April 6, 1882] 
7 NATURE 
545 
South Australia) : Gold Medal, Frank Herman Becker, Dulwich 
College ; Silver Medal, Sydney Charles Farlow, Harrow School. 
Honourably mentioned: Robert Galbraith Reid, Dulwich 
College. 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
Journal of the Franklin Institute, February.—On the beha- 
viour of steam in the steam-engine cylinders, and on causes of 
efficiency, by R. H. Thurston.—What is the most economical 
point of cut-off for steam-engines, considered as a question of 
finance? !y W. D. Marks.—Contribution to the history of the 
link motion, by J. L. Whetstone.—A new theory of the suspen- 
sion system with stiffening truss, by A. J. Dubois.—Steamship 
performance, by J. W. Nystrom.—Radio-dynamics; atomic 
phyllotaxy and kindred harmonies, by P. E. Chase. 
Bulletin del Académie Royale des Sciences de Belgique, No. 12, 
1881.—On the probable cause of variations of latitude and ter- 
restrial magnetism, by F. Folie.—Remarks on the electric phe- 
nomena which accompany variations of the potential energy of 
mercury, by G. Van der Mensbrugghe.—On compound ethers 
of hyposulphurous acid, by W. Spring and E. Legros.—On the 
action of chlorine in sulphonic combinations, and on organic 
oxysulphides, by W. Spring and C. Winssinger.—On the action 
of chlorine on tertiary butylic alcohol, by Baron d’Otreppe de 
Bouvette.—On the structure of gemmiform pedicellaria of 
Spherechinus granularis and other Echinida, by A. Feettinger. 
—Researches on the organisation and development of Orthonec- 
tides, by C. Julin.—On the respiratory oscillations of the arterial 
pressure in the dog, by L. Fredericq.—On the delimitation and 
constitution of the lower coal-formation of Belgium, by J. C. 
Purves.—On the oscillations of blood-pressure called Periods, 
of Traube-Hering, by L. Fredericq.—A page of the history of 
a whale, or cetology fifty: years ago: lecture by P. J. Van 
Beneden.—History of astronomy in Belgium: lecture by F. 
Folie. 
Reale Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere. Nendiconti, vol. 
xv. fasc. ili—Meteorological vésemé of the year 1881, calculated 
from observations made in the Royal Observatory of Boera, by 
E. Pini.—On the achromasia of aphaneri (z.e. colourlessness of 
certain minute organisms), by L. Maggi.—On the toxical action 
of hydroxylamine, by C. Raimondi and G, Bertoni. 
Alti della R. Accademia det Lincei, vol. vi. fasc. 6.—On 
Hieratite, a new mineralogical species, by A. Cossa.—On mono- 
bromopyridine, by L. Danesi.—Observations in addition to the 
memoir entitled ‘‘ On an Organ of some Vegetable Embryos,” 
by G. Briosii—On the extraordinary atmospheric pressure of 
January, 1882, by L. Respighi. 
Bulletins dela Société d’ Anthropologie de Paris, tom, iv. fase. iii., 
1881.—M. Thulié concludes his paper on the differences between 
the true Bosjesmans and Hottentots, the former of whom he 
regards as survivors of an aboriginal, and once predominant 
race.—M. Topinard’s report of his observations on the indi- 
genous races of Algeria during a brief sojourn in that provinee, 
has given occasion—through his disregard of his own rules of 
ethnological inquiry, and his hastily formed views based on mere 
appearance—to the most interesting of the papers and discussions 
reported in these Aw/letins. Among these are the comprehensive 
expositions which M. Topinard gave at a subsequent meeting of 
his ‘‘ Méthode d’observation sur le vivant 4 propos de la discus- 
sion sur l’Algerie,” and the description of his own modification 
of ‘ Broca’s Goniometer for measuring Cuvier’s facial angle on 
the living subject.”—M. Sabatier, in a paper on the different 
appellations used by the ancients to designate the peoples of 
Africa, endeayours to prove the existence of close analogies 
between Sanskrit, Greek, and the Berber dialect, as shown in 
the names of leading African peoples, which he derives either 
from their predominant cccupations, or the nature of the region 
in which they dwelt.—M. Ameghino describes the result of his 
recent explorations of the Chelles beds, in which no human 
remains have been found, while those of the elephant, rhinoceros, 
and cave-bear are numerous, together with an abundance of 
aqueous, but no terrestrial shells—M. Cayaroz reports his dis- 
covery of an atelier of flint implements in the Jura, near 
Salines, which appears to belong to the Neolithic age.—M. le 
Baron presented his report on prehistoric osseous lesions, which 
forms the subject of his inaugural thesis, and is based on a study 
of the specimens contained in the Broca, and the Society’s, 
Museum. The list of diseases includes most of the modern 
forms, common in infancy and advanced age, while the numerous 
instances of trepanning, and the not infrequent cases of well 
consolidated fractures show that primzeval man was not wholly 
negligent, or unskilled in regard to surgical methods.—A new 
case of so-called hermaphrodism reported by M. Magitot, gave 
rise to considerable discussion, in the course of which it -was 
agreed that the use of the term was not in harmony with the 
present state of physiological inquiry, and that the abnormalities 
in question ought to be included under the general head of mal- 
formations, or embryonic arrest of development.— We have further 
to notice papers by Madame Clemence Royer, on ‘‘Le Bien et la loi 
Morale”; by M. Zaborowski on the memory and its distur- 
bances; by Mr. Foley, on the relations between the mode 
of life and character of tropical peoples, and the humid climate 
in which they live ; and finally, two highly important communi- 
cations, received from M. de Ujfalvy, on the craniometric and 
other measurements made by him while travelling in the 
Thibetian, Kashmir, and other Indian territories. His observa- 
tions on the Baltis, Lhassas, Ladakis, Koulous, and Lahoulis— 
the two last-named of which practise polyandry, and follow a 
degraded form of Bouddhism—supply highly interesting, and 
hitherto unknown materials towards our better acquaintance with 
the ethnological and sociological history of these tribes. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LONDON 
Royal Society, March 9, 1882.—‘‘On the Spectrum of 
Carbon,” by G. D, Liveing, M.A., F.R.S., Professor of Che- 
mistry, and J. Dewar, M.A., F.R.S., Jacksonian Professor, 
University of Cambridge. 
Angstrom and Thalén, in their memoir ‘‘ On the Spectra of 
the Metalloids” (Nova Acta Reg. Soc. Upsal., Ser. iii. vol. ix.), 
give a map and table of wave-lengths of the lines due to carbon 
in the visible part of the spectrum, as distinguished from the 
fluted spectra given by compounds of carbon, namely, carbonic 
oxide, cyanogen, and acetylene. These lines, they state, always 
appeared when very powerful induction sparks were passed 
through the vapour of any compound of carbon, or between 
carbon electrodes. This line-spectrum is remarkable for sim- 
plicity, consisting of eleven lines, of which the single line in the 
yellow, followed by a triple group in the green, and a very 
strong line in the blue, recall vividly the spectrum of mag- 
nesium ; and as we know two modifications of the spectrum of 
magnesium which seem to be due respectively to the oxide and a 
hydride, the parallel between the behaviour of the two elements 
is the more striking. 
The authors figure the ultra-violet spectrnm of carbon to a 
scale of wave-lengths within the range of the rays transmitted 
through calcite. ‘The lines figured have been observed in photo- 
graphs of the spark of a large induction coil, having a large 
Leyden jar in connection with the secondary coil, between poles 
of purified graphite in air, carbonic acid gas, hydrogen, and 
coal-gas, The same lines have been observed in photographs of 
the spark between iron, and between aluminium poles in car- 
bonic acid gas. By comparing the photographs taken under 
these different circumstances, they have, they believe, eliminated 
the air-lines, which are numerous and strong in the region 
between H and T, and also the metallic lines which graphite, 
purified with the utmost care, still exhibited. 
The graphite was purified by being stirred in fine powder into 
fused potash, and subsequent treatment with aqua regia, by pro- 
longed ignition in a current of chlorine, and by treatment with 
hydrofluoric acid. The well-washed powder was afterwards 
compressed into blocks by hydraulic pressure between platinum 
plates, and from these blocks the electrodes employed were cut. 
Notwithstanding the purification, the photographs of the spark 
between these electrodes still showed very distinctly lines of 
magnesium and iron, 
The wave-lengths of the strongest carbon lines were deter- 
mined by means of a Rutherford diffraction grating having 17,296 
lines to the inch. The measures were made in the following 
way:—A small photographic slide, containing the sensitive 
plate, fitted the telescope in place of the eye-piece, and so could 
easily be turned about an axis coincident,, or nearly so, with the 
optic axis of the telescope. In taking a measurement of the 
position of a line the approximate wave-length was first found 
by interpolating between the nearest cadmium or other lines of 
known wave-length in photographs taken with calcite prisms, 
