a 
its departments has made such rapid strides that scientific 
treatises published sixteen yc.rs ago must now be considered 
_ seriously defective and in many cases absolutely misleading. We 
are therefore glad to see from the prospectus that the scientific 
treatises have been entirely recast, so as to be adapted as nearly 
as possible to the present state of knowledge, and we have reason 
to believe that the various articles have been put into the 
hands of men who are acknowledged masters of their several 
subjects. Indeed we think it a sufficient guarantee that the work 
will in every respect be up to the mark, that the editorial super- 
vision has been entrusted to Dr. Andrew Findlater, who has 
already deservedly won himself so great credit as Editor of 
Chambers’s Lxcyclopedia ; science at least is likely to have fair 
play in his hands, This work has already done much good in 
spreading accurate and valuable knowledge among the people, 
We hope the new edition will have as wide a circulation as its 
predecessors among the classes for whom it is adapted. 
A SUPPLEMENTARY number of Z’/wstitué has been issued, 
containing reports of the French Academy from September 5 to 
December 26, 1870, during which time, on account of the in- 
vestment of Paris, the publication of the journal had to be 
suspended. Besides the French Academy, it contains reports of 
the Royal Society, the Berlin, Munich, and St. Petersburg 
Academies of Science, and the Gottingen Society of Science for 
the same period. 
WE have received the ‘‘ Report of the Birmingham School 
Natural History Society ” for'the year 1872, anda very satisfactory 
one it is. The society was founded in 1869, under the auspices 
of the Rev. C. Evans, Head Master of theschool, since which it 
has made very creditable progress. Liberal grants have been 
made by the governors of the school for the purchase of books 
on Natural History, and the library contains several standard 
works, In 1871 a museum was fitted up, and during the past 
year three sections have been formed—botanical, entomologi- 
cal, and geological ; and it is hoped that, eventually, new sections 
will be formed for the study of other subjects, such as physi- 
ology, zoology, &c. Three excursions have been made during 
the year, and there would have been several more, had it not 
been for unfavourable weather. The report contains some very 
creditable papers by the youthful members of the society, and we 
hope that future reports will contain the results of original ob- 
servations on the part of the members. 
From the report of the Grant Medical College, Bombay, we 
learn that during 1872 the total number of students was 283, 
showing an increase of 37 over 1871. Great improvements have 
taken place in the Museum, and Dr. Sylvester, the officiating 
principal, says, that for the last twenty years it has not been in 
such good order as it is at present. Dr. Sylvester reports that 
the system of education is not so sound and deep as it ought to 
be, and wisely reccommends that some subjects should be omitted 
from the course, and a more strict and penetrating knowledge 
insisted on in the others. He also seems to think that more care 
ought to be exercised in the appointment of professors, and that 
a sort of supplementary professor should be appointed to each 
chair, who would be ready at any time to undertake the duties 
of the professorship in case of a vacancy. 
WE are glad to notice that the evening lectures to working 
men at the school of Mines have been eminently successful. The 
600 available seats are all occupied, and about 600 more appli- 
cants have been necessarily refused. Those who attend are all 
bona fide working men, who in various ways show that they 
appreciate and understand the scientific lectures delivered, Each 
professor gives a course of six lectures every other year. 
EARLY on Saturday morning a fire broke out in the Royal 
Military Academy at Woolwich, which terminated in the total 
é NATURE 
, eS Oe. eR 
ie MS ae ioke 5 een en Rt : 
269 
destruction of the large central block of the building. A foul 
flue is supposed to have been the cause of the fire. The damage 
is estimated at 100,000/, 
THE principal paper in Za Revue Scientifique for February 1 
is a long analysis of Darwin’s Descent of Man, which has 
recently been translated into French. The writer endeavours to 
‘give a perfectly fair view of the work, but the tone of the article 
shows that Darwin is beginning to be better understood and ap- 
preciated in France than he has hitherto been. The writer sees 
in Darwinism a gigantic effort of the human mind to arrive at 
an explanation of phenomena which had previously been re- 
garded as beyond the human grasp. He thinks it the duty of 
every naturalist, whatever may be his leanings, to study the facts 
and theories put forth by Darwin. 
WE have received the prospectus of a German work likely to 
be of considerable interest and value—a history of Writing 
(“Geschichte der Schrift und Schrifttums,” &c.) and written 
characters, symbolical and otherwise, from its earliest beginning 
in the shape of tattoo marks, down to the signs used in modern 
telegraphy, including an account of the modes of writing among 
all the nations of the world, savage and civilised. The speci- 
mens of the illustrations sent us are carefully executed ; one of 
them represents aman, most elaborately and minutely tattooed 
from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes. The author 
is Heinrich Wuttke. 
WE noted some time since that the French Govertiment con- 
templated suppressing the Bureau des Longitudes,in order to 
save its expense to the nation. The French Academy has 
made a vigorous and indignant protest against such a philistian 
proposal. The protest recounts the glories which have in 
former times accrued to France from the discoveries of its 
eminent astronomers, shows the important position formerly held 
by the Bureau, the valuable assistance it has given to astronomy 
and navigation by means of its journal, the Conmnaissance des 
Temps, and declares that by degrees in recent years, the means 
of doing efficient work have been withdrawn from it. Since 
1854 the Bureau has ceased to have the control of the Obser- 
vatory. The Academy demands that instead of suppressing the 
institution, Government should restore to it the means of making 
itself more useful. 
THE first number of an illustrated paper printed in Japanese, 
Lai Sei Shimbun, or Great Western News, was published in 
London on January 15. Its object is to clearly reflect the 
opinions of Japanese who have seen the world and learned 
European languages for the benefit of their countrymen at home. 
It is edited by a Japanese resident in London, in conjunction ~ 
with Prof Summers, of King’s College. 
A CORRESPONDENT writes asking us whether any Alpine walker 
among our readers has had experience of Sir T. Troubridge’s 
knapsack, the weight of which is borne principally upon the 
pelvis instead of on the shoulders, [thus leaving the chest more 
free. Also where it can be obtained. 
WITH the commencement of volume Ixxxi. of Astronomische 
Nachrichten, the office of that journal will be removed from 
Altona to the Observatory at Kiel, to Prof. C. A. F. Peters, at 
which address all communications should be sent. 
No. 1917 of Astronomische Nachrichten is mainly occupied 
with letters from various quarters on the star-shower of Noy. 27, 
1872. 
To No. 1919 of Astronomische Nachrichten, Prof. Spirer 
contributes the results of observations on the distribution of 
sun-spots for the periods of rotation, vi. and vii, for the year 
1871. 
