374 



NATURE 



\_August 1 6, 1883 



Fig. 4 again shows the island in its winter garb, and is 

 from a drawing made by Lieut. Ring, R.N., when com- 

 manding the sealer Capella. 



"We have Sars' s crater, on the slope shelving towards 

 Cape North-East ; we see, too, the great glaciers on the 

 north side, also Cape North-West and Muyen's Cross 

 Cape, in a line with the point of view ; and the low tract 

 of the island, with the heights of the southern part, are 

 boldly defined in the picture. The crater of Beerenberg, 

 with its sunken edge on the north side, is also seen, and 

 lower down a huge, cauldron-shaped depression, from 

 which the great northern glaciers take their origin." 



Some very interesting mineralogical specimens were 

 brought from Jan Mayen, on which Mr. H. Reusch, of 

 the Norwegian Geological Survey, reports. We reproduce 

 illustrations of four specimens of olivine in basalt. 



In Fig. 5 the surrounding rock exhibits a remarkably 

 fine granulation in immediate proximity to the crystals, 

 which it pierces in sac-like ramifications. In Fig. 6 dis- 

 coloured glass is seen piercing the crystal from the sur- 

 rounding rock, which has a fine granulation. In Fig. 7 

 the surrounding base is finely granulated. At the top of 

 the figure is seen basalt of the dominant degree of granu- 

 lation. Discoloured glass pierces the crystal fro n the 

 rock surrounding it. In Fig. 8 the iron ore occurring as 

 rod-shaped corpuscles has a definite position towards the 

 crystal of olivine. — Magnified 360 diameters. 



Dr. Mohn concludes his instructive account of the 

 geography of this fruitful expedition by some brief obser- 

 vations on Bear Island and Spitzbergen, at various points 

 of which the Voringen touched. 



SCIENCE A T CAMBRIDGE 



\A/E understand that Dr. M. Foster, who, upon his 

 * * appointment as Professor of Physiology at Cam- 

 bridge, ceased to be Pradector at Trinity College, ad- 

 dressed to the Master of Trinity the following letter, 

 which perhaps may interest those of our readers who are 

 not acquainted with the peculiar organisation of our old 

 Universities. 



Shelford, Cambridge, July 28, 1883 



My Dear Master, — The University having done me 

 the honour to appoint me to the newly established Chair 

 of Physiology, my connection with the College as Prae- 

 lector comes to an end, though I rejoice that I am still 

 counted among the Fellows of the Society. I cannot let 

 this opportunity pass without making some attempt to 

 thank you, and through you the College, for all you have 

 done for me during the thirteen years of my Praelector- 

 ship. You called me, a comparatively unknown young 

 man, to the College in 1S70 ; you not only at once gave 

 me leave to follow out my own views as to what I ought 

 to do, but from that time onward have constantly sup- 

 ported me, not simply with cordial approbation, but also 

 with most m iterial assistance. 



I have reason to believe that many persons not con- 

 versant with the organisation and working of the Uni- 

 versity, are under the impression that the necessary 

 expenses which my work has entailed hive been pro- 

 vided out of University funds. But I am sure that the 

 authorities of the University would be the last to wish 

 that anything done by the College should be considered 

 as done by the University. And as a matter of fact, when 

 I say that I was allowed the use for four years of one 

 room, and for ten years of two rooms, in the University 

 buildings, and that during the last three years I have 

 enjoyed the advantages of the admirable laboratory which 

 lias been built for me, with use of gas and water, I have 

 mentioned all that I have received from the University, 

 with the exception of grant of microscopes to the 1 ite 

 Prof. Balfour and myself in common. Not only my own 

 remuneration has come from the College, but all the 

 really large expenditure involved in my teaching physi- 



ology, save what has been met by the fees of the students, 

 has been provided for in one way or another by the 

 College. 



At the outset the College gave me a large grant of 

 money for apparatus, and some years afterwards a second 

 smaller grant. During the whole thirteen years I have 

 received from the College an annual sum for the payment 

 of my laboratory servants ; and for several years past two 

 demonstrators (one at a comparatively high salary), as 

 well as during the past year three assistant demonstrators, 

 have been paid partly from the tuition fund of the Col- 

 lege, partly by funds which, though furnished by private 

 liberality, cannot be wholly dissociated from the College. 

 I think 1 may fairly say that I have never asked anything 

 of you in vain. I might add that what you have done 

 for me did not prevent you from also assisting our 

 lamented Balfour, working in a closely allied branch of 

 science, or, upon his sal death, from affording material 

 help in carrying on the work which he left behind through 

 aid given to Mr. Adam Sedgwic':. 



Let m^ assure you that I fully appreciate all the College 

 has done for me ; but perhaps after all I feel still more 

 keenly tie sympathy and kindness with which as a 

 stranger 1 was first received among you, and which have 

 made the thirteen years of my Praelectorship the brightest 

 as well as the best years of my life. 



Yours ever truly, 



M. Foster 



THE ISCHIA EARTHQUAKE 



A SLIGHT shock of earthquake occurred in Casa- 

 -**■ micciola at seven o'clock on Sunday morning, at 

 the Gurgitello, where that of July 2S created the most 

 ruin, but it was limited to that spot, and caused no 

 damage. It is reported that a fissure a kilometre in 

 length and thirty kilometres in depth has opened on the 

 south-west flank of Mount Epomeo. The smoke ejected 

 from the fumaroli at the summit of the mountain has 

 considerably diminished in quantity. The Naples Aca- 

 demy of Sciences has appointed a Commission to in- 

 vestigate the telluric conditions of Ischia. 



The following communication from the Times corre- 

 spondent at Rome is important : — 



" From a second report made by Prof. Michele Stefano 

 di Rossi, head of the Central Geodynamic Observatory 

 at Rome, to the Minister of Agriculture, on the pheno- 

 mena connected with the earthquake in Ischia, it appears 

 that not only were there for some days beforehand very 

 distinct premonitory signs at Casamicciola of the im- 

 pending catastrophe, but that throughout the peninsula 

 forewarnings, identical in character, were numerous and 

 widespread. On the island of Ischia there was an ex- 

 traordinary increase in the temperature of the thermal 

 waters and in the violence of the fumarali (i.e. the natu- 

 ral smoke funnels) at the spot called Monte Cito. These 

 phenomena were noticed eight days before the cata- 

 strophe occurred. On these important points the evi- 

 dence which Prof, di Rossi obtained is abundant. There 

 is less conclusive testimony concerning the shrinking 

 and consequent scarcity of the drinking water in 

 the wells. But he has absolutely certified that, com- 

 mencing from a period a fortnight anterior to July 28, 

 many slight shocks of earthquake, of almost daily 

 recurrence, were felt, and subterranean rumblings were 

 heard. Phenomena identical with these preceded the 

 earthquakes in Ischia in 1828, 1851, and 18S1 ; and Prof, 

 di Rossi emphatically states that had an observatory been 

 established in Ischia after the earthquake of 1881, accord- 

 ing to the advice he then gave, and the phenomena which 

 manifested themselves at Cassamicciola from July 20 on- 

 wards been communicated to him at the Central Ob- 

 servatory in Rome, he would not have hesitated an instant 

 in pointing out the imminent danger of an impending 



