oh 
April 5, 1883] 
site of the Great Exhibition of 1862, has been proceeding gradu- 
ally during the last two years, and is now rapidly approaching 
completion. Several of the rooms, formerly stocked with birds, 
fishes, &c., have been already emptied. 
LizuT. SAMUEL W. VERY, U.S.N., and Dr. Orlando B. 
Wheeler, the two principal members of the expedition sent by 
the United States Government to Santa Cruz, Patagonia, to ob- 
serve the recent transit of Venus, arrived in Liverpool on Friday, 
by the Pacific Steam Navigation Company’s mail steamer Pata- 
gonia. Lieut. Very, who had charge of the expedition as chief 
astronomer, states that the expedition arrived off the mouth of 
the Santa Cruz River on November 2. The weather during the 
first fourteen days was very encouraging, but this was succeeded 
by nine days of overcast, disagreeable weather, with frequent 
and sharp showers of hail and rain. Fine weather again fol- 
lowed until the eventful morning of December 6, which broke 
cloudy and hazy. By half-past seven a.m., however, the clouds 
began to weaken, half an hour later the sun shone out dimly, 
and as the day advanced the weather improved, so that when it 
was time to take up stations for the first contact, the sun was 
almost entirely clear. All four of the contacts were observed 
both by Lieut. Very, with the large equatorial, and by Mr. 
Wheeler, with a smaller one ; and during the transit 224 photo- 
graphs were taken, with a continuous improvement in the 
results. b> sunset the weather changed again for the worse, and 
the sun was 1 t seen, except at intervals, for four or five days, 
during which time Lieut. Very was looking avxiously for obser- 
vations for rating his chronometers. While the expedition was 
in camp the temperature changed to the extent of 19° in the 
cour:e of every twelve hours. In the daytime the heat occa- 
sionally was oppressive, while at night the air was very cold, and 
the party had to sleep with double blankets and heavy clothing 
upon them. The Lieutenant speaks in the highest terms of the 
kindness and consideration shown to him by the Pacific Steam 
Navigation Company and the Customs authorities, both of 
whom, when they were informed of his business, put all possible 
facilities in his power. 
THE next ordinary General Meeting of the Institution of 
Mechanical Engineers will be held on Wednesday, April 11, and 
Thursday, April 12, at 25, Great George Street, Westminster. 
The chair will be taken by the president, Percy G. B. Westma- 
cott, at three o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, and at ten o’clock 
on Thursday morning. The following papers will be read and 
discussed :—On the strength of shafting when exposed both to 
torsion and end thrust, by Prof. A. G. Greenhill, of Woolwich ; 
On modern methods of cutting metals, by Mr. W. Ford Smith, 
of Salford ; On improvements in the manufacture of coke, by 
Mr. John Jameson, of Newcastle-on-Tyne ; On the application 
of electricity to coal mines, by Mr. Alan C. Bagot, of London. 
THE 21st meeting of the delegates of the French Learned 
Societies took place last week at the Sorbonne. M. Ferry, the 
French Premier, presided over the tinal meeting on March 31, 
and delivered, as is customary, an address. The Minister dwelt 
much on the circumstance that he had added to the four sections 
in existence a fifth, devoted to political economiy, so that the 
meeting of the Learned Societies included every subject in human 
knowledge. He praised the Trustees of the British Museum 
for their fair dealing towards France in the matter of the Ash- 
burnham manuscripts, and eulogised the French Government 
for their zeal in the promotion of knowledge, declaring that 60 
millions of francs had been already spent for the rebuilding of 
French universities, and that 40 millions were to be spent shortly 
for the same purpose. The presidents of the several sections 
omitted to deliver their reports, and the proceedings terminated 
somewhat abruptly, The address was well received, but the 
unexpected silence of the presidents has taken the public by 
surprise, and has been unexplained as yet. 
NATURE 
539 
M. HERVE MANGON, President of the Bureau Central of 
French Meteorology, opened the Session of the Congress of 
Meteorologists on March 29 by reading a report on the working 
of the institution. This document states that, froma comparison 
made by the Bureau, its forecasts have been acknowledged good 
83 times in each 100 ; that for the warning of tempests 207 had 
been sent to- the seaports, out of which 100 had been fulfilled 
entirely, 65 partly, and 42 had not been warranted by the event. 
The president, who is a member of the French Legislative 
Assembly for La Manche, announces the intention of asking from 
Parliament an augmentation of credit. 
Mr. MuysrIDGE has issued a prospectus of ‘‘a new and 
elaborate work upon the attitudes of man, the horse, and other 
animals in motion.” As the expense of conducting these ex- 
periments is very great, Mr. Muybridge naturally waits until 
he obtains a sufficient number of roo-dollar subscriptions before 
entering upon them, Each subscriber of the sum will receive 
a large album containing the photographic results of the experi- 
ments. Their scientific and artistic value is so great that we 
trust Mr. Muybridge will receive sufficient encouragement to 
put his plan into execution. His address is Scovill Manufac- 
turing Company, Publishing Department, 419-421, Broome 
Street, New York. 
Tue Warwick Museum has been enriched by the very valu- 
able collection of local Liassic and Keuper fossils formed by 
the late Mr. J. W. Kirshaw, F.G.S., which it is intended to 
keep as a separate collection. The whole of the collection in 
the Museum has lately been classified and arranged by Mr. 
R. Bullen Newton, of the Natural History Museum, South 
Kensington. 
HARTLEBEN’S ‘“‘Elektrotechnische Bibliothek” has been 
further augmented by three volumes. They consist of two little 
books by Dr. Alfred von Urbanitzky, viz. ‘‘ Die elektrischen 
Beleuchtungs Anlagen” and ‘‘ Das elektrische Licht,” and one 
by Herr W. P. Hauck, ‘‘ Die galvanischen Batterien, Accumu- 
latoren, und Thermosaulen.” 
ACCORDING to latest accounts, the eruption of Mount Etna is 
resuming activity. Enormous quantities of gas are thrown out, 
and slight shocks are again felt in the neighbourhood of 
Nicolosi. 
THE second number of Zimehr7, the journal of the British 
Guiana Agricultural and Commercial Society is to hand; it 
completes the first volume. Among the contents we note the 
following :—Forest Conservancy in British Guiana, by M. 
McTurk, G. M. Pearce, and the Hon. W. Russell; Mount 
Russell in Guiana, by the Editor, Mr. Im Thurn; The Aspect 
and Flora of the Kaieteur Savannah, by G. S. Jenman ; Notes 
on West Indian Stone Implements, by the Editor, with several 
coloured illustrations ; British Guiana Cave-Soils and Artificial 
Manures, by E. E. H. Francis. There are also several inter- 
esting notes, and the reports of the Society’s meetings. Among 
the notes is a letter from Dr. R. Schomburgk, of Adelaide, 
giving some interesting autobiographical details. Stanford is the 
London agent. 
WE have received the first number of the new American 
monthly, Sczence, to which we heartily wish all success. 
WHILE Western Europe enjoyed a mild autumn, very severe 
weather was experienced on the Ural. At Ekaterinburg the 
average temperature of October was four degrees lower than the 
average for forty five years, that is, — 3°°9, instead of +079, 
the lowest temperatures in October witnessed since 1836 having 
been but —2°4 and —3°2. For nineteen days the thermo- 
meter did not rise above zero, and it fell as low as —19°'2 and 
—17°°9. 
