February 4, 1909] 



NATURE 



599 



P- 3'Wi gi^'es a brief but complete summary, except that 

 lie does not mention the possibility of obtaining successive 

 roots by starting alternately on the two curves. He also 

 demonstrates the geometric representation, shows that 

 <^"i.v) may approach " in regular succession to different 

 limits," and notes the connection of iteration with many 

 parts of algebra and the calculus. 



.More recently, L^mcray has a series of papers on the 

 functional side of the theorem. In one of the earliest of 

 those (" I'lnterm^diairc des Mathematiciens," June, 1894) 

 he considers in detail the conditions of convergence of 

 <;>"t.v), but thinks that the method is not generally applic- 

 able for the solution of equations (which is incorrect). In 

 this and succeeding papers he gives ample geometric illus- 

 trations, including both the " staircase " and the " spiral " 

 procession, but exhibits few examples. He deals at length 

 with the " stagnating spiral " procession. 



It will thus be seen that the first paper of Prof. Hey- 

 mann mentioned by Herr Sattler has about the same date 

 as the first paper by L^meray. Many other papers have 

 followed. According to Heymann, Isenkrahe described 

 (1S97) both the "staircase" and "spiral" process under 

 those names (w-hich have been used by me). Mr. Stott 

 has found other references {which we have not yet been 

 able to verify), especially .^nostschenko (190 1), Pellet 

 (1901), and Bugaieff, who appears to have published a 

 -iries of papers since 1896, covering the whole subject of 

 -.ic'ccssive approximation (in Russian). 



The work by Prof. Heymann which Herr Sattler sends 

 me (No. 5) is dated 1904. It commences by describing the 

 process, with both forms of approach ; discusses the deter- 

 mination of imaginarv roots, hastening of convergency, 

 Xrwton's method, expedients for calculation, and some of 

 )■• literature of the subject; considers the "stagnating" 

 ■ ;)iral, and gives examples and figures, being thus the 

 io<t thorough paper which I have seen on the equation 

 - 'Ic of the theorem. 



It would seem, then, that the method has been known 

 10 many writers since the time of Dary and Xew-ton, but 

 none of them appears to have carried it much further than 

 the more obvious deductions to be drawn from the original 

 theorem, as shown in my note. I think, however, that 

 some further developments, both on the theoretical and the 

 practical side, remain to be considered, but it would be 

 scarcely useful to mention them until we have been able 

 to pxaniine all the literature. 



We shall be very glad to receive any further references 

 0:1 the subject. If an amateur may say so, it is extra- 

 ordinary that so beautiful and general a method should 

 have received so little attention in the text-books. 



Ronald Ross. 



University of [.iverpool, January 11. 



A February Meteoric Shower. 

 February cannot offer the same attraction as January 

 end .April in regard to the occurrence of a meteoric shower 

 of special importance ; but large meteors are fairly 

 abundant during the month, and though no exceptionally 

 rich streams are in evidence, there are a number of minor 

 systems in play, and these will well repay attentive observa- 

 tion. 



For a great many years I have suspected a strong shower 



in this month, but have never thoroughly investigated it. 



Meteors have been prolific from the direction of the bright 



-tar a .Aurigas (Capella), and the dates over which the 



li'^play extends appear to be from the 5th to the 20th. 



I !iis year the moon will not much interfere with observa- 



iin between February 10 and 25, and the sky should be 



aefuUy watched on clear nights for these Aurigids. They 



If brilliant, slow-moving meteors, and occasionally take 



ink as fireballs. 



It will be important to determine the date of maximum 

 ind the exact place of the radiant. I found the position 

 '' 7.^° + 4'° from various meteors seen from Bristol in the 

 month of February in various years, but I have never 

 watched the shower with sufficient thoroughness to learn 

 much of its aspect or discover the epoch of its richest 

 presentation ; ,but I think it is decidedlv a stream of rather 

 notable character, and one which obviously needs further 

 attention. W. F. Denning. 



NO. 2049, VOL. 79] 



Women and the Fellowship of the Chemical Society. 



It has come to our notice that a report has been widely 

 circulated and credited to the etfect that the movement in 

 favour of the admission of women to the fellowship of 

 the Chemical Society is directly connected with the present 

 strenuous agitation for the political enfranchisement of 

 women. We, the undersigned women (actively engaged in 

 chemical teaching and research), beg to ask for the 

 hospitality of your columns in order emphatically to deny 

 any such connection. The following facts, we venture to 

 think, should conclusively prove the independence of the 

 two movements : — 



(i) Five years ago, when some of us petitioned the 

 council of the Chemical Society to admit us to the fellow- 

 ship, the agitation in favour of " Woman Suffrage " was 

 not prominently before the public. 



(2) The petition recently presented to the council 

 originated within the Chemical Society itself, and was 

 signed exclusively by fellows of the society. Moreover, we 

 as a body have no knowledge of the political opinions 

 and aspirations held by individual members ; any such 

 knowledge we should consider to be quite irrelevant, since 

 the only link which unites us is a common interest in tlie 

 science of chemistry. 



We are glad to take this opportunity of recording our 

 thanks to those fellows of the Chemical Society who have 

 expressed themselves in favour of admitting women to the 

 feUow"ship of the society. 



Signed: M.arv Bovle, B.Sc, Lecturer and Demonstrator 

 in Chemistry, Royal Holloway College ; K. A. Burke, 

 B.Sc, .Assistant in Department of Chemistry, Uni- 

 versity College, London ; Louis.\ Cle.^verley ; 

 Margaret D. Dolgal, Inde.xer of the Publications 

 of the Chemical Society ; C. de B. Ev-ans, D.Sc, 

 Lecturer in Chemistry, London School of Medicine 

 for Women ; E. Eleanor Field, M.A., Senior Staff 

 Lecturer in Chemistry, Royal Holloway College ; 

 Emily L. B. Forster, Private .Assistant to 

 Prof. Huntington, King's College, London ; Ida 

 Freund, Natural Science Tripos, Cambridge, Staff 

 Lecturer in Chemistry, Newnham College ; M.iUD 

 Gazdar ; Hilda J. Hartle, B.Sc, Lecturer in Chem- 

 istry, Homerton Training College, Cambridge ; E. M. 

 Hickmans, M.Sc ; Annie Homer, B.A., Fellow and 

 .Associate of Newnham College, Cambridge; Ida F. 

 Homfray, B.Sc. ; E. S. Hooper, B.Sc, F.I.C., 

 Assistant Lecturer and Demonstrator, Portsmouth 

 Municipal College ; Edith Humphrey, B.Sc, Ph.D., 

 Chemist to A. Sanderson and Sons ; Zelda Kahax, 

 B.Sc ; NoRAH E. Lavcock, B.Sc, Demonstrator in 

 Chemistry, London School of Medicine for Women ; 

 Effie G. Marsden ; Margaret McKillop, M..A., Lec- 

 turer in Chemistry, King's College, Women's Depart- 

 ment; .Agnes M. Moodie, M..A., B.Sc ; Nora Renouf, 

 Salters' Research Fellow, School of Pharmacy ; Ida 

 Smedlev, D.Sc, Assistant Lecturer and Demonstrator 

 in Chemistry, A'ictoria University, Manchester ; .Alice 

 E. S.mith, B.Sc, Assistant Lecturer and Senior 

 Demonstrator in Chemistry, University College of 

 North Wales, Bangor; Millicent Taylor, B.Sc, 

 Lecturer in Chemistry, Ladies' College, Cheltenham; 

 M. Beatrice Thomas, M.A., Lecturer in Chemistry, 

 Girton College, Cambridge ; M. .A. Whitelev, D.Sc, 

 .A.R.C.S., Demonstrator in Organic Chemistry, Royal 

 College of Science, London ; .Sibyl T. Widdows, 

 B.Sc, Head of Practical Chemistry Department, 

 London School of Medicine for W'onien ; K.\tharine I. 

 Williams. 



Fog and Rime on January 27-28. 



The great fog which enveloped the neighbourhood of 

 London as well as a large part of England on January 

 27 and 28 was remarkable in rural and outer-suburban 

 districts for the beautiful decking of the trees, even the 

 tallest elms, with a great thickness of rime. 



Here at Northwood, sixteen miles to the north of 

 London, twigs and branches were heavily laden on their 

 windward side — or rather that which faced the direction 

 of the feeble anti-cyclonic air-flow. .At night time, when 



