May 25, 1882] 



NATURE 



95 



Chemical Society, May 18 — Dr. Gilbert, 1 resident, 111 the 

 Chair -The following papers were read :— On the precipitation 



of the alums l.v sodic carbonate, by E. J. Mills and R. L. barr. 

 The authors have determined the quantity of alumina precipi- 

 tated in one hour from a solution of potash alum containing I 

 per cent, of sulphate of alumina by varying quantities of sodium 

 carbonate solution. The precipitation takes place in three stages : 

 in the first no precipitation occurs-at the end of this stage, the 

 ratio is 1 molecule of aluminium sulphate to E ol a molecule 

 of sodium carbonate ; during the second stage precipitation is 

 continuous-at the end of this stage about I the alumina 

 is precipitated, the ratio, I molecule of the sulphate, to \ mole- 

 cule of the carbonate ; at the end of the third stage the precipi- 

 tation is complete, the ratio being 1 molecule of the sulphate to 

 U molecule of the carbonate. Similar results w ere obtained by 

 precipitating potassiochrome alum.— On rotary polarisation by 

 chemical substances under magnetic inlluence, by W. H. 1 erkin. 

 The author has determined and compared the power which 

 various organic liquids have of rotating the plane of polarisation, 

 when under the influence of an electro-magnet ; and he has cal- 

 culated the rotary power possessed by the columns of liquids 

 which would be formed, by the condensation of unit-columns of 

 their vapours, or, in other words, the rotary power possessed _by 

 lengths proportional to molecular weight. The numbers thus 

 calculated clearly indicate that the molecular magnetic rotary 

 power increases pari passu, wilh each increment ol LH. 2 . — Un 

 the constitution of Amarin and Lophin, by F. R. Japp and 11. 

 11 Robinson. By the action of parahydroxy-benzaldehyde upon 

 benzil in presence of ammonia, the authors prepared a substance 

 having the formula of hydroxylophin, which by distillation with 

 zinc dust furnished crystals resembling in all respects the lophin 

 prepared by Laurent, Fownes, &c. Lophin, therefore, belongs 

 to Hubner's anhydrobases, and is an anhydrobenzoyldiamido- 

 stilbene. 



Geological Society, May 10.— J. W. Hulke, F.R.S., pre- 

 sident, in the chair— Arthur Leech was elected a Fellow, and 

 Prof. L. Riilimeyer a Foreign Member of the Society. — 1 he- 

 following communications were read :— On the relations of 

 Hybocrinus, Baeroerinus, and Hyiocystites, by P. Herbert Car- 

 penter, M.A. Communicated by Prof. P. Martin Duncan, 

 M B F.R.S., V.P.G.S.— On the Madreporana of the inferior 

 oolite of the neighbourhood of Cheltenham and Gloucester, by 

 R F Tomes F.G.S.— On the exploration of two caves in the 

 neighbourhood of Tenby, by Ernest L. Jones. Communicated 

 by Prof W. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S., F.G. S. The caves noticed 

 in this paper were that of Coygan, near Laugharn, partially 

 described by Dr. Hicks in the Geological Magazine m 1867, and 

 a cave known as Hoyle's Mouth, reported on to the British Asso- 

 ciation in i860 by the Rev. Gilbert N. Smith. Both caves were 

 rock fissures. The Coygan cave had been a hyaena den, as was 

 shown by the deposits of crushed bones and coprolites trodden 

 down into a solid mass by the passing of the animals. Besides 

 remains of hycena, it furnished those of horse, mammoth, 

 tichorhine rhinoceros, elk, red deer, roe deer, reindeer cave bear, 

 cave lion, Bos primigtiiius, wolf, and fox. The presence of 

 hippopotamus was doubtful. Besides these animals, the pre- 

 sence of Palaeolithic man in the cave was indicated by some cut 

 bones, and by two flint-flakes evidently chipped by man. In 

 the second cave, Hoyle's Mouth, the hyaena, the cave bear, &c, 

 were wanting the place of the latter being taken by the com- 

 mon brown bear. In one part, remains of an old hearth were 

 found ; and the whole contents of the fissure pointed to a Neo- 

 lithic date. At one time the cave appears to have been used as 

 a place of sepulture.— Note on the comparative specific gravities 

 of molten and solidified Ve-uvian lavas, by II. J. Johnston- 

 l.avis, F.G.S. From some experiments made on \ esuvian lava, 

 Prof! Palmieri, in 1S75, expressed the opinion that its specific 

 gravity, when molten, might be as high as 5-0, though when 

 cooled it is only 27. The author described the re-ults of ex- 

 periments made in December, 1SS1, on some lava flowiri 

 the Atrio del Cavallo. Favourable circumstances enabled him 

 to gain a position above a perfectly molten stream, the surface 

 of which was protected from radiati n by the healed walls of a 

 tunnel which the lava had already formed by Cooling of the 

 crust. On to this were dropped, from a height of ii yard (a) 

 light scoria; this floated on the surface until lost to view (the 

 stream could be watched for 150 yards or so) ; (*) fairly solid 

 lava, with some vesicular cavities : this slowly sank, until after 

 some distance it disappeared j (<) the most compact lava that 

 could be found, in which, however, were a few small cavities . 



this sank rapidly, the molten rock welling up round it. The 

 author considered that these experiments demonstrate that the 

 cooled lava is more dense than the molten, and that the appa- 

 rently contradictory results obtained by Prof. Palmieri were due 

 to the fact that the surface of the stream, by loss of heat, had 

 become viscid, so that the solid material floated, though of 

 greater density. The author concluded by citing other con- 

 firmatory evidence of his view. 



Entomological Society, May 3.— Mr. H. T. Stainton, 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair. — The president alludtd to the 

 interest which the late Mr. C. Darwin, who was one of the 

 original members of the Society, had always shown in ento- 

 mology. — The Secretary read a communication from the Secre- 

 tary of the Essex Field Club, relative to the scientific importance 

 of Epping Forest being preserved in its natural condition " un- 

 imirovea\" and requesting the members to join in a Memorial to 

 the Conservators to this effect, lest it should be converted into a 

 mere park.— Exhibitions : Varieties of Fidonia atomaria and 

 Anchocelis pistacina, by Mr. W. C. Boyd ; a male of Cryptus 

 titilator, by Mr. T. R. Billups ; a hybrid between Aniheraa 

 Perryi and Roylii, by Mr. W. F. Kirby ; and a curious abnormal 

 growth of the flowers of the ash (produced by a gall-mite), by 

 Miss Ormerod. Mr. E. A. Fitch called attention to a woody 

 spherical gall on ash keys, produced by a curmlionideons (?) 

 larva.— Papers read : Further additions to Mr. Mashall's Cata- 

 logue of British Ichneumonida, by Mr. J. B. Bridgman ; a con- 

 tinuation of his synopsis of British Hymenoptera, by Mr. E. 

 Saunders ; and on the supposed abnormal habits of certain 

 species of Eurytomida, a group of the Hymenopterous family 

 Chalcididw, by Prof. J. O. Westwood. 



Meteorological Society, May 17.— Mr. J. K. Laughton, 

 F.R.A.S., president, in the chair.— Miss W. L. Hall, Mr. E.J. 

 Pearson, Dr. J. R. Somerville, and Mr. W. J. V. Vandenbergh 

 were elected Fellows of the Society.— 1 he following papers were 

 read :— On the diurnal variation of wind and weather in their 

 relation to isobaric lines, by the Hon. Ralph Abercromby, 

 F.M.S. By constructing synoptic charts at different hours of 

 the same day, and by comparing the wind and weather records 

 at ihe different hour-, and examining their relation to mean 

 curves of diurnal variation, the author shows that the mean 

 diurnal increase of the wind's velocity is explained by the fact 

 that for the same gradient there is more wind by day than there 

 is by night. The mean diurnal veering of the wind is explained 

 by the fact that in cyclones the wind is a little more incurved, 

 and in anticyclones a little more outcurved, by night than by- 

 day The mean diurnal increase of the frequency of rain during 

 the day hours is explained by the fact that in any given cyclone 

 the area of rain is larger by day than by night. The diurnal 

 changes of every element are superimposed on the larger general 

 changes, and are independent of each other. Great stress is laid 

 on this point, both as explaining and classifying many meteoro- 

 logical questions, and as simplifying the problem of weather 

 forecasting. The author gives a simple hypothesis, from which 

 it appeais that the diurnal veering and increase of rain follow as 

 a natural consequence of the diurnal inc. ease of velocity.— 

 Mechanical conditions of storms, hurricanes, and cyclones, by 

 W. F. Stanley, F.M.S. 



Sanitary Institute of Great Britain, May 17.— Annual 

 General Meeting.— Prof. F. S. B. F. Dechaumoni, M.D., 

 F R.S., in the chair.— A favourable report was presented by 

 the council on the progress made by the Institute during the 

 past year. The chairman gave an address, and the officers for 

 the ensuing year were elected, the President being His Grace 

 the Duke of Northumberland, K.G., and the trustees Sir J dm 

 Lubbock, Bart., D.C.L., F.R.S., Dr. B. W. Richardson, 

 F.R.S., and Thomas Salt. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, May 16.— Sir Frederick 

 Bramwell, vice-president, in the chair.— The firsi paper read was 

 "On the various systems of grinding wheat, and on the 

 machines used in corn-mills," by Mr. W. Proctor Baker.— The 

 second paper was on "Modem Flour-unlbnj 111 England, by 

 Mr Henry Simon.— The third paper was on " Roller-mills and 

 milling as practised at Budapest," by Mr. W. n. Harding. 

 Edinburgh 

 Royal Society, May 15.— Prof. Balfour, vice-president, in 

 the chair Mr. Murray read an account of the explorations 

 which h id been carried out by Staff-Commander '1 i/ai.i and him- 

 self in the Faroe Channel during the summer of isbo. in 



