— Fan. 23, 1873] 
nurse, taking up the morsel of humanity from its uncomfortable 
position in the workhouse scales, which had been brought up 
from the kitchen expressly to test its specific gravity.” We 
hasten to add that we infer from this a slight confusion in the 
author’s mind, not an accusation against our workhouse officials 
of weighing new-born babies under water for experimental 
purposes. 
WE understand that {the Fellows of the Chemical Society 
have started a Chemical Club, one of the objects of which is to 
promote the contribution and discussion of original papers to 
the society, and to encourage good fellowship amongst its mem- 
bers. The number of members is limited to fifty, and we hear 
that there are only a few vacancies remaining. The meetings of 
the club take place once a month, when the members dine 
together before adjourning to the evening meeting of the Chemi- 
cal Society. 
WE are glad to notice the formation of a society at New 
Cross, entitled ‘‘The New Cross Microscopical and Natural 
History Society,” which meets at the Commercial Rooms, Lewis- 
ham High Road. The society has, we believe, made a good 
start, and will be glad to receive additions to its membership, 
and we hope that all who join it will remember that the best 
way to ensure success ror such a society is by every member 
striving to take a share in the work. By means of exhibitions, 
the formation of natural history cabinets, microscopical work, 
excursions, lectures and papers, the society seeks to carry out 
its objects. The subscription is small, only ten shillings a year. 
Further information may be obtained from the hon. sec., Mr. 
Martin Burgess. 
THE sixth annual Soiree of the Old Change Microscopical 
Society will be held at the City Terminus Hotel, Cannon Street, 
on Friday evening, February 28. 
THE Challenger arrived at Gibraltar on Saturday, and is ex- 
pected to leave to-day, for Madeira, 
Mr. Prescott “HEWETT has been elected President of the 
_ Clinical Society of London, in succession to Sir William Gull. 
Srr Joun C. Burrows, F.R.C.S., Mayor of Brighton, who 
» gave such a splendid reception to the British Association last 
year, has just received the honour of knighthood. 
Lorp NEAVES is to be formally installed as Lord-Rector of 
the University of St. Andrews, on February 13. We under- 
stand Lord Neaves is to offer four prizes annually during his term 
of office, to be competed for by students attending the Uni- 
versity. 
WE announced last week that Mr. W. Saville Kent has been 
appointed resident naturalist and curator of the Brighton 
Aquarium, in room of the late Mr. J. K. Lord. We believe 
Mr. Kent is to have the assistance, as consulting naturalists, 
of Messrs. Henry Lee and Frank Buckland, while Mr. Reeves 
Smith, late of the Spa at Scarborough, has been engaged as 
general manager and secretary. Under Mr. Lee’s advice and 
superintendence important changes and improvements are al- 
ready being effected. Fishes of incongruous species, which have 
lately had joint possession of some of the tanks, are being 
separated and placed in those best suited to their habits ; where- 
as only six tanks have hitherto been set apart forthe exhibition 
of fresh water fishes, eight additional ones have now been 
prepared for them, which can be reconyerted into receptacles 
for marine specimens in a few hours in case of need. Tanks for 
the storage of a reserve of specimens apart from public view are 
in course of construction, and arrangements are being made for 
careful observation of the marine invertebrata and other forms of 
aquatic life. It has also been proposed that a series of micro- 
scopes shall be provided, by means of which interesting living 
and mounted objects, illustrative of the minute organisms deve- 
| NATURE 
231 
loped in the tanks shall be exhibited to the public. This indi- 
cates a serious intention to utilise the great resources of the 
Brighton Aquarium, as they should be utilised for the purposes 
of experimental and practical zoology, by affording opportunity 
for careful researches and investigations which may prove of 
scientific interest and economic value. 
WE have received a copy of the Mobile Register for December 
15 last, containing a letter from Mr. A, W. Dillard, in which 
he endeavours to account for the generally acknowledged 
increase in the severity of the winters in Alabama, In all Euro- 
pean countries it is commonly believed the climate has become 
warmer in proportion as the forests have been felled and the land 
cultivated. In Alabama, however, similar operations have ap- 
perently produced opposite results. The writer, however, be- 
lieves that the general dryness of Africa, and especially of the © 
Great Desert, has no inconsiderable effect on the climate of 
Europe, and accounts for the great difference of temperature be- 
tween the same latitudes in Europe and America. He accounts 
for the change of climate in Alabama and other southern 
American states in the following way :— The felling of our 
Southern forests gives a more unrestricted scope to the north- 
western winds, chilled by the snow on the Rocky Mountains and 
the ice of the northern Jakes and rivers. These bleak winds are 
not counteracted by warm gales, blowing from a dry country, 
such as Africa ; consequently they exert all their chilling influ- 
ence on our climate. The gales which we have from the south 
are impregnated with a good degree of moisture, and so add to 
the cold consequent upon the blowing of the wind from the 
north.” 
A DEsPATCH from Dr Kirk, dated Zanzibar, Nov. 5, 1872, 
has been received at the Foreign Office. It announces that the 
men sent to help Dr. Livingstone had reached him, and that he 
had started for the interior about August 18. 
In Natur, vol. vii. p. 7, we intimated that among other 
expeditions to the Arctic Regions was one under the command 
of a rich and adventurous young Frenchman, M. Pavy, that had 
set out from San Francisco to go by way of Wrangell Land, to 
the north of the eastern part of Siberia. If wecan trust a report 
in the Zimes for January 17 from the Courier des Etats Unis, his 
hopes have been gloriously realised, for he has discovered an 
Arctic Continent. The account professes to be a summary of 
despatches, dated Wrangell Land, lat. 74°38, W. long. 17618, 
August 23, 1872, committed to the care of the captain of a whaler, 
for the French Geographical Society, which, it is said, will publish 
the scientific results after having examined them. A similar 
account appeared some time since in the Scotsman. The fol- 
lowing are the chief points of the somewhat remarkable story :— 
On July 17 Pavy and his party reached the mouth of the river 
Petrolitz. From this point they met with immense fields of ice 
moving towards the north-east. The observations indicated a 
deviation of 18 miles, caused by the movements of the ice, a fact 
tending to confirm the theory of M. Pavy respecting the concen- 
tration and the augmentation in rapidity of the branch of the 
great Japanese current, called Ku-Ro-Sirod, which passes 
through Behring Strait, and flows toward the east away 
from the coast of Siberia. The exploring party reached the 
coast of Wrangell Land, at the mouth of a great river coming 
from the north-west, which is not laid down on any map. This 
discovery confirms M. Pavy’s theory that there exists a vast 
polar continent which stretches far to the north, the temperature 
of which is warm enough to melt snow in summer. The current 
of this unnamed river turns to the east, and follows the coast 
with a yelocity of six knots an hour. M. Pavy and his com- 
panions followed the current of the river towards the north, a 
distance of 230 miles, Its bed is uniformly horizontal, and it is 
bordered by mountains of great height, with several perpendicular 
