516 
NATURE 
[SerTeMBER 18, 1902 
themselves only with the needs of the highest grades of workers, 
““the commissioned officers of our industrial army,” as he calls 
them. ‘‘The great mass of non-commissioned officers and 
privates are left uncared for.” The region of what may with 
approximate correctness be called ‘‘ secondary technical educa- 
tion’ is represented in the United States, Prof. Alderson 
says, ‘‘ by more or less feeble efforts in a few trade schools, in 
a limited number of private institutions aimed to help the 
working men and in night schools.” American educational 
authorities are urged, later in the address, to follow the example 
of Switzerland, and, ‘‘ recognising the dependence of national 
prosperity upon technical education, to set about the task of 
providing an education for all classes of workers suited to their 
callings. The technical high school, if properly equipped and 
put in close relationship with the trades and industries, will 
satisfy this national need ; it will not be a copy of the European 
trade school, but rather an adaptation of the trade school which 
will be in harmony with American thought and American educa- 
tional ideals.” 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
PARIS. 
Academy of Sciences, September 8 —M. Bouquet de la 
Grye in the chair.—The president announced to the Academy 
the death of M. R. Virchow, Foreign Associate of the Academy. 
—Address by M. Bouchard on the occasion of the death of R. 
Virchow. —On the irreducibility of uniform transcendentals de- 
fined by differential equations of the second order; by M. Paul 
Painlevé.—The experimental study of the resistance to com- 
pression of armed mortar, by M. Considére. A study of the 
mechanical properties of prisms of cement having embedded in 
its mass metallic wires of various shapes. The results are sum- 
marised in a graphical form.—On the eruption of Martinique, 
by MM. A. Lacroix, Rollet de l’Isle and Giraud. In dis- 
cussing the calorific and physiological effects of the eruption in 
the town of St. Pierre, all the observations indicate the 
rapid and persistent action of a source of heat at a high 
temperature, producing asphyxia. In a central zone the 
temperature was sufficiently high to determine combustion, 
to superficially carbonise the bodies after burning their clothes, 
but it was insufficient to melt thin copper wires, or below 1054° C, 
On the edges of this zone the phenomena of-asphyxia continue, 
but the temperature was hardly high enough even to char the 
clothes. The presence of steam and ashes in the destructive 
cloud which overwhelmed the city is certain ; the presence of 
combustible gases such as hydrogen sulphide, hydrocarbons 
or hydrogen cannot be proved with certainty, but such a sup- 
position would explain many of the effects produced. The 
commission consider the complete evacuation of the entire 
neighbourhood of Mont Pelée is imperative, and must be main- 
tained until the complete cessation of the volcanic disturbances. 
—On the secular acceleration of the mean longitude of the 
moon, by M. H. Andoyer.—The comet 1902 4, discovered 
on September 1 by M. Perrine and independently by 
M. Borrelly, September 2, at the Observatory of Marseilles. 
Observations made by MM. Borrelly and L. Fabry. 
—Observations of the comet 1902 4, made at the Obser- 
vatory of Besancon, by M. P. Chofardet.—On certain 
differential equations, by M. Edmond Maillet.—On the pro- 
perties of closed chambers relating to electric waves, by M. A. 
Turpain.—On a new acidimetric indicator, by M. L. J. Simon. 
By the dry distillation of tartaric acid with potassium bisulphate, 
a new acid isomeric with pyrotartaric acid has been obtained 
the ferric salt of which may be used as an indicator. Tt possesses 
the curious property of giving similar indications to a mixture of 
methy]-orange and phenolphthalein, and in some cases con- 
veniently replaces such a mixture.—On the interrenal bodies of 
Plagiostomes, by M. Ed. Grynfeltt.—On: some india-rubber 
plants on the west coast of Africa, by M. Aug. Chevalier. — 
On the duration of the germinating period in seeds exposed to 
sunlight, by M. Victor Jodin 
New Souru WALEs. 
Linnean Society, July 30.—Mr. J. II. Maiden, president, 
in the chair.— Descriptions of some new species of plants from 
Western Australia, by Mr. W. V. Fitzgerald. . Five additions to 
the flora of Western Australia referable to the genera Mitrasacme, 
Cremnophila, Grevillea and Schcenus (two species) are described. 
—Descriptions of new species of Queensland Lepidoptera, by 
NO. 1716, VOL. 66] 
-Dr. Thomas P. Lucas. Two genera-and five species, distributed 
among three families (Cossidze, Pyralididee and Xylorictide), 
are described as new.—A revision of the genus Notonomus 
(fam. Carabidee ; subfam, Feronini), by Mr. Thomas G. Sloane. 
Seventy-two species are attributed to the genus, twenty-seven 
being described as new.—Contributions to a knowledge ‘ of 
Australian Entozoa. No..ii. Ona new species of Distomum 
from the sawfish-shark (Prestzophorus cérratus, Lath.), by Mr. 
. J. Johnston. The worm has an extremely mobile neck in the 
living state Its most characteristic féatures are its size, the 
character and position of the suckers, the folded but unbranched 
limbs of the intestine, the grape-like vitelline glands and the 
very marked development of the excretory system. It falls into 
Dujardin’s subgenus Brachylaimus.—Notes on Australian 
Lyceenid, by Mr. G. A. Waterhouse. Lycaena nigra, Misk., is 
referred to the genus Megisba, Moore. Holochila purpurea, 
Grose-Smith and Kirby, is given as a synonym of A. cyprotus, 
Olliff.  Holochila androdus, Miskin, and H. subargentea, 
Grose-Smith and Kirby, are given as synonyms of HZ. helensta, 
Semper. The sexes of Ogyrts oroetes, Hew., and O. amaryllis, 
Hew., are described ; likewise two new-species. The paper 
concludes with a note on QO. zanthis, Waterh. 
GOTTINGEN, 
Royal Society of Sciences.—The Wachrichten (physico- 
mathematical section), part 4 for 1902, contains the following 
memoirs communicated to the Society :— 
November 8, 1901.—David Hilbert : 
geometry. 
May 3, 1902.—Ernst Richard Neumann: New integral 
properties of successive potentials. W. Voigt: On the abso- 
lute retardation of light-waves on reflection. 
The accompanying Proceedings include reports on the progress 
of the ‘* Mathematical Encyclopzedia’”’ and the publication «f 
Gauss’s works ; obituary notices of Friedrich Leo, Adolf Erik 
On the bases . of 
» von Nordenskiold, Karl Hegel ; and congratulatory addresses tu 
Eduart Siiss, of Vienna, and Dedekind, of Brunswick. 
CONTENTS. 
PAGE 
’ Prof. Lorentz on the Scope of Physics. By J. L. 489 
Celtic Mythology at Porc Gd Mom et. 489 
Our Book Shelt 
Ostenfeld: ‘* Flora Artica” 490 
Kirkman and Field: ‘“ An Arithmetic for Schools” . 
491 
Bradshaw: ‘‘ A First Step in Arithmetic”  ... . 491 
Jabelon : ‘ The Real Origin of Religion ” 491 
Letters to the Editor :— ‘ 
Re Vegetable Electricity. — Dr. Augustus D. 
Waller, F.R.S.. 5 0 Stiles Shgealo CRY 
Can Carbon Dioxide be “ Vitalised’” ?— Prof, R. 
Meldola, F.R.S. . Seba ost 2 ihe pew eed Oz 
Effect of a Lightning Flash.—C. Davies Sherborn 492 
Bipedal Locomotion of a Ceylonese Lizard.—E. 
Ernest Green ., aot ty eee ech eo. ZS 
A Series Related to Bernoulli’s Numbers.—J. R. : 
mutton .- : . | ene emwONo ec Ck 
Frederick Augustus Abel. By W.R.D. . elated p AS 
An Instrument for Aiming Guns under Cover, (//- 
lustrated.) . MS ies cs 498 
The British Association at Belfast ... ae 494 
Section B.—Chemistry.—Opening Address by Ed- 
ward Divers, M.D, D.Sc., F.R.S., V.P.C.S., 
Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in the Imperial 
University of Tokyo, Japan, President of the Sec-  ' 
WO ee. Pie Serer worse IS 
Section C.—Geology.—Opening Address by Lieut.- 
General Charles Alexander McMahon, 
F.R.S., F.G.S., President of the Section. . . . 504 
Section F.—Economic Science and Statistics. —Open- 
ing Address by Edwin Cannan, M.A., LL.D., 
president of the Section iy.gis mes ereel<in cin ranmnSO 
Notes marty: ae sts 511 
Our Astronomical Column :— 
Another New Comet 514 
eometir902 2 .'. Jal ee 515 
Wew. Algol Variable. . ...°. = BS Sersdarnag ee StS 
Sir David Gill’s New Theory of Stellar Movement . 515 
University and Educational [ntelligence 0 515 
Societies and Academies ey shus 516 
