Nov. 26, 1885] 



ArA TURE 



95 



the second half of October, 1882, by Henry Harries. The 

 author shows, by means of daily charts, that a typhoon 

 which originated near the Philippine Islands on Septem- 

 ber 27 passed over Japan and the Aleutian Archipelago, 

 entering the United States on October 10. Crossing the 

 Rocky Mountain range, it proceeded through the Northern 

 States and Canada to Labrador and Davis Strait. In the 

 Atlantic it was joined on the iSth by another disturbance which 

 had come up from the Atlantic tropics, the junction of the two 

 being followed by a cessation of progressive movement from the 

 19th to the 25th. During this period the severe gale which 

 passed along our southern counties on the morning of the 24th 

 was formed, its sudden arrival upsetting the Meteorological Office 

 forecasts of the previous night. Observations are quoted show- 

 ing that it woulcf have been impossible for the Department to 

 have been aware of its e.^iistence before about 3 a.m. of the 

 74th. Following in the wal;e of this storm the parent cyclone 

 reached the French coast on the 27th, its advent being marked, 

 as in Japan and America, by violent gales and extensive floods 

 over the whole of Western and Central Europe and Algeria. 

 The village of Grindelwald was destroyed, and in the Austrian 

 Tyrol the damage caused by floods readied at least two millions 

 sterling. Passing through France and the Netherlands the dis- 

 turbance showed signs of exhaustion, and on November i, in the 

 Baltic, it quietly dispersed, after accom|ilishing a journey of over 

 16,000 miles in thirty-six days. This is the first storm which 

 lias been followed day by day from the Pacific to Europe.— 

 Notes as to the princijile and working of Jordan's photographic 

 sunshine-recorder, by J. B. Jordan and F. Gaster, F.R.Met.Soc. 

 This instrument consists of a cylindrical dark chamber, on the 

 inside of which is placed a prepared slip of photographic paper. 

 The direct ray of sunlight being admitted into this chamber by 

 small apertures in the side, is received on the sensitised paper, 

 and, travelling over it by reason of the earth's rotation, leaves a 

 distinct trace of chemical action whenever the light is of suffi- 

 cient intensity to show a definite shadow on a sun-dial. The 

 cylinder is mounted on a stand with adjustments for latitude, 

 &c. The record is fixed by simply immersing it in water for a 

 few rninutes. As this instrument records the actinic or chemical 

 rays, it usually shows more sunshine than is obtained by the 

 ordinary ' ' burning " sunshine-recorder. 



Edinburgh 

 Mathematical Society, November 13.— Mr. George Thorn. 

 Vice-President, in the chair.— Sir William Thomson communi- 

 cated a theorem in determinants, which was read by Dr. Muir. 

 Mr. J. S. Mackay gave an account of the ancient methods for 

 the duplication of the cube. — Mr. William Harvey contrilmted 

 some geometrical notes.— Mr. A. J. G. Barclay read a paper 

 on physical science in schools. — The following office-bearers 

 were elected :— President : Dr. R. M. Ferguson ; Vice-Presi- 

 dent : Mr. George Thom ; Secretary : Mr. A. Y. Eraser ; 

 Treasurer : Mr. fohn Alison ; Committee : Messrs. R. E. 

 Allardice, A. J. G. Barclay, W. T. Macdonald, J. S. Mackay, 

 Dr. Thomas Muir, Mr. William Peddie. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, November 16.— M. Jurien de la 

 Graviere in the chair.— Researches tending to show that the 

 trigemini nerves contain, from the first, vaso-dilatator fibres, by 

 M. Vulpian.— Obituary notice of the late W. B. Carpenter, 

 Corresponding Member for the Section of Zoology, by M. A. 

 Milne-Edwards. — Treatment of the vine by a mixture of lime 

 and sulphate of copper : determination of the distribution 

 of the copper on the plant, and its persistence in the 

 fruit and must, by MM. Millardet and Gayon. From these 

 researches it appears that most of the copper remains deposited 

 on the leaves, the must containing extremely s'jiall quantities, 

 and the wine only doubtful traces, or at most o'l gramme in 

 1000 litres.— Letter accompanying the presentation of a new 

 edition of Ptolemy's "Optics," by M. Gilbert Govi.— On 

 the irregular integrals of linear equations, by M. H. Poin- 

 care.— Dynamic effects produced by the passage of loco- 

 motive and carriage wheels at the junction of the rails, 

 l)y M. A. Considere. It is shown that these effects con- 

 stitute a new and important element in estimating the wear 

 and tear of traffic on the metals of railways. Several experi- 

 ments show that they are mucli more serious at the points of 

 contact of the rails than had hitherto been supposed.- On the 

 tension of saturated vapours, by M. E. Sarrau. — Theory of 



refrigerating mixtures, by M. A. Potier. — Theory of the flow of 

 gases ; adiabatic lines, by M. Marcellin Langlois. — On the 

 theory of the receptor electro-magnetic telephone, by M. E. 

 Mercadier. — Description of a new spectroscopic optometer, by 

 M. Ch. V. Zenker. Besides its use in spectroscopic studies, this 

 ingenious little instrument is expected to render great services 

 to physiologists in determining the defective 1 achromatism of the 

 human eye and its variations with age. — Spectroscopic study of 

 the flame; of blast furnaces and of the Bessemer process, by M. 

 Ch. V. Zenger. — On the numerical laws of the chemical equilibria, 

 by M. H. Le Chatelier. — Fi.xation of free atmospheric nitrogen 

 in cultivated ground, by M. H. Joulie. — Note on the physio- 

 logical action ofsafranine, and of the crystallised sulfo de fuchsine 

 used in colouring iwines, by MM. P. Cazeneuve and R. Lepine. 

 From various experiments made on dojs, pigs, and human 

 subjects, the authors conclude that the fuchsine is a perfectly 

 harmless substance witliout physiological or therapeutic interest, 

 whereas safranine gives rises to serious toxic phenomena when 

 injected into the veins in a solution of salt water containing 

 7 per cent, of this substance. — Note on the zymotic properties 

 of charbon and some other kinds of virus, by M. S. Arloing. — 

 Researches on the comparative anatomy of the chord of the tym- 

 panum in birds, by M. L. Magnien. — Note on the nerve centres 

 of the cephalopods, by M. Vialleton. — Influence of the 

 number of individuals in the same vessel, and of the form of the 

 vessel on the development of the larvee of the frog {Rana escti- 

 letita), by M. E. Yung. The author finds that the rapidity of 

 development is in inverse ratio to the number of tadpoles in the 

 vase, although the supply of food may be superabundant ; also 

 that the development is the more rapid the larger the diameter 

 (and consequently of the surface exposed to the air) of the 

 vessels. — Note on the respiration of leaves in the dark, by MM. 

 Deherain and Maquenne. — On the variations presented by the 

 composition of the gases in the foliage of plants growing in the 

 air, by M. J. Peyron. — Note -on the floral polymorphism of 

 aquatic ranunculi, by M. Louis Crie. — A study of the Qua- 

 ternary deposits in the district of Perreux, east of Paris, by M. 

 Emile Riviere. — Note on an experiment undertaken to de- 

 termine the direction of the Atlantic currents, by the Prince of 

 Monaco. — Observation of the crepuscular lights on November 2 

 and 16, in Paris, by M. A. Boillot. 



Berlin 

 Physical Society, October 23. — Prof. Neesen reported on 

 the experiments he had made on sounding air columns, with the 

 object of determining the relation of Kundt's dust-figures to the 

 tone-pitch. By means of an electric tuning-fork, whose tone- 

 pitch, through the imposition of weights, might be variously 

 modified, the air was maintained in permanent vibration in a 

 glass tube closed at the bottom by a membrane, and the inter- 

 vals of the sand-ribs from each other measured. To further 

 extend the scale of tone-pitches, rubbed pieces of wood were 

 utilised as sources of sound. The very numerous measurements 

 taken led to a negative result, no relation of the intervals of the 

 ribs from each other to the tone-pitch could be established. On 

 the other hand, however, the speaker succeeded in making\some 

 interesting observations of a different kind and prosecuting them 

 to an important stage. He first established that the long-known 

 wandering of the ribs in a permanently sounding tube stood in 

 no demonstrable relation to the vibrations of the air, and in one 

 and the same tube was found at one place directed one way, and 

 at another place another way. Herr Dworzak's presentation of 

 the matter, that this wandering of the ribs was induced by air- 

 currents setting in at the wall of the tube in one direction, and 

 at the middle in another, the speaker was unable to confirm. 

 The cause of the wandering of the ribs could not be ascertained. 

 On the subject of the origin of the ribs several observations had 

 been made, at spots in the tube, namely, where the wanderings 

 of the ribs issued in contrary directions, and where, accordingly, 

 comparative rest obtained. Here, first, a cork sand granule 

 was seen executing movements hither and thither, in which, 

 shortly, ever more and more granules, and at last a whole series, 

 took part. This layer of granules next began to roll up towards 

 the sides, growing ever thicker in the process, and ending in 

 the formation of a rib. The ribs further showed elevations of a 

 character like to that of waterspouts, the branches of which, 

 falling downwards, assumed the shape of whirls, and returned to 

 the rib. On viewing them with intermittent light, these formations 

 appeared at rest, when the number of light intermissions corre- 

 sponded with the number of vibrations of th& exciting sound. A 



