356 



NA TURE 



\u \ugust 7, 1884 



to ascertain how far the oscillations of the ground and the phe- 

 nomenon of tides may be determined by the vibrations of the 

 pendulum in volcanic and mountainous regions. — Report of the 

 Commissioners, MM. Gosselin, Pasteur, Marey, Bert, and others 

 on various recent communications received in connection with the 



outbreak of cholera in the South of France. The Com- 

 mission has examined altogether 240 communications, mostly from 

 Spain, and either suggesting "infallible nostrums," or such reme- 



ire already in practice. Others recommend hypodermic in- 

 jections of the nitrate of pilocarpine, arsenic, copper, phenic acid, 

 salicylic acid, vapour of hyponitric acid, intra-venous injections 

 of pure water, or mixed with chloride of calcium or other salts. 

 All these methods have been tried, mostly with indifferent re- 

 sults, although phenii acid and the intra-venous injections seem 

 to call for further consideration. But, speaking generally, the 

 Commission regrets to have to report that none of the communi- 

 cations contain any really useful suggestions. — On a new appli- 

 cation of electricity P. the treatment of fibrous tumours of the 

 womb, by M. G. Apontoli. — Researches on wheaten and other 

 flours ; distribution of the acid and saccharine elements in the 

 inducts of the corn-mill, by M. Balland. — Note on the 

 analytical calculating machine invented by Charles Babbage, by 

 General F. L. Menabrea. The author gives a full di 

 of the machine left incompleted by the inventor. He 

 an unpublished letter of Mr. Babbage, dated \ 

 and certifying that the anonymous English translation 

 Menabrea's original account of the machine, which appeared 

 with some brilliant accompanying explanations in the third 

 volume of the .' ns, was by Lady Ada Love- 



lace, only daughter of Lord Byron. — Note on the exact 

 number of the variations gained or lost in the multipli- 

 cation of the polynome f[x) l\ the binome a-' ± ,?. by M. 

 D. Andre. — Note on the temperature and critical 

 of the atmosphere. Relation between atmospheric temper- 

 ature and the pressure of evaporation, by M. K. Olzewski. 

 — Description of a new method of directly measuring absolute 

 magnetic intensities, by M. A. Leduc. This method, which is 

 an application of M. Lippmann's discovery, is extremely simple 

 and expeditious. It enables magnetic intensities to be measured 

 in absolute unities, and is now being applied by the author to 

 the study of a magnetic field. — Note on the combustion of ex- 

 plosive gases in various states of dilution, by M. A. YVitz. — 

 Note on the quantitative analysis of nitric acid by precipitation 

 in the state of nitrate of cinchonamine. Application of this 

 process to the quantitative analysis of the nitrates contained in 

 natural waters and in plants, by M. Arnaud. — Note on the 

 triacetic ether of a butylic glycerine,, by M. L. Prunier. — 

 Note on a new method of making a quantitative analysis 

 of the dry extract of wines, by M. E. II. Amagat.— 

 Anatomical and physiological description of Convoluta Schultzii, 

 a curious animal of relatively high organisation, but in which 



ciation with chlorophyll elements has produced some 

 interesting physiological i phenomena, by M. A. Barthelemy. 

 Although deprived of eyes even in the rudimentary state, these 

 worms appear to possess a sort of visual sensation. The act of 

 breathing by absorption of carbonic acid through the cuticle al-o 

 presents a striking analogy to that of submerged aquatic plants. 

 — Fourth contribution to the history of the formation of coal, 

 isolated carboniferous blocks, from Commentry, by M. P.. 

 Renault. — Note on the microscopic organism associated with 

 the zooglceic tuberculo is. by MM. L. Malassez and W. Yignal. 

 — Note on a hitherto unobserved portion of the sting of melli- 

 ferous insects, and on the mechanism employed by them in 

 expelling the venom, by M. G. Carlet. — Memoir on the geology 

 of the Repp district, Tunisia, one illustration, by M. P. Mares. 

 The author determines in this district a regular superposition 

 of the Upper Cretaceous, Eocene, and Miocene formations, a 

 detailed study of which promises to be of great interest. — Note 

 on the relations existing between the crystalline systems of 

 various substances, by M. E. Mallard. 



Beri tx 



Physical Society, June 27. — Dr. Konig described a sub- 

 jective optical perception of which he had repeatedly become 

 conscious in the morning on waking from sleep and while his 

 eyes were yet shut. On a blue-gray background he saw regular 

 closely adjoining hexagons, like the cells of a beehive, the 

 contours of which appeared black, while the upper sides and the 

 outwardly adjoining sides of the hexagons had a yellow appear- 



ance interiorly, an effect produced perhaps by way of contrast 

 to the bluish background. In the interior of each hexagon, but 

 not exactly in the centre, and jusl as little uniformly in the 

 different fields, a black point was visible. The radius of each 

 figure was about the length of the diameter of the moon's image, 

 tring to tin this phenomenon Dr. Konig thought 



hi-! 1 I the epithelial cells of the eye, which formed a similar 

 mosaic behind the retina, and calculated the visual angle under 

 which such a phenomi n m w: produced. From this calculation 



1 that the-e hexagons were considerably less than the 

 subjective one-, as many as tweh . . lis being needed 



to tally with the field of the subjective figure. No other expla- 

 nation of the phenomenon had yet been come upon by 

 ! of the 



methods that hail hitherto been proposed with a view to 

 regulating the electric current in its technical application. 



I, it appeared, had yet been introduced into practice, 

 and for the present the question turned only .about proposals on 

 points of principle. Thesi were divi in h as sought 



to regulate rig the resistance, and into such, 



on the other hand, as attempted this object by changing the 

 electromotive force. The change in resistance was effected at 

 first by means of the hand, and later in different ways automatic- 

 ally, 'flic change of electromotive force in the case of dynamic 

 machines was sought in pari by regulation of the propelling 



ne, in part by change of the magnet, in part by means 

 id counteracting engine, in part by changing longitu- 

 dinally the wire pulleys, and in part by opposed windiri 



Thirdly, and lastly, it was proposed as a means 



filiating the electric current, that when the dynamic 

 machine delivered more electricity than was used, the surplus 

 should lie diverted to the supply of an accumulator where, when 

 the machine yiel ile a current, the supplementary 



aired could be drawn. Prof. Ncesen gave a more 



proposals, and concluded in 



favour of the last or third method, that, namely, of the trans- 



nergyin an accumulator, as the 



most advisable of all ;i d from a practical poinl 



of view. 



CONTENTS page 



Electric Lighting 333 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Mcni:r,an's "Text-Book en the Method of Least 



Squares " 334 



Harris's " Propositions in Geometry " 334 



Letters to the Editor :— 



i-Burnei'S, Old and New." — "Owen Merri- 



man " 335 



The "Cotton-Spinner."— Dr. F.Jeffery Bell . . . 335 



Krakatoa.— R. D. M. Verbeck 335 



The Meteorology of Ben Nevis. By Alexander 



Buchan 336 



The Forestry Exhibition 337 



Practical Taxidermy 33S 



Notes on the Canadian North-West. By Gerrard 



A. Kinahan 340 



Native American Literature and Ethnology. By 



A. H. Keane 341 



Notes 343 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The New Comet 346 



Periodical Comets in 1885 346 



A Variable-Star in Aquarius 346 



Ptolemy's 30th of Centaurus 346 



Observations on a Green Sun and Associated 



Phenomena. By Prof. C. Michie Smith .... 347 



Education, Science, and Art 349 



The Marine Biological Association 350 



The Meteorological Conference 351 



Scientific Serials 355 



Societies and Academies 355 



