470 
scientific questions in an unprecedented manter, when a gentle- 
man employed to translate a scientific work takes advantage of 
the opportunity to append to the translation, in the disguise of 
a preface, a pamphlet of nineteen pages containing’an elabo- 
rate refutation, according to his own ideas, of the bulk of 
the views contained in the work itself. Mr. Scrope, we 
understand, on becoming aware of this strange conduct of 
Prof. von Kléden, has endeavoured to meet the attack thus 
unfairly made on his work, by circulating as widely as pos- 
sible through the scientific world of Germany, a translation of 
his essay on the formation of volcanic cones and craters, origi- 
nally read before the Geological Society of London in February 
1859, and published in the journal of the Society for that year, 
a paper in which the theory of “ Erhebungs-Kratere” was 
amply discussed. But even here the author appears to have 
had but scant justice done to him, if it be true, as Dr. Rein 
assures us, that ‘*the German of this translation is very bad |’? 
AN Icelandic gentleman sends to the Scotsman an account of 
the eruption of the Skaptar Jokull in Iceland, which took place 
in January last, On January 9, about three o’clock A. M., there 
was observed from Reykjavik a great fire in the E,N.E. The 
fire shot up like lightning, displaying beautiful evolutions in 
combination with the electricity above. So bright was it, 
that during the dark morning hours it was thought it must be 
very close to Reykjavik. But when daylight dawned, and the 
mountains could be discerned, a thick and heavy column of 
vapour or steam was observed far in the background, beyond all 
the mountains, so that it was clear that it was far off, and, 
according to the direction, it seemed most likely to be in Skaptar 
Jokull, the west part of Vatna Jokull—the great waste of glaciers 
in the east and south of the island. Morning and night this 
grand display was visible during the gth, roth, 1th, and 12th, 
and during the day the columa of steam and smoke stood high 
in the sky. All agreed that the eruption must be in Skaptar 
Jokull, and from various observations it was concluded that the 
position of the crater ought to be between 67° 7’ and 67° 18’ 
deg. north lat., and 30° 45’ and 30° 55’ west long. from the 
meridian of Copenhagen. In the east, near Berufjord, some 
shocks were felt, and fire was seen from many farms. Ashes, 
too, had fallen over the north-east coast so abundantly that 
pasture fields were covered, and the farmers had to take their 
sheep into the huts and feed them. In the south, however, no 
earthquakes were felt, or noises heard in the earth, as far as 
Markarfljol (near Eyjafjalla Jokull). Nowhere has been ob- 
served any fall of ashes or dust, but all aver a bad smell was 
felt, which was also the case in Reykjavik on the forenoon of 
the roth. At Reykjavik the air was felt to be very close, with 
a smell of sulphur and powder. No change was observed in the 
sun, moon, &c. The sky was clear all these days. The direction 
of the wind was from N. W.—W.S.W., and the weather fine. 
Baron Lizzie is seriously ill, and on the rsth inst. there had 
been a great change for the worse in his condition, 
ON Tuesday, Dr. James Murie, late Prosector to the Zoolo- 
gical Society, was unanimously elected by the Town Council of 
Edinburgh, Professor of Anatomy and Zootomy to the Vete- 
rinary College of that city, wice Professor Davidson, M.D., 
deceased. 
PROF. ANSTED, whose unfortunate accident we noticed last 
week, has recently received from the King of the Greeks the 
brevet and insignia of the Hellenic order of the Sauveur, of 
which he has been nominated an officer, in recognition of his 
Services in reference to the Laurium question, 
M. Loewy has been elected a member of the French Academy 
of Sciences in room of the late M. Delaunay. 
A COMMITTEE was formed last autumn with a view to secure 
NATURE 
nie a eee 
| April 17, 1873. 
some provision for the five children who were left unprovided for 
by the untimely death of Mr. John Cargill Brough. A meeting — 
of this Committee was held at the London Institution on Tues- 
day last, and the report of the Honorary Secretaries showed that 
the subscriptions amounted to a sum which, after deducting all — 
expenses, will stand at nearly 2,000/. In this sum are included 
a grant of 150/. from the Royal Bounty Fund, 200/. contributed 
by members of the Savage Club, and nearly 400/. collected in © 
answer to an appeal to the Pharmaceutical Chemists. A deed 
of trust of the usual character was approved by the Committee, 
and trustees were appointed. Votes of thanks were passed to — 
Mr. McArthur, M.P., who has. ; 
Hospital, to Mr, Deputy Webster, and to Sir John Lubbock, 
Bart., M.P., F.R.S., who has kindly acted as treasurer of the 
fund. The secretaries stated, in concluding their report, that a 
the names of the gentlemen who have acted on the Committee, 
as well as the kindly expressions of sympathy which have from 
time to time reached them, afford evidence of the respect and 
affection in which Mr, Brough’s memory is held. 
AMONG the candidates for the Professorship of Anatomy to. 
the Royal Academy are Dr. B. W. Richardson, F.R.S., and 
Mr. John Marshal, F.R.S. 
Dr. B. W. RICHARDSON, F.R.S., has been elected by the 
President and Council of the Royal Society, Croonian Lecturer 
on the subject of muscular motion. . 
THE third part of the great map of Switzerland (‘Topo- 
graphischer Atlas der Schweiz ”), containing the sheets Binnen- 
thal, Helsenhorn, Andermatt, Six Maduna, S. Gotthard, Faido, 
Olivone, Hinterrhein, Mesocco, Jungfrau, Adelboden, and 
Lenk, has recently been issued at Berne. These sheets are all 
on the scale of gy. Those called Andermatt and S. Gott- 
hard have a special and general interest at the present time from 
embracing the course of the Great St. Gotthard tunnel, and ex- 
hibit in the clearest manner, by means of their contour lines, 
the nature and altitudes of the overlying land. Thirty-eight 
sheets are now published out of the 546 which will compose this 
magnificent map, 
Mr. E. L. Layarp, H.M. Consul at }Para, well known 
for his zoological researches in different parts of the world, 
has returned to England, resigned his consulate in that 
place, and accepted the charge of the British interests in the 
Fiji Islands. During the short time he has held his office in 
South America, he has made a valuable collection of birds, of 
which we understand an account will be given in one of the 
forthcoming numbers of the Zéz5, 
THE new gate to the Zoological Society’s Gardens in the 
Albert Road, opposite Primrose Hill, and the new canal bridge, 
opened on Easter Monday for the first time, were found very 
convenient to those of the 42,320 visitors on that day who © 
arrived from the north, as they were saved the trouble of going 
over the rather out-of-the-way bridges of the Regent’s Canal, 
which they previously had to do. ; 
WE understand that Mr. Severzow, a well-known Russian 
naturalist of Moscow, is preparing a work on the zoology of the 
vertebrata of Turkestan, which will be accompanied with illus- 
trations of the new and interesting species which haye been the 
first-fruits of the new Russian Expedition and Annexations in 
that part of Asia, : 
THE Lucasian Professor of Mathematics (Mr. Stokes) at Cam- 
bridge, will deliver a course of lectures on hydrostatics, hydro- 
dynamics, and optics, commencing Friday, April 25, and they 
will be continued, with a few exceptions, on all week days except 
Thursday, at the hour of x p, M., in the New Museum. Gentle- 
men who wish to attend are requested to leave their names with 
Messrs. Deighton, Mr, J. W. Clark will commence his osteo- 
given a presentation to Christ’s — 
