NATURE 
537 
Tue idea of conducting excavations in the Delta by means of 
an English fund has now assumed a practical form. The outline 
. of operations as now prepared has received the approval, among 
others, of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mr. A. W. Franks, 
V.P.S.A., Prof. Huxley, F.R.S., Mr. Stanley Lane Poole, the 
Right Hon. Sir A. H. Layard, G.C.B., Sir John Lubbock, 
M.P., Prof. Max Miiller, Prof. Owen, C.B., Mr. Reginald 
Stuart Poole, Prof. Sayce, Hon. J. Villiers Stuart, M.P., Mr, 
W. Spottiswoode, P.R.S., Sir Erasmus Wilson, LL.D., F.R.S. 
At the first meeting a provisional committee was formed, with 
Sir Erasmus Wilson as hon. treasurer, Miss Amelia B. Edwards 
and Mr. Reginald Stuart Poole as hon. secretaries. The society 
is already in communicaticn with M. Maspero with the object of 
going to work directly sufficient funds have been obtained, 
A work of permanent value has been performed by Prof. F. 
W. Clarke, of Cincinnati University, in his Recalculations of the 
Atomic Weights, which has been published by the Smithsonian 
Institution as Part V. of ‘The Constants of Nature.” Prof, 
Clarke concludes from his investigation that none of the seeming 
exceptions to Prout’s Law are inexplicable, ‘‘Some of them, 
indeed, carefully investigated, support it strongly. In short, 
admitting half multiples as legitimate, it is more probable that 
the few apparent exceptions are due to undetected constant 
errors, than that the great number of close agreements should be 
merely accidental. I began this recalculation of the atomic 
weights with a strong prejudice against Prout’s hypothesis, but 
the facts as they came before me have forced me to give it a very 
respectful consideration. All chemists must at least admit that 
the strife over it is not yet ended, and that its opponents cannot 
thus far claim a perfect victory.” 
Two interesting discourses, delivered at a recent public séance 
of the Belgian Academy, appear in the Awi//etin of that body. 
In one of them M. van Beneden makes the record of a huge 
whale (Balenopdtera) captured at Ostend in 1827 (the skeleton of 
which was exhibited in most of the European capitals, was taken 
to America, and at length found a final resting-place jin St. 
Petersburg) the starting point for a survey of the large amount 
of cetological knowledge acquired since that time. In the other 
discourse, M. Folie laments the backwardness of his country 
as regards astronomy. ‘‘ Modern Greece alone, indeed, can 
advantageously dispute with us the last place in Europe” as 
regards the history of that science. And it has four centuries of 
Mussulman tyranny for an excuse. M. Folie cites numerous 
facts against the view that observatories have mostly sprung out 
of the interests of navigation. Thenon-cultivation of astronomy 
in Belgium in the past he attributes to the country having been 
long without national independence and a national dynasty. 
Belgian astronomy only dates in reality from 1834, when the 
Royal Observatory was founded at Brussels. Astronomy and 
geodesy ‘‘are still taught throughout Belgium, as physics, 
botany, zoology, physiology, in a word, most of the natural 
sciences, were taught ten or fifteen years ago, that is, without a 
laboratory.” And ‘‘in none of the Belgian universities, except, 
perhaps, Brussels, is it possible to produce an astronomer or 
geodesian.”’ M, Folie looks for a speedy rectification of all this. 
In the outset of his lecture he notices the liberality with which 
the Government has lately met his proposal to annex an astro- 
nomical and geodesic institute to the University of Liége. 
THE French military authorities lately announced a compe- 
tition in designs for a soldier’s bed. It was stipulated that the 
bed should be capable of being raised against the wall, and in 
that position present a small table at which the soldier might 
eat, write, &c. ; the new bed should allow of utilisation of old 
ones ; it should be as cheap as possible, and not need much 
repair, and it should afford no shelter to bugs (a great pest of the 
French army). More than a hundred models were sent in, and, 
after a large elimination about a dozen are on trial. Our con- 
temporary, Za Nature, in a notice of the more promising designs, 
gives final preference to a bed planned by Lieut. Bertillon. In 
it a piece of canvas is stretched within or slightly above a rec- 
tangular frame, by means of a rope passing through sixty-four 
eyelets and round an iron bar parallel with the frame, which 
supports it. To obviate tearing, the eyelets are encased in 
pieces of leather attached to the canvas. There is a simple 
vertical frame at the head, and the support below, at that end, 
consists of two bars, bent into a shape like that of the lower half 
of a broad capital [D, the vertical part having a board attached, 
which serves as a table when the bed is tilted up on the curved 
bars against the wall (an easy operation), The support at the 
other end is a two-legged stool or short form, on whici the 
soldier can sit at the table. The arrangement seems very con- 
venient and suitable to the object proposed. 
SIGNoR SELLA (son of the ex-Minister of Italy) ascended the 
Matterhorn on the 17th ult. with three guides, from the Italian 
side, and descended at Zermatt. No greater difficulties were 
encountered than are usually met with in summer, 
Socks of earthquake are reported from Ljubinge (Herzego™ 
vina) on March 25, at 6.2 p.m., lasting three seconds ; and from 
Trebinje and Bilek on the same day, at 6 p.m., direction west 
to east. 
Our Paris correspondent inspected a few days ago, at Feil’s 
workshop, the large flint-glass disk which has been cast for the 
Lick Observatory in California, and purchased by the trustees 
for 2000/7. It is now on its way to Clarke’s for polishing. Its 
diameter is 97 centimetres, its thickness 55 centim., its weight 
170 kilog. The casting took place in four days, during which 
eight tons of coals were consumed, The cooling took thirty 
days. On the optical tests being made the glass was found 
perfect in all its parts. The crown-glass disk has been cast and 
is cooling. 
Tue Easter excursion of the Geologists’ Association this year 
is to Battle and Hastings, and will extend over Monday and 
Tuesday, April 10 and 11. 
THE seventh annual meeting of the Members of the Sunday 
Society was held on Friday, March 31, at its rooms, 9 Conduit 
Street, Mr. Hodgson Pratt presiding. The annual report, 
which was read by the Hon. Sec., Mr. Mark H. Judge, referred 
to the work of the Society having been pursued with unabated 
vigour during the presidency of Mr, Thomas Burt, M.P., and to 
the growth of public opinion in favour of its objects, and said : 
“‘The conviction is evidently gaining ground that the Govern- 
ment cannot much longer delay the extension of its Sunday 
opening policy to the national museums and galleries in the 
heart of the metropolis ; for since 1854, when the Committee of 
the House of Commons recommended the opening of places of 
rational recreation and instruction after the hour of 2 o’clock 
p-m., both Liberal and Conservative Governments have con- 
tinued to open on Sundays, the national museums at Kew; 
Hampton Court, Greenwich, and Dublin, with such results as 
have not only satisfied Her Majesty’s Government, but have had 
the effect of inducing the Corporations of Birmingham, Man- 
chester and other large towns in the provinces, to open municipal 
institutions of a similar kind on Sundays. The Sunday Art 
Exhibitions instituted by the Society had been continued and 
were being imitated both in London and the proyinces. The 
Right Hon. Viscount Powerscourt, K.P., was unanimously elected 
president of the Society.” 
On Saturday afternoona meeting of the Essex Field Club took 
place at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, on the 
kind invitation of Prof. Richard Owen, F.R.S., who conducted 
