Oct. 20, 1 881] 



NA TURE 



589 



slow motion produced by clockwork. The probe, by 

 touching the mercury, completes a circuit, through which 

 a currtnt is instantly traubmitled from a local battery. 

 The line-wiie is included in this circuit, and a corre- 

 sponding movement is produced in the diamond point of 

 the receiving instrument. A local electro-magnet is also 

 made by this current, and the arrangements are such that 

 the current is thus diverted from the mercury at the 

 instant after the probe has touched it, and there is con- 

 sequently no spark when the probe leaves the mercury. 

 The instantaneous current which thus passes is always 

 from the probe to the mercury ; in other wor s 

 the mercury is the negative and the probe the posi- 

 tive terminal. If any moisture be present its oxygen 

 goes to the probe (which is of platinum) and the 

 hydrogen to the mercury, which thus, instead of oxidising, 

 is kept always bright. Evidently the higher the mercury 

 stands in the tube, the sooner will the contact be made, 

 and thus the scale of equal parts before-mentioned gives 

 the height of the mercury. 



The diamond point makes a succession of short marks 

 which (in virtue of a mechanical interruption) form a 

 regular series up to the moment when the probe touches 

 the mercury, after which they cease for several seconds. 

 The cylinder revolves once in ten minutes, and the dia- 

 mond point has at the same time a slow longitudinal 

 motion (being mounted on a screw axle), so that the 

 successive indications of the same thermometer form a 

 nearly continuous curve (traced by points). 



Thus by one line wire and one diamond point the 

 curves for all the six instruments are drawn at a station 

 which may be 200 or 300 miles distant. The value of 

 such an instrument for furnishing the director of a central 

 station with accurate data on which to base his weather- 

 predictions speaks for itself; and as regards expense, 

 all the expenses of photography and of reducing and 

 engraving photographic traces are saved. It has been 

 worked in Belgmra over a wire of the length of 750 

 miles. 



(To be coiitiniiciL) 



NOTES 

 The Roy.-il Institution Scsjion will commence nitli a cour.-e 

 of six lectui es on astroncmy, adapted to a juvenile audience, 1)y 

 Prof. R. S. Hall, F.R.S., Astronomer-Royal in Ireland. Dr. 

 W. Huggins will give a discoune nn Comets at the first Friday 

 evening meeting', Jsnuary 20, 1S82. 



The International Commission for tl e next transit of Venns, 

 established in Paris under the presidency of M. Dumas, has 

 accom[>U^hed its woik and published a series of instructions, 

 which will appear in the next number of the Comptes rendus of 

 the Academy of Sciences, and be sent to ail a-tronomers and 

 observatories. A complete scbeme for internalional co-operation 

 has been adopted. 



As No. 12 of the Bibliographical Contributions, edited by 

 Mr. Justin Winsor of the Ilarvai'd University l.ibrai-y, we have 

 a List of the Publications of Harvard University and its Offi- 

 cers, 1870-80. It contains, for example, the fublications of 

 the Astronomical Observatory, the Bussey Instiluticn, the 

 Museum of Comparative Zoology, &c., followed by an alpha- 

 betical list of the officers (professors, &c.) of the University 

 with their publications, an d including such names as tho: e 

 of Agassiz, father and son, J. A. Allen, the ornithologist, 

 J. P. Cooke, professor of chemistry, Asa Gr.'ry, H. A. Hagen, 

 professor of entomology, E. C. Picliering, professor of astro- 

 nomy, the late Benjamin Peirce, S. H. Scuddei', N. S. Shaler, 

 J. Trowbridge, professor of physics, and others. 



The experiments made at the Paris Opera in electric lighting 

 have been successful for regulators. Not less than thirty-six 



Brush lamps illuminated the celeV rated monumental staircase, 

 with Werdermarm in the circular gallery, and Jaspar in the buffet. 

 Sixty- four JablrckhtfiT lights were disposed on the ceiling i-ound 

 the char.delier with success in spite of the numerous chanqes of 

 colour. The incandescent light exhibittrs — Svian, Maxim, and 

 Edison — were not ready to act their part, and the opportunity 

 was lost for them ; a second will be given to-day. 



A RUMOUR has been spread by the Jotirnal Official that the 

 Electrical Exhibition w ill be closed on the 1st of November. The 

 impending resignation of M. Cochery is stated to be at the 

 bottom of tlris semi-official attempt. But it is certain no 

 aheration will be made in the original date of closing, except 

 to extend the time granted up to December I. 



The death is announced, at the age of e'ghty-fonr years, of 

 M. Dubrunfaut, a w ell-known French industrial chemist. 



It is stated that M. Herve-Msngon, director of ihe Paris 

 Conservatoire des Ai-ts et Metiers, has dtc'ded to resign his post 

 in order to devote himself more entirely to politics, he having 

 been elected recently as depiiti iox the department of La Manche. 

 Probably he wiil be succeec'ed hy Ccl. laussedat of the Poly- 

 technic School. 



Prof. IIaeckel has arrivtd at Vienna on his way to 

 Ceylon. 



In connection with the Museum and Library, Queen's Road', 

 Bristol, the foil wing syllabus if a course of nine lectures, on 

 literary and scientific subjects, to be delivered during the nin'er, 

 1SS1-S2, h.Ts been issued: — October y, 18S1, Clements R> 

 Markham, C.B., F.R.S., Sec. R.G.S., the Basque rrov:nces of 

 Spain; Noveu.ber 14, Prof. \V. J. Solas, M.A., F.R.S.E., 

 F.G.S., the Natural History of Volcanoes ; Novemfer 28, Profl 



5. P. Thompson, B.A., D.Sc., F.R.A.S., Electric Storage and 

 Lighting ; December 12, Prof. William Kainsay, Pb.D;, 

 F.C S., Impi-ovemeiits in Iron and Steel Manufacture ; January 

 23, 1SS2, Prof Beniley, F.L.S., Epiphytic and Parasitic Plants, 

 with seme observations on the Life of other Plants ; February 



6, Ven. Archdeacon Norris, B.D., Canon of Brittol, Redcliffe 

 Church : its Architecture and History ; February 20, J. E. PI. 

 Gordon, B.A., the Leyden Jar; March 6, \V. Saville Kent, 

 Infusoria; March 20, Rev. A. H. Sayce, M.A., the Land of 

 the Phoenicians. 



Lieut. Friedrich Will will shortly undertake a thorough 

 zoological-entomological investigation of the provinces of Bahia', 

 Pernambuco, and Piauhy ; he is sent ly the Entomc logical 

 Society of Stettin, the pi-esident of which is Dr. C. A. Dohrn. 



We have received parts I and 2 of the first volume of the 

 Tran:aclions of the Seismological Society of Japan, containing 

 an address on Seismic Science by Prof. Milne, together with 

 papers liy Messrs. Ewing, Wagner, and Grs y, on various seismo- 

 ir.etric and seismographic instruments, and by Mr. Mendenhall 

 on a determination of the Acceleration of Gravity at Tokio. 

 The Society is to be congratulated on the numerous proofs of 

 activity which it has already shown, and on the very valuable 

 scientific work it is doing in this rather neglected branch of 

 study. 



A USEFUL paper by Mr. W. J. Harrison, Science Deaion- 

 strator for the Birmingham School Boai-d, on the Teaching of 

 Science in Pul'lic Elementary Schools h.is been issued by him 

 in a separate form. He resum.es rll the reasons for science- 

 teaching in schoc Is in a clear and forcible manner, and gives 

 some hints that might be of ."^ervice to science teachers. In 

 Birnunsham, we believe, they r re now endeavouring to obtain 

 money for scienoe scholarships, by which boys of merit will pass 

 from the Po.ard Sohcols to the great Foundation School ihese 

 (King Edward's Grammar Scbool), then to the Mason College, 



