362 



NATURE 



\Au02nt 18, 1881 



In the death, on the 27th ult., of Mr. Hewett Cottrell Watson, 

 at the age of seventy-seven, English botany has lost one of her 

 most indefatigable workers. For the space of fifty years Mr. 

 Watson has been a prolific writer on the geographical distribution 

 of British plants, and on the distinguishing characters of the 

 more "critical " species ; and in these departments of botany 

 he has left very few \\ ho can approach him in the extent and 

 the accuracy of his knowledge. In addition to many smaller 

 publications, and a vast number of contributions to periodical 

 literatiire, the principal works with which his name will be asso- 

 ciated are the "New Botanists' Guide" (1835-7), the "Cybele 

 Britannica" (1847-59), and the numerous editions of the "London 

 Catalogue of British Plants." His garden at Thames Ditton had 

 long been an object of pdgrimage to botanists desirous of seeing 

 growing specimens of rare or little-known species or varieties of 

 British plants ; and his judgment was the last appeal in questions 

 of difficulty. In 1847 he spent three months investigating the 

 flora of the Azores, which was then very little known, and added 

 about 100 species to the flora of the Archipelago, many of which 

 were new to science. Throughout life Mr. Watson was an 

 ardent believer in phrenology ; when a student at the University 

 of Edinburgh he became acquainted with George and Andrew 

 Combe ; and was for a time editor of the Phrenological yourtial. 



Prof. Raoul Pictet of Geneva, who has been giving his 

 attention of late to marine architecture, announces, according to 

 the Times correspondent, a discovery which, if his anticipations 

 be realised, will effect a revolution in the art of shipbuilding and 

 greatly augment the speed of sea-going and other ships. The 

 discovery consists in a new method of construction and such an 

 arrangement of the keel as will diminish the resistance of the 

 water to the lowest possible point. Vessels built in the fashion 

 devised by Prof. Pictet, instead of sinking their prows in the 

 water as their speed increases, will rise out of the water tlie 

 faster they go, in such a way that the only parts exposed to the 

 friction of the water will be the sides of the hull and the neigh- 

 bourhood of the wheel. In other words, ships thus constructed, 

 instead of pushing their way through the water, will glide over 

 it. According to the professor's calculations, in the accuracy of 

 which he has the fullest confidence, steamers built after his 

 design will attain a speed of from 50 to 60 kilometres the hour. 

 A model steamer on the principle he has discovered is in course 

 f f construction at Geneva. The machinery has been ordered at 

 Winterthur, and when ready the new vessel will make her trial 

 trip on Lake Leman. 



The Electrical Exhibition, though now open to the public, 

 seems far from being completely arranged. Our Paris corre 

 spondent writes that the English section was opened on Sunday, 

 a result due to the personal exertions of the Earl of Crawford, 

 the English Commissioner, which has caused great satisfaction. 

 1 he organisation of the English section is highly approved. 

 T he evening sittings have been postponed for an indefinite num- 

 ber of days, owing to a series of mistakes in the engineering 

 department. The electrical railw.ay is not ready. In spite of 

 tbese drawbacks the receipts of the first three days were from 

 4000 to 5000 francs each. On Snnday they were largely increased, 

 although the fees were diminished by half. We hope shortly 

 to refer to the Exhiljition in detail. Independently of the Cata- 

 logue, the administration of the Exhibition has published a 

 handbook on Electricity and its Applications, by Armingaud, 

 Becquerel, Bert, Blanco, Breguet, Clerac, Deprez, Fontaine, 

 Mascart, Reynaud, and others. L' Electricite has published a 

 ■'Petit Vocabulaire raisonne " of every word used by electricians, 

 with an introduclion by W, de Fonvielle. 



It is announced that Miss Pogson, daughter of the Madras 

 Government Astronomer, has been appointed Meteorological 

 Reporter to the Government of that Presidency. Miss Pogson 



has for some years discharged with great ability the duties of 

 Assistant Government Astronomer. 



We believe that the Royal Commission which has been con- 

 stituted for the purpose of inquiring into and reporting upon the 

 facilities for technical education in various countries is now prac- 

 tically complete. It will comprise Messrs. Samuelson, Slagg, 

 Stevenson, and Woodall, the members respectively for Banbury, 

 Manchester, South Shields, and Stoke-upon-Trent. Mr. Swire 

 Smith of Huddersfield, Prof. Roscoe of Manchester, and Mr. 

 Philip Magnus, the director of the City and Guilds of London 

 Institute, have also accepted invitations, and Mr. G. R. Red- 

 grave of the Science and Art Department will probably be 

 selected to accompany the Commission as secretary. It is ex- 

 pected that the Commission will commence its travels about the 

 middle of October. 



The British Association having decided to hold its annual 

 meeting for 18S2 at Southampton, a large and influential com- 

 mittee, including the Corporation and magistrates of the borough 

 and the clergy and ministers of all denominations, has been 

 appointed to make the necessary arrangements. A subscription 

 and guarantee fund to cover the requisite expenses of the meeting 

 has been commenced. 



The meeting of the International Congress at Bordeaux on 

 the Phylloxera having been antedated to August 29, is now 

 postponed, on account of the elections, till October 10. 



The Epping Forest and County of Essex Naturalists' Field 

 Club held a Field Meeting at Chelmsford on Saturday, August 

 13, in conjunction with the subscribers to the " Essex and 

 Chelmsford Museum." The Chelmsford Museum was visited 

 under the guidance of the Rev. R. E. Bartlett, M.A., the 

 hon. curator, and Mr. E. DuiTant, the hon. secretary. After 

 lunch the whole party proceeded in drags to Danbury Hill, 

 the ancient camp of which was visited under the guidance 

 of Mr. H. Corder ; the company then assembled to hear 

 an address by Prof. G. S. Boulger on "The Origin and 

 Distribution of the British Flora." About six o'clock the 

 party returned to Chelmsford to tea at the " Saracen's Head ' 

 Hotel, and an ordinary meeting of the Essex Club was held, 

 the President, Mr. R. Meldola, occupying the chair. The Pre- 

 sident communicated on behalf of General Pitt-Rivers the report 

 on the excavation of the ancient earthwork at Ambresbury 

 Banks in Epping Forest. It appears that this investigation has 

 been carried out with considerable success, a number of frag- 

 ments of pottery of British construction having been found 

 beneath the rampart on or near the old surface of the ground. 

 The Club has thus so far settled the date of the camp by a single 

 cutting, and the current theory that it was the work of the 

 Romans must be abandoned. Although undoubtedly British, 

 further excavations will be required before it can be decided 

 whether it dates from before or after the Roman conquest. We 

 are glad to see that the Great Eastern Railway Company has 

 assisted the Club to a great extent by allowing the members to 

 travel at greatly reduced fares on any of their lines within 

 the County of Essex on the occasion of field or of ordinary 

 meetings. 



The Daily Nezus correspondent writes that the Swiss Seismo- 

 logical Commission, which, by the co-operation of its numerous 

 members and correspondents, continues the work of simultaneous 

 earthquake observation, has just issued a report on the earthquake 

 of July 22. This shock was felt over a wide area. In France it 

 extended over the departments of Drome, Isere, Savoy, Upper 

 Savoy, Saone et Loire, Ain, Jura, and Douhs. In Italy it 

 affected chiefly the high valleys of North- Western Piedmont. 

 In .Switzerland the movement was observed in the cantons of 

 Geneva, Vaud, Friburg, Neuchatel, Solothurn, Basel, and the 



