496 



NATURE 



[April 22, 1875 



although diminishing, the temperature was ren:iarkably 

 liigh :— . , 



9,600 feet 1° Centrigrade 



12,000 „ ° >> 



13,200 , 0° i> 



15,420 „ -5 1. 



19,600 „ ■■• -° 11 



22,960 „ - I°° >> 



The temperature of the gas in the interior of the balloon 

 was also observed by a new system. It was found to vary 

 very little, owing to the heating power of the sun, and at 

 22,900 feet was found to be + 25°, showing a difference 

 of - 35° centrigade with the temperature of the air. 



This result is extremely remarkable, and was observed 

 at several intervals, although the gas ought to suffer a 

 diminution of temperature owing to its constant dila- 

 tation. 



Although the air was clear and the sky quite blue, a 

 number of cirrus clouds were seen on the horizon, which 

 could not be seen from the surface of the earth. 



As far as can be inferred from the ascertained facts, there 

 was no sensible variation in the direction of the air for an 

 immense altitude. It accounts for the unprecedented 

 beauty of the weather and the purity of the air ; it may be 

 taken as a fair prognostic of the continuance of good 

 weather for at least a few days. 



The aeronauts had in their cars maximum barometers 

 in a sealed box, in order to test the altitude m which they 

 were travelling. These tubes, having been saved, will be 

 tested in the laboratory of M. Herve-Mangon. 



M. Tissandier was slightly hurt in his fall. Great 

 sympathy has been elicited for Sivel and Croce-Spinelli, 

 who may be said to have spent their lives in the 

 batde-tield of the air. Sivel was formerly a captain 

 of the mercantile navy ; his age ,was forty-two years. 

 Crocc-Spinelli was a pupil of the Ecole Centrale, and 

 was thirty-two years of age. The former was a widower, 

 and leaves a girl, and the second was a bachelor. 

 A subscription is being contemplated for the fatherless 

 child.* 



The Zcnitli is in good order, and will be put in repair. 

 Although marred by a sad tragedy, and although the 

 composition of the air has not been ascertained, as was 

 contemplated, the expedition cannot be said to be devoid 

 of results. It will serve as an incitement to further inves- 

 tigation in the same direction, but with greater caution. 



W. DE FONVIELLE 



Since the date of our correspondent's letter, it would 

 seem from the indications shown by the uninjured baro- 

 meters that the height reached was actually 14,000 metres, 

 or eight miles. On Tuesday the bodies of Sivel and 

 Spinelli were interred with well-deserved honours in Pere 

 la Chaise, many eminent scientific men being present. 

 Subscriptions on behalf of those who were dependent on 

 the two martyrs to science will, we believe, be received 

 at the office of the Courtier de I' Europe, Tavistock Street, 

 Covent Garden. 



NOTES 



The Royal Society during the present session have elected the 



following nine eminent scientific men as foreign members : — 



Pierre J; van Beneden, of Louvain ; Joseph Louis Franjois 



Bertrand, of Paiis ; Alfred Louis Olivier Des Cloizeaux, of 



Paris ; Hippolyte Louis Fizeau, of Paris ; Elias Magnus Fries, 



of Upsal ; Jules Janssen, of Paris ; Auguste Kekule, of Bonn ; 



Gustav Robert Kirchhoff, of Berlin ; and C. Ludwig, of Leipsic. 



* The Times correspondent states that M. Sivel leaves a widow as well as 

 a child, and that M. Spinelli was the sole supportof his parents. To quote 

 the words of the correspondent, " The scientific world will doubtless respond 

 liberally to this appeal, for MM. Spinelli and Sivel lost their lives, not in 

 gratifying foolhardy curiosity, but in endeavouring to penetrate ihe secrets 

 of the atmosphere for the benefit of science." M. Xissandier's own account 

 of the jourdey will be found in Monday's Times. 



Also the Earl of Carnarvon, Mr. W. E. Forster, and Sir Stafford 

 Northcote have been elected Fellows of the Society. 



The names of the fifteen candidates for the Fellowship selected 

 by the Council of the Royal Society to be recommended for 

 election at the meeting on June 3 are W. Archer, J . R. Bennett, 

 D. Brandis, J. Caird, J. Casey, A. Dupre, J. Geikie, J. \V. L. 

 Glaisher, J. B. N. Hennessey, E. Klein, E. Ray Lankester, 

 Capt. Nares, R. S. Newall, W. C. Roberts, and Major-General 

 Scott. 



The annual meeting of French astronomers took place recently 

 at the Ministry of Public Instruction, under the presidency of M. 

 Leverrier. It was composed of M. Dumesnil, the director of the 

 Enseignement Superieur, the members of the Council of the 

 Palis Observatory, and the directors of the Marseilles and ol 

 Toulouse Observatories. The Observatory at Algiers not having 

 been yet reorganised was not represented, though measures are 

 very shortly to be taken to get this done. An Observatory is 

 to be created at Bordeaux, and another at Toulouse. It is 

 stated, moreover, that a Physical Observatory is to be created 

 in Paris or the vicinity, and placed under the direction of the 

 Bureau des Longitudes. The Council of the Observatoiy is 

 said to have unanimously passed a vote recommending that no 

 one should be a member of two observatories at the same time. 



General Sir Edward Sabi.n'E has been elected a corre- 

 sponding member of the French Academy of Sciences. 



The German Anthropological Society will hold its general 

 meeting at Munich in August next, and it is intended to 

 arrange an exhibition of the most interesting objects of Celto- 

 Germanic origin, found upon Bavarian ground. Bavaria pos- 

 sesses great treasures of this kind in its Government and private 

 collections, and these objects are of the highest importance as 

 regards the history and culture of the earliest periods. Men of 

 scientific authority will superintend the exhibition, which, it is 

 proposed, is to consist of the following seven groups : — I. Flint 

 implements found in Bavaria, such as hammers, knives, arrows, 

 &c. 2. Bronze weapons and ornaments of the same material, 

 particularly swotds, daggers, lances, arrow-points, sickles, and 

 objects used for personal adornment. 3. Iron weapons, such as 

 swords, hatchets, daggers, and knives. 4. Ornaments of amber, 

 glass, or earthenware (beads). 5. Glass and earthenware vases. 

 6. Casting-moulds for Celto-Germanic weapons. 7. Coins, 

 principally Celtic ones, the so-called "rainbow-dishes." All 

 the objects wdl be well taken care of, and a guarantee is given 

 for safe keeping and return. All expenses for carriage will be 

 defrayed by tlie Society. 



Dr. Schweinkurth has just received news from the Upper 

 Nile, stating that Mohamed Abd-es-Ssamat, the Nubian ivory 

 dealer who had rendered the German traveller most important 

 help in pursuing his explorations in the Niam-Niam and Mom- 

 buktu districts, was killed in December last by Niam-Niam 

 soldiers, who had besieged and finally taken his Seriba (a sort 

 of block-house). The assistance rendered to Dr. Schweihfurtli 

 by this ivory dealer was of the highest importance, and w.is 

 acknowledged both by the German and Egyptian Governments, 

 The history of the investigation of Inner Africa, which impar- 

 tially notes down the names of all men of merit, independent of 

 their nationality, faith, or colour, will also preserve that of Abd- 

 es-Ssamat, by the side of his illustrious German friend. 



The Kobiisclie Zcitimg oi K.^\'X 17 contains an elaborate and 

 highly interesting account of the festival which took place at 

 Naples a few days ago, upon the occasion of the opening of the 

 Zoological Station. Dr. Anton Dohrn, the founder of the 

 station, made the opening speech. After him Prof. Panccri, of 

 Naples University, thanked Dr. Dohrn in the name of Italy for 

 his great efforts in carrying the important work to a suecessfU 



