May 20, 1886 | 
NATURE 
Hai 
taking of a thousand towns.’ 
reinstalled the chiefs in their dignity’ on condition that they 
should pay tribute. The stress of the campaign fell thus on the 
plain of Esdraélon: the Egyptian troops had long remained 
there, and had pillaged all the district round, not without pushing 
on to some distant points. On his return, when Thothmes III. 
built the pylon of Karnak with the booty of this campaign, he 
inscribed on the wall the names of the towns that he had sacked 
and which had unwillingly contributed to the completion of the 
edifice. The wall was large, and must be entirely covered. 
They took indiscriminately all the names of Galilee and Southern 
Syria that they knew, without troubling about the i oportance of 
the town itself : one name did as well as another for that matter.” 
Sir C. Wilson, K.C.M.G.,°Mr. Boscawen, and others took 
part in the discussion. 
EDINBURGH 
Royal Society, April 19.—Sir W. Thomson, Hon. Vice- 
President, in the chair. —Sir W. Thomson exhibited and described 
a new form of portable spring balance for the measurement of 
terrestrial gravity. In this instrument a metallic spring is used. 
The curvature of the spring when unweighted is such that, when 
one end is firmly clamped and a suitable weight attached to the 
other end, the spring becomes straight. When so arranged, the 
equilibrium of tke spring and weight can be made as nearly un- 
stable as is wished by simply tilting the instrument. Hence the 
apparatus can be made as delicate as necessary.—Mr. A. P. 
‘Laurie read a paper on the measurements of the E.M.F. of a 
constant voltaic cell with moving plates. Mr. Laurie de- 
termined the E.M.F. of a cadmium-iodine cell by drawing a 
large current fron it, while the plates were kept moving. ‘The 
va'ue so got agreed with that given on open circuit as determined 
by the electrometer, thus showing that the fall of the current 
when the plates were not moving was due to alteration of the 
‘composition of the layers of liquid next the plate-—Mr. W. E. 
‘Hoyle read a note on the formation of Hectocotylus in Rossia.— 
Prof. Tait submitted a paper on some definite integrals.—Messrs. 
H. Rainy and R. D. Clarkson described the alterations in the 
electric conducting power of alloys at their melting-point.—The 
Rey. T. P. Kirkman submitted a communication on the reading 
of the circle, or circles, of a knot. 
May 3.—Robert Gray, Vice-President, in the chair.—Dr. 
-R. W. Felkin read notes on the Waganda, a Central African 
tribe.—]. Murray discussed the drainage-areas of continents, 
and their relation to oceanic deposits.— Dr. A. B. Griffiths read a 
‘paper on the vitality of the spores of parasitic fungi, and the 
“antiseptic properties of ferrous sulphate.—Dr. R. Stockman dis- 
cussed the action of benzoyl-ecgonin. 
Paris 
» Academy of Sciences, May 10.—M. Jurien de la Graviere, 
President, in the chair.—On the formation of oxalic acid in 
plants (continued) : Amaranthus caudatus, Chenopodium Quinoa, 
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, by MM. Berthelot and André. 
Tables are given of the varying quantity of oxalic acid in the 
roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of these plants at different 
seasons of the year. ‘The results throw great light on the essen- 
tially different physiological conditions of life and organisation 
in these various types of vegetation.—Observations of the comet 
1886 4 (Brooks II.), and of the new planet 258 (Luther), made 
at the Paris Observatory (equatorial of the West Tower), by 
M. G. Bigourdan. The new planet 258 was discovered by Dr. 
R. Luther at Diisseldorf on May 4 at 10 o’clock mean Diisseldorf 
| time, when it occupied the position: 14h. 20m. R.A. ; 9° 31’ 
Decl. When observed in Paris on May 7 it had the appearance 
‘of a planet of the twelfth magnitude. —Observations of the 
‘Brooks comets (1886) made at the Lyons Observatory, 6-inch 
runner equatorial, by M. Gonnessiat. Brooks I. appears like 
‘a diffused nebulosity with dia neter of about 2’, and but slight 
central condensation. On May 4 the head of No. II. was 
bright, narrow, and elongated in the angle of position 258°; 
tail visible fora space of about 12’, faint, and at its extremity 
“spreading out towards the south.—Transformation of the horary 
angles and declinations to azimuths and heights, by M. Vinot. 
'To supplement Warnstorff’s tables, giving this transformation 
for the latitude of the Altona Observatory, the author has pre- 
pared others calculated for the latitude of Paris. They are 
presented to the Academy in the hope thal, if preserved, 
they may enable other observers to dispense with long and 
tedious calcula‘ions.—On the employment of crusher mano- 
When the war was finished he | 
meters for the measurement of the pressures developed by 
explosive substances, by MM. Sarrau and Vieille. Two cases 
are recorded, in which the maximum pressure is accurately deter- 
mined by the measured value of the crushing force.—Remarks 
on M. Ledieu’s communication regarding marine engines, by 
M. Aug. Taurines. Attention is drawn to some errors in this 
communication presented on March 23, 1885, where M. Ledieu 
describes the dynamometric experiments made on board the 
corvette Ze Primazguet, which he mistook for a simple aviso. 
—WNote on certain sounds produced in vibrating metal plates by 
the discharges of static electricity, by M. E. Semmola. The 
conditions are described under which these sounds occur, but no 
theory is offered in explanation of the phenomenon.—Secondary 
electrolysis, by M. E. Semmola.—The island of Ferdinandea. 
the blue sun, and red after-gl»ws of 1831, by M. A. Ricco, 
With a view to the elucidation of the crepuscular lights of 1883- 
84, the author gives a detailed account of the analogous pheno- 
mena which accompanied the appearance of the island of 
Ferdinandea in the Sicilian waters in the year 1831. It is 
pointed out that the atmospheric effects attending the eruption of 
Ferdinandea closely resembled those following that of Krakatao. 
But the ashes took no part in the production of the blue sun and 
red after-glows of 1831 ; consequently, the ashes of Krakatdo 
would also seem to have had nothing to do with the similar 
light effects of 1883-84.—Note on the extraordinary halos seen 
at the Observatory of Parc Saint-Maur on March 29, 1884, and, 
with still more interesting light effects, on May 3, 1886, by M. E. 
Renou.—On products of decomposition of hypophosphoric acid : 
secondary hydrate, by M. A. Joly.—On the definite compounds of 
hydrochloric acid with the chloride of zinc, by M. R. Engel. 
The experiments here described have confirmed the theoretical 
view already advanced by the author, regarding the probable 
existence of one or more hydrochlorates of the chloride of zinc 
stable at the ordinary temperature.—On the combinations of 
quinone with the benzenic phenols, by MM. Ph. de Clermend 
and P. Chautard.—Action of the perchloride of phosphorus on 
the hydrocarburets, by MM. Alb. Colson and H. Gautier. It 
is shown that by means of the perchloride of phosphorus it is 
possible to substitute chlorine for hydrogen in the aromatic 
carburets. It thus becomes possible to prepare the symmetrical 
chloruretted compounds in the fatty and aromatic series to the 
exclusion of the isomerous substances, which always accompany 
them in all other methods of preparation.—On the rancid 
element in butter, by M. E. Duclaux.—Note on sozolic acid 
(orthoxyphenylsulphurous acid), by M. Serrant. This acid, 
whose formula is Cs H,OHj) SO2OH(,), is described as even a 
more powerful antiseptic than salicylic and phenic acid. Being 
perfectly soluble, it may be taken inwardly without any incon- 
venience, and is rapidly and completely eliminated from the 
system.—On the position in the crab of the parasite Sacculina 
carcini, by M. A. Giard. 
BERLIN 
Physiological Society, April 9.—Dr. Goldscheider spoke 
on the effect of menthol on the nerves of temperature. It was 
known that menthol (which for headaches has been extensively 
applied) generated a keen feeling of cold on being spread 
over the forehead. It was assumed that this feeling of cold 
resulted from the cooling of the skin consequent on evaporation. 
On the other hand, it was explained that the feeling of cold in 
the mouth produced by mouth washes containing mentha was 
due to an astringent effect of the mentha. The speaker had 
come to the conclusion that the two explanations referred to in 
the respective cases were neither of them correct. He made his 
experiments with a solution of menthol in lanoline, which was 
rubbed into circumscribed places of the skin. Measured 
with the thermometer, the places of the skin in question 
showed after the rubbing an increase of temperature of 
about 20° C., and yet for all that there was a quite decided 
feeling of cold. This feeling of cold was also observed when 
the place where the solution was rubbed in was protected 
against evaporation by a watch-glass. The feeling in question 
could proceed therefore only from a direct stimulation of the 
nerves of cold sensation. If of two places on the forehead 
exactly corresponding to one another, the one were rubbed with 
menthol salve and the other not, then bodies which before had 
produced no impression, ‘as being indifferent, would now be 
felt as cold by the part of the skin where the rubbing was made, 
whereas there would be no perceptible impression at the other 
part. From these and several other experiments the speaker 
