Nov. 24, 1881 | 
editions, one with hill-shading and one without. The 
only general map previously published was that of Col- 
legno, in 1846, on the scale of 1: 2,000,000, A glance at 
the two maps will show the immense advance which has 
been made in our knowledge of Italian geology since 
that date. 
The map in question is coloured in accordance with 
the scheme recommended by the Italian Map Committee 
of the International Geological Congress. The Italian 
committee (like the English) prefer to retain some shades 
of red for the Trias. The Congress however, chiefly 
influenced by the wishes of Germany, proposes to colour 
this violet, as the natural base of the Secondary series ; 
the Jurassic beds being coloured blue. The Italian Survey 
is desirous of adopting for its future maps the scheme of 
colouring upon which the Congress may decide. The 
Indian Survey also, being now about to publish a con- 
nected series of maps, wishes, if possible, to do the same. 
We have little doubt that the geological map of Europe, 
now being prepared by the Map Committee of the Con- 
gress, will be so drawn up and coloured as to form a 
scheme of colours which can, with only small modifica- 
tions, be adopted by all. W. TOPLEY 
NOTES 
A COMMITTEE has been formed at Reggio (Emilia) to collect 
fands for establishing a fitting mcnument to the memory of 
the Padre Secchi, in the form of a fine refractor, of which 
the objective is to have 70 centimetres diameter. Reggio thus 
follows the example of Arcetri, where a fitting scientific monument 
has been erected to the memory of Galileo. 
THE Honorary Degree of LL.D, has been conferred by the 
University of Cambridge on Thomas Sterry Hunt, F.R.S. 
M. Cocukry intends to spend the surplus of the Electrical 
Exhibition, which is said to exceed 16,000/., in establishing a 
research laboratory for electricity. 
M. PAut Bert, the new French Minister for Public Instruc- 
tion, is said to be a candidate, in the section of Medicine, to fill 
the place vacated in the Academy of Sciences by the recent 
death of Dr. Bouillaud, ; 
Ir is painful to have so often to animadvert on what must look 
like parsimonious treatment of science on the part of our Go- 
vernment. Its almost contemptuous treatment of the Electrical 
Exhibition and of the British Commissioners has called forth 
the strongest criticism; and under our Geographical Notes 
to-day will be found another instance of a similar kind. Lord 
Aberdare, who, as president of the Geographical Society, went 
to the recent Venice Congress as commissioner of that body, 
referred ‘‘to the miserable show made by this country at the 
Exhibition, which was solely due to the parsimony of the 
Treasury, who did not even pay the travelling expenses of the 
British Commissioners, and merely sent 1oo/. to the Vice-Consul 
at Venice for petty disbursement.’’ Of course cur Government 
had no intention of in ulting the Congress and the Geographical 
Society; but such treatment of an Internation:1 Congress on the 
subject in which this country is so practically interested, must seem 
strange to good-mannered foreigners. Our Government ought 
really to consider earnestly their position to such enterprises as 
those referred to ; it is too late in the day for even England to 
despise anything that tends to the promotion of science. 
A BRILLIANT /éfe was given at Berlin on the evening of 
November 19 in honour of Prof, Virchow, in the Hall of the 
Rathhaus, which was handsomely decorated for the occasion, 
About 1000 persons were present, chiefly belonging to the scien- 
tific and medical world. Prof. Bastian presided, and after 
calling for cheers for the Emperor, he presented the title deeds 
of the Virchow Institute for promoting anthropological studies, 
according to Prof. Virchow’s own directions, and for which a 
NATURE 
37 
sum of 70,000 marks has been collected from the various coun- 
tries of Europe. Speeches were then made by the leaders of 
the thirty deputations pre-ent, which included representatives of 
the medical faculties of Aberdeen, Basle, and Charkoff, and the 
medical societies of St. Petersburg, Vilna, &c. Finally, a 
deputation from Schivelbein, in Pomerania, Prof. Virchow’s 
native town, presented congratulations to the Profe-sor, who 
returned thanks with great emotion. A supper followed, and 
the guests did not separate till a late hour, 
THE death is announced, at the age of eighty-three years, of 
M. Camille Sébastien Nachet, the founder of the well-known 
firm of Nachet et Fils, opticians, Paris. M. Nachet, during his 
long career, did much for the improvement of the manufacture 
of lenses, and especially of microscopes. 
WE regret to announce the death of Dr. Karl Peters, Professor 
of Mineralogy and Geology at Graz University, and author of 
numerous scientific papers, who died at Graz on the 7th inst., 
aged fifty-seven years. The death is also announced of Dr. Karl 
Fortlage, Professor of Philosophy at Jena University, at Jena on 
November 8, aged seventy-five. 
THE Paris Municipal Commission has resolved to illuminate 
Suecessively the Council Hall with five different electric lights, to 
determine the price of each, and make a choice amongst them- 
These five have been selected out of all the systems exhibited. 
The Swan and Bruch systems are two of those selected for the 
competition. Electricity will be also used for moving an elevator 
of the kind exhibited by Mr. Muirhead, and a press for printing 
the papers used by the Council. 
EARTHQUAKES have been rather previlent on the Continent 
during the past week. Between five and six o’clock on the 
morning of the 16th three shocks were felt in Switzerland. 
Two were of some violence at Mendri-io, in the canton of 
Tessin, and one less severe in Berne and the Bernece Oberland, 
On the same morning, at seventeen minutes past five, a slight 
earthquake shock was felt at Naples, lasting three seconds. ts 
direction was south-east. At dawna shock was felt at Cosenza. 
Two shocks were also felt throughout the province of Catanzaro 
at six o’clock in the morning. On the 18th at five a.m. several 
smart shocks were felt over the greater part of Eastern Switzer- 
land. The centre of the disturbance seems to have been in the 
canton of Ziirich and the Oberland of St. Gall, where the oscil- 
lations were very marked and frequently repeated. Shocks were 
also felt on the Friday night along the Valley of the Lower 
Rhine, at Coblentz, Bonn, Cologne, Aachen, Elberfeld, Bar- 
men, Crefeld, Essen, Diisseldorf, and Duisburg, a distance of 
over 1c0 miles. There were two violent vertical shocks lasting 
five seconds, then wave-like tremors in the direction of north- 
west to south-east. 
Our Vienna Correspondent writes that shocks of earth- 
quake occurred at Izentes and at Izarvas (Hungary) on 
October 28, at 4 a.m. On November 5 shocks were expe- 
rienced at different places in Carinthia, viz. at Klagenfurth a 
perpendicular shock was felt at 9.375 a.m.; it was followed 
by slight undulatory movements in the direction west-east, 
lasting four seconds. At Moosberg and Patermon several shocks 
were felt at 9.45 a.m. ; direction, south-west to north-east. The 
shock was also felt at Villach at 9.40 a.m. ; direction, south- 
north ; at Ober-Vellach at 9.40 a.m., south-north. At Emiind 
four shocks occurred ; the first, at 10.5 a.m., being so severe as 
to cause people to rush out of their houses in fright, chimneys 
were thrown down and the walls of some houses damaged ; 
duration, four seconds ; direction, north-south. At Spital (on 
the Drou) also four shocks were felt ; duration, nine seconds ; 
direction, from east-west. From Sachsenburg and Reichenan 
also the occurrence of shocks is reported at 9.30 a.m. at the 
former, and 9.45 a.m. at the latter place: the movements lasted 
