62 
NATURE 
[NOVEMBER 19, 1903 
ANNOUNCEMENT is made of the proposed publication of a 
new journal under the title Archivio di Fisiologia, edited by 
Prof. Giulio Fano, director of the physiological laboratory 
at Florence. The journal will be especially concerned with 
experimental work, but synthetic reviews and philosophical 
disquisitions will not be excluded from it. Contributions 
will be published, according to the wish of the author, in 
English, Italian, German or French. The Archivio di 
Fisiologia will appear every two months, forming a yearly 
volume of about 500 pages. The English agents are 
Messrs. W. Heffer and Sons, Cambridge. 
Mr. E, Kirro, superintendent of the Falmouth Observ- 
atory, sends some particulars of the recent magnetic storm 
registered at that observatory. Commencing on October 31 
at 7 a.m., the disturbance continued until 5 a.m. on 
November 1. It was severe from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on 
October 31, but the period of exceptional severity was 
between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., during which time the declin- 
ation magnet swung through an arc of 2 degrees 2 minutes, 
as determined by actual measurements of the declination 
curve. The Falmouth Observatory magnetic records are 
continuous from January, 1887, but the magnetic storm of 
October 31 stands out as the most remarkable record of 
magnetic disturbance ever made at the observatory, 
Ir is reported by the Pioneer Mail that the Secretary ‘of 
State for India has definitely sanctioned. the scheme for 
establishing an agricultural college at Pusa, in the 
Muzaffarpur district. The intention is to combine a large 
experimental farm and an agricultural college with an in- 
stitution for research, so as to form a great Imperial insti- 
tution. The fine Government estate at Pusa will be the 
headquarters of the staff of various experts, including an 
agricultural chemist, who will be mainly an analyst and 
cryptogamic botanist, whose business it is to investigate 
the diseases which attack the principal’ indigenous crops, 
and an entomologist, charged with the study of insect pests. 
A cattle farm for the improvement of ‘the local breed of 
cattle will also be included. 
A LEcTURESHIP has been endowed in the University of 
Birmingham by an anonymous friend in memory of the 
late Prof. Huxley. We learn from the British Medical 
Journal that the lecture is to be given annually, either in 
the winter or spring terms, and to be open to all members 
of the university without payment. It is to be called the 
Huxley lecture, and for its endowment a sum of 2ol. per 
annum has been given. The lecture will also commemorate 
the opening of Mason’s College, the predecessor of the 
university, by Prof. Huxley. 
a wish that the first lecture should be given by someone 
who knew the late Prof. Huxley intimately, and who was 
associated with his work, it has been decided by the council 
on the recommendation of the Senate to invite Sir Michael 
Foster, K.C.B., F.R.S., to deliver the first lecture. 
On the completion of the portrait of the late Prof. P. G. 
Tait for the Hall of Peterhouse, Cambridge, the treasurer 
was able to announce a surplus in hand. It was therefore 
suggested that an attempt should be made to increase this 
amount until it should suffice for the establishment in the 
college of a prize associated with Prof. Tait’s name, and 
to be given for excellence in his subject, physics. Mention 
was made of this project in our issue of October 22 (p. 603) ; 
and we now learn that a final report made to the master 
and fellows of Peterhouse on October 29 showed that the 
amount of the fund had reached the substantial total of 
2oo0l. A committee was appointed to draw up regulations 
for the award of the prize, and record was made of the 
NO. 1777, VOL. 69] 
As the donor has expressed’ 
/Abernethian Society at St. 
gratitude of the college to all who have united in establish- 
ing this worthy memorial of a renowned alumnus of Peter- 
house. 
Mr. R. Kaye Gray, in his presidential address to the 
Institution of Electrical Engineers last Thursday, dealt 
with a number of subjects of importance and interest. He: 
referred at some length to the development of electric. 
traction and power-supply in this country, and laid con-. 
siderable stress on the difficulties caused by faulty legis-. 
lation, which had hampered the progress of these’ branches, 
and, indeed, to a certain extent, of all electrical engineer- 
ing in England. All engineers will join in his hope that 
the Government will speedily carry out the promises made. 
to the deputation headed by Mr. Swinburne last year, and 
will both introduce and carry through really effective amend- 
ing measures. Mr. Gray referred to the fact that the 
Institution had recently purchased a site for building a 
permanent home for itself, and said that’ there was no! 
intention of building as yet, partly because it was possible 
that in the near’ future the various engineering interests’ 
might unite to build ‘‘ one large temple of engineering,” 
in which all might find a home. ‘ 
For several years past valuable statistics of rainfall and 
‘other meteorological phenomena recorded at Zomba, in 
British Central Africa, have been published by the scientific 
department of that protectorate; the head of that depart- 
ment is Mr. J. McClounie. We are somewhat surprised to. 
find that, as the head of a public department, he has. 
ventured to depart from the orthodox scientific methods 
adopted by official meteorologists, and has issued daily rain- 
fall forecasts from June 1903 to May 1904, and estimated 
monthly amounts for various parts of Nyasaland. He states 
that ‘‘the forecasts have been framed according to the relative 
positions of the moon and the sun on the dates noted, and’ 
the estimates formed according to the various movements 
of the moon, and proportionate to our knowledge of the 
average rainfall of each month as regulated by latitude and 
altitude.’’ Prof. Pernter, in the paper referred to in our 
issue of last week, has pointed out, as, indeed, Herschel 
stated many years ago, that the influence of the moon on 
weather is so small as to be almost inappreciable. We are 
not prepared, without further inquiry, to endorse Prof. 
Pernter’s opinion that the adherents of the lunar theory 
carefully note the days on which their forecasts have been 
successful, but. take no heed of the failures; we are, how- 
ever, not yet prepared to admit that this method of fore- 
casting weather is likely to lead to any useful results. ) 
Some further particulars with regard to the alleged dis- 
covery of the cancer parasite by Dr. Schmidt, (see NaTuRE, i 
November 12, p- 34) are published in the Lancet. These} 
are given by Mr. H. J. Johnson in a paper read before the 
Bartholomew’s Hospital. Dr. 
Schmidt claims not only to have isolated the parasite, but 
to have cultivated it, though no details are given. By the 
use of killed cultures a. vaccine is prepared, the injection of 
which into a patient with cancer is stated to be followed by’ 
a reaction and. by curative effects. ' By. injecting animals 
with the cultures, their serum.acquires antidotal properties,’ 
and may-also-be used for treatment. At present/there-is no 
supply either of the vaccine or serum available for treatment. 
InN a recent number of Nature (vol. Ixviii. p. 8) a brief 
summary was given of the position of the present epoch’in 
‘relation to Briickner’s long weather cycle of 35 years, ana 
it was there shown that as-regards the total rainfall of the 
British Isles we have now passed a minimum or “‘ droughty, 
period,’’ and are commencing a wet cycle, which will reach, 
UW ig ourde 
