62 
NATURE 
[Vov. 16, 1882 
war steamer, on the comet, stating that it was seen at Buenos 
Ayres, in the streets, on November 18, in close vicinity to the 
sun, and that the tail was seen for the first time on board the 
JV'ger on September 26. The expanse of the tail was then 28°, 
and its transversal dimension 26°. The quantity of light was so 
great that when the end of the tail began to become visible the 
officers and sailors witnessing the phenomenon were quite unable 
to understand the real nature of this splendid illumination, 
Mr. B. J. Hopkins, of Dalston, sends us a drawing of the 
head of the comet, which he saw on November 8, 16h. 50m. 
Viewed with the naked eye, Mr. Hopkins states, the nucleus 
appeared equal to a second-magnitude star; the tail was dis- 
tinctly visible, having a length of about 19°; it was straight fcr 
four-fifths its length ; it then abruptly curved upwards and spread 
itself out in the shape of a fan, with a breadth of 4°. It was 
still brightest on the southern side. Observing at 17h. 30m. the 
nucleus—as seen with a 5-inch refractor—had the appearance of 
being double, there being two portions of equal brightness 
separated by a narrow space of less brightness, the whole being 
surrounded by a circular nebulosity. The line joining the two 
brigkt portions of the nucleus formed an angle with the axis of 
the tail; and the tail immediately following the nucleus was 
most clearly and sharply divided into two portions of unequal 
brightness, the southern, as before mentioned, being by far the 
most brilliant. The dark rift in the tail was not so conspicuous 
as on the 5th inst. 
M. TRESCA presented to the Academy of Sciences on 
Monday the third part of his great work on measures 
taken during the Paris Electrical Exhibition. It relates to the 
analysis of electric candles, and will be followed by a similar 
work on incandescent lights. M. Mascart sent a paper on mea- 
sures taken with the registering electrometer in compliance with 
the wish expressed by Sir William Thomson to test the relations 
of the state of the weather and the electrical properties of the 
air. 
AT the same meeting M. Janssen read in the name of the 
Bureau des Longitudes a report on the observations which will be 
made during the total eclipse of the sun of May 6, 1883, which 
will be observed in the Pacific Ocean. He also read a paper 
on his work on solar spectroscopy, and on the observation 
of telluric rays. Admiral Mouchez read a letter from M. 
Henry, who has been sent to the Pic-du-Midi to observe the 
forthcoming transit of Venus and determine the possibility of 
establishing an astronomical observatory on the top of the 
mountain. 
THE French Journal Offciel has published a decree of the 
President establishing a council for the Observatory of Mentone. 
Weare informed that the contract for the construction and 
erection of the Forth Bridge has been let to Sir Thomas Tan- 
cred, Bart., Mr. J. H. Falkiner, and Mr. Joseph Phillips, Civil 
Engineers and Contractors, of Westminster, and Messrs. Arrol 
and Co. of the Dalmarnock Iron Works, Glasgow. Messrs. 
Tancred and Falkiner have already carried out about seventy 
miles of railway for Mr. Fowler, and are at present constructing 
the new line to Southampton. Mr. Phillips has had a very wide 
practical experience in bridge construction and erection, and 
Messrs, Arrol and Co, are contractors for the new Tay Bridge, 
so the works arein good hands. The contract sum is 1,600, 000/., 
which is within 5000/, of the engineer’s parliamentary estimate. 
The tenders received ranged from 1,485,000/. to 2,300,000/., 
most of the leading firms being represented. 
AT the annual general meeting of the Cambridge Philoscphica] 
Society, a resolution recording the deep regret of the Society at 
the lamentable event which deprived them of their late president, 
Prof. F. M. Balfour, was carried unanimously, and a letter ex- 
pre-sive of their feelings was directed to be sent to Mrs, Henry 
Sidgwick (Prof. Balfour’s sister). The officers for the ensuing 
year were appointed as follows:—President, Mr. J. W. L. 
Glaisher, F.R.S, ; Vice-Presidents ; Profs. Babington, Newton, . 
and Cayley; Treasurer, Dr. Pearson; Secretaries: Mr. J. W. 
Clark, Mr, Trotter, and Mr, W. M, Hicks; new Members of 
Council; Dr, Campion, Mr, E, Hill, and Mr. J. N. Langley. 
WitH regard to the recent sad suicide of a girl by leaping 
fron one of the towers of Notre Dame, Dr. Bionardeli’s ex- 
pre-sed view that asphyxiation in the rapid fall may have been 
the cause of death, has given rise to some correspondence in Za 
Nature, M. Bontemps points out that the depth of fall havins 
been about 66 metres, the velocity acquired in the time (less than 
four seconds) cannot have been so great as that sometimes 
attained on railways, e.g. 33 metres per second on the line 
between Chalons and Paris, where the effect should be the same ; 
yet we never hear of asphyxiation of engine drivers and stokers. 
He considers it desirable that the idea in question should be 
exploded, as unhappy persons may be led to choose suicide by 
fall from a height, under the notion that they will die before 
reaching the ground. Again, M. Gossin mentions that a few 
years aso a man threw himself from the top of the.Column of 
July, and fell on an awning which sheltered workmen at the 
pedestal; he suffered only a few slight contusions. M. Remy 
says he has often seen an Englishman leap from a height of 
31 metres (say 103 feet) into a deep river ; and he was shown in 
1852, in the island of Oahu, by missionaries, a native who had 
fallen from a verified height of more than 300 metres (say 1000 
feet) His fall was broken near the end by a growth of ferns 
and other plants, and he had only a few wounds. Asked as to 
his sensations in falling, he said he only felt dazzled, 
Dr. SLUNIN has published in Russian a work—‘ Materials 
for the Knowledge of Popular Medicine in Russia ’—which will 
be received with interest, not only by medical men but also by 
ethnographers, Dr. Slunin gives a detailed account of all 
plants and drugs used not only in Russian popular medicine ia 
the governments of Saratoff and Astrakhan, which he knows 
from many years’ residence, but also in all Persian, Tartar, and 
Central Asian medicines (with their Arabian names) that have 
come to his knowledge. His remarks on popular pharmacies 
and on the popular medical literature which goes as far back as 
the epoch of the flourishing times of Arabian civilisation are of 
great interest. 
THE Catalogue of the Reference Department of the Derby 
Free Library is of a handy size and excellent type. We are told 
it contains 60,000 references to works upon the library shelves ; 
and, upon dipping into it, the minuteness of connection which 
will lead to a reference to publications of scarcely higher stand- 
ing than a newspaper, is imposing. We grieve to add, however, 
that this holds good in both senses of the word. For looking 
more closely we find most important references are absent. As 
a sample, eight references are given to the name of Garrick, but 
neither is his life by Murphy or Davies quoted, nor is any refer- 
ence made to Boswell’s ‘‘ Johnson,” or Goldsmith’s Poems ; and 
the extraordinary explanation of this is found in the fact that 
neither of these works is in the library! And this absence of 
important works seems to be the rule rather than the exception, 
carried out also with the most even-handed fairness to all sub- 
jects; Looking through the letter B as a sample, we find no 
works of Babbage, Back, Barbauld, Barry (Sir C.), Baxter, Beale, 
Baden Powell, Brewster, Barrow (Isaac or Sir Jno.), Bayne, 
Beckmann, Blackie, Blackstone, Borrow, Boswell, Bowring, 
Bridgewater Treatises, Browning (Mrs.), Buckmaster, Buxton, 
Butler (Bp.), or Butler (S.). Among Dictionaries neither 
the Penny nor the English Cyclopedia is to be found. 
