176 NATURE 
was made to the library, the financial affairs, the proposed altera- 
tions of the bye-laws, and the recent meteorological conference 
at Leipzig ; and the Council concluded by stating that they had 
had under consideration that evening a letter from the Board of 
Trade with reference to sending a representative to the Meteoro- 
logical Congress to be held at Vienna in September next. The 
President then delivered an Address in which he chiefly referred 
to the progress of the Society during the two years that he had 
occupied the presidential chair. The following gentlemen were 
elected officers and council for the ensuing year :—President— 
Dr. Robert James Mann, F.R.A.S. Vice-presidents—Arthur 
Brewin, F.R.A.S., George Dines, Henry Storks Eaton, Lieut.- 
Col. Alexander Strange, F.R.S, Treasurer—Henry Perigal, 
F.R.A.S, Trustees—Sir Antonio Brady, F.G.S., Stephen 
William Silver, F.R.G.S, Secretaries—George James Symons, 
John W. Tripe, M.D. Foreign Secretary—Robert H. Scott, 
F.R.S. Council—Charles Brooke, F,R.S., Charles O. F. Cator, 
Rogers Field, C.E., Frederic Gaster, James Glaisher, F.R.S., 
John Knox Laughton, F.R.A.S., William Carpenter Nash, 
Thomas Sopwith, F.R.S., Rev. Fenwick W. Stow, M,A., Capt. 
Henry Toynbee, F.R.A.S., Charles Vincent Waiker, F.R.S., 
E. QO. Wildman Whitehouse, C, E. 
BERLIN 
German Chemical Society, June 9.—A. W. Hofmann, 
president, in the chair. A, Behr and Van Dorp report oxide of 
Jead heated in iron tubes to be a good oxidising agent for or- 
ganic vapours: C,H,(CH,), yielding CsH,(CH),, &c.—E. 
5. ‘kowsky has found that taurine escapes digestion in the human 
body to a large extent. A small quantity of the following com- 
pound, however, passes into the urine; a crystallised acid of the 
empirical formula, CsH,N.SO,, forming quadratic plates, which 
are easily soluble, and giving well-crystallised salts with Ba, Ag, 
&c. With baryta water it yields taurine, carbonic acid and ammo- 
nia. The acid appears to be a substitution product of our hydro- 
gen in taurine through carbaminic acid. Dr. Salkowsky took 
5 grammes of taurine for twelve days following without suffering 
any great inconvenience to his health.—T. Thomsen sent in the 
results of very numerous experiments on the heat absorbed or 
developed by dissolving various salts in water, Thesame savant 
attacks the calorimetric method employed by Berthelot, and 
disputes his conclusions as to the existence of a hydrate HCl + 
8H,O.—K. Heumann has found that copper in contact with 
sulhde of ammonium becomes covered with crystals of subsul- 
fide Cu,S, according to the reaction 2CuO +2(NH,),.S=Cu, 
S+4NH,+2H.0+S.—H. vy. Gegenfeld reports on the action 
of hypochlorous acid HCIO on allylic chloride. The dichlor- 
hydrine thus formed he considers as isomeric with that prepared 
from glycerine, while L. Henry obtained a body through the same 
reaction, which he considers as identical with ordinary dichlor- 
hydrine. —L, Bisschopinck has studied the amides and the 
nitrites of the three chloracetic acids, particularly with regard to 
their physical properties. The most prominent result is the 
following irregularity in the boiling points of the nitriles, 
namely ;— 
CH,.CN boils at 81— 82° 
CH,Cl.CN ,,  123—124° 
CHCl,.CN ,,° 113—113° 
CC),. CN » 83— 84 
The foregoing remarks were accompanied by a note of M. L. 
Henry on the boiling-points of the cyanides of negative radicals. 
He points out that if in HCN, H is replaced by a negative ele- 
ment or radical, the boiling point sinks; thus HCN 20°, 
Cl. CN 15°, CN. CN — a1’, adding other examples, and the 
attempt of an explanation of this exceptional phenomenon, 
‘The same chemist has continued his researches on propargylic 
alcohol C;H,OH. We has found its boiling point equal to 
114°, and he has prepared the bromide, the iodide, the sulfo- 
cyanide, and the acetate belonging toit. In treating brominated 
allylic alcohol C,H,Br. OH with potash, he obtains besides 
propargylic alcohol an ether (C,H, Br),O, and perhaps also pro- 
pargylic ether, which has not as yet been obtained in the pure 
state. 
Paris 
Academy of Sciences, June 16.—M. de Quatrefages, presi- 
dent, in the chair. The following papers were read:—On the 
combustion heat of formic acid, by M. Berthelot.—On the alloys 
used for gold coinage, by M. Eug. Pelegot. The author advo- 
cated the addition of zinc to the alloy, and at the same time the 
reduction of the gold to a very great amount. He mentions with 
~ Va to a ee eo 
| Fune 26, 1873 
favour alloys containing from 48 to 66 mill. zinc, 354 to 372 cop- 
per, and 580 to 581 gold.—A report on the papers on Phyd- 
loxera, by MM. Duclaux, Max, Cornu, and L. Faucon was 
presented.—On the complete movements of a ship oscillating 
in calm water, by MM. O. Duhil, de Benazé and P. Risbec. . 
The authors gave an account of their experiments on the 
Elorn, a vessel of 100 tons displacement.—Photo-chemical 
researches on the use of gases as developers, and on 
the influence of physical conditions as regards sensitisation, 
by M. Merget, was a paper on some of the chemi- 
cal phenomena of photography.—On a scientific ballcon as- 
cent on the 26th April, 1873, by MM. Crocé-Spinelli, Jobert, 
Pénaud, Petard, and Sivel—Announcement of the discovery of 
Planet 132 at Washington on the 14th June, by Prof. Henry.— 
Researches on electricity produced by mechanical actions, &c., 
by M. L, Joulin. Researches on essence of alan-gilan (Uxona 
odoratissima), by M. H. Gal. The author has discovered ben- 
zoic acid in this essence, and believes that this is the first instance 
of this body being found in an essence, it having hitherto been 
found only in the balsams.—Contributions to the history of the 
histologic constitution of Moitg’s glarin, by M. A, Bechamp. 
This paper related to the gelatinous body found in the sulphurous 
springs of the Pyrenees. The author finds that microscopic ex- 
amination shows it to be a mass of microzymes imprisoned in'a 
hyalin matrix. He has tried various experiments on its action 
as a ferment.—On the estimation of the total nitrogen in manures, 
by M. H. Pellet—On the estimation of phosphoric acid in 
natural phosphates, super-phosphates, and manures, by M. 
H. Jouliee—On a process for the estimation of hzmo- 
globin in blood, by M. Quinquaud.—On the determina- 
tion of the mechanical equivalent of food, by M. A. 
Sanson. The author pointed out the immense value to ali 
employers of animal motive power, such as military autho- 
rities, &c., of the value of a method for ascertaining the value in 
work of the forage they use for their horses. He estimated the 
value of 1 kilo. of protein in a good average ration, as, in round 
numbers, 1,600,000 metre-kilograms, —Experimental researches 
on the influence of barometric changes on the phenomena of life, 
11th note, by M. P. Bert. 
DIARY 
THURSDAY, June 26, 
Society OF ANTIQUARIES, at 8.30. 
FRIDAY, June 27. 
SATURDAY, June 28. 
Grotoacists’ AssociaTion.—Excursion to Hatfield. 
TUESDAY, Juty x. 
Society oF BrsLicaL ARCH OLOGY, at 8.30.—The Fall of Nineveh and the 
First Year of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon: J. W. Bosanquet. 
WEDNESDAY, Jury 2. 
HorTICULTURAL SocirTy.—Rose Show. 
QueketT Cvs, at 8. 
BOOKS RECEIVED 
EncGiisu.—Field Pocket Book for the Auxiliary Forces: Colonel! Sir 
Garnett Wolseley (Macmillan and Co.).—Education of Man (Charles 
Griffin & Co.) —Light Science for Leisure Hours. 2nd Series: R 
Proctor (Longmans & Co.).—The Old Faith and the New: Dr. F, Strauss 
(Asher & Co.) —The Scholar’s Arithmetic: Lewis Hensley (C, P. S. Mac- 
millan & Co.). 
CONTENTS _ Pate 
THe ENDOWMENT oF RESEARCH, I. 6 « «+ » © 9 8s 0 © 6 ESF 
CuavuveAu’s ANATOMY OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS . . « + + « 158 
Receny ‘Akita merics! Se ee eg 
Our Boox:SHeEtr «sale Wee ree ov’ + 160 
Lerrers TO THE EpiTorR ;-- 
Dr. Sanderson's Experiments and Archebiosis.—Dr. CHARLTON 
BASTIAN, F.R.S. OO ss cok sab, lene Ge 
Spectrum of Nitrogen—Dr. A. Schuster. . . A 161 
Ground Tver ed 
MULLER; (W. Es HART) «vies: |store 
Lotus corniculatus.—T, H. FARRER. . « . . « . 
The Respighi and Secchi Methods.—Father Seccut . ». .. . 
Gassendi and the Doctrine of Natural Selection.—W. H. BREWER. 162 
Care of Monkeys for their Dead . . s) 6 . ss ss a es 
Inteilect of Porpoises. -W, Matrigu WituiAms, F.C.S. . . . 163 
Instinct . . So '8 Sele! 0 6 86 6x ene 
Grus vipio.—W. A. ForBES . 2s) ee 8 0 oe sae cee 
On THE SyNTHESIS OF MarsH-GAs AND Formic ACID, AND ON THE 
Exectric DecomrosiTion oF CARBONIC Oxipe. By Sir B. C, 
Bropig, Bait. FR S. Gieiisuasea oe ay oat isics oa 6 eg eee 
Tue Law or Storms Devetoren, III. By Prof. T. B. Maury (With ‘ 
Lddastration)':.'\.°/5 JRA MEO SOL tM ee ain 
ON THE ORIGIN AND METAMORPHOSES OF INsEcTs, VII. By Sir Joun 
Lussock, Bart.. M.P., F.R.S, (Wath Illustrations). . 1 . . » 167 
AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS . + . » +s 4» © « «© « » 169 
NOTES 65.2) 15h.) RR SY Oy tere) ane es 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. « « 5 + es + + 5 8 + es os 973 
1 A Bae ch mie ans Oe sre 
Books RECEIVED. . . . “ve booties + + @ + 376 
a 
