Oct. 7, 1886] 
NATURE 
553 
the whole country. Throughout this period there was no 
part of England in which the temperature was not above 
the average in each week, as shown by the returns issued 
by the Meteorological Office. 
The persistent low temperature which preceded this 
warm weather, and which had so long continued, was de- 
scribed in NATURE for August 12 (p.341). This cool wea- 
ther continued till August 23, when, fortunately, the con- 
ditions entirely changed, and a warm spell of exceptional 
length for either summer or early autumn set in. It is 
necessary to go back to February 1885, eighteen months 
ago, before we find so long a period with the temperature 
above the average, and since that time there have not even 
been two weeks in succession which were warm generally 
over the whole country. 
In recent years there has been but very little really settled 
warm weather during the three months July to September. 
Last year there was only one week, ending July 27, which 
could in any way be termed warm generally over the 
country during the whole period of three months. In 1884 
finer weather was experienced, and there were four con- 
secutive weeks, ending August 25, with the temperature 
above the average over Great Britain ; there was also a 
period of three consecutive weeks, ending September 29, 
with warm weather, and two consecutive weeks ending 
July 14. In 1883 there was only one week, ending 
September 24, in which the temperature was above the 
average over the whole of the British Islands, but there 
were other weeks during the three months in which the tem- 
perature was high in several districts ; there was, however, 
no continuous warm weather. In 1882 the week ending 
August 14 was the only instance with the temperature 
generally above the average, and in this period a de- 
ficiency was shown in the East of England. In 1881 
there was not a single wee in the three months with the 
temperature generally above the average. In 1880 there 
were five consecutive weeks, ending September 13, with 
the temperature above the normal value, and warm 
weather was also enjoyed in the week ending September 
27. In 1879 temperature was continuously low through- 
out the period, and the deficiency generally amounted to 
several degrees ; there was not a single district over the 
whole of the United Kingdom with the temperature above 
the mean for a single week. 
From this it is seen that during the last eight years 
there were but two years, 1880 and 1884, which can in 
any way compare with this year for warm weather during 
the three months referred to, and in the remaining five 
years there was not a longer period than a single week 
with continuous warm weather. 
The varying conditions with which warm weather 
occurs in England is exceedingly puzzling. This year it 
has accompanied weather of a cyclonic type, and has 
changed to cooler weather with the anticyclonic condi- 
tions which set in about September 14. To attempt an 
explanation of these conditions from observations for our 
own limited area, or even from the observations over 
Europe, would be but labour lost. For such an inquiry 
it is necessary to wait the issue of the synoptic charts for 
the northern hemisphere which are compiled by the 
United States Signal Service from the international 
synchronous meteorological observations. Doubtless a 
careful study of these will throw some light on the 
cause of the prolonged irregularities in the distribution 
of temperature. CHAS. HARDING 
NOTES 
THE American Association at the Buffalo meeting unani- 
mously passed a resolution expressing its gratification at hearing 
of Dr. Gould’s proposed revival of the Astronomical Fournal, 
and its good wishes for its success. 
Mr. G. T. Prior, B.A. of Magdalen College, Oxford, has 
been appointed an Assistant in the Department of Mineralogy 
in the British Museum, to fill the vacancy caused by the death 
of Dr. Flight. The two vacancies in the staff of the Zoological 
Department occasioned by the resignation of Mr. E. J. Miers on 
account of ill-health, and Mr. J. J. Quelch, appointed to the 
curatorship of the Demerara Museum, have been filled by the 
nomination after competitive examination of Mr. C. J. Gahan 
and Mr. Randolph Kirkpatrick. Mr. C. G. Crick has lately 
been appointed an additional assistant in the Department of 
Zoology. 
WE regret to learn of the death of Dr. Clement Mansfield 
Ingleby, at the age of sixty-three years. The death is also 
announced of Admiral Bedford Pim. 
WE regret to note the death of Prof. H. A. Bayne, Ph.D., 
of ‘the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. 
Dr. Bayne was a native of Nova Scotia. He graduated in Arts at 
Dalhousie College, Halifax, N.S., and afterwards spent five years 
in the special study of chemistry under Wiedemann at Leipzig, 
Bunsen at Heidelberg, and Dumas at Paris, taking his Doctor’s 
degree at Heidelberg. Returning to his native land he first 
engaged in organising the Scientific Department of the Halifax 
High School, acting at the same time as Lecturer on Chemical 
Analysis at Dalhousie College. In 1879 he was appointed Pro- 
fessor of Chemistry at the Kingston Military College, which had 
just been founded. His work at Kingston was very onerous, 
and during the first few years of his professoriate he found little 
time for original research. At the last meeting of the Royal 
Society of Canada, of which he was a Fellow, he read a paper 
of practical value on chemical tests of the purity of silk. He 
had begun in Germany a series of experiments on the properties 
of certain of the rarer metals, in which he had been interested 
by Bunsen ; and he hoped to continue them when leisure came. 
But he has been cut down at the very threshold of his work. 
Tue annual Exhibition of the Photographic Society was 
opened to the public on Monday. 
News of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions continues to 
arrive from all quarters. The North American earthquakes 
have not ceased. Three slight shocks were felt in Summerville 
on September 28, and at night several more occurred, From 
various parts of Central Germany, principally Thuringia, news 
arrives showing that in the night of the 27th, or morning of the 
28th ult., there was a series of more or less violent shocks of 
earthquake. At Gera and other places in Thuringia, the 
windows, doors, cupboards, and other movable articles of 
furniture, were violently agitated, shaking and rocking to 
and fro. A despatch received at New York on Tues- 
day from Mexico states that a high hill in the vicinity 
of Chimalapa has been completely riven in two by the 
action of subterranean forces. The volcano of Colima, in 
Mexico, is in a state of eruption for the third time within a year. 
Information has been received at Lerwick stating that two 
shocks of earthquake had been experienced at Baltasno, Unst, 
Shetlands, on Monday night. The first shock was felt at eleven, 
the other two hours later. Several people were roused from 
sleep by houses trembling and china rattling. Both shocks 
lasted several seconds, but no damage occurred to property. A 
telegram from Melbourne, October 5, states that a volcanic 
eruption has occurred in the island of Niapu, in the Tonga 
group. Two-thirds of the island are completely covered with 
volcanic dust. Mount Pabloff, 300 miles south of Kodiak, in 
Alaska, is in eruption. 
Mr. S. K. SEKIYA writes from the Imperial University, 
Tokio, Japan :—‘‘On July 23 quite a destructive earthquake 
visited Shinano, Echigo, and the neighbouring provinces, over- 
