48 



NA TURE 



[November io, 1S98 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, Novembek io. 



Mathematical Society, at 8.— Some Secondary Needs and Oppor- 

 tunities of English Mathematicians : Presidential Address.— The Struc- 

 ture of certain Linear Groups with Quadratic Invariants: Dr. L. E. 

 Dickson.— Multiform Solutions of certain Differential Equations of 

 Physical Mathematics and their Applications : H. S. Car.slaro.— A Dis- 

 covery in (he Theory of Compound Partitions : Major Macmahon, R.A., 

 F.R.S.— On Groups of Order /«;«: Prof. Burnside, F.R.S.— On the 

 Null Spaces of a One System and its Associated Complexes : W. H. 

 Young. — On the Functions Y and Z which satisfy the Identity 



4(J-/- !)/(..•- I) =Y-'±/Z2: 

 Prof. L. J. Rogers. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Rotatory Converters : 

 Prof Silvanus P. Thompson, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, November ii. 



.\sTRONOMiCAL SociETY, at 8. — The Development oK -1" s 



ROYA 



R T. A. Innes.— Remarks on Dr. Gill's Paper in ihe Monthly 

 1, A'o//<-«for June 1898: A. A. Rambaut.— Note on Mr Pogson's Manu- 

 scripts relating to his proposed Atlas of Variable Stars : Rev. J. G. 

 Hagen.— ri) On the South Temperate Current of Jupiter ; (a) Nomen- 

 clature of the Chief Surface Currents of Jupiter : A. Stanley Williams. — 



(1) On a New Instrument for Measuring lAstrophotographic Plates ; 



(2) On a Method of obtaining Perfectly Circular Dots unaffected by 

 I Phase, and their Employment for Determining the Pivot Errors of the 



Cape Transit Circle : David Gill.— On some Photographs of the Moon, 

 Comets, Meteors, and the Milky Way, and on the Exterior Nebulosities 

 of the Pleiades : E. E. BaHiard.—(i) Mean Areas and Heliographic Lati- 

 tudes of Sun-spots in the Year 1897, deduced from Photographs taken at 

 Greenwich, at Dehra Di'm (India), and in Mauritius ; (2) Observations of 

 Planet 453 (1898 DQ) with the 30-inch Reflector of the Thompson Equa- 

 torial : Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Papers promised : Brief Ac- 

 count of the New Photographic Telescope at Cambridge Observatory : 

 Sir R. S. B3ll.-(i) Approximate Ephemeris of the Leonids ; (2) Forecast 



' of the Time of the Leonid Shower of 1898 ; (3) On the Presence of 

 Helium in the Earth's Atmosphere : G. Johnstone Stoney. 



Physical Society, at 5. — Discussion on Mr. A. Campbell's Paper on 

 the Magnetic Fluxes in Meters and other Electrical Instruments, to be 

 opened by Prof. W. E. Ayrton, F.R.S. —On tbe Propagation of Damped 

 Electrical Oscillations along Parallel Wires : Prof. W. B. Morton.— On 

 the Properties of Liquid Mixtures : R. A. Lehfeldt. 



Malacological Society, at 8. — A Revision of the Pliocene Non. Marine 

 Moilusca of England : A. S. Kennard and B. B. Woodward.— Descrip- 

 tion of Two New Species of Trochuiaeiro^n the Commander Islands: 

 'Edgar A. Smith.— Description of a New Species of Tridacna : G. B. 

 Sowerby. — On some Supposed New Species of Land Moilusca from the 

 Moluccas : H. Fulton. 



MONDA y, November 14. 

 ^Imperial Institute, at 8.30.— Trinidad, with Speci.al Reference to the 



Recent Hurricane ; H. Caracciolo. 

 .Royal Geographical Society, at 8. 30. — A British Antarctic Expedi- 

 tion : Addresses by the President and others. 



TUESDAY, November 15. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30. — A Revision of the Moths of the Sub- 

 family Pyraw^^ma* and V:im\\y Pyratiiiae, Part I.: Sir George Hamp- 

 son, Bart. — List of Mammals obtained by Mr. R. McD. Hawker during 

 a Recent Expedition to Somaliland ; W. E. de Winton.— On Mammals 

 collected by Mr. J. D. La Touche at Kuatun, N.W. Fokien ; Oldfield 

 Thomas. — Revision of the Genera and Species of Fishes of the Family 

 Morinyyidae : Mr. Boulenger. 

 , Mineralogic.\l Society, at 8. — Anniversary Meeting. — Election of Officers 

 and Council. — Plagionite, Heteromorphite, and Semseyite as Members 

 of a Natural Group of Minerals : L. J. Spencer ; with Chemical 

 Analyses by G. T. Prior. — Petrographical Notes on Rock Specimens col- 

 lected during the Ross AnLarctic Expedition of 1S39-43 : G. T. Prior.- 

 Mineralogical Notes from the Oxford University Laboratory (Communi- 

 cated) : Prof Miers, F.R.S.— Note on the Occurrence of Riebeckite in 

 Trachytic Rocks from Abyssinia : G. T. Prior. 

 ■ Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Electrical Transmission of 



Power in Mining : William Beedie Esson. 

 -Royal Photographic Society, at 8.— On Racid Dry Plates for Process 

 Work : Combined Screen and Colour Negatives for Three-Colour Print- 

 ing : A. A.. K. Tallent.— On the Melting and Setting Points of Gelatine 

 Solutions, and their Modification : R. Child Bayley. 

 WEDNESDAY, November 16. 

 Society of Arts, at 8.— Opening -\ddress by Sir J. Wolfe Barry, K.C.B., 



F.R.S., on the Internal Traffic of London. 

 -Royal Meteorological Society, at 7.30. — Report on Experiments 

 upon the Exposure of Anemometers at Different Elevations ; "The Wind 

 Force Committee. — Comparison of Estimated Wind Force with that 

 given by r .Anemometers : Captain D. Wilson-Barker. — The Tornado at 

 Camberwell, October 29. 1898 : William Marriott. 

 Royal Microscopical Society, at 7.30.— Exhibition of Thum's Slides 



of Diatoms in High Refractive Media. 

 Entomological Society, at 8. 



THURSDAY, November 17. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30. 



Linnean Society, at 8. — On some Spiders from Chili and Peru: F. O. 

 Pickard Cambridge. — The Botanical Results of a Journey into the 

 Interior of Western Australia: Spencer Moore. 

 Chemical Society, at 8. — Preparation of Hyponitrite from Nitrite 

 through Oxyamidosulphonate: Dr. E. Divers, F.R.S., and T. Haga.— 

 (i) Absorption of Nitric Oxide in Gas Analysis ; (2) Interaction of Nitric 

 Oxide with Silver Nitrate ; (3) Preparation of Pure .\lkali Nitrites ; (4) 

 The Reduction of an Alkali Nitrite by .an Alkali Metal; (5) Hypo- 

 nitrites ; their Prep.aration by Sodium or Potassium and Properties : Dr. 

 E. Divers, F.R.S. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED- 



Books.— The Story of the Cotton Plant : F. Wilkinson (Newnes).— 

 Piimer of Geometry: J. Sutherland (Longmans),-Chemistry in Daily 

 Life ;-.Dr. Lassar Cohn, translated by M. M. P. Muir, 2nd edition (Grevel). 

 —Das Leitvermogen der Elektrolyte: Dr. F. Kohlrausch and Dr. L. 

 Holborn (Leipzig. Teubner). — Comparative Photographic Spectra of Stars 

 to the 3J Magnitude : F. McClean (Dulau).— Spectra of Southern St! 

 F. McClean (Stanford).— Monographia Roccelleorum : O. V. Darbishire 

 (Stuttgart, Nagele). — Observations and Researches made at the Hongkong 

 Observatory in the Year 1897 : W. Doberck (Hongkong).— Railway 

 "Block" Signalling: J. Pigg (Biggs).— Chemistry for Schools : C. H. 

 Gill, loth edition, revised and enlarged by Dr. D. H. Jackson (.Stanford). — 

 First Lessons in Modern Geology : A. H. Green (Oxford, Clarendon Press). 

 —A Middle Algebra: W. Briggs and Prof. Bryan (Clive).— Elemente der 

 Mineralogie : Naum.ann and Zirkel, ii. Halfte, Specieller Theil (Leipzig, 

 Engelmann). — Electrical Engineering : W. Slingo and A. Brooker, new 

 editinn (Longmans). — ConspectuI Florei Ronianiei : Dr. D. Grecescu 

 (Berlin. Friedl.ander). — Four-footed Americans and their Kin : M. O. 

 Wright (Macmillan).— .\n Introductoiy Logic : Prof J. E. Creighton (Mac- 

 millan) —Differential and Integral Calculus : P. A. Lambert (Macmillan).— 

 Der Ursprung der Kultur : L. Frobenius. Erster Band : Der Ursprung der 

 Afrikanischen Kulturen (Berlin, Borntraeger). 



Pamphlets.— A Plan and Plea for National Medicine ; E. L. Garbett 

 (Reeves). — The Transition of North Carolina from Colony to Common- 

 wealth : Prof. E. W. Sikes (Baltimore).— Petrographical and Geological 

 Investigations of certain Transvaal Norites, Gabbros, and Pyroxenites, and 

 other South African Rocks : J. A. L. Henderson (Dulau). - Mines and 

 Quarries : Reports of Le Neve Foster for the North Wales, S:c., District 

 (No. 9) for the Year 1897 (Darling). 



Serials — Fortnightly Review, November (Chapman). — National Re. 

 view, November (Arnold).— Madras Government Museum, Bulletin, Vol. 2. 

 No. 2, Anthropology (Madras). — Natural Science, November (Dent).— 

 Middlesex Hospital Journal, October (London).— Zeitschrift fiir Pbysikal- 

 ische Chemie, xxvii. Band, 2 Heft (Leipzig, Engelmann).— Geographical 

 Journal, November (Stanford).— Knowledge, November (Witherby).— 

 Journal of the Sanitary Institute, October (Stanford).— Science Progress, 

 October (Scientific Press) — Terrestrial Magnetism, Septe.nber (Cincinnati). 

 Journal of Botany, November (West). — Botanische Jahrbi'icher, Sechsund- 

 zwanzigster Band, 2 Heft (Leipzig).— Zeitschrift fiir Wissenschaftliche 

 Zoologie, Ixiv. Band, 4 Heft (Leipzig). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



An Irish Algebra. By G. B. M 25 



Classification of the 'Vertebrata 27 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Bii;gs : " First Principles of Electricity antJ Magnelism " 27 

 Williams: "Medical Diseases of Infancy and Child- 

 hood"— F. ■W. T 2S 



Curtis : " A Te.\t-book of General Botany " .... 28 



Williains : " Domestic Hygiene " 28 



Murcht: : " The Teacher's Slanual of Object Lessons in 



Domestic Economy" .- 28 



Lush: " Lessons in Domestic Science '" 28 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Origin of the .\urora Spectrum.— Prof. C. Runge 29 

 The Boring at Funafuti.— Prof. T. G. Bonney, 



F.R.S 29 



Asymmetry and Vitalism.— Herbert Spencer. Prof. 

 F. R. Japp, F.R.S., Prof. Karl Pearson, F.R.S., 

 Prof. Percy F. Frankland, F.R.S. .... 29 



The November Meteors.— Dr. G. Johnstone Stoney, 



F.R.S ■ 3! 



Construction for the Direction of a Magnetic Line of 

 Force. (IVilii Diagram.)— i- H. VincenX.; Prof. 



A. Gray, F.R.S 32 



The Chemistry of the Stars. By Sir Norman 



Lockyer, KG B, F.R.S. . 32 



Diffusion in Relation to 'Work. By Prof. Geo. Fras. 



FitzGerald, F.R.S. . . 36 



The Expected Meteoric Shower. By W. F. Denning 37 



Mr. Latimer Clark, F.R.S. By R. A. 38 



The Treasurership of the Royal Society 38 



Notes 39 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Leonids. {With Diagram.) 43 



Comet Brooks 43 



Stars with Cre.-it Velocities in the Line of Sight ... 43 

 On Keeping Medusae and other Free-Swimming 

 Marine Animals Alive in Small Aquaria. {Illus- 

 trated.) By E. J. A 44 



Physics at the American Association. By N. Ernest 



Dorsey 44 



University and Educational Intelligence 45 



Scientific Serials 46 



Societies and Academies 4*^ 



Diary of Societies 4^ 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 48 



NO I 515, VOL. 59] 



