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Feb. 2, 1882 | 
NATURE 
325 
scientific investigation be reasonably successful. The Society 
deserves the highest credit for the enterprise, and we hope they 
will be encouraged to continue it. 
Ir was lately announced that a German in Russia, Herr Ditt- 
mar, had found a way of solidifying petroleum, which would 
be of great commercial advantage. The method (we now learn 
from Deut, Ind. Zeit.) consists in heating petroleum in a still 
with 2, or at most 3, per cent. of soap, At first there is a great 
- deal of foam ; and at 100° the whole mass suddenly becomes like 
wax. For liquefaction afterwards vinegar is used. So far as 
yet apears, the invention is not applicable to raw naphtha. 
The distilled oils at Baku (on the Caspian) should be solidi- 
fied, transported, and then submitted to further distillation. 
A lively discussion on the subject recently took place at 
the Russian Technical Society in St. Petersburg, and some 
objections raised by Prof. Wilchinski were not, it is said, 
adequately met by the inventor. It was urged, infer alia, 
that the solidifying did not wholly do away with leakage, 
When a piece of the solid petroleum is laid on blotting-paper, 
the latter absorbs some of the petroleum, and the solid piece 
loses weight. The same occurs with wood, and the proposed 
wooden cases, saturated during transport, might give off vapours 
which, mixing with air, would form explosive mixtures, If 
cases impermeable by petroleum were used instead, the advantage 
of the cheaper chests would fall away. Further, the consumption 
of soap (not a very cheap material) is considerable ; thus 100,000 
ewt. of petroleum would take 2000 cwt. of soap. ‘The fatty 
matter need not indeed be lost, but it would be lost for the 
naphtha district, as the carriage back would not pay. Further, 
the solid petroleum could not be brought into the houses, but 
would require large central liquefying works, whence the liquid 
would be carried in vessels. Herr Ditmar’s figures, showing a 
great advantage in the cost of transport of solid petroleum, were 
vigorously debated, and it was puinted out that the unloading of 
the chests was disadvantageous compared with the simple 
pumping from tanks. 
_ Dogs the resistance of a gas to the motion of a solid body in 
1t vary with the temperature when the density of the gas is kept 
perfectly constant? To-this a negative answer has been given 
lately by M. Hirn, as the result of some ingenious experiments ; 
and the deduction fullows that the ideas at the base of the kinetic 
theory of gases must be given up, for according to that theory 
(Clausius) the resistance must vary, other things equal, in the 
direct ratio of the square root of the absolute temperature. M. 
Hirn, indeed, affirms “that the pressure and temperature of gases 
are not constituted by movements, of whatever kind, of material 
atoms.” His experiments were made with a pendulum arrange- 
ment in a large globular vessel of glass, the pendulum consisting 
of a rectangular glass plate suspended by a steel wire, which 
passed up through a stopper of vulcanised caoutchouc. The 
temperature was varied beiween 11° and 50° C. In their reports 
on the memoir to the Belgian Academy, MM. Folie, Van der 
Mensbrugghe, and Melsens, while recognising the high merit of 
M. Hirn’s researches, are still not prepared to accept his 
results. It is pointed out, zz/er alia, that the range of tem- 
perature is too limited. In M. Clausius’ hypothesis, moreover, 
the law of resistance relates to recéé/incay motion of a disc in an 
indefinite fluid, whereas the author experiments with adfernating 
motion within a vessel hermetically closed, One of the reporters 
thinks the vessel should have been carefully weighed before and 
after the experiments. Once more the experiments of Meyer, 
Stefan, &c., on internal friction of gases have proved an incon- 
testable influence of temperature. M. Hirn, in his memoir, 
indicates the far-reaching nature of his results, and their bearings 
on metaphysical questions. A 7éswmé of this part of his argument 
1s given by M. Melsens in his report (Bull. Belg. Ac., Nos. 9 
and 10). 
Ir is just fifty years since the first number of Chamdbers’s 
Journal was published, and its founder, Dr. Wm. Chambers, 
gives in the number for January some interesting reminis- 
cences of its and his own long career, He has reason to be 
proud of both; his journal has done much to spread sound and 
healthy knowledge, and all along in its pages science has had 
its place. The house of which Dr. Chambers is the venerable 
head has through its many publications, a large proportion of 
which are scientific, had no inconsiderable share in fostering 
and promoting the now widespread desire for thorough popular 
education. 
It is interesting to observe that the nobles of Japan, whom 
superficial writers are accustomed to regard as an effete and 
useless class, are taking up with much vigour the question of 
education in Western knowledge among members of their own 
body. A few years ago a school for the sons of Awasoku (the 
old daimzé class) was opened in Tokio, All the funds necessary 
for a large and handsome building were contributed by the 
nobles themselves, and education in Western methods by trained 
native and foreign teachers was commenced. A recent decree: 
of the Mikado has ordered the establishment of a Senate and 
House of Representatives, and it is believed that the hereditary 
nobility, or a certain number of them will have seats in the 
upper house, In order to render them fit for these new duties, 
it has now been decided that all pupils graduating in the nobles’ 
school above mentioned shall be sent abroad to study in Europe 
or America. It may be added that the great majority of the 
Japanese students in this and other foreign countries are now 
studying wholly at their own expense. This interesting fact 
would go to show that the thirst for Western knowledge in 
Japan is widespread ; otherwise the relations of these young men 
would not spend the comparatively large sums required for their 
maintenance abroad, 
THE latest information from the East shows the existence of 
wide-spread seismic disturbance of an unusual kind. Details 
of a destructive earthquake in the Chinese province of Kansuh 
have been received. At one place (Kanchou) 42 persons were 
killed and 27 injured. One hundred houses also were destroyed, 
and 120 animalskilled. At Chiebichou the damage was mnch 
greater, 347 persons were either killed or injured, and 300 
animals killed. As frequently occurs on these occasions, the 
disturbance was followed by an inundation which caused such 
destruction that the Emperor has been petitioned to remit all 
taxes and dispense charity. From the Philippine islands we 
receive news of a violent eruption of the volcano of Mayon, 
which has ruined many cocoa-uut plantations and caused much 
alarm, The whole island of Ceylon has also been visited by an 
earthquake, which, however, did little damage, 
WE are glad to observe that the King of Siam is vigorously 
extending education throughout his territory. He has recently 
erected two new schools in Bankok. At one of these, where 
English is taught, a number of his Majesty’s sons and brothers 
are among the pupils. At the other school only the vernacular 
is taught. 
As we anticipated in NATURE a short time ago, the Chinese 
telegraph lines have been thrown open to the public, but no one 
could have been prepared for the manner in which this was done. 
The authorities have taken into consideration the fact that tele- 
graphic communication is new in China, and that its advantages 
will make their way slowly among the people at first unless some 
vigorous steps were taken to make them known. They have 
accordingly decided to give the public free use of the lines for 
one month. This bold and wise measure will, we doubt not, be 
fully justified by the result. 
A RouUMANIAN engineer, M. Theodorescu, has invented a 
submarine ship, before which all similar inventions are said to 
