July 7, 1881] 



NATURE 



225 



I he Gault a subject of special study, but the national museums 

 both of this country and of the New World. In addition to 

 collecting by far the most perfect specimens of the Gault fauna 

 and flora hitherto obtained, Griffiths has rendered an important 

 service to science in carefully noting the bed or horizon from 

 which each specimen was procured, which identification has 

 formed the groundwork of the divisions which English geologists 

 liave been able to make in the Gault, and the correlation of these 

 zones by M. Barrois and others with deposits occuiring on the 

 Continent. In consideration of these results, carried out by a 

 working man under the difficulties of a struggle for life with 

 circumstances, and the rigorous weather of the English Channel 

 coast, it has been thought advisable to appeal to English geolo- 

 gists to raise a small fund which should render it unnece.-sary 

 for work to be carried on when dangerous to health, and to tide 

 him over present difficulties ; towards this end a committee has 

 been formed, consisting of Mr. W. Topley, F.G.S., Mr. F. G. H. 

 Price, F.G.S., Prof. Boyd Dawkins, M.A., F.R.S., and Mr. 

 C. E. De Ranee, F.G.S., with Mr. F. G. H. Price of Messrs. 

 Childs' Bank, Temple Bar, as treasurer, who will gladly receive 

 subscriptions. 



According to annual custom, the specimens added to the 

 Museum of the College of Surgeons are now exhibited in the 

 Council Room of the College, and will remain for inspection 

 until the 13th inst., when they will be distributed in their proper 

 places in the Museum. The number of additions, both to the 

 Pathological and Physiological series, appears to be unusually 

 large. Among the former we notice a novel feature in a collec- 

 tion illustrating vegetable pathology and teratology, prepared by 

 Mr. S. S. Thattock; also a fine series showing the characteristic 

 lesions produced by Indian dysentery, presented by Sir Joseph 

 Fayrer. To the physiological, or rather zootomical, series the 

 inhabitants of the Zoological Society's Gardens have yielded 

 their usual quota of mortal remain^, and almost every portion of 

 the internal anatomy of the manatee, the external appearance 

 of which was so familiar, during seventeen months, to the 

 visitors of the Brighton Aquarium, can now be seen, neatly 

 dissected and displayed in spirit. There are also some very 

 beautiful preparations of human anatomy. Among [the most 

 striking objects shown in the osteological collection are a 

 magnificent skull of a sea-elephant and a fine articulated 

 skeleton of a sea-lion, both of which were obtained for 

 the museum by the secretary to the Falkland Islands Com- 

 pany, Mr. F. Coleman. A series of skulls and skeletons of 

 Veddahs, the aboriginal inhabitants of Ceylon, have been con- 

 tributed by Mr. W. R. Kynsey. It is mentioned in Prof. 

 Flower's report that the whole of the Barnard Davis collection, 

 which numbers 1630 specimens, mostly crania, have been 

 cleaned, arranged in the museum, and re catalogued during the 

 year, and are now available for study. The report also refers 

 to the appointment of an additional as-istant curator, having 

 special duties in the pathological department of the museum. 



The Annivers.ary Meeting of the Sanitary Institute of Great 

 Britain will be held at the Royal Institution, Albemarle Street, 

 on Thursday, July 14, at 3 p.m. An address will be delivered 

 by the Chairman of Council, Prof. S. F. B. F. De Chaumont, 

 M.D., F.R.S., entitled, "Modern 'Sanitary Science;" and the 

 medals and certificates awarded to the successful exhibitors at 

 the Exhibition at Exeter in iSSo will be presented. 



At a meeting of the joint committee of the Edinburgh Town 

 Council, the Highland Society, and the Scotch Fisheries Im- 

 provement Association, held in Edinburgh on the 29th ult., a 

 strong opinion was expressed in favour of the proposal to hold 

 a Fisheries Exhibition in Edinburgh, of making it an interna- 

 tional exhibition open to all countries, and of having it, if 

 possible, in the Waverley Market, in April next year. An 

 Executive Committee was appointed. 



The University College, Nottingham, was opened on Thurs- 

 day last, July 30, by His Royal Highness the Duke of Albany, 

 in a brief ceremony. At a luncheon afterwards, given in the 

 Albert Hall, the Duke made a thoughtful speech on the nature 

 and aims of the Institution. We hope to return to the subject. 



Belgium (according to V Electriciti) will take a considerable 

 share in the forthcoming Paris Exhibition. The number of 

 exhibitors is over a hundred. Among other exhibits the Jaspar 

 regulator and the lampe-soleil of MM. Clerc and Bureau will 

 compete prominently with the numerous other systems of electric 

 lighting. Of telephone-specialists M. de Locht-Labye will show 

 his pan-telephone in action, and M. Navez's researches will 

 doubtless receive due attention. Meteorological instruments 

 will be specially represented by those of M. Van Ryssel- 

 berghe, with which the indications of a meteorograph at a distance 

 are registered directly at Brussels Observatory. Col. Lebou- 

 lange will exhibit ballistic apparatus of special type, and his 

 ingenious dromometer and dromoscope for controlling the velo- 

 city of trains, especially at dangerous points. Various kinds of 

 telegraph wire will be shown, and a special interest will attach 

 to the wires of phosphor bronze from the works of M. Monte- 

 fiore Levy ; these wires have a conductivity four times that of 

 iron, and their tenacity being also much greater, lines may be 

 made in which the wire section is greatly reduced. An official 

 and special catalogue is being prepared for the Belgian section 

 it will comprise an introductory notice byj M. Bonneux on 

 electrical science and industry in that country. 



A PRIV.A.TE vi^it was paid on Saturday last to the Channel 

 tunnel experimental works by Sir E. Watkin, M.P. (chairman 

 of the South-Eastem Railway Company), and a large party of 

 scientific and other gentlemen. Very satisfactory progress was 

 found to have been made at Abbot's CHIT since the last visit. 

 The heading has now been advanced a total length of nearly half 

 a mile. The tunnel is kept well free of water, and a good average 

 rate of work ii maintained. The work at the new shaft at 

 Shakespeare's Cliff promises to be even more satisfactory. A 

 very superior boring machine is used, and a more powerful 

 engine is being fitted up to drive it. 



The first general meeting of the Society of Chemical Industry 

 was held on the 28th ult. in the hall of the Institute of Civil 

 Engineers, Prof. Roscoe presiding. After the President's address 

 papers were read on "Recent Legislation on Noxious Gases," 

 by Mr. E. K. Muspratt ; " The Brewing of Lager Beer," by 

 Prof. C. Graham ; and " Mechanical Furnaces," by Mr. James 

 Mactear. This promising Society already numbers 300 members. 



The Council of the University 'of Dublin have nominated 

 Valentine Ball, M.A., of the Geological Survey of India, to the 

 Professorship of Geology in the University of Dublin ; this 

 nomination however requires to be confirmed by a vote of the 

 Board of Trinity College, Dublin. There were seven candi- 

 dates. 



M. W. DE FoNViELLE, eAitox oi L' Ekitricilc', and M. Lipp- 

 mann, one of his contributors, made a balloon ascent on July 2, 

 shortly after midnight. The descent took place near Ram- 

 bouillet at a quarter past five, the distance traversed being 48 

 kilometres. The balloonists canied with them a small Plante 

 accumulator with a special safety electric lamp constructed by 

 Trouve, composed of a platinum wire inclosed in a glass tube. 

 While the apparatus did not weigh more than I kilog. it gave 

 sufficient light for reading the barometer and thermometer, and 

 writing notes with accuracy. A special luminous compass for 

 aeronauts will be constructed on this plan and sent to the 

 Exhibition of Electricity. 



The number of Chinese in the United States is now proved 

 by the census to be very much less than has been commonly sup- 



