\ 
320 
need for improvement in this matter. It is, of course, im- 
possible for Government to interfere in squabbles about 
disputed boundaries, &c., and hence jealousy and stub- 
bornness will continue to put considerable areas of coal 
beyond the chance of being “won.” But surely some- 
thing might be done towards increasing the number of 
our mining schools; and, as Prof. Hull suggests, the 
Legislature might establish some educational test without 
which no one should be allowed to have the supervi- 
sion of collicry workings. With well-educated managers 
the waste of coal arising from ignorant methods of work- 
ing would be checked, and we should hear less frequently 
of those frightful accidents which ever and anon throw 
whole mining communities into mourning. ye. 
The Natural History of Plants. By H. Baillon ; trans- 
lated by M. M. Hartog. VolII. (London: L. Reeve 
and Co., 1872.) 
PURSUING the somewhat erratic arrangement to which 
we alluded in our notice of the first volume of this work 
(see NATURE, vol. iv. p. 199), Prof. Baillon proceeds to an 
account of the small order of Connaracez, the three 
sections of the large order Leguminose, viz., Mimosez, 
Czesalpiniez, and Papilionaceze, and then goes off ata 
tangent to four orders of Incomplete, viz., Proteacez, 
Lauracez, Elzagnacex, and Myristacacee, The same 
plan is pursued as in the first volume, of giving first of all 
a general sketch of the characters of the order, and then 
dividing it into a number of “series,” each containing one 
or more genera, An immense mass of information is thus 
collected, though wanting in convenient arrangement. 
The references to original authorities are, however, com- 
mendably copious. The illustrations, as before, are excel- 
lent, the translation apparently well and carefully done. 
Memorandum des Travaux de Botanique et de Physiologie 
végétale qui ont été publiés par l’Académie Royale de 
Belgique pendant le premier stdcle de son existence, 
1772—1871. Rapport Séculaire per E, Morren. 
(Bruxelles : Hayez, 1872.) 
THOUGH Belgiurn has not produced any botanical star 
of the first magnitude, yet a large amount of excellent 
work has been done in the little kingdom, especially 
during the period of its independent existence, since 1830, 
as shown by the labours of Decaisne in the flora of Japan, 
and of Galeottiin that of Mexico, of Jean Kickx in crypto- 
gamic botany, of Charles Morren in teratology and general 
morphology, and of Quetelet in the periodic phenomena 
of vegetation. M. E. Morren’s short abstract of the 
service done by his countrymen in each department of 
botany, with a list of the dates of publication of the 
various memoirs, is a useful contribution to the history of 
the science. 
Results of Five Years’ Meteorological Observations for 
Hobart Town, 
WE are here presented with carefully constructed tables 
and valuable remarks on the climate and vital statistics of 
Tasmania, It includes the results of observations for the 
five years ending in 1870, with which are incorporated the 
statistics for the previous twenty-five years, so that it pre- 
sents us with a complete set of statistics of meteorology 
for thirty years. That the observations have been care- 
fully and correctly made is proved by the fact that the 
results of thirty years’ observations agree very closely with 
those of the twenty-five years, the difference in many cases 
amounting to only a second or third place of decimals, 
The observations tor the five years ending 1870, have been 
made gratuitously at the Toronto Observatory, by Mr. 
Francis Abbott, the tables having been constructed by 
Mr. T. Roblin, Curator of the Museum, and revised by Dr. 
E. Swarbeck Hall, who appends an elaborate and care- 
fully drawn up health report for Tasmania. The intro- 
duction, among other matters, contains a descriptive list 
of the various instruments used ; the set seems to be com- | 
NATURE | 
plete, and all the apparatus trustworthy. The following 
are the mean resultants from the thirty years’ observations 
for Hobart Town from 1841 to 1870 inclusive :—Baro- 
meter (at temperature 32°), 29°580. Thermometer, mean 
temperature, 54°72; mean diurnal range, 17°91; mean 
solar intensity, 93°39; mean terrestrial radiation, 43’0I. 
Humidity of air—Dew point—meéan position, 45°49; hu- 
midity of air, 75; elastic force of vapour, ‘316; conden- 
sation, rain in inches, 1 89 ; number of days on which rain 
fell, 1166; Ozone, mein daily amount, 7 24; prevailing 
direction of wind, N W., S.E. ; prevailing force of wind, 
58:37 lbs. per square foot, 
Fahrbuch der k k. Geologischen Reichsanstalt, xxii. 
band, No. 2. (Wien.) 
FRANZ RITTER V. HAUER gives, in this number of the 
Year-book, an outline sketch of the sedimentary forma- 
tions met with in Austria. He arranges his materials 
somewhat after the manner of Studer’s *‘ Index der Petro- 
graphie,” the names of the various deposits following in 
alphabetical order. The geological horizons are briefly 
indicated, and copious references to authorities are given. 
The descriptions are necessarily brief, but they are clear 
and comprehensive, and the paper will be invaluable to 
those who may desire to widen their acquaintance with 
Austrian geology. Among the mineralogical contri- 
butions, we notice the description of a new mineral from 
Mexico—Guadalcazerite, the composition of which is 
given as6 Hy S + Z,S. From the laboratory of Prof, 
Bauer come several useful rock-analyses, chiefly iron- 
stones. Professor Tschermak gives a description of 
sundry meteorites, and some account of basalts, meta- 
phyres, and other eruptive rocks from the Caucasus, 
There is also an interesting paper by Professor Inostran- 
zeff on the Vesuvian lavas of 1871 and 1872. 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 
[Zhe Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed 
by his correspondents. No notice is taken of anonymous 
communications. ] 
Prof. Balfour Stewart on the Spectroscope 
I BEG to say a few words in reply to some statements in the 
letter of Prof. Baifour Stewart in NATURE, February 20. 
Ist. I wish to state that I had no knowledge of Mr. Proctor’s 
letter in the English Mechanic until I saw it by accident in a 
copy of that journal which had been sent to me for another 
erie Ihave never made the claim to which Prof. Stewart 
refers, 
2nd. The note in Schellen’s “Spectrum Analysis,” of which 
Frat Stewart asks an explanation, consists of three statements 
of fact. 
a ‘Though to Mr. Lockyer is due the first publication of 
the idea of the possibility of applying the spectroscope to observe 
the red flames in sunshine, as a matter of history it should not 
be passed over that about the same time the same idea occurred 
independently to Mr. Stone, of Greenwich, and to Mr, Huggins.” 
I wish to remark that I made no claim on Mr. Stone’s part or 
on my own. On the contrary I said expressly ‘tas a matter of 
history” these facts should not be passed over. I conceive that 
this statement of facts ought to have a place in a book which 
professes to give the history of the subject. 
& ‘* These observers were, however, unsuccessful in numerous 
attempts which they made to see the spectra of the prominences, 
for the reason probably that the spectroscopes they employed 
were not of sufficient dispersive power to make the bright lines of 
the solar flames easily visible.” Prof. Stewart remarks that he 
“cannot yet understand” why I failed. The reasons can now 
be a matter of conjecture only. All workers in science know how 
much more difficult it is to discover the unknown than to recognise 
the known. It may be that I passed over too carelessly the 
deep red (C) and the blue (F) where the brightest lines occur, 
The observation of the bright lines in the star in Corona B (May 
1866), in which the same silting principle of the prism came into 
operation, shuld have suggested to me to look for the lines of 
