I'lvDuuAKV w. iSgo I 



A .'/ rURli 



345 



like linliUiii\K (liMliai);cs, .mil luuiiciinis l.iusli <lis> li.ii>;i"., 

 wliu li till tlu' ,iii bi'lHcrn ihc icnniii.ils. 



It sccMifil an intiMvstiiii; i|Ucslion to asi frl.iiii \vl\cllui 

 llic siici tmm of aliiu>s|)liriii- air olilaiiu-il by intMus nl 

 till- K'<''i' olt-iliomotivc lour of lliroo millioii vollswonM 

 sluiw more lines tlian .iic |iuuUuoil li\ lowi-r volta^fs. 

 riiologiaiilis wcic ilicu'loK- l.iktMi botwfon hr.iss Irr 

 niinals ol iho s|)cilrnni piiKliufil by llu- spark ; :uh1 

 loniiiaiisoii spcilra hclwi'cn /hu- and ro])piM tfiininals 

 wiMc obtaincil )'V means ol ll\i' spaiU of a tiansfoi inrr 

 ^\\\w^ alioul one hniubr.l ihousanil \(vl|s, wub kni;'' 



,>f flcitiii itv. 



I baraolcri 



i^nai\lily 



biH's ran lu- soon lonniuni lo ibe tin 



niosphciu 

 itia, I'lic 



pliotoyjiapli, however, of ibe spark priuliueil by three 

 nulbon volts (,A, l'"i>;. d'l shows an absei\ie of n\elallie 

 bnes, anil n\nst iloselv r<'si'n\ble, 1 believe, the speitnnn 

 of li^;lilnn\j;. The pholo^iaphs were taken b\ means of 

 a ISiownini; ilirecl vision spin trosrope, on orlhoehromatic 

 plales, whiih wore sensitive Irom tlie n line to the 

 nei^jhbonrhooil of tile 11 lines. It is interesting; to ilis- 

 1 liver that no new lines .ipp.irently lome inU by the 

 em|ilovmenl of \ei\ bij;h ilei Uomotive lone. 



the londensers of the .ipp.ir.ilns,whii li ilevrlops three 

 nnllion volts, were at lirst i.iiseil only si\ nu lies above 

 the lloor. When the room was ilarkeneil, lini\inons ilis- 

 i harj;es were observeil, whii h passed from the e<lf;es of 

 the I ondensers to the lloor. The eondensers were then 

 hlliil lo .1 hei>;ht of three leel : these brnsh ilisrharKes 

 weie nnu h lessened, and the length of the eleitriial ilis 

 i h.irKi's between the ternnn.ds was imreased. There 

 w.is still I onsider.ible loss ; for sparks could be drawn 

 from the ueij^hbominL; j;. is pipes, anil even lioni the 

 briik walls. In order to ohtam discharges ii\ ordinary 

 air of greater length than seven feet, by the employment 



NO. 1528, vol.. 50] 



ol thiee n\illion volts, the rnliir .ipp.u.iuis slionld be 

 lilted to a considerable height ,ibo\f the lailh, .mil should 

 be remote from nei>;hbonrinx ob|erls. 



The induitive eli'ei t ol sui h hi(;li lension citends to .1 

 rem. likable dist.iii. tv rhotogi.ipliii plates lont, lined m 

 ordinary holdeis, luM mx lo ten leel from the terminals 

 of the apn.ir.itii ., show on dexclopment arborescent 

 ligures, evidently laused by indiKlive electrical ilis 

 charges, .\-iay photographs of Ihe skeleton of the h.uul 

 can be taken by a single ilisi h.irge p.issing thiough .1 

 t'idokes' tube. The tube, howcvei, is spoiled in the 

 oiu'ialion. 'The discharge will penetrate a space so 

 highly laielied that an eight-inch spark from a powerfnt 

 Kuhmkorf coil cannol pass through it. If a t'rookes' 

 lube could be conslincted which would resist the de- 

 sliiicliM- elVeil of the discharge, gre.it peneliating etVccl 

 ,oiiKI imdoublcdlv be obi. lined. 



NO TKS. 



'TllK new .Session of Tiiiliainent w;l^ upeinil on 'TiicMlay willi 

 Ihe ciisloiimry liiiinulilies. 'The legisluiivc plans ol die I lovcm- 

 iiieiit inelmlc, us .sliilod ill the Speech rr.mi ihe Thniiie lo llie 

 t'oiiniioiis, "11 ineu.sme for the esliihlishniciil n( n llouol fur ihe 

 iiilmiiiislnilion of primary, sci'oiiiliuy, 1111. 1 lecliiiicid ciUiciilion 

 ill I'.iigliinil unil Wiilos. " 



;\r Ihe last nieeliiig of llie liisllliilion of T;iecliiciil l'',n|;iiu'ers„ 

 I.011I Kelvin WHS electeil iiii hononny menihcr of llie liisiiiiuioii. 

 I.oul Kelvin is the oldest .surviving piisl prcsideiil of the lii- 

 sliliilioii, Imviiig held the ollicc of ]ircsidcnt in 1S7.1, when il 

 was Ihc Society of Telei;iiiph Kngiiicers, niiil ivgiun in iS.So, 

 which was die first year after the soiiely had icccivcd llie 

 ile.signntioii that It now hear.s, 



Ir is reporlcil that the Kii.ssiaii CoveriiiiiciU coiileiiiplales 

 sending an expedition lo Samarkand and Merv, to investigate 

 and report upon Ihe reecnl oulhreaks of malarial fever which 

 have greatly alatmcil Ihe inhahitaiits of those ilislriets. 



\Vk learn from Science that the .sculptor Uerr I'.nisi llciici 

 lias coniplctcil the slatiie of von llelmlioll/, which is Ui he 

 erected in the court of the Universily of Itetlin, between the 

 slaUies of Ihe two lliiiiiholilts. 'The iiioiuniient will he un- 

 veiled in the spring. 



M. Koux has been elected a iiiciiihcr of ihe Secliim of Rural 

 f.conomy of llie Talis .Aiadcmy ol Siiciucs, in succession lo 

 ihc late M. .\imc loiaiil. 



W. v.. A, M.\KrKi,, general scciclaiy ol Ihr T.uis Socicic 

 de speleoUigie, has been awarded llic iM.m.l medal ol honour of 

 llie Soeielede topograpliie. 



Titoi'. TicKcv TK\NKi.ANn, T, U.S., has been elected 

 president of llic Thysics, Chcniislry, and Hiology Section of 

 die Sanitary Instiliilc, lor the conpress lo beheld in Soulliauii>lou 

 in .\ugust next. 



Till'. Karl of Uosse will give an addiess iip.ui lli<- heal ol die 

 moon, at the Camera (.'lub this evening. 



Tllif. annual general meeting of the Koyal I lorticullinal 

 Society will he held on Tuesday next, T'ebruary 14. The 

 annual meeting of the Koyal Thotographic Society will also he 

 held on the same day. 



Tmc annual general mccliiig of llw Malacological Society 

 will he hehl tomorrow (Tiiday), and a picsidenlial addles* 

 Hill be delivcied by l.icul. Colonel II. II. ( lodwin- Austen, 

 T.K.S. 



Till., death is announced of Major J. lIolclikis.s, who in iSyj 

 was president of the Section of Ceology of the American As- 

 sociation for the Advancenieni of Science, and was the author 

 of a numher of papers on economic geoUigy and engineering. 



