3H 



NATURE 



[Feb. 1 8, 1875 



that is foreign and deprecating native talent ; he does this with 

 special reference to an article which appeared in many papers 

 in Germany, stating that the French astronomer, M. Camilla 

 Flammarion, had succeeded in determining the actual weight of 

 a distant fixed star, and had found it to he about three times the 

 weight of our sun. He points out that tlie result is correct, but 

 is not a discovery of M. Flammarion. Prof. Kriiger (now di- 

 rector of the Observatory of Helsingfors) had already in 1859 

 made and published his calculations, after having received from 

 the writer a more exact determination of the orbit of the double 

 star in question, 70 p Ophiuchi. Prof. Kriiger then gave the 

 following details : Mass of the double star = 274 times that of 

 the sun ; half of the major axis = 2934 times our distance from 

 the sun ; distance from our solar system = 1,200,000 times the 

 sun's distance from the earth. The ray of light requires 19I 

 years to travel from the star to us (about the same time. Prof. 

 Klinkerfues says, that German works take to become known in 

 France). When the parallax of the star was determined still 

 more perfectly. Prof. Kriiger altered the above figures to 3-12, 

 303, and 1,271,700 respectively. 



The discovery is announced of a new planet (142) by Director 

 J. Pslisa, at Pola, with a telescope of 7s ft. focal length. It 

 appeared of the 12th magnitude, and on Jan. 28, at I ih. 23m. 47s. 

 Pola mean time, under R.A. 8h. 25m. 56s. 82, and Decl. + 

 iS" 17' 38"4, with a daily motion of - im. 63. R.A. , and + 2'-8 

 Decl. At the Diisseldorf Observatory the planet (134) is being 

 observed and its elements exactly calculated. 



The KSlnische Zeitung of Feb. 7 contains an abstract of a 

 paper read by M. G. Wex, at the Geographical Society of 

 Vienna, on the decrease of water in rivers and sources. The 

 author states that the results of his observations tend to show 

 the constant decrease of the rivers of Germany and the increase 

 of seas. It appears from them that the levels of the German 

 rivers are now much lower than they were fifty years ago ; viz., 

 the Elbe 17 in., the Rhine 24-8 in., the Oder 17 in., the Vis- 

 tula, 26 in., the Danube 55 in. As a reason for this decrease, 

 the author gives the progressing devastation of forests, which 

 causes a decrease in the atmospheric moisture they attract and 

 convey to the soil and thence to sources. 



The parasite which Dr. Cobbold proposes to describe 

 at the Linnean Society this evening is, we understand, of 

 singular interest. The Distoina crassnm has only once before 

 been obseiTed, when it was discovered some thirty years since 

 by Prof. Busk. The curious thing is, that in the present instance 

 a Chinese missionary and his wife have both become the victims 

 of this large species of fluke, several specimens of which will be 

 exhibited to the Society. 



Prof. Parker commenced his course of eighteen lectures on 

 the structure and development of the skull on Monday last, in 

 the theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons. The following 

 was his programme ; I. Introductory ; 2. Skull of Lancelet ; 3. 

 Skull of Menobranchus ; 4. Skull of Frogs ant? Toads ; 5. Skull 

 of Snakes and Lizards ; 6. Skull of Turtles and Crocodiles ; 7, 

 Skull of Birds {Ratihc); 8. Skull of Birds [Carhiatis : i. 

 Schizognath;)?) ; 9. Skull of Birds (Carinata- : 2. Desmognatha;) ; 

 10. Skull of 'Birds [CarhiafiT : 3. yEgithognathse) ; 11. Skull of 

 Birds {Carinatii:: 4. Saurognathne) ; 12, 13, 14. Skull of Pig; 

 15, 16. Skull of other Mammalia Placentalia ; 17. Skull of 

 Mammalia non Placentalia ; 18. Summary and Conclusion. 



The Emperor of Germany has conferred upon Mr. George 

 Fawcus, the author of the] Isometrical Pocket Drawing-board, 

 the Order of the Golden Crown. The board will probably be 

 used by the Prussian staff officers. 



On Feb.'li a numerous meeting of ladies and gentlemeniinte- 



rested in the subject of female education met at Prof HoUoway's, 

 in Oxford Street, for the purpose of discussing the details of a 

 scheme for the establishment, at Egham, of a University for 

 Ladies. Mr. James Beal presided, and there were also present 

 Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P., Mr. D. 

 Chadwick, M.P., Mrs. Fawcett, Mrs. Arnold, Mrs. Grey, Mr. E. 

 Ray Lankester, and Dr. Richardson. Mr. HoUoway seems 

 thoroughly in earnest in his proposed scheme, and has already 

 secured a site at Egham at a cost of 25,000/. He has set apart a 

 quarter of a million to found the institution, and is prepared to 

 give more if wanted. A committee was appointed to seek 

 counsel from the most competent authorities on the subject, and 

 report to a luture meeting. 



A Time's telegram states that Dr. von Neumeyer, chief of the 

 Hydrographic Office of the Berlin Admiralty, will be appointed 

 director of the Deutsche Seewarte, the new oflicial institution 

 at Hamburg for the scientific exploration of the ocean and 

 atmosphere. 



M. Gravier, one of the staff of the Rouen Libraiy, 

 has presented the' French Geographical Society with the 

 "Canarian,"a history of the conquest of the Canary Islands, 

 and conversion of the islanders to the Christian religion. This 

 learned historian has devoted himself to describe the establish- 

 ment of the French in several parts of the world, and the deeds 

 of the French adventurers. He has published already " The Dis- 

 covery of Mississippi, by Cavalier de la Salle," and "The Dis- 

 covery of America by the Normans in the Tenth Century." 

 The ' ' Canarian "is an admirable book, narrating the exploits 

 of Jean de Bethancourt. 



The increase in the cultivation of beetroot in Europe for 

 the manufacture of sugar is said to be causing great loss to the 

 cane-sugar planters in Cuba, who have been at an enormous 

 outlay for machinery and labour to produce the fine class of 

 sugar that is exported from thence. Should the European ma- 

 nufacture and consumption of beet-sugar go on increasing as it 

 has done during the past four years, serious changes are antici- 

 pated in the cane-sugar productions all over the West Indies. 



Two species of Corchorus, C. cafsiilaris and C. olilorius, are 

 generally accredited as the sources from whence the fibre 

 well-known as jute, so largely imported for carpet and other 

 descriptions of weaving, is obtained. These plants are chiefly 

 grown in Bengal, but in the Madras Presidency Hibiscus canna- 

 iinus and Crotalaria ^uncea ai'e popularly termed jute ; so that 

 some confusion has arisen as regards the identification of the 

 plants yielding jute in India. This question has recently occupied 

 the attention of the Government of Bengal, and from inquiries 

 instituted it appears certain that the true jute {Corchorus) is not 

 found in the Madras Presidency, and that the fibre sent from 

 thence as jute is really referable to Hibiscus and Crotolaria. 



It is only a very short time ago since it was suppo sed that the 

 origin of the true medicinal Rhubarb of commerce had been 

 finally settled, and was the product of Rlietim officinale, recently 

 figured in the Botanical Magazine, and admitted in Fliickiger 

 and Hanbury's " Pharmacographia ; " and already this comfort- 

 able arrangement has been disturbed. In a recent number of 

 Regel's Gartenflora there is a figure of Rheum pahiiatum var. 

 iangiiticnm, which is described as the "most genuine amongst 

 genuine " rhubarbs, and as the sort imported into Siberia by 

 way of Kiachta. It was raised from seed collected by Mr. 

 Przewalsky in South-west China on the high plateau bordering 

 on the high lands of Thibet. We are promised a review of the 

 species of Rhmm in an early number of the Gartenflora, by 

 Maximowicz. 



