Jan. 2 1, 1886] 



NA TURE 



287 



Edinburgh 

 Mathematical Society, January 8. — Dr. R. M. Ferguson, 

 President, in the cliair. — Mr. R. E. Allardice discussed a 

 problem of symmetry in an algebraical function. — Mr. A. Y. 

 Eraser gave an account of the methods for the quadrature of 

 areas, especially by planimeters. He exhibited and described 

 several of these instruments, including two of his own invention. 



Manchester 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, October 12, 1SS5.— 

 Microscopical and Natural History Section. — Mr. Thomas 

 Alcock, M.D., President of the Section, in the chair. — Prof. 

 Boyd Dawkins, F. R. S., brought before the notice of the Section 

 rock-specimens and microscopic slides illustrating the structure 

 of the clay-slate of Snaefell in the Isle of Man.— Mr. Stirrup 

 exhibited a small slab of the flexible sandstone of India. 



Sydney 



Royal Society of New South Wales, October 7, 1885. — 

 Prof. Liversidge, F.R.S., President, in the chair.— Mr. Charles 

 Moore, F.L.S., read a paper on the ringal of the Norlh-West 

 Himalayas, by Mr. Brandis (communicated by Baron von 

 Midler, K.C.M.G.). Specimens of the bamboos now in this 

 country were shown. — Prof. Liversidge exhibited a portion of 

 a brick, the surface of whicli was green. The discolouration, 

 he explained, was due to the presence of vanadium salts. 



November 5. — Prof. Liversidge, F. R.S., President, in the 

 chair. — The President referred to the loss the Society had sus- 

 tained in the death of the senior Vice-President, the Hon. Prof. 

 Smith, M.D., C.M.G., M.L.C. — Dr. Morris read some notes 

 upon a very large number of experiments made with the view 

 of discovering media having a higher refractive index than 

 Canada balsam for the mounting of Amthipl^tira pelbicida. — 

 Mr. S. 11. Cox, F.C.S., F.G.S., read some notes on the cha- 

 racter of the Adelong Reefs. — The Rev. P. MacPherson de- 

 scribed a collection of stone implements used by the Aborigines 

 of Australia. — The Hon. J. M. Creed exhibited a pestle and 

 mortar, used by the Aboriginals on the Murray River for grind- 

 ing seeds. — Mr. H. C. Russell exhibited a new and simple form 

 of tide-gauge. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, January II. — M. Jurien de la 

 Graviere, President, in the chair. — Obituary notice of M. de 

 Saint-Venant, Member of the Section for Mechanics, who died 

 at Vendome on January 6, by the President. — A new method 

 for determining the elements of refraction, with a view to a 

 more approximately correct knowledge of the true position of 

 the heavenly bodies, by M. Lcewy. For this method it is 

 claimed that it is extremely simple and direct, dispensing with 

 the necessity of simultaneously ascertaining the value of any 

 other quantity. It is also independent of any instrumental error, 

 relying solely on differential measurements — that is, on opera- 

 tions by which alone a high degree of precision can be obtained. 

 — Note on the constitution of the solar spots and on photo- 

 graphy regarded as an instrument for discoveries in astronomy, 

 by M. J. Janssen. These remarks are made in connection with 

 a photographic image, presented by the author to the Academy, 

 of the large spot visible on the solar disk on June 22, 1885, 

 which was one of the largest hitherto observed. The image 

 fixed on the photographic plate was formed \\ith the violet rays 

 of the region G, which affect the retina very feebly ; hence, 

 without the aid of photography, could scarcely ever be detected, 

 even with the most powerful telescopes. — Note on the excep- 

 tional magnetic disturbance recorded by the magnetic registrar 

 at the Observatory of the Pare Saint-Maur on January 9, by M. 

 Mascart. — On the various states of the sulphur of antimony, 

 which exists normally in two distinct states — that of a black 

 crystallised sulphur, such as occurs in nature, and the orange 

 hydrated sulphur obtained by precipitation, by M. Berthelot. — 

 On the reciprocal actions and the equilibria established between 

 the hydrochloric and hydrosulphuric acids and the salts of anti 

 mony, by M. Berthelot. It is shown: (i) That the inverse 

 actions are produced in cases where the sign of the heat 

 liberated by the reaction of two bodies, such as the sulphur 

 of antimony and hydrochloric acid, is changed by the com- 

 bination of one of them with a third body, such as water- 

 forming hydrates, or even with one of the products of the reac- 

 tion ; (2) that the chemical action is not reversed abruptly, 

 but according to a certain gradation of intermediate compounds, 



such as the hydrates, hydrosulphates, hydrochlorides, &c. ; (3) 

 that these secondary compounds exist for the most part only in 

 a state of partial dissociation ; (4) that they determine and 

 regulate the chemical equilibria between the antagonistic bodies, 

 according to tlie conditions of their own existence and dissocia- 

 tion ; at this point intervene the physico-chemical laws of disso- 

 ciatioii, which are at present being so actively inves'.igated by 

 chemists. — On alternating semi-aniesthesia regarded as a 

 symptom of certain lesions of the rachidian bulb, by M. 

 Vulpian. — Note on some meteorites which fell in the Hissar 

 district, Punjab, on F'ebruary 19, 1884, and at Chandpur, near 

 Mainpuri, North-West Provinces, on April 6, 1S85, by M. 

 Daubree. Both specimens, supplied to tlie author by Mr. 

 Medlicott, of the Indian Geologic il Survey, appear to belong to- 

 the type of sporadic siderites, with respective densities 3'40 and 

 3'25. — Application of the transport of power by electricity in 

 the cannon foundry of Bourges, by M. Fave. Since 1879 two 

 movable cranes of 20 tons have been worked by electricity in 

 this establishment without any accident. — Note on an arrange- 

 ment of lenses with a great diameter and short focus presenting a 

 very slight abei ration, due to the late Col. Mangin, communicated 

 by the Minister of War. The system consists of three lenses with a 

 diameter of o'6o metres, one bi-convex, the two others concavo- 

 convex, having a resulting focal distance of about I metre. 

 The curves are so calculated tliat there is nowhere a deviation 

 of light of more than 2° 30'; and as the three lenses have no 

 great thickness, the loss of light passing through them is 

 scarcely one-twelfth, a loss more than compensated by the gain 

 from the reduction of aberration. — Observations on Brooks's 

 new comet made at the Paris Observatory (equatorial of the 

 west tower), by M. G. Bigourdan. — Observations of the same 

 comet made at the Observatory of Nice (Gautier's equatorial), 

 by M. Charlois. — Summary of the solar observations made 

 during the second half of the year 1885, by M. P. 

 Tacchini. A progressive and rapid diminution of the solar spots 

 was observed during the whole year, and especially during tlie 

 last quarter. The faculse were also less numerous, but the pro- 

 tuberances rather more frequent than in the previous six months. 

 — On the propagation of sound in a cylindrical tube, in supple- 

 ment to the labours of Regnault on this subject, by MM. VioUe 

 and Vautier. The main result of the experiments carried on 

 in an underground conduit at Grenoble wai that the velocity of 

 propagation seemed to decrease with the intensity of the sound. 

 —On the variations of the spectra of absorption and of the 

 spectra of emission by the phosphorescence of the same body, 

 by M. Henri Becquerel. — Note on the hydrates of hypophos- 

 phoric acid, by M. A. Joly. From the author's experiments 

 this substance would appear to be as sharply determined by its 

 crystallised hydrates as the phosphoric and phosphorous acids, 

 and in the solid state it is fully as stable. — On the solubility of 

 the sulphate of copper in presence of the sulphate of ammonia, 

 by M. R. Engel. — On some combinations of acctimide with the 

 metallic chlorides, by M. G. Andre. — Oh the preparation, pro- 

 perties, and reactions of iodaldehyde — 



SC.H.O) H- 4H- IO3H = SCCaHsIO) -f 3II2O, 



by M. P. Chautard. — On the amylaceous granules of the cysto- 

 some of the gregarines, by M. E. Maupas. — On chlorophyll 

 action (absorption of carbonic acid and emission of oxygen) in 

 ultra-violet darkness, by MM. G. Bonnier and L. Mangin. — 

 Verification of tlie existence of glacial formations in Equatorial 

 Africa (Gold Coast between Cape Palmas and the Ijight of 

 Benin), by M. Chaper. — On the pliysiological action of the salts 

 of lithium, rubidium, and potassium, by Mr. James Blake. It 

 is shown that the relative toxic properties of the salts of lithium 

 and rubidium increase with the atomic weight. — Researches on 

 the coagulation of albumen, by M. Eug. Varenne. — Experi- 

 ments showing that under certain conditions the charbon virus 

 becomes attenuated in the ground, by M. V. Feltz. — On the 

 transmission of glanders from mother to foetus, by MM. Cadeac 

 and Malet. — On the cultivation of wheat in the districts of 

 Wardrecques (Pas-de-Calais) and Blaringhem (Nord), by MM. 

 Porion and Deherain. 



Berlin 



Physical Society, Nov. 6, 1885. — Starting from the classical 

 experiments of Bunsen and Roscoe respecting the action of light 

 on a mixture of chlorine and hydrogen. Dr. Pringsheim had by 

 recent experiments endeavoured to obtain a closer insight into 

 the mode of the action of light. Light, as was known, was 

 absorbed to^a definite amount by chlorine, while hydrogen had 



