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NA TURE 



\Jtily 10, 1884 



In a communication to us dated I Ielsingfors, June 23, Prof. 

 Selim Lemstrbm states that, having seen in Nature that Dr. 

 Sophus Tromholt lias entirely failed in producing the artificial 

 aurora borealis in Iceland with one of the " utstrfamnings " appa- 

 ratus invented by the Professor, he ascribes this chiefly to the 

 unusually adverse winter, heavy snowfall, and great moisture 

 having frustrated nearly every attempt to produce the aurora in 

 Sodankyla. It is remarkable, the Professor adds, that these 

 circumstances have in no way affected the terrestrial currents, 

 the measurements of which have been highly satisfactory. 



The second number of La Nuova Scienza fully maintains the 

 promise of the first, lately noticed in Nature. The editor, 

 Prof. Enrico Caporali, who contributes most of the papers, con- 

 tinues to deal chiefly with the borderland between physics and 

 metaphysics. His avowed object is to establish a new philo- 

 sophy based on the reconciliation of idealism and the material 

 order. Hence he revives the speculative doctrines of Campan- 

 ella, Giordano, Bruno, and Vico, proclaims himself a follower 

 of Kant, in so far as he accepts the Absolute as lying behind the 

 relative, and denounces not only the French materialists but even 

 the modern English Agnostic 'School. Thought, life, liberty, la 

 cernita, that is, "selection" in the Darwinian sense, pervade 

 all nature, the so-called material or inorganic as well as the 

 organic world. Even crystals are "living beings, possessing not 

 the turbulent fiery life of organised species, but a calm and 

 stable life, feeling its harmony and unity, and ever seeking to 

 adapt itself to the environment." And again : " Free selection 

 has done everything in nature. The harmony of beings is the 

 outcome of a long, persistent, unflagging work of fruitful selec- 

 tions inspired by Unity," that is, by the Absolute. In the present 

 number the leading papers are : — "Modern Italian Thought," 

 " The Pythagoric Formula of Cosmic Evolution," and "The 

 German compared with the Italian Anti-clerical Movement." 



Dr. Glasenap continues to give in the Novoyc Vremyx 

 further details concerning Russian private observatories. Dr. 

 Endrzeewitsch's observatory at Plonsk is provided with two 

 equatorials, the objectives of which have respectively 162 and 

 140 mm. diameter ; an equatorial telescope, the objective of 

 which is 10S mm. ; a transit instrument, three spectroscopes, 

 a Secchi solar eye-piece, and a rich collection of meteo- 

 rological and physical instruments. Although engaged in the 

 medical profession, Dr. Endrzeewitsch displays a rare energy in 

 the observations of comets, minor planets, Jupiter's satellites, 

 and double stars. His observations of double stars are con- 

 sidered by astronomers as most accurate. General Mayevsky's 

 observatory at Pervino, close to Torjok, ! ; provided with a 

 6-inch refractor with parallactic motion, and with a transit in- 

 strument. Although M. Mayevsky makes observations only 

 during the summer months, his measurements of some double 

 stars and of stars situated in that part of the sky where the 

 moon will be during the next total eclipse of October 4, are 

 worthy of notice. His scientific work is usually described in the 

 Annual Reports of the Pulkowa Observatory. 



A diseased coffee leaf from Natal has been transmitted to 

 Kew by Prof. Macowan, 1 (irector of the Botanic Garden, Cape 

 Town. It has been examined by Mr. II. Marshall Ward, lately 

 employed by the Government in the investigation of the coffee 

 disease in Ceylon, and he finds it attacked with a typical form of 

 the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, to which the well-known leaf-disease 

 of that colony is due. This is the farthest westward extension of 

 the disease at present. Eastward it has long maintained a 

 position in Fiji. 



Prof. Bonney asks us to state that the paper which he has 

 promised to the Montreal meeting of the British Association is 

 not, as inadvertently stated in Nature (p. 218), "On the 

 Archaean Rocks of Canada, &c," but " On the Archa-an Rocks 



of Britain." Prof. Bonney has not yet visited Canada or 

 examined many of its rocks. 



According to the Times Paris Correspondent, M. Pasteur's 

 experiments with the virus of hydrophobia are going on with 

 unbroken success. He has thus far experimented on 57 dogs, 

 19 of them mad and 38 bitten by them under uniform conditions. 

 Out of these 38 half had been previously inoculated, the other 

 half not. The latter, without a single exception, died with un- 

 mistakable signs of hydrophobia, whereas the 19 others are about 

 and as well as ever. They will be watched for a year by 

 veterinary doctors to see whether the inoculation holds good 

 permanently or only temporarily. 



As to chemical research in England we print Dr. Perkin's 

 address in another column. As to chemistry as a trade we are 

 requested to state that a petition, signed by Prof. Odling, M.A., 

 F.R.S., &c, Professor of Chemistry in the University of 

 Oxford, and others, has been presented to Her Majesty in Council 

 praying for the grant of a charter of incorporation, under the 

 title of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland. 

 The petition has been referred to a Committee of the Privy 

 Council. The trade seems distinctly to have the best of it ! 



Mr. Stanley is reported at St. Paul de Loanda to have 

 sailed for England on June 8. 



The city of Rouen has organised in connection with the 

 Concours Regional an exhibition of electricity for the whole of 

 France, and a special exhibition of Algerian products. The 

 number of electrical lamps, regulator and incandescent, is very 

 large, about 400 Swan, some Maxim, 30 Breguet regulators, 

 about 30 Jablokhoff, and 5 or 6 sun lamps. One of the most 

 interesting features is the special exhibit by the Association des 

 Proprietaires of steam-engines of Normandy, who have collected 

 a large number of boilers which have exploded, with labels indi- 

 cating the causes of explosion. 



Dr. Guldberg writes to us with reference to his recent article 

 on the North Cape Whale (vol. xxx. p. 148), that he stated that 

 one of these species of whale was taken at Pampeluna (an inland 

 town) ; what he meant to have stated was that it was taken at 

 San Sebastian, and brought to Pampeluna. He also finds that 

 Taranto was given as Toronto. Dr. Guldberg informs us 

 that one specimen more of the North Cape Whale has been cap- 

 tured, viz. at Guetaria, not far from San Sebastian, on February 

 11, 1878 ; the omission was due to the fact that his article was 

 written during his stay at Liege, where all his books of reference 

 were wanting. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Diana Monkeys (Cercopithecus diana 5 9 ) 

 from West Africa, presented by Mr. J. H. Cheetham, F.Z.S. ; 

 a Bonnet Monkey (Macacus sinicus £ ) from India, presented by 

 Mrs. Norman Yonge ; a Razorbill (Alca tarda), British, pre- 

 sented by Lady Hayter ; four Snow Birds (Junco hyemalis), an 

 American Coot (Fu'.ica americana) from North America, pre- 

 sented by Mr. F. J. Thompson ; a Hutchins's Goose {Berniela 

 hutchinsi) from Arctic America, a King Vulture (Gypagus papa) 

 from South America, presented by Mr. W. A. Conklin, 

 C.M.Z.S. ; a Barn Owl (S'rix flammea), British, presented by 

 Mr. M. B. Windus ; two Angulated Tortoises (Chersina angu- 

 lata), two Areolated Tortoises (Homopus areolatus) from South 

 Africa, two Geometric Tortoises (Testudo geometri a) from Little 

 Namaqualand, presented by the Rev. G. H. R. Fisk, C.M.Z.S. ; 

 two Ceylonese Terrapins (C/emmys trijuga) from the Island of 

 Diego, Garcia, presented by Commander the Hon. Foley C. P. 

 Vereker, R.N. ; a Pale-headed Tree Boa (Epicrates angulifer), 

 an Antillean Snake (Dromicus antillensis), two Maculated 

 Snakes [Ungalia maculata) from the Island of New Providence, 

 Bahamas, presented by Mrs. Blake ; a Tuatera Lizard (Spheno- 

 don punclatus) from New Zealand, presented by Surgeon-Major 



