March 4, 1886] 



NA TURE 



431 



traces of plexus-like structure are lost in the nucleus, which 

 becomes greatly enlarged and assumes a milky aspect, and 

 shows no trace of structure throughout the process of fusion. 

 Afterwards it begins to diffuse itself radially through the body- 

 sarcode, until every trace of the nucleus is gone, and the still 

 globule of living matter becomes tight and glossy, but no trace 

 of structure can be anywhere found in it. In this condition it 

 remains for six hours, when it emits the multitude of germs. 

 After giving similar details about several other organisms, Dr. 

 Dallinger summed up thus: — " One thing appears clear; the 

 nucleus is the centre of all the higher activities in these organ- 

 isms. The germ itself appears to be but an undeveloped 

 nucleus, and when that nucleus has attained its full dimensions 

 there is a pause in growth, in order that its internal develop- 

 ment may be accomplished. It becomes practic illy indisputable 

 that the body-sarcode is, so to speak, a secretion, a vital product 

 • )f the nucleus. From it the fiagella originally arise ; by it the 

 act of fission is initiated and in all probability carried to the 

 end ; the same is the case with fertilisation and the production 

 of germs. We are thus brought into close relation with the 

 behaviour of the nucleus in the simplest condition. No doubt 

 far profounder and subtler changes are concurrently proceeding. 

 We of course are no nearer to the solution of what life is. But 

 to come any distance nearer to a kn iwledge of how the most 

 living part of the minutest organisms acts in detail has for me, 

 and for most biologists, an increasing fascination. " The address 

 was illustrated by the aid of the oxy-hydrogen lantern. — The new 

 Council was elected, Dr, Dallinger being elected President for a 

 third term. 



BlRiHrNGH.iM 

 Philosophical Society, February ii. — On Resistance at 

 ^urface^ of electrodes in electrolytic cells, by G. Gore, LL. D., 

 !•'. R. S. This paper is a purely experimental one, and contains 

 new proofs of some of the chief results of an extensive research 

 on "transfer-resistance," communicated to the Royal Society, 

 March 2, 1885 {Proc. Roy. Soc, 1SS5, No. 236, p. 209). In it 

 the author shows conclusively that the phenomena discovered 

 by him, and to which he applied that term, are not due to 

 polarisation, some kind of electromotive f irce, or any other 

 form of opposing difference of electric potential, because they 

 still remain when those causes are entirely absent. He selected 

 various cases of voltaic inversion, in which a ])air of different 

 metals in an exciting electrolyte produced no difference of 

 electric potential and no voltaic current, and examined them for 

 " resistance " and differences of "resistance" at the immersed 

 surfaces of the two metals. He first tested them by a "bridge" 

 method, and then by a "condenser" one, also described, and 

 gives the results ; and in every case he found that the "resist- 

 ance " still existed, and was different in amount at the two 

 plates. In each case the plates were of equal sizes. He also 

 took several cases in which a pair of plates of the same metal, 

 but of different sizes, were immersed in an exciting electrolyte, a 

 combination which it is well known produces no difference of 

 electric potential and no voltaic current, and tested them simi- 

 larly, and found abundant evidence of "resistance," different 

 in amount at the two plates m each instance. By the 

 condenser method he also measured the amounts of such 

 "resistance" at the surfaces of the two different metals, of several 

 voltaic elements at their inversion-points, during absence of 

 difference of electric potential, and gives the quantities. He 

 asks : " Is the phenomenon I have discovered really of the 

 nature of ordinary electric conduction-resistance ? If it is, its 

 characters will agree with the most essential ones of that influ- 

 ence. It agrees in several important points with that resistance : 

 first, it is not able to produce a current ; second, it is usually 

 small with those liquids in which ordinary resistance is small ; 

 and third, it is considerably reduced in liquids by rise of tem- 

 perature, it also, when overcome by current, evolves heat" 

 {Proc. Roy. Soc, 1885, No. 236, p. 209; Phil. Mag., vol. 

 xxi. 1S86, pp. 130-14S). It differs, however, from such resist- 

 ance in the less important circumstance that it varies in amount 

 with the strength and density of the current ; it is also usually much 

 larger in amount than the ordinary conductipn-resistance of a short 

 section of the same liquid. "From these various fundamental 

 truths respecting it, ' transfer-resistance ' is a retarding influence 

 essentially similar to ordinary conduction -resistance, but modi- 

 fied, increased in amount, and rendered more complex by taking 

 place at the surfaces of mutual contact of two heterogeneous 

 bodies instead of in the mass of a homogeneous substance. ' He 

 concludes by remarking that " it performs an important part in 



the action of all voltaic batteries and electrolytic cells," and 

 calls attention to the circumstance that " one important practical 

 application" of it "has been made in the electro-metallurgical 

 purification of copper on the large scale, where a great saving 

 has been eftected by arranging the depositing vats in multiple 

 series, and thus diminish the 'transfer-resistance.'" It was in 

 the year 1831 that the first attempt to discover this kind of 

 resistance was made by Fechner. 

 Taris 

 Academy of Sciences, February 22. — M. Jurien de la 

 Graviere, President, in the chair. — Obseiwations of the small 

 planets made with the great meridian instrument of the Paris 

 Observatory during the fourth quarter of the year 1885, com- 

 municated by M. Mouchez. — Determination of the elements of 

 refraction : examination of the general geometrical conditions 

 required to be fulfilled in the practical solution of the problem, 

 by M. Lcewy. The question is treated under the three follow- 

 ing heads : — (i) Given the positions of two stars, at what time 

 of the day must the conjugated operations be effected in order to 

 attain the greatest variation of refraction ? (2) What angle of 

 the double-mirror is most suitable for obtaining this maximum 

 value ? (3) What are the co-ordinates of the two stars enabling 

 the observer to arrive at the maximum effect of the refraction in 

 the minimum of time ? — Experimental verification of Verdet's 

 optical law in the directions near those that are normal to the 

 magnetic lines of force, by MM. A. Cornu and A. Potier. — 

 Specific determination of the imprint of fossil plants in the Car- 

 boniferous formations of the Gard, with a view to determining 

 the sequence of the vegetable species and of the stratified rocks 

 in this basin, by M. Grand'Eury. — On the equivalent of the ter- 

 bines, by M. Lecoq de Boisbaudran. — Remarks on M. Jean 

 Luvini's note on the subject of the conflicting theories advanced 

 by M. Faye and his opponents to explain the action of water- 

 spouts, whirlwinds, and analogous atmospheric phenomena, by 

 M. Leon Lalanne. The author mentions two authentic cases 

 which occurred on the west coast of France many years ago, 

 and which seem inexplicable except on the supposition of 

 a transverse ascending jfwi'ctnent. — Note on the employment 

 of dynamometric machines for the transmission of force at the 

 marine cannon foundry of Ruelle, communicated by M. Jurien de 

 la Graviere. — Observations of Barnard's comet made at the Im- 

 perial Observatory of Rio de Janeiro, by M. L. Cnils. These 

 observations, made with the o"25m. equatorial, extend over the 

 period from July 15 to August 8, after which date the comet 

 became invisible. — Observation of the nebula in Andromeda 

 made at the same Observatory during the period from Sep- 

 tember 10 to December 18, 1885, .by M. L. Cruls. The angle of 

 position between the no<'a and the central nucleus of the nebula, 

 as well as the angular distance, was measured on two separate 

 occasions, with the following results : — 



Angle of position Estimated distance 



September 17 

 October 28 ... 



80-9 

 79-1 



— Observation of the meteoric display of November 27, 1885, 

 made at the same Observatory, by M. Cruls. The total number 

 of meteors observed between November 26-29 was 1792, the 

 maximum being on November 27, when 73 were seen in five 

 minutes and 1 145 during the whole night. — Results furnished 

 by the observation of the solar protuberances at the Roman 

 Observatory during the year 18S5, by M. P. Tacchini. The 

 great protuberances were never seen in the neighbourhood 

 of the Poles, but nearly always between the equator and ± 40°, 

 corresponding almost invariably with solar regions free from 

 spots and faculK. As regards the protuberances, solar energy 

 may be considered as having been more active in 1885 than 

 during the previous year. — Phosphorographic studies for the 

 photographic reproduction of the stars, by M. Ch. V. Zenger. 

 The author describes what he hopes may prove to be an im- 

 provement even on MM. Henry's process, which has already 

 yielded such surprising results. He uses the phosphorescence of 

 the sulphurets of the alkaline earths instead of the fluoiescence 

 in the preparation of his photographic plates, thereby securing 

 greater sensitiveness and power to reproduce the invisible as well 

 as the visible stars. — Determination of the remainder in Gauss's 

 quadrature formula, by M. P. Mansion. — Note on a geometri- 

 cal interpretation of the differential equation — 



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