat evolved or absorbed 

 during the formation of a solid compound, and the dehydratation 

 of precipitated compounds. — A note by JL F. Cayrol on the 

 Lover Cretaceous formation of Corbieres was presented by M. 

 Milne- Ed wards. The author compared this formation with that 

 of the Clape, formerly described by him, and stated that it con- 

 sisted in ascending order of a marly clay containing 0> bilcliiut, 

 a thick limestone with Rcquunia Lonsdalii, and a second Orbilo- 

 lina-ions, the latter overlain by the Gault. — A note by M. Guido 



Susain was also read on an improved method of managing the 

 egg-laying of the silkworm moth. — The tables of meteorological 

 observations made at Paris in October was communicated to the 

 Academy. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



English.— The Student's M.inual of Geology: Jukes and GeiUie ; 3rd 

 cdirioiuEdinbiirch: .^. and C. Blacl;).— A Treatise on the Origin, Nature, 

 and V.-irielies of Wine : Thudichumand Dvipre(Macmillan .wd Co ).— Lights 

 and Sh.id.iivsofaCiinine Life, bv Uglv's Mistress (Chapman and H.rll).— 

 'I'he Ornitliology of Shakespeare : J. E. Harting (Van Voorst). -The Royal 

 Institution: its Founder and its Professors: Dr. Ucnce Jones (Longmans 

 and Co.). 



Amkrican. — Illustrated Catalogue of the Museum ofCoaipar.itive Zoology 

 .at Harvard College : No. 4.— Deep-Sea Corals : Count Poui talis. 



FoREinN— Mdmoires de la Sociiite de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de 

 GenJve; Tome xxi.— Nachtrag zum 6 u. 7 Jahresbericht des Vereins fiir 

 Erdkunde zu Dresden. — Bulletin de la Societe Imperials des Naturalistes de 

 Moscou, 1870 ; Parts 3 and 4. 



THURSDAY, November 16. 



R0Y.\L Society, at 8.30. — Considerations on the Abrupt Change at Boiling 

 or Condensing in Reference to the Continuity of the Fluid Slate of Matter : 

 Prof. J. Thomson.— Magnetic Survey of the East of France in 1869 : Rev. 

 S. J. Perry and Rev. W. Sidgreaves. — Action of Hydriodic Acid on Codeia 

 in presence of Phosphorus : Dr. C. R. A. Wright.- Corrections and Addi- 

 tions to the Memoir on the Theory of Reciprocal Surfaces : Prof. Cayley, 

 F.R.S —On the Dependence of the Earth's iMagnetism on the Rotation of 

 the Sun : Prof. Miller. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — On the Floral Structure of Impatiens fulva, &c. : 

 A. \V. Bennett, F L S — Rem.arkson Dolichosunitlorus : N. A. Dalzell.— 

 Flora: Hongkongensis Supplementum : H. F. Hacce, Ph. D. 



Chemical Society, at 8. 



London Institution, at 7.30. — The Influence of Geological Phenomena on 

 the Social Life of the People : Harry G. Seeley, F G.S. 



SUNDAY, NovEMOER iq. 

 Sunday Lecture Society, at 4. — The Gulf Stream, what it does and what 

 it does not : W. B. Carpenter, M.D., F.R.S. 



MONDAY, November 20. 

 London Institution, at 4.— Consciousness : Pr.>f. Huxley, F.R.S. 



(Course on Elementary Physiology). 

 Anthropological Institute, al 8. — Anthropolosical Collections from the 



Holy Land : Captain Richard F. Burton, F.R.G'S. 

 Entomological Society, at 7. 



TUESDAY, November 21. 



Zoological Society, at 9 — On the Osteology of the Marsitpialia. (Part 

 111.) Modifications of the Skeleton in the species of Pha.scolomys : Prof. 

 Owen, F.R.S.- Report on Several Collections of Fishes recently obtained 

 for the British Museum : Dr. A. Giinther, F.R.S. 



Statistical Society, at 7 45. — The -President's Opening Address. — Sug- 

 gestions for the Collection of Local Statistics : J. T. Hammick. 



WEDNESDAY, November 22. 



Geological Society, at 8. — On some Devonian Fossils from the Witzen- 

 berg, S. Africa : Prof. T. Rupert Jones, F. G.S. —On the Geology of Fer- 

 nando Noronha : Dr. Alex. Rattray. — Note on some Ichlhyosaurian 

 Remains from Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset : J. \V. Hulke, F.R.S, — Appendix 

 to a Note on a Wealden Vertebra : J. W. Hulke, F.R.S. 



Society of Arts, at 8, -On the Present State of the Through Railway 

 Communication to India : Hyde Clarke. 



Royal Society of Literature, at 8.30. 



THURSDAY, November 25. 

 Royal Society, at 8.30. 

 Society of Antiquaries, at 8.30. 



London Institution, at 7.30. — Scieiics and Commerce, illustrated by the 

 Raw Materials of our Manufactures, (I.) P. L. Simmonds. 



CONTENTS Page 



New Works on Mechanics 41 



Our Book Shelf 42 



The Aurora Borealis of Nov. 9 and 10.— Rev. S. J. Perry ; R. 

 McClure : J. J. Mlrphy, F.G.S. ; John Jeremiah : J. E. H. 



Gordon , 43 



Striiciure of Lepidodendron. — Prof W. C. Williamson. F.R.S. . 45 



Encke's Comet. — Thos. G. E. Elger 45 



The Science and Art Department 45 



Economical Alimentation 45 



TheTemperati'rePkoducedbvSolar Radiation. By J. Ericsson 46 



Notes 4S 



The Geognosy of the Appalachians and the Origin of Crys- 

 talline Rocks.— III. By Prof. T. Stekrv Hunt, F.R.S. ... 50 

 The Scottish School of Geology.— II. By Prof. A. Geikie, F.R.S. 52 



Societies and Academies 55 



Books Received 56 



Diary 56 



