y 
: ar na 
[April 20, 1882 
To aw 
— 
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~~ executed and published under the auspices of Mr. Leland Stan- 
their delegates, 
ford, of Palo Alto Farm, California, We hope shortly to notice 
this work at some length, and meanwhile make the following 
extract from Mr. Leland Stanford’s preface, which shows the 
exact part taken by each of those concerned in the investiga- 
tion :—‘‘ I have for a long time entertained the opinion that the 
accepted theory of the relative positions of the feet of horses in 
rapid motion was erroneous. I also believed that the camera 
could be utilised to demonstrate that fact, and, by instantaneous 
pictures, show the actual position of the limbs at each instant of 
the stride. 
a very skilful :photographer, to institute a series of experiments 
to that end. . . . When these experiments were made, it was 
not contemplated to publish the results ; but the facts revealed 
*seemed'so important, that I determined to have a careful ana- 
lysis made of them. For this purpose it was necessary to review 
the whole subject of the locomotive machinery of the horse. I 
employed Dr. J. D. B. Stillman, whom I believed to be capable 
of the undertaking. The result has been, that much instructive 
information on the mechanism of the horse has been revealed, 
which is believed to be new, and of sufficient importance to be 
preserved and published.” 
WE notice an interesting innovation introduced into the 
secondary schools at Wilna, Russia, namely, a popular medical 
course for the scholars of the higher class. Nearly all scholars 
have expressed the wish to follow these lectures, which contain 
general notions of hygiene and those necessary for giving medical 
assistance in simpler diseases, and the results obtained during 
the first year are said to be very satisfactory. 
ACCORDING to the A%émorial Diplomatigue, the Congress of 
Electricians for determining the length of the column of mercury 
equivalent to the theoretical ohm, the advisability of establishing 
a system of tele-meteorology, and a system of observations for 
the electricity of the air, will meet on May 1 at Paris. Almost 
all the foreign governments, including the British, have appointed 
The names of two only are wanting. 
lecture by Dr. Hamy, one of the directors of the new esta- 
blishment. 
THE meeting of the delegates of the learned societies of 
France took place at the Sorbonne on April 11, under the presi- 
dency of M. Leopold Delisle, member of the Institute belonging 
. to the Commission of History, Archeology, and Philology. 
The Commission of Sciences was presided over by M. Milne- 
Under this conviction I employed Mr. Muybridge, | 
Edwards ; M. Catalan was nominated president of the section | 
of mathematics, M. Filhol of physico-chemical sciences, and M. 
Coteau of natural history. The sittings were not so numerous 
as in former years, and the communications were almost devoid 
of any real interest. The concluding sitting took place on April 15, 
M. Ferry, Minister of Public Instruction, being in the chair. 
He delivered a speech purporting to justify some changes in the 
general organisation of the Congress, They do not appear to 
have been beneficial to the institution, if it is possible to judge 
ments are utilised for drawing five maps in the morning and 
three in the evening, representing isobaric and isothermic curves, 
and variations of these elements from the preceding day, the 
force and direction of winds, rain, and storms, The warnings 
are sent by telegraph to eight agricultural regions and four 
maritime districts. The report states that these previsions were 
justified eighty-two times in one hundred. M. Hervé-Mangon 
| proposes to extend the system of elegraphic connection to the 
Azores and Cape de Verde Islands in the south, United States 
in the west, and Ireland in the north. M. Hervé-Mang>n re- 
viewed the progress of high-level observatories. The observatory 
on the top of Pic du-Midi has just been fitted up at an alti- 
tude of 2877 metres, about twice the height of the Puy-de-Dome. 
General Nansouty’s observations are wired every day, but this 
hardy observer and his followers having been blocked up by 
snow he was unable to attend the meeting. Before the end of 
the year a new mountain observatory will be completely esta- 
blished on Mount Aignal. The number of pluviometrical 
stations in the whole of France is 1561; the system is complete 
| only in eighteen departments, in sixty-nine deficient, in ten 2z/. 
For the observation of thunderstorm phenomena forty-six de- 
partments send regular reports. Some details were also given 
on the expedition that France will send to the Antarctic regions, 
The station will be located somewhere on the islands situated to 
the south of Magellan Straits, very likely Orange Bay in Terra- 
del-Fuego, or Saint Martin Creek in Hermite Island. 
We learn from the JZevestia of the Russian Geographical 
Society that N. W. Kaulbars, well known by his travels in 
Turkestan, has just published a very interesting work, ‘‘ Notes 
on Montenegro,” which contains under this modest title a very 
good description of that country. He knows the country from 
his own experience, having visited it three times as Russian 
commissioner, and having travelled throughout the Principality. 
The geographical and physical description of Montenegro is 
very complete. 
Mr. C. WoLcotT Brooks sends us an abstract of a paper 
THE Ethnological Museum of the Trocadero, Paris, has been | which he read on March 21 at the Californian A of 
inaugurated by a visit of the delegates of learned societies and a | Sciences, giving the temperatures of the ground in the Forman 
shaft of the Comstock lode, at Virginia City, Nevada, taken by 
Charles Forman, superintendent, and forwarded by him for 
pre-entation to the Academy. They are taken from the surface 
to the depth of 2300 feet, as ascertained by drilling holes not 
less than 3 feet deep into the rock, and inserting into the hole a 
Negretti and Zambra slow acting thermometer, of the pattern 
adopted by the Underground Temperature Committee of the 
British Association, and standardised at Kew. These holes 
were closed with clay, and the thermometers were left in for 
twelve hours, not less than three holes being tried at each point. 
| The following are the depths in feet, and temperatures in degrees 
by the results of the ‘present session, which has been the most | 
barrea of the whole series from 1863, when it was created by 
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the government of Napoleon III., owing to the exertions of | 
Leyerrier. 
THE fourth general meeting of the delegates of the French 
departmental meteorological commissions met on April 13, under 
the presidency of M. J. Ferry, Minister of Public Instruction. | 
The report on the working of the Central Bureau was presented 
by M. Hervé-Mangon, president of the Council of that institu- 
tion, The Central Bureau receives daily ninety-seven telegran s 
from foreign parts, and fifty-two from France. 
These docu- | 
Fahrenheit :— 
Feet. Deg. , Feet. Deg. 
100 504 | 1300 gtk 
209 55 | 1400 964 
300 62 | 1500 IOI 
400 60 | 1600 103 
500 68 | 1700 1044 
609 714 1800 1054 
700 742 | Igco 106 
Sco 76; | 20c0 III 
900 78 | 2100 1194 
1000 814 | 2200 I16 
1100 84 | 2300 121 
1200 89; 
Messrs, BLACKIE AND Sons have issued the second volume 
of the new edition of their ‘‘ Ymperial Dictionary,” the first 
volume of which we noticed some time ago. It extends from 
Dep to Kyt, and is in all respects up to {the standard of the 
previous volume. ; 
