Feb. 5 r88 5 ] 



NATURE 



Philistine to grant Government ail. With reference to the science 

 faculty, I should like to make a remark which applies also to the 

 other faculties, but very specially to this faculty. I should wish 

 to give it considerable power to establish lectureships on any 

 special subject for which a specially gifted man should be found. 

 Though the number of his pupils might be very limited, the 

 publication of the result- of his research, carried on a' the Uni- 

 versity, would raise it in what I should like to call the inter- 

 national scale. Besides, the knowledge of such prizes being 

 attainable would stimulate original research arrnng the most 

 brilliant undergraduates. I wish those lecturers to be incor- 

 porated in the University." 



We have received the Report of the Board of Managers of 

 Vale College Observatory for 1883-84. Dr. Elkin is doing good 

 work with the heliometer. The principal lines of investigation 

 to which attention has been directed are as follows : — "(1) The 

 triangulation of the Pleiades. The interest attaching to this 

 work will lie both in the new and independent determination of 

 the relative positions of the stars of this important zodiacal 

 group and in the comparison with the similar determination 

 made with the Konigsberg heliometer nearly halt a century ago, 

 as well as with the later Paris results. The plan adopted will 

 furnish, it is hoped, trustworthy tests of the reliability of the 

 instrument both for absolute and relative distances and angles of 

 position. From February 24, the date of the arrival of the 

 reversing eye-pieces from Messrs. Repsold, to April 12, after 

 which the stars are lost in the sun's rays, about one-third of the 

 proposed plan has been accomplished. As the group will come 

 into favourable position for observation during the last four 

 months of the year, th-re is, therefore, all reasonable hope to 

 finish the work during that time. (2) A considerable amount of 

 time has been devoted to the determination of places of the 

 moon relative to stars within measuring-reach of the heliometer. 

 The principal object in view is the determination of the paral- 

 lactic inequality in the moon's motion, the deduction of which 

 from meridian and other observations is, as is well known, 

 attended with some difficulty. (3) Advantage has been taken of 

 the favourable opportunity afforded by the approaching inferior 

 conjunction of Venus for a series of observations on the 

 diameter of this planet, of which a number have been already 

 secured." 



A circular from Mr. H. H. Warner, of the Rochester 

 (U.S.) Astronomical Society, gives the following information as 

 to the Warner Astronomical Prizes : — First. Two hundred dol- 

 lars for each and every discovery of a new comet made from 

 February 1, 1885, to February 1, 18S6, subject to the following 

 conditions: — (1) It must be discovered in the United States, 

 Canada, Mexico, West Indies, South America, Great Britain, 

 and the Australian Continent and Islands, either by the naked 

 eye or telescope, and it must be unexpected, except as to the 

 comet of 1S15, which is expected to reappear this year or next. 

 (2) The discoverer must send a prepaid telegram immediately to 

 Dr. Lewis Swift, Director Warner Observatory, Rochester 

 (N.Y.), giving the time of the discovery, the position and direc- 

 tion of motion, with sufficient exactness, if possible, to enable 

 at least one other observer to find it. (3) This intelligence must 

 not be communicated to any other party or parties, either by letter, 

 telegraph, or otherwise, until such time as a telegraphic acknow- 

 ledgment has been received by the discover from Dr. Swift. 

 Great care should be observed regarding this condition, as it is 

 essential to the proper transmission of the discovery, with the 

 name of the discoverer, to the various parts of the world, which 

 will be immediately made by Dr. Swift. Discoverers in Great 

 Britain, the Australian Continent and Islands, West Indies, 

 and South America are absolved from the restrictions in con- 

 ditions (2) and (3). Second. Mr. Warner will also give a prize 



of 2CO dols. in gold to any person in the world who will write 

 the best 3ooo-word paper on the cause of the atmospheric effects 

 ("red light," &c.) accompanying sunset and sunrise during the 

 past sixteen months. It is desired that these papers be as 

 original as possible, both in facts, observations, and treatment. 

 Essays must be exclusively sent prepaid to Dr. Lewis Swift, 

 Director Warner Observatory, Rochester, New Vork, must be 

 written in English, on one side of the paper only, with ink, and 

 must be in the simplest untechnical phrase. 



We learn from Science that Mr. Henry Lomb, of Rochester, 

 New Vork, has offered, through the American Public Health 

 Association, the sum of 2800 dols., to be awarded as first and 

 second prize; for papers on the following subjects : — (1) Healthy 

 homes and foods for the working classes : first prize, 500 dols. ; 

 second prize, 200 dols. Essays to be of a practical character, 

 devoid, as far as possible, of scientific terms. They must be 

 within the scope and understanding of all classes, and designed 

 especially for a popular work. (2) The sanitary conditions and 

 necessities of ^choolhouses and school-life : first prize, 500 dols. ; 

 second prize, 200 dols. (3) Disinfection and individual prophy- 

 laxis against infectious diseases : first prize, 500 dols. ; second 

 prize, 200 dols. (4) The preventable causes of disease, injury, 

 and death, in 'American manufactories and workshops, and the 

 best means and appliances for preventing and avoiding them : 

 first prize, 500 dols. ; second prize, 200 dols. All essays 

 written for the above prizes must be in the hands of the 

 secretary, Dr. Irving A. Watson, Concord, N.H., on or before 

 October 15, 1885. It is expected that arrangements can be 

 made to have these essays widely distributed to the public, and 

 to the persons mostly interested in the respective subjects in the 

 United States. The American Public Health Association 

 earnestly appeals to those able to compete, to take part in 

 this work, which, it is believed, will do much to augment the 

 health, comfort, and happiness of the people. 



We are glad to notice that classes for 'the instruction and 

 study of elementary astronomy have been established by the 

 Liverpool Astronomical Society, and will meet every Tuesday 

 in the Association Hall, Mount Pleasant. The opening meet- 

 ing of the class was held on Wednesday, January 21, at— we are 

 informed — twenty o'clock (eight p.m.), when Mr. Isaac Roberts, 

 F.R.A.S., F.G.S., presided and addressed the students. The 

 class throughout the course will be conducted by Mr. James 

 Gill, of the Liverpool School of Navigation. 



The distinction, of Associate of the Linnean Society has 

 recently been conferred on Mr. James E. Bagnall, of Birming- 

 ham. Mr. Bagnall is one of the Vice-Presidents of the Birm- 

 ingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, of which 

 he has for something like a quarter of a century been one of 

 the most useful and hard-working members. He has devoted 

 his principal attention to the study of botany — structural and 

 systematic. His most important published work is the latest 

 and by far the best "Flora of Warwickshire," which has ap- 

 peared by instalments extending over several years in the Mid- 

 land Naturalist. This work will, we are informed, shortly 

 appear in a thoroughly revised form as an independent publica- 

 tion. Mr. Bagnall belongs to the class of naturalists of which 

 Thomas Edwards is the type. 



At the last meeting of the China Asiatic Society at Shanghai 

 an instrument, which was a species of primitive telephone, was 

 presented for inspection by Dr. Macgowan of Wenchow. It 

 consisted of two bamboo cylinders, from ij to 2 inches in 

 diameter, and 4 inches in length ; one end of each was closed 

 by a tympanum of pig-bladder, which was perforated for the 

 transmitting string, the latter being kept in place by being 

 knotted. This rude instrument is called the " listening tubes,' 

 and is employed for amusement as a toy, conveying whispers 



