648 
NATURE 
[OcToBER 23, 1902 
IN his introductory article to the recent volumes of special 
reports dealing with American education and issued by the 
Board of Education, Sir Joshua Fitch very wisely insists that 
“the progress of mankind is to be secured, not by uniformity 
or by exact imitation even of the best models, but by differentia- 
tion, and by the evolution from time to time of new varieties of 
type both in principle and practice. Each nation must work 
cut its own problems, in view of its special circumstances, its 
environment, its past history and its own national aspirations.” 
It is well that English administrators of education should 
acquaint themselves with the work of the schools and colleges 
throughout the world, but there must be no attempt to trans- 
plant bodily any foreign system of instruction, for the national 
circumstances and genius are here different from those of other 
countries. Attention is directed to the fact that American 
educational reformers look with most confidence for help and 
guidance to ‘‘eminent teachers and professors rather than 
politicians or official personages.” This, at least, is a practice 
which could be followed with advantage in this country. 
§SSOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
MANCHESTER. 8 
Literary and Philosophical Society, October 7.—Mr. 
Charles Bailey, president, in the chair.—A paper was read 
by Mr. R. L. Taylor on the reaction of iodine with mercuric 
oxide in presence of water. Ina former paper he had shown 
that, when aqueous iodine is shaken up with precipitated 
mercuric oxide and rapidly filtered, the filtrate contained 
80 to 90 per cent. of the possible amount of hypoiodous 
acid. Messrs. Orton and Blackman have stated, in a paper 
read before the Chemical Society, that the solutions 
obtained from iodine and mercuric oxide contain only a small 
quantity of hypoiodite, the iodine existing ‘mainly as iodic acid. 
Mr. Taylor concludes from the description of these experiments 
that the authors overlooked the extremely unstable nature of 
hypoiodous acid. They used ordinary powdered iodine, which 
is not sufficiently finely divided, and they took a great deal too 
long over their experiments. Using precipitated iodine and 
performing the experiments as rapidly as possible, Mr. Taylor 
finds that with from ten to twenty-five times as much iodine in 
proportion to the water as he formerly used, the solution con- 
tains from 44 to 52 per cent. of the possible amount of hypo- 
iodous acid and very little iodic acid. 
PARIS. 
Academy of Sciences, October 13.—M. Bouquet de la Grye 
in the chair.—On the laboratory ‘registers of Lavoisier, by M. 
Berthelot. A veseeméis given of the second volume of laboratory 
notes of Lavoisier ; the contents are not so valuable as those of 
the first and third volumes. The most important experiments 
described are those dealing with the calcination of lead and 
tin in closed vessels.—On some peculiarities of the theory 
of shooting stars, by M. O. Callandreau.—A general demon- 
stration of the construction of light rays by curved wave 
surfaces, by M. J. Boussinesq.—Study of iodine pentafluoride, 
by M. Henri Moissan (see p. 637).—On the hematozoa in 
marine fishes, by MM. A. Laveran and F. Mesnil.—Carbonic 
acid as an agent of choice in experimental parthenogenesis, by 
M. Yves Delage.-—The fourteen large laboratory registers of 
Lavoisier. The register stated to be lost and which has been 
recently found, by M. H. Brocard. An account of the dis- 
covery in the library of Perpignan of the volume of labora- 
tory notes referred to by M. Berthelot above.—On the reduction 
of the linear element of a surface to a specified form, by 
M. M. Servant.—The magnetic and electric deviation of the 
Becquerel rays, and on the electromagnetic mass of the electrons, 
by M. W. Kaufmann. The results of the experiments quoted 
are completely in accord with the theory of M. Max Abraham, 
and it may be regarded as proved that the mass of the electron 
is entirely electromagnetic, that is to say, the electron is nothing 
but an electric charge distributed overa volume orsurface of minute 
dimensions, not exceeding 1 cm. x 107}, —Onaconsequence of the 
kinetic theory of diffusion, by M. J. Thovert. The motion of a 
diffusing material being considered as proportional to the mean 
velocity of the molecule, the application of the kinetic theory to 
NO. 1721, VOL. 65] 
substances dissolved in a given solvent leads to the prediction 
that, at constant temperature, the product MD? should be 
constant, M being the molecular weight and D the constant of 
diffusion. By a method described in a previous paper, the 
diffusion constants of about twenty non-electrolytes have been 
determined in aqueous solution, and it has been fcund that the 
theoretical conclusions are fairly well borne out by experiment, 
the constant MD? varying between 55 and 67. The author 
suggests the practical application of the method for the determin- 
ation of molecular weights.—The methyl ester of methyl- 
anthranilic acid in the vegetable organism, by M. Eugene 
Charabot. The essential oil from the leaf of Cztrus madurensis, 
obtained by distillation with steam, contains about 50 per cent. 
of methyl methylanthranilate.—On cedar wood essence from 
Cedrus Atlantica, by M. Emilien Grimal. A sesquiterpene, 
cadinene and a ketone have been isolated from the oil.—On a 
new reaction of formol, serving for its detection in foods, by 
MM. Manget and Marion. Use is made of the colour reaction 
with amido-phenol.—Stimulants and nerve poisons, by M. N. E. 
Wedensky.—On the nerve centres in the Acephalz, by M. Louis 
Boutan.—Excretion in the higher Crustacea, by M. L. Bruntz. 
—On the composition of some reserve hydrocarbons in the 
albumen of some palms, by M. E. Liénard. The albumen of 
the palm contains a small quantity of a reducing sugar, a little 
cane sugar, several condensed mannanes and a galactane.— On- 
the geological constitution of the neighbourhood of Alexandria, 
Egypt, by MM. R. Fourtau and D, E. Pachundaki. The rocky 
bar which forms the Alexandrine coast, and which protects the 
Nile delta against the sea at high water, belongs to the Quaternary 
epoch, and rests upon the limestones of the Upper Pliocene.— 
On the general causes of seismic instability in India, by M. F. 
de Montessus de Ballore.—On a new method designed to 
facilitate writing and calculation in the blind, by M. Dussaud. 
CONTENTS. PAGE 
The Encyclopedia Britannica . . cite te SRCLOZRy 
The Study of the Protista. By E. A. M. 2 Vay 
An Assayer’s Handbook, By T. K.R. ..... . 628 
Our Book Shelf :— 
**The Climates and Baths of Great Britain” . . 629 
Clinton : ‘‘ Electric Wiring : a Primer for the Use of 
Wiremen and Students.”—M. 629 
Emerton: ‘‘The Common Spiders of the ‘United 
States” . . 630 
Stone and Fickett : « Trees i in Prose and Poetry ” 630 
Bopp: ‘‘ Chart of the Metric System”. . . . 630 
Letters to the Editor :— 
Vortex Spirals. —Dr, J. Larmor, F.R.S. 630 
Bipedal Locomotion in Lizards. —W. Saville- Kent 630 
Theories of Heredity.—Hugh Richardson i 630 
The Fertilisation of Linum,—Prof, T. D. A. 
Cockerell . 631 
Retention of Leaves by ‘Deciduous Trees.—Dr. D. T. 
Smith 5 ke a 2 OR 
The Scottish Antarctic Expedition tgs) ORD. 
The Natural History of the Thames Valley. " Mlus- 
rated.) By R. lL. ¥, 632 
Mr. Balfour, on Technical Educat on at Manchester 633 
Notes 634 
Our Astronomical Column :— 
Comet 4, 1902 (Perrine). (/@/ustrated.) 638 
A Bright Meteor 638 
Observations of Fifty- -eight Long- Period Variables | 638 
A New Algol Variable . i . 638 
Notes on the Recent Eruptions of Mont Pelée. By 
Dr. H. A. Alford Nicholls, C.M.G. 638 
Astronomy and Cosmical Physics at the British 
Association. By A. k. H, pt 2 eos 
Zoology at the British Association Dan so ee ORE 
Geography at the British Association. ByA. J.H. 642 
Engineering at the British Association. By 
eer. 6B. . . 643 
Science and Literature. By Prof, John Perry, 
F.R.S. 645 
University and Educational Intelligence a ce) OR 
Socretiesiand Academies). =) selena neon 
