Sept. 2r, 1882] 



NATURE 



5i9 



of lightning protectors. The use of double wires diminishes the 

 danger to a minimum. On the Continent and in America, how- 

 ever, telephones are invariably protected by lightning arresters 

 where one wire only is used. 



There are certain natural currents flowing through the crust 

 of the earth. They are called " earth " currents, and at times 

 acquire such considerable energy, that, with a telephone pressed 

 to each ear, I have been told, although I have not experienced it, 

 that the noise made is as though "your brains were boiling." 

 This is due to the intermittent currents produced by the polarisa- 

 tion of the earth plates. 



M. Van Rysslberghe lias recently spoken between Paris and 

 Brussels upon a wire nearly 200 miles long, which was used at 

 the same time for ordinary telegraphy, but the experiment was 

 made early in the morning (4 a.m.), and was effected by retard- 

 ing the telegraphic currents, so as to modify the suddenness of 

 their rise and fall, by means of condensers and electro-magnets. 

 I am unable to understand the advantage of any gain in speaking 

 on a « ire which is detrimental to telegraphic communication. 

 Speed is of more importance than speech, and we can telegraph 

 much faster than we can speak. In England speed is everything 

 and we eliminate every influence that retards speed— condensers 

 and electro-magnets in telegraphy circuits are cut of theque-tion. 

 M. Van Rysselberghe has endeavoured to extend the idea to 

 cure the effects of induction by destroying the main cause of the 

 di-turbance — that is, by reducing the sudden rise and fall of the 

 prime telegraphic currents ; but to do this means to retard 

 telegraphy, and we cannot afford in England to cripple the one 

 system in order to benefit the other. 



I have recently tried an extremely interesting experiment 

 between this place (Southampton) and the Lie of Wight, namely 

 to communicate across seas and channels without the aid of wires 

 at all. Large metal plates were immersed in the sea at opposite 

 ends of the Solent, namely, at Porthsmouth and Ryde, fix miles 

 apart, and at Hurst Castle and Sconce Point, one mile apart. 

 The Portsmouth and Hurst Castle plates were connected by a 

 wire passing through Southampton, and the Ryde and Sconce 

 Point plates by a wire passing through Newport ; the circuit was 

 completed by the sea, and signals were passed easily so as to 

 read by the Morse system, but speech was not practical. 



The telephone is very rapidly gaining ground, and, as 

 improvements are effected in its accessories, in its installation, 

 and in its mode of working, its use will still further extend. In 

 Germany it is nsed very extensively for telegraphic business, 

 there being 1,280 stations worked entirely by telephones, but in 

 England it is not possible in the numerous open and public shops 

 employed as Post Offices to secure that privacy which the tele- 

 phone requires nor have we yet got over our early prejudices, 

 resulting from the errors made through the inability of the instru- 

 ment in its earlier form to repeat the sibilant sounds. The 

 instruments of the present day (thanks to the improved trans- 

 mitters), however, transmit "s's" perfectly. 



William Henry Preece 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Journal of the Franklin Institute, September. — On a newly 

 discovered absolute limit to economical expansion in the steam- 

 engine and in other heat-motors, by R. H. Thurston. — Observa- 

 tions with the platinum-water pyrometer, with heat-carriers of 

 platinum and of iron encased with platinum, by J. C. Noadley. — 

 The microscope in engineering work, by R. Grimshaw. — Tests 

 of double raw hide belts, by J. E. Hilleary. — Greatest ringing 

 bells, by J. W. Nystrom. — Report on European sewage-sy-tems, 

 with special reference to the needs of the City of Philadelphia, 

 by R. Hering. — Emerson's power scales, or dynamometer, by 

 J. H. Lord. — Mechanical modifications of the Bessemer plant 

 necessary to adapt it to the economical werking of the basic 

 process, by W. M. Henderson. — Prevention of fires in theatres 

 (continued), by C. J. Hexamer. 



Bulletin de t Academic Royale des Sciences de Belgique, No. 7. 

 — On the seat of thunderstorms and their origin, by W. Spring. 

 — On the compound ethers of hyposulphurous acid, and on 

 some organic bisulphides, by W. Spring and E. Legros. — On 

 the brominated derivatives of camphor, by M. Swarts. — Note 

 concerning the priority of the discovery of a relation existing 

 between dilatability and fusibility, by P. De Heen. 



Journal de Physique, July. — On the condition of achromatism 

 in the phenomena of interference, by A. Cornu. — On the same, 



by A. Hurion. — On the actinic transparence of some media, and 

 in particular on the actinic transparence of Foucault mirrors and 

 their application in photography, by J. de Chardonnet. — On 

 methods for determination of the ohm, by G. Lippmann. — 

 Apparatus for regulating the flow of a gas at any pressure, by J. 

 Ville. 



Reale Istituto Lombardo di Scienze c Lett ere, Rendiconti. 

 Fasc. xii.-xiii. — New method for determining the relative internal 

 conductivity of metals for heat, by G. Poloni. — On the theory of 

 systems of electrified conductors, by E. Beltrami. — On the 

 pseudofocus of the paraboloid and on the magnetic centre, by G. 

 Jung.— Contribution to the experimental study of hypnotism in 

 hysterics, by A. Tanburini and G. Seppilli. 



Fac xvi. — New microlelephonic system, by C. Fornioni. — 

 The crystalline group of Albigna and Disgrazia ; stratigrapbical 

 and chemico-lithological studies, by E. Bonardi. — On syphilitic 

 reinfection, by A. Scarenzio. — Luni-solar influence on earth- 

 qvakes, by A. Serpieri. — Contribution to the general physiology 

 of smooth muscles, by E. Sertoli. — The plague of Milan in 1576 

 and Cardinal Eorromeo, by A. Corradi. 



Atti della I'Accademia dei Lincei ; Transunti. Fa-c. xiv. — 

 On the circulation of blood in the human brain, by S. Mosso. — 

 On the microscopical fauna of the Zai clean limestone of Palo, 1 y 

 S. Terrigi. — Internal equilibrium of metallic piles according to 

 the laws of elastic deformations, by S. Allievi. — On the gradua- 

 tion of galvanometers, by Signor Canestrelli. — On the influence 

 of hygroscopic condensation on glass in determination of the 

 density of aqueous vapour, by Signors Macaluso and Grimaldi. 

 — The action of oxygenated water on the system, by Signors 

 Capranico and Colasanti. — On two isomeric acids, santonosic 

 and isantonosic, by Signor Cannizzaro. — On some products of 

 transformation of glutaricor normal pyrotartaric acid, by Signor 

 Bernheimer. — Action of nascent hydrogen on pyrrol, by Signors 

 Ciamician and Dennstedt. — On some derivatives of hexahydro- 

 uaphthaline, by Signor Agrestini. — On two volumes of autograph 

 drawings of the two brothers Cheiubino and Giovanni Alberli, by 

 Signor Cannizaro. — New Carthagenic inscription to Fanith and 

 Baal-Hammon. — Ephemerides and hydrometric statistics of the 

 River Tiber during 1881, by Signor Betocchi. — On the anatomy 

 of leaves (continued), by Signor Briosi. — On the first phsno- 

 mena of development of salpa, by Signor Todaro. — Statistics of 

 the popular banks existing in Italy in the end of 1880, by Signor 

 Bodio. — First outlines of a statistic of the conditions of life of 

 operatives, by the same. — The diminution of illiterates in Italy, 

 by the some. — On the Comet Wells, by Signor Respighi. — On 

 the total eclipse of May 7, 1S82, by the same. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 Sydney 



Linnean Society of New South Wales, June 28. — Dr. 

 James C. Cox, president, in the chair. — The following papers 

 were read : — Half century of plants new to South Queensland, 

 by the Rev. B. Scortechini. This paper was to some extent a 

 continuation of a previous paper by the same author, and con- 

 tained the results of further researches on the flora of that part 

 of the country. Among the plants enumerated were many 

 hitherto regarded as strictly tropical, while others had not jre- 

 viously been observed in such warm latitudes. — Contribution to 

 a knowledge of the fishes of New Guinea, by the Hon. William 

 Macleay, F.L.S., &c. This paper gives a list of 120 species of 

 Percoid Fishes collected by Mr. Andrew Goldie at Port Moresby 

 and Cuppa-Cuppa, in New Guinea. They are, with few excep- 

 tions, species which have been described by Dr. Bleeker as 

 being found on the northern shores of that island and throughout 

 the Netherlands India Archipelago generally. The new species 

 desciibed are Scrranus Goldiei, Scrranus tnagnifcus, Genyoroge 

 bidens, Mesoprion rubens, M. pa> videns, M. Goldiei, Diagramtna 

 Papuense, Lethrinus aurolineatus. The remainder of Mr. 

 Goldie's collection is to form the subject of a future paper. — A 

 monograph of the Australian Aphroditacean annelids, by Mr. 

 W. A. Haswell.— Two pa| ers were read by Mr. E. P. Ramsay, 

 F.L.S., Curator of the Australian Museum, one containing a 

 description of a new species of Phlogccnas (P. Salamonis) ai d 

 of a new species of Dicrurus (proposed to be called D. longi- 

 rostris) from the Solomon Islands , the other containing a de- 

 scription of a new species of Coris from Lord Howes' Island. — ■ 

 Prof. W. J. Stephens exhibited a few specimens of a lost Euca- 



