Oct. 2, 1884] 



NA TURE 



537 



manner and direction of the motions of the extremely lofty air- 

 currents in which the finely- divided material is suspended. 



A. S. Herschel 

 Collingwood, Hawkhurst, September 20 



On September 27, being on the river about 6 p.m., I noticed 

 the beautiful colour of the sky, which lasted for three-quarters of an 

 hour after sunset. The day had been very cloudy, but not much 

 rain had fallen, and about 4.30 p.m. the sky cleared and the sun 

 shone out. My attention was drawn to the appearance of the 

 sky about 6.15, after the sun had set. Great masses of red 

 appeared in the west on a background of gold and primrose ; 

 above this the sky shaded from green into blue ; the red colour 

 extended upwards for about 40 , and appeared of various shades, 

 deep red, magenta, and rose colour, the various small clouds 

 which were floating about being pink. This red light gradually 

 broadened out and died away, giving place to deep orange and 

 gold, the latter colour lasting till 6.45. 



The water was as gorgeous as the sky above, the reflections 

 of the trees being bright red and purple on a floor of gold. I 

 may add that the red light from the sky was so strong that a 

 rosy hue was thrown on some trees and everything around. 



Hurley Mill, September 28 T. M. Browne 



September Stream of Krakatoa Smoke at Strong's 

 Island 



After long delay, owing to the wrecking at Strong's Island 

 of the Morning Star, I feel very fortunate in coming into 

 possession at last of a most important record of fact, which I 

 hasten to publish, in the form of an extract from the journal of 

 Miss Cathcart, the young lady missionary labouring at Strong's 

 Island with Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Pease, and well known in Hono- 

 lulu. It is as follows : — 



"September 8. — Yesterday there was a very peculiar appear- 

 ance of the sun. The sky was somewhat cloudy, but not so as 

 to obscure the sun, which was of a silver blue colour, and not 

 so bright but what we could look at it without any trouble. 

 The shadow was the same as in an eclipse. There was no 

 bright sunshine all day." 



Although the journal contains no further record on the subject, 

 nor any mention of the red glows which must have followed, it 

 is so precise as to date and as to the phenomena observed as to 

 be of the greatest value in continuing the history of the equa- 

 torial smoke-stream from Krakatoa beyond Honolulu and Fan- 

 ning's Island, to which it had been continuously traced on its 

 long route vid the Seychelles, Cape Coast Castle, Trinidad, and 

 Panama. It was observed by the barque Southard Hurllmrt 

 some 2000 miles east-south-east of Honolulu on September 3, 

 at Fanning's Island on September 4, and at Honolulu in con- 

 spicuous brilliancy on the evening of the 5th. Mr. Frank 

 Atwater, landing at Maalaea, Maui, on the morning of the 5th, 

 observed a wonderful red glow, and marvelled much (having 

 just arrived) if such were the sunrises in these islands. The 

 same morning passengers on the Zealandia steaming southwards 

 towards the Line were awakened by blue sunlight streaming into 

 their berths. Mr. F. L. Clarke has supplied a report, somewhat 

 imperfect as to date, of an obscured and coppery sun seen at the 

 Gilbert Islands on or about September 7. This would be Sep- 

 tember 6 in our reckoning, the Gilbert Islands being west of the 

 meridian of 180°. 



Now we have the very precise date given by Mis< Cathcart, 

 of September 7 (6th) at Strong's Island, or just one clay later 

 than at Honolulu, and thirty-six hours later than the 

 late afternoon coppery and lurid obscuration seen at Fan- 

 ning's Island. Strong's Island is about 2320 miles nearly due 

 west of Fanning's Island. This give- a rate of progress of 

 the smoke-stream of sixty-four miles an hour. It seems proper 

 to reckon time from Fanning's Island rather than from the 

 Hawaiian Islands, as the latter were evidently north of the cen- 

 tral course of the stream, and perceived its atmospheric effects 

 half a day later than the former, although nearly on the same 

 meridian. 



It is to be specially noted also that the phenomena were 

 characterised by the peculiarities seen at Fanning's Island, as 

 well as at Panama, rather than those seen at Honolulu. Here 

 the obscuration of the sun was so slight as not to have been 

 noticed during the day, nor was any change in its colour ob- 

 served, except by Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Whitney, who saw its 

 disk green at setting on the 5th. At Strong's Island, as well as 



at Fanning's Island, Panama, Trinidad, and eastward, the sun 

 was heavily obscured, and its light changed to green at low alti- 

 tudes, and blue when high up. This proves that the heavier 

 thickness of the smoke-stream did not extend so far north as 

 Honolulu, but was confined to a narrow belt near the equator. 

 Fanning's Island is in lat. 2° 40' N., long. 159° W. Strong's 

 Island is in lat. 5 N., long. 162° 30' E. The Zealandia was 

 perhaps 5° N. when the blue sun was observed. Honolulu is in 

 lat. 22° 17' N., and received only the clouds fraying off from the 

 edge of the smoke-belt as it swept by to the southward. 



The sun's rays were so greatly obscured by the density of the 

 smoke strata in the main belt that they seem there to have 

 failed to produce the marvellous twilight effects which were so 

 conspicuous in Honolulu. All along the line from Seychelles to 

 Strong's Island, we hear of lurid appearances, green sun, blue 

 light, great obscuration, sun easily observed with the naked eye, 

 but hardly anywhere a word about twilight effects, or red glows ; 

 vyrtile at Honolulu, under the thinner side clouds of the stream, 

 the colour effects in the twilight were amazing. 



The topic is an endless one, and I will not prolong. Many 

 ask what is the cause of frequent revivals of the red glows, such 

 as the very fine one of last evening, August 19. It seems merely 

 to show an irregular distribution of the vast clouds of thin 

 Krakatoa haze still lingering in the upper atmosphere. They 

 drift about, giving us sometimes more, sometimes less, of their 

 presence. It is also not unlikely that in varying hygrometric 

 conditions the minute dust -particles become nuclei for ice crystals 

 of varying size. This would greatly vary their reflecting 

 power. This accords with some observations of Mr. C. J. 

 Lyons, showing that the amount of red glow varies according to 

 the prevalence of certain winds. S. E. Bishop 



Hawaiian Government Survey, Honolulu, August 20 



Biology ;'. Botany 



According to the regulations of the Cambridge Leal Exa- 

 minations, 18S3, junior students can alone take botany, while 

 senior students must take elementary biology instead. What 

 has been the result? Taking the Regent's Park centre as a 

 typical example, for it is a single school of several hundred girls, 

 and sends up probably more than any other school in England, 

 we find that from 1S72 to 1882, inclusive, 273 senior students 

 entered, and 191, or 70 per cent, passed in botany. In 1883, 

 however, none were sent up at all. If we ask, What is the 

 object of teaching science in schools ? the answer is obviously 

 for its educational value. Now this can only be acquired by 

 practical study. Botany is eminently qualified for affording this 

 use, whereas zoology is not. The lady principal of the school 

 in question will not entertain the idea of teaching any branch of 

 science if it cannot be taught practically, and very pertinently 

 asks, " How can I get two to three hundred frogs, and make 

 my girls dissect them ? In the first place, the parents would 

 not allow it." Consequently biology becomes a dead letter, and 

 botany is discountenanced by the Syndicate for the elder girls. 



On inquiring of a member of the Syndicate, I am informed 

 that the general idea is that the juniors should study botany 

 from this educational point of view, but seniors are of such an 

 age that mere "object-lessons" are no longer necessary, but 

 training in scientific thought is called for. Now, in the first 

 place, it must be borne in mind that, from the pressure of other 

 subjects, it is not generally, if ever, easy to teach science at all 

 adequately in schools ; and, secondly, the small amount of 

 botany that can only possibly be taught, even to the elder 

 pupils, is little more than practical descriptions, a certain 

 acquaintance with the leading families of plants, and the general 

 principles of physiology and histology. There is not the time to 

 do more. As an examiner for the College of Preceptors for 

 many years, and having to look over papers from schools, &c. , 

 from all parts of England, I can testify to the fact that the 

 standard of botanical teaching is decidedly low. Of course 

 there are exceptions, but the majority, who get less than half 

 marks, show little more than a smattering of the subject. 

 Instead, therefore, of insisting on elder pupils advancing to 

 biology, my own feeling is that it would be decidedly better to 

 encourage seniors to continue the study of botany alone, but 

 more thoroughly. The idea of calling such botany an "object- 

 lesson " will sound somewhat ludicrous to my fellow teachers, 

 who know what teaching practical botany thoroughly really 

 means ! 



The remedy, therefore, seems obvious. Let the seniors as 

 before pass in botany alone, but of a higher standard if you 



