March II, 1875] 



NA TUBE 



371 



the dangerous action of the nitrous vapours, by placing 

 here and there upon the piles saucers containing ammonia, 

 which condenses them. 



Each table, as we have said, forms a battery of sixty 

 elements. The electric wires are conducted along the 

 wall at the bottom of the room, where they traverse 

 six galvanometers (Fig. 6). Each of these galvanome- 

 ters indicates, by means of the needle with which it 

 is provided, the condition of the battery to which it cor- 

 responds. The six isolating wires, after leaving the six 

 galvanometers, pass along the walls to the stage, where 

 the cui rents which they carry may be utilised either 

 singly or by twos or threes, according to the degree of 

 intensity which it is wished to give to the light. The dis- 

 tance which the current runs from the electric room to the 

 most distant point of the stage is about 122 metres ;: the 

 total length of all the wires is about 1,200 metres. 



M. IJuboscq, imitating the systems of telegraphic 

 wires, makes use of the earth as a return current ; one of 

 the poles of each battery is in communication with the 

 iron of the building. Without this arrangement it would 

 have been necessary to double the length of the wires. 



In most instances M. Duboscq places his electric lamp 

 on one of the wooden galleries which run along the 

 higher regions of the scenery above the stage. It is from 

 this artificial sky that he, a new Phcebus, darts upon the 

 nymphs of the ballet the rays of his electric sun. It is 

 from here, decomposing the light by means of the vapour 

 of water, he throws upon the stage a veritable rainbow, as 

 in Moses ; again, it is thus that he causes the light from 

 the painted windows to fall upon the flags of the church 

 where Margaret is in the clutches of remorse. Sometimes 

 the electric apparatus is placed on a level with the stage, 

 when it is sought to produce certain special effects, such 

 as that of the fountain of wine in Gounod's opera. The 

 lime-light is also used to produce certain brilliant effects 

 in the New Opera. 



It will thus be seen that the electrical arrangements in 

 the New Opera leave little to be desired. There is an 

 electric battery of extraordinary power, which might be 

 profitably used for certain experiments of high interest, 

 requiring an electric power of great intensity. M. Tis- 

 sandier makes the very happy suggestion that this power- 

 ful battery might be utilised for the purpose of scientific 

 research, and we hope that those who have the manage- 

 ment of the Opera will take his hint ; they ought to 

 remember how much their art owes to the researches of 

 science. He also very appropriately suggests tfiat the 

 Government which has made such a lavish expenditure, 

 forty million francs, on a place of amusement, might also 

 benefit the country even more by doing something to 

 restore to efficiency the buildings in which the work of 

 science is carried on. At all events it will be seen that in 

 this magnificent building Science occupies a place of no 

 mean importance. 



NOTES 



Letters have been received from the Eclipse Expedition 

 from Suez. They had heard from the Viceroy that arrange- 

 ments had been made to have a vessel awaiting them at Galle. 



The following telegram has been received by the Times from 

 its St. Petersburg cortespondent, with regard to the Transit of 

 Venus : — " HerrStruve reports that at Hakodaki bothinterior con- 

 tacts were observed. At Wakhodka, on the coast of the Pacific 

 east of Vladivostcck, only the first interior contact was observed. 

 At Kamen Riboloff, on Lake Hanka, all four contacts were satis- 

 factorily observed, but noheliometric measurements. At Ashoo- 

 radeh, on the Caspian Sea, some diameters and chords were 

 measured ; but the sun was covered by clouds at the moment of 

 contact. No report yet from Pekin." We would also call 



attention to the account of the French observations in New 

 Caledonia, which we publish this week, and to the interesting 

 letter in yesterday's papers from Capt. Fairfax, of the Volage, 

 to the Admiralty, giving some details of the Kerguelen Island 

 parties. The astronomers, he says, are pleased with their 

 success. News has now been received more or less from all 

 the Kerguelen parties ; we hope to be able to smnmarise ihem 

 next week. 



Prof. C. S. Lyman writes to the Nno York Tributie\o say 

 that he observed the planet Venus on the 8th of December, a 

 few hours before its transit began, and found that from the time 

 when it was 1° 50' distant from the sun's centre, up to the time 

 of its passage across its disc, it was apparently surrounded by a 

 ring of light, which appearance was due to the refraction of the 

 sun's light passing through the planet's atmosphere on its way to 

 the earth. This phenomenon was first observed by Prof. Lyman 

 in 1S66, and will again occur in 1S82, being repeated, in fact, as 

 often as the planet approaches within the limiting distance above 

 mentioned. When further from the sun than this limit, the 

 circle of light becomes a segment only, whose size diminishes as 

 the planet recedes from the sun. 



Mr. Slater, one of the naturalists sent out by the Royal 

 Society with the Transit of Venus Expedition to Rodriguez, is 

 now on his way home. Dr. Balfour, who, after his special work, 

 has devoted a month to the Island of Bourbon, is expected to 

 arrive in England at the end of the present month. The collec- 

 tions made have been embarked, and there is reason to hope 

 that in the course of a few weeks we shall be in possession of a 

 complete report of all that has been accomplished by the three 

 young men appointed to explore the singular island Rodriguez. 

 An instalment of their results has already appeared in the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Royal Society. In like manner, Mr. Gulliver is 

 devoting a month to marine zoology at Zanzibar. 



The list of candidaies for the Fellowship of the Royal Society 

 is closed for the present session. The number up is fifty-four. 



We hope that advantage will be taken of the conversazione of 

 the Royal Society which is to be held on the 7th April, to 

 exhibit the improvements effected in philosophical apparatus 

 during the past year. It has happened more than once that an 

 important improvement has been shown for the first time at the 

 Royal Society, and we shall be glad if the practice can be con- 

 tinued. The rapidity with which instruments become obsolete 

 in these days is perhaps the most remarkable evidenee of tlie 

 advance of science. 



The large and influential deputation from University College 

 which waited upon the Duke of Richmond and Viscount Sandon 

 on Tuesday received what we think may be regarded as on the 

 whole a satisfactory reply. The deputation showed that the 

 means and buildings and apparatus at the command of the 

 College are totally inadequate to the present advanced position 

 of science and to the efficient discharge of the work which llie 

 much underpaid professors have to perform. The Duke of 

 Richmond's reply shows, we think, that the Government a e 

 really anxious to help the cause of science and of education as 

 far as the means at their command will enable them. He rightly 

 said that the movement which caused the deputation to wait upon 

 him and his colleague is a legitimate one. " I think," he said, "it 

 would be advantageous to us in considering this question if the 

 Council of the College could see their w,iy to by before us some 

 estimate of the sum of money that they would seek from the 

 Government, and the mode in which they would propose to speml 

 the money if a sum were granted." This seems to us quite 

 reasonable, and augurs well for the cause of those institutions 

 which can really prove that they deserve to be helped. 



