492 



NA TURE 



[March 23, 1899 



second, and slow oscillations with a period about ten times as 

 long. Within the disturbed area, the earthquake-wave travelled 

 with a velocity of i 6 km. pel second, and, beyond its boundary, 

 as far as Utrecht (1050 km.), with a mean velocity of 36 km. 

 per second. Dr. Cancani regards the earthquake as one of a 

 series, probably connected with the bradyseisms of the Adriatic 

 coast of Italy, the existence of which has been proved by Issel ; 

 and he points out that the stronger earthquakes of the series 

 appear to recur at intervals of about a century, and others at an 

 average interval of about twenty-three years. 



The Meteorological Council have just issued their report for 

 the year ending March 31, 1898 ; the considerable delay in the 

 <.late of publication is due to the form of first submitting it to 

 the Council of the Royal Society and its subsequent presentation 

 to Parliament. The Council continue as in past years to collect 

 data relating to the meteorology of the ocean, and to supply 

 instruments to the Royal Navy and to observers in the Mer- 

 cantile Marine. The investigations in progress in this branch 

 <luring the year in question were (l) the meteorology of the 

 Southern Ocean, between the Cape of Good Hope and New 

 Zealand, and (2) the meteorology of the South Atlantic and the 

 west coast of South America. Statistics as to the climates of 

 foreign ports are from time to time supplied to the Admiralty 

 for use in various publications. The results of the forecasts 

 which appear in the morning newspapers show a complete or 

 partial success of Si per cent., the average for the last ten years 

 being Si "3 per cent., while the results of the special forecasts 

 issued during haymaking season show that 90 per cent, were 

 useful. The success obtained for the storm warnings issued to 

 seaports reached the high figure of 9 1 '8 per cent. In the 

 branch relating to climatology, hourly means of observations 

 made at the principal observatories, and results of the observ- 

 ations at stations of the second order, have been published in 

 the same form as in previous years. Among the miscellaneous 

 investigations, the important subject of anemometry has occu- 

 pied a prominent place, and the subject of atmospheric elec- 

 tricity has been brought under consideration with a view to 

 utilise the records that have been made at Kew Observatory 

 for many years past. 



The Council of the Essex Field Club appeal to those taking 

 an interest in the spread of information on natural science, and 

 in popular education, for donations towards the capital sum of 

 1000/. required for the equipment of the Essex Mu.seum of 

 Natural History at Stratford. It will be remembered that the 

 first stone of this museum was laid in October last. The cost of 

 the building and ground will be about 6000/ , towards which 

 Mr. I'assmore Edwards contributes 2500/., on condition that 

 the museum shall contain the Essex Field Club's courty collec- 

 tions of natural history. The balance of the cost, and the up- 

 keep of the building, will be tiefrayed by the Corporation of 

 West Ham, acting through their Technical Instruction Com- 

 mittee. The fitting-up of the museum with cabinets, cases, jars, 

 boxes, &c. , to contain the various collections, and the numerous 

 and expensive appliances of an educational collection, has to 

 be undertaken by the Essex Field Club, and it is to provide this 

 equipment that the Club makes an appeal to its members and 

 others interested in the extension of scientific knowledge. 



At the meeting of the Anthropological Institute, on February 

 14, Mr. H. P. Fitz-Gerald Marriott read portions of a lengthy 

 antl very complete paper on the secret tribal societies of West 

 Africa. I le said that they were merely tribal developments, and 

 not bands ol conspirators. He described some of them, such as 

 the Purroh and Kofong, referring to their ritual and dress ; but 

 he made known for the first lime the few harmless religious 

 societies of the Gold Coast which are unknown to local white 

 NO. 1534, VOL. 59] 



residents, not being so highly developed as those in the Sierra 

 Leone or the Niger districts. The societies appear to present a 

 good example of what is generally the case throughout the 

 world, in that the highest grades as a rule are the simplest in 

 externals. Mr. Marriott finished his paper by mentioning a 

 widespread Egyptian or Arabian society called Siri, which 

 existed for the study of magic and occult matters ; it had rami- 

 fied itself all over the western portion of .\frica ; it is a key to 

 the study of the tribal societies, and it has probably much 

 influenced them. There were also reasons stated to show that 

 monotheism existed in certain portions of Central Africa. The 

 tribal societies must not be confused with murderous leopard 

 societies, which natives themselves regard as we do anarchists ; 

 but beyond the civilised boundaries, in many parts where the 

 tribal society was strong, it could be employed for such objects 

 as obtaining labourers, carrying out British laws and other 

 laudable objects by a channel to which the natives were 

 accustomed. 



The Geological Survey of England and Wales has just issued 

 an important practical Memoir on "The Water Supply of 

 .Sus.sex," by Mr. William Whitaker, F.R..S., and Mr. Clement 

 Reid (price 3.r. ). The work deals with the supply of water 

 from underground sources, and is mainly made up of the records 

 of wells and borings. The details of the strata passed through, 

 the grouping of them under the various geological formations, 

 and other particulars are carefully stated ; and these records are 

 supplemented by a number of analyses of waters. In the 

 Introduction there is a brief outline of the geology of the county 

 with especial reference to the water-bearing strata. The 

 present Memoir is the first of a series which the Director- 

 General of the Survey proposes to issue, and there can be no 

 doubt that the utility of the institution will be greatly enhanced 

 by these publications. 



" The Geology of the Borders of the Wash, including Boston 

 and Hunstanton," is the title of another Memoir issued this 

 year by the Geological Survey (price 3^.). It is the work of 

 Mr. Whitaker and Mr. A. J. Jukes-Browne, with sundry notes 

 by other officers who were engaged in the survey of the eastern 

 counties. A large portion of the area described consists of the 

 alluvial deposits of the Fenland, and there are considerable 

 tracts of Chalk and Glacial drift. The most attractive geological 

 features are those of the famous Red Chalk of Hunstanton, and 

 of the picturesque scarps and warrens of Lower Greensand 

 which border the Fenland, south of Hunstanton, through 

 Snellisham, Dersingham, and Sandringham. The Lower Green- 

 sand is here divisible into three portions, of which the Carstone 

 (or "gingerbread" stone) of Hunstanton forms the top, the 

 Snettisham Clay the middle, and the Sandringham Sands the 

 lower portion. Some important additions to our knowledge 

 are contributed by .Mr. G. W. Lamplugh, whose observations 

 lead to the conclusion that the Carstone, as a whole, may 

 represent the combined Hythe, Sandgale, and Folkestone Beds 

 of the south of England ; that the fauna of the Snettisham Clay 

 agrees with that of the Tealby Limestone of Lincolnshire ; while 

 the Sandringham Sands appear to be newer than the Spilsby 

 sandstone, and are presumably equivalent to some portion ol the 

 Tealby Clay. Particulars are given of the various divisions of the 

 Chalk and of their fossils ; and the appendix contains records of 

 numerous wells and borings in Lincolnshire and Norfolk, and a 

 supplementary geological bibliography of Norfolk. 



\ SERIES of investigations, to determine the milling qualities 

 of wheals and the nutritive value of flours, has been made by 

 Mr. F. B. Guthrie, chemist to the Department of Agriculture 

 of New South Wales, and special attention is directed to these 

 in the report just issued by the Department. .\s the im- 



