5o8 



NA TURE 



[February 25, 1909 



author hopes lo publish the results of invesligations upon 

 the spectrum of gold, iron, and nickel under pressures up 

 to 200 atmospheres, and of other regions of the copper and 

 silver spectrum up to the same pressure. Photographs of 

 all these have been obtained. — The tension of metallic films 

 deposited by electrolysis : G. G. Stoney. It is well known 

 that metallic films deposited electrolytically are in many 

 cases liable to peel off if deposited to any considerable 

 thickness, especially in the case of nickel, which, if de- 

 posited above a certain thickness, curls up into beautiful 

 close rolls in cases where the film does not adhere closely to 

 the body on which it is deposited. The late Earl of Rosse, 

 F.R.S., also found it impossible to produce flat mirrors 

 electrolytically on account of the " contraction " of the 

 coat of copper, and the author has observed similar pheno- 

 mena in protecting the silver film of searchlight reflectors 

 when the thickness of the copper coat was above ooi mm. 

 Dr. Gore, F.R.S., and others have observed similar pheno- 

 mena. These phenomena would be explained if the metal 

 were deposited from the solution under tension, and it was 

 found that when a thin steel rule was coated on one side 

 with nickel it became bent, even to the extent of 3 mm. or 

 4 mm. in 100 mm. This bending could not be caused by 

 any difference of expansion between nickel and steel, as 

 the whole was immersed in the depositing solution, and 

 this was at a constant temperature. From the thickness 

 of the rule, the amount of nickel deposited, and the bend- 

 ing, the tension under which the film was deposited was 

 calculated, and found to amount to 2840 kilos, per square 

 cm., or 18-1 tons per square inch. It was also found that 

 this tension was independent of the temperature and 

 strength of the solution, as well as the current density, so 

 long as the deposit was a good dense one. When the rules 

 were heated to a red heat to anneal them, the deflection 

 was reduced to from one-third to one-half the original. 

 — A further note on the conversion of diamond into coke 

 in high vacuum by kathode rays : \. \. Campbell 

 Swinton. In a previous paper on this subject by the Hon. 

 Charles .X. Parsons and the writer (Proc. Roy. Soc, A, 

 vol. Ixxx., pp. 184-5), experiments were described designed 

 to ascertain whether any gas was emitted by diamond 

 during its conversion into coke. The present note has 

 reference to further and more detailed investigation, made 

 on the suggestion of Mr. Parsons by the writer, with 

 special regard to the possibility of diamonds containing 

 neon, krypton, or other rare gas which would be emitted 

 on the diamond being converted into coke. As before, 

 spectrum tubes connected with the kathode-ray furnace 

 were sealed off so as to contain samples of the residual 

 gas before and after the conversion. The spectra of these 

 were compared both photographically and also by direct 

 visual examination in the spectroscope, with the result that, 

 though differences were observed in regard to the relative 

 brightness of various individual lines in the two spectra, 

 careful observation showed that in no single instance was 

 there any line in one spectrum that could not be obtained 

 in the other by suitably adjusting the strength of the 

 electric discharge through the spectrum tube. From this 

 it would appear that the conversion of diamond into coke, 

 if it sets free any gas at all, at any rate does not liberate 

 any other than one or more of the comparatively common 

 gases that are generally found as residuals in kathode-ray 

 tubes exhausted from air in the ordin.ary way. Though 

 this is a neg.ative result, it has been thought well to put 

 it on record. 



Oeological Society. Fehrnary 10. — Pro''. W. J. Sollas, 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Note on some geological 

 features observable at the Carpalla china-clay pit in the 

 parish of St. Stephen's (Cornwall) : J. H. Collins, An 

 east-and-west fault traverses this pit near its southern wall, 

 with a downthrow to the south of more than 50 feet. 

 North of the fault there is china-clay rock or " carclazyte," 

 at one point underlying granite not sufficiently altered to 

 yield china-clay, and sometimes containing embedded 

 lenticles or irregular masses of partly kaolinised granite. 

 South of the fault there is nearly horizontal tourmaline- 

 schist. Underlying the schist there occurs also china-clay 

 rock to a distance of many fathoms from the fault. This 

 occurrence of china-clay under a thick schistose overburden 

 is unique in Cornwall. It is maintained that this example 



NO. 2052, VOL. 79] 



is in favour of the pneumatolylic origin of carclazyte, the 

 gases producing the change being possibly in part carbonic 

 acid, but probably to a more important degree chlorine, 

 fluorine, and boron. — Some recent observations on the 

 Brighton cliff-formation : E. .A. Martin, Features pre- 

 sented by the face of the cliffs between successive falls at 

 Black Rock, Brighton, during the past eighteen years 

 are recorded. .As the cliffs have worn back, the base- 

 platform of Chalk grows in height, and the layer of sand 

 above the Chalk grows thinner and thinner, until it dis- 

 appears. The raised beach has grown in thickness from 

 I5 feet to 12 feet. In 1890 there were 6 feet of sand, with 

 a foot and a half of beach above it. In 1892 the sand had 

 decreased to between 3 feet and 4 feet, but the beach re- 

 mained as in 1890. Many falls of cliff took place between 

 1892 and 1895, and at the latter date the beach had in- 

 creased to between 4 feet and 5 feet. The eastern limit 

 of the beds had become more clearly defined. In 1897 

 10 feet of chalk formed the lower portion of the cliff, with 

 8 feet of raised beach above it in places, but there was a 

 mere trace of sand left. In 1899 the raised beach had 

 reached a thickness of 10 feet. Great masses of moved 

 and reconstructed chalk were observed on the eastern 

 boundary embedded in the beach. In 1903 the beach was 

 but a little more than 8 feet thicl< in the exposed parts, 

 but the platform of Chalk was 14 feet thick. In 1906 the 

 raised beach had increased from 15 feet to 20 feet ; farther 

 west, however, the thickness was not so great. In 190S 

 there were 17 feet of Chalk, 12 feet of beach. If the 

 material is to be prevented from disappearing into deep 

 water, some such contrivance as chain-cable groynes seems 

 to be demanded, fixed somewhere between low and high 

 tide-marks. 



Phvsical Socieiv. Febinaty 12. — Dr. C. Chree, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — ."Annual general meeting. — Presi- 

 dential address : Dr. Chree. An account was given of 

 .some work the president had recently been engaged in, in 

 connection with the reduction of the magnetic observations 

 of the National .Antarctic Expedition of 1902-4. This 

 referred to an inter-comparison of simultaneous records of 

 magnetic disturbances obtained in the Antarctic and at the 

 observatories of Kew, Falmouth, Colaba (Bombay), 

 Mauritius, and Christchurch (New Zealand). He exhibited 

 a number of lantern-slides showing the sudden coiiimence- 

 ment of some magnetic storms, and the forms of some 

 special types of disturbance observed in the Antarctic. 

 Some results were given as to the directions and intensi- 

 ties of the disturbing forces to which the disturbances 

 recorded at the different stations might be attributed. 



Royal Mct-or l.>gical Society, February 17. — Mr. H. 

 .Mellish, president, in the chair. — Report on the pheno- 

 logical observations for 1908 : E. Mawley. The most 

 noteworthy features of the weather of the phenological 

 year ending November, 1908, were the severe frosts early 

 in January, the exceptionally heavy fall of snow and re- 

 markably low temperatures in the latter part of .April, and 

 the marked periods of unusually wet and dry weather 

 during the sunijiicr. In February and March wild plants 

 came into blossom in advance of their usual time, but 

 throughout the rest of the flowering season were more or 

 less behind their average dates. Such early spring 

 migrants as the swallow, cuckoo, and nightingale made 

 their appearance very late. The only deficient farm crop 

 was that of barley. The yield of wheat, oats, and beans 

 was rather above the average, that of peas and hay very 

 good, while the crops of turnips, mangolds, and potatoes, 

 taken together, were the most abundant for many years. — 

 The cold spell at the end of December, 1908 : \V. Marriott. 

 The most remarkable feature was the intense cold which 

 prevailed over the central and south-eastern portion of 

 England on December 2.S-31. At several places the lowest 

 temperature recorded was about zero. For the month of 

 December the cold was very exceptional, as the only 

 instances in the neighbourhood of London or at Greenwich 

 in which the maximum temperature was below 25°-5 for 

 the day were the following : — 1796, 25, \<f-<, ; 1798, 28, 

 lo'S ; 1816, 22, 24°.o; 1830, 24, 22°.o ; 1855, 21, 23°-2 ; 

 1874, 31, 24°. 5 ; 1890, 22, 23°.7 ; and 1908, 29, 2S°-4, and 

 30, 23'=.3. 



