208 



NA TURE 



[Dec. 31, 1885 



No authentic information is to hand yet to explain the terrible 

 and disastrous colliery explosion at the Mardy mine last week. 

 The atmospheric pressure bad been unusually high, and so far 

 as we have been able to gather, coal-dust played an important 

 part in the explosion. No doubt some facts as to the condition 

 of the mine will come out at the inquest on January 12. 



The following are the arrangements for the Friday evening 

 lectures at the Royal Institution before Easter : — ^January 22 : 

 Prof. Tyndall, F. R. S., Thomas Young and the Wave Theory ; 

 January 29 : Sir William Thomson, F.R.S., Capillary Attrac- 

 tion ; February 5 : T. Pridgin Teal, F. R. C.S. , The Principles 

 of Domestic Fireplace Construction ; February 12 : Prof. Os- 

 borne Reynolds, F.R.S. , Experiments showing Dilatancy, a 

 Property of Granular Material, Possibly Connected with Gravi- 

 tation ; Februar}' 19: W. K. Parker, F.R.S., Birds, their 

 Structure, Classification, and Origin ; February 26 : A. A. 

 Common, F.R.S., Photography as an Aid to Astronomy; 

 March S : Prof. Alexander Macalister, F.R.S., Anatomical and 

 Medical Knowledge of Ancient Egypt ; March 12 : Reginald 

 Stuart Poole, Corresp. Inst. France, The Discovery of the 

 Biblical Cities of Egypt ; March 19 : W. H. M. Christie, 

 F. R.S., Astronomer Royal, Universal Time; March 26: Wm. 

 Chandler Roberts- Austen, F.R.S., M.R.I., Chemist of the 

 Mint, on Certain Properties Common to Fluids and Solid 

 Metals; April 2: Howard Grubb, F. R. S., Telescopic Ob- 

 jectives and Mirrors — their Preparation and Testing ; April 9 : 

 WiUiam Anderson, M.Inst.C.E. , New Applications of the 

 Mechanical Properties of Cork to the Arts ; April 16 : Prof. 

 Sir Henry E. Roscoe, M.P., F.R.S. 



We regret to learn that Dr. W. Sklarek, who founded 

 Naturforschei- eighteen years ago, and has conducted it since, 

 has resigned the editorship of that well-known journal, which 

 will now be published by the Laupp'schen Buchhandlung, 

 Tiibingen. Dr. Sklarek, we understand, will edit a new 

 journal of a similar kind to be published in Brunswick. 



It is stated that experiments are being made at Prof. Lieben's 

 chemical laboratory at Vienna, with a new gaslight invented by 

 Dr. Auer. A cotton wick, saturated with an incombustible 

 metal solution, is introduced into the flame of an ordinary 

 Bunsen lamp, the result being a light similar to the incandescent 

 electric light. 



Mr. Leslie Stephen's " Life of Henry Fawcett," just pub- 

 lished by Messrs. Smith, Elder and Co., contains two very 

 characteristic letters from Darwin, which now see the light for 

 the first time. Mr. Stephen refers to the deep impression made 

 on Fawcett's mind by the "Origin of Species." He became an 

 enthusiastic Darwinian, and in December 1S60 published an 

 article in which "he states with his usual firmness the true 

 logical position of Darwin's theory ; distinguishing carefull)- 

 between a fruitful hypothesis and a scientific demonstration ; 

 exhibiting the general nature of the argument and the geological 

 difficulty with great clearness, and taking some pains to prove 

 that religion is in no danger from Darwinism." This led to a 

 correspondence with Darwin, and in one of the letters the latter, 

 after referring to his satisfaction at hearing that Mill considered 

 his book a piece of thorough logical argument, adds : — " Until 

 your review appeared I began to think that perhaps I did not 

 understand at all how to argue." In a second letter, dated 

 September iS, 1861, thanking Fawcett for a paper of his read 

 before the British Association, Darwin writes : — " You will have 

 done good service in calling the attention of scientific men to 

 means and laws of philosophising. As far as I could judge by 

 the papers, your opponents were unworthy of you. How miser- 

 ably A talked of my reputation, as if that had anything to do 

 with it. How profoundly ignorant B [who had said that 



Darwin should have published facts alone] must be of the very 

 soul of observation ! About thirty years ago there was much 

 talk that geologists ought only to observe and not theorise ; and 

 I well remember some saying that at this rate a man might as 

 well go into a gravel-pit and count the pebbles and describe the 

 colours. How odd it is that any one should not see that all 

 observation must be for or against some view if it is to be of 

 any service ! " Referring to his health Darwin says he is one 

 of those miserable creatures who are never comfortable for 

 twenty-four hours ; " and it is clear to me that I ought to be 

 exterminated." Again he says that to him "observing is much 

 better sport than writing." Referring to the timidity with 

 which men of science received his theory, he wrote: "The 

 naturalists seem as timid as young ladies should be, about their 

 scientific reputation." The whole of the correspondence at this 

 time (1S60-61) between Darwin and Fawcett, of which 

 Mr. Stephen only gives the two letters here quoted, should be 

 of very great general interest. 



The Vienna Correspondent of the Times reports that 

 Dr. Gautsch, the new Minister of Public Instruction in Austria, 

 has prohibited the use of paper ruled in square or diagonal 

 lines within all public schools. The reason of this is that such 

 paper has been found to injure the eyesight of pupils. It has 

 been largely used hitherto in primary schools to facilitate writing 

 and arithmetic lessons ; but in future only paper plain or ruled 

 in straight lines is be used. 



A STRIKING case of vital resistance in fishes has been lately 

 reported by M. Douaret de Bellesme, Manager of the Aquarium 

 of the Trocadero in Paris. On November 18 a fishmonger, 

 M. Heydendare, received from Gonda (the centre of fisheries in 

 the region about Rotterdam) a large consignment of fishes 

 packed and preserved in ice. They could not have been caught 

 later than the i6th, and were probably caught on the 15th. 

 On unpacking, a jack was seen to move its gills slightly, and the 

 idea occurred to wash it with fresh water, and immerse it in a 

 vessel. In a few hours the fish was in its normal state, and very 

 lively. M. Heydendare sent it to the Trocadero Aquarium, 

 where it is to be seen now ; it is a fine animal, about 2 feet 

 4 inches long. Here, then, is a case of a fish out of water more 

 than forty-eight hours (probably three days), packed with little 

 care, along with dead fish and pieces of ice — travelling thus 280 

 miles, and coming to life again. The lowering of temperature 

 was doubtless very favourable to maintenance of the vital 

 functions. 



Three tall chimneys belonging to Kunheim and Co., of 

 Berlin, were lately destroyed by means of gun-cotton. The 

 largest was about 147 feet high, and 10 feet diameter at the 

 base. In order that it should fall outwards from the city, the 

 charge of gun-cotton (about 57 lbs.) was attached in portions to 

 the side next the city, and to the adjacent sides. All three 

 were exploded simultaneously with a magneto-electric apparatus. 

 The chimney, instead of falling obliquely, collapsed vertically, 

 and on inspection the four walls of the pedestal were found to 

 have been driven outwards. The bricks were all detached from 

 each other, and nearly all entire. The debris was thrown a very 

 little distance. The two otber chimneys, treated similarly, fell 

 as was expected, i.e. obliquely away from the city. One of 

 them, in falling, broke in two about the middle. 



Recent issues of Globus contain two mo^t int:resting articles 

 on the investigations into the antiquities of the I land of Born- 

 holm, carried on for a considerable period by its former chief 

 official, Herr Wedel. The Stone Age is extensively repre- 

 sented, although kitchen-middens appear to be wholly absent, 

 by graves, stone coffins, and other objects. The first contain 

 unbumt, as well as the remains of cremated, bodies, but the 



