December 12, 1901] 



NA TURE 



143 



Edinburgh. 

 Royal Society, November iS. — Lord M'Laren in the 

 chair. — In a paper on the equilibrium of stellar atmosphere^, 

 Dr. Ilalm applied the principles of thermodynamics to the 

 problem of the convective equilibrium of masses of gas such as 

 constitute the atmospheres of celestial bodies. A theoretic 

 formula was established from which, under given conditions of 

 boundary temperatures, the minimum temperature consistent 

 with convective equilibrium could be calculated. In the case 

 of our own atmosphere, it appeared that thermostatic equilibrium 

 could exist when the temperature was lower than 45° or 50° F. ; 

 but that at higher temperatures the equilibrium must be con- 

 vective. In the case of the sun, however, it was found that 

 even with very extreme assumptions as to the temperature of 

 the uppermost layers of the atmosphere there could be a layer 

 of only inappreciable thickness in which thermostatic equilibrium 

 was maintained. The equilibrium was practically convective 

 throughout the whole mass, a result in full accordance with the 

 facts of observation. The theory also gave a formula for cal- 

 culating the height of a stellar atmosphere. When applied to the 

 case of the sun the height of the hydrogen atmosphere came 

 out much smaller than the observed height — a discrepancy 

 which may be removed by the assumption that there is dis- 

 sociation going on, so that the specific heat of hydrogen greatly 

 increases at the higher temperatures. A full discussion of these 

 and related results was held over for a subsequent paper. — Dr. 

 Peddie read a paper on quaternion binaries, an extension of 

 quaternions giving an eight-element system applicable to or- 

 dinary space. In this system vectors are regarded as trans- 

 lators only. A special operator R transforms them into 

 rotors, and a second application of the same operator transforms 

 the rotor into a translator. The system is formally Hamilton's, 

 with the removal of the restriction that vectors shall act as 

 translators in addition and as rotors in multiplication. The 

 quantities ijk being unit rectangular vectors, the fundamental 

 equations may be written 



R:>" = /•, Ry/t = i, R/t-/ =y, 

 r-^f- = k- = -I, R2= -n. 



The fundamental properties of the quaternion binary B = y -f R?-, 

 where q and r are quaternions, were investigated, the applica- 

 tions being restricted to the theory of screws, in particular to 

 screws upon a cylindroid. — Prof. Chrystal, in a further note on 

 Millet's trisectrix, pointed out its relation to the quartic tri- 

 sectrix, and exhibited a seven-bar linkage for tracing all varieties 

 of limacon. It was built up of a rhombus guided in its motions 

 by two contraparallelograms. 



P.^RIS. 



Academy of Sciences, December 2. — M. Fouque in the 

 chair. — On the essential singularities of differential equations, 

 by M. Paul Painleve— Observations of Leonids made at Athens, 

 by M, D. Eginitis. On the nights of November 14, 15 and 16 

 the conditions were favourable for observations, and in all some 

 147 meteors were seen. They were generally red and brilliant, 

 and appeared to radiate from two distinct points separated by 

 some degrees. — On the deformation of surfaces and of quadrics 

 in particular, by M. L. Raffy.— On the number of roots common 

 to several equations, by M. G. Tzitzeica.— On an application 

 of the prism of Govi to the realisation of an apparatus for verify- 

 ing rules, by M. A. Lafay. — A method allowing of the evalua- 

 tion in absolute measure of very low temperatures, by M. Henri 

 Pellat. It has been known for some time from the researches 

 of Lord Kelvin that the rate of change of the electromotive 

 force of a thermocouple with the temperature is equal to the 

 ratio of the coefficient of the Peltier effect to the absolute tem- 

 perature. A method is sketched out by the author in which 

 this relation is applied to the practical calibration of a thermo- 

 couple in absolute temperatures. It is estimated that the method 

 would permit of an accuracy of o°-5 in the neighbourhood of 

 150' C. absolute, and of from 1° to 1^-5 at 75' and 20" absolute. 

 — The application of the Lagrangian equations to electro- 

 dynamical phenomena, by M. E. Carvallo.— On the disruptive 

 discharge in electrolytes, by M. H. Bagard. Methods are 

 described by which the results obtained by MM. Broca and 

 Turchini in the case of disruptive discharge of electrolytes that 

 are good conductors can be reproduced in a much simpler 

 manner.— On the spark of the Hertz exciter, by M. C. Tissot. 

 A photographic study of the sparks given by a transmitter used 

 m wireless telegraphy shows that the images of successive 

 NO. 1676, VOL. 65] 



sparks are not rigorously equidistant, the first being always 

 longer than the others. This appears to be connected with the 

 fact observed by M. Hemfalech, that the spectrum of the first 

 discharge contains only air lines, whilst the rays of the metal 

 appear in the others. — On the induced radio-activity produced 

 by radium salts, by MM. P. Curie and A. Debierne. — The 

 influence of radio-active substances on the luminescence of gases, 

 by M. Alix de Hemptinne. It has been found that if a radio- 

 active substance is brought near a tube containing air at low 

 pressure and submitted to electrical vibrations, it becomes 

 luminous at a higher pressure than is the case if the radio-active 

 substance is not present, the light, which was of a violet-red 

 colour in the latter case, being a greenish-yellow under the action 

 of the radium. — Contribution to the study of the tin-aluminium 

 alloys, by M. Leon Guillet. Two well-defined alloys of tin and 

 aluminium have been isolated in the form of crystals, corre- 

 sponding to the formulae AlSn and AljSn. — The action of 

 pyridine bases on the tetra-halogen derivatives of quinones, by 

 AL Henri Imbert. — On Dorsteiiia klaineana. and on the chemical 

 composition of its root compared with that of Dorstenia hrasili- 

 ensis, by MM. Heckel and F. Schlagienhauffen. — The com- 

 position of the reserve carbohydrates in the albumen of the seeds 

 of some Liliace.T; and in particular of the butcher's broom, by 

 M. Georges Dubat. The hydrolysis of the seeds gives about 

 70 per cent, of reducing sugars, of which about one- fifth is 

 invert sugar, two-fifths glucose, and two-fifths mannose. — On 

 the constitution of wheat, by M. E. Fleurent. — On the modifica- 

 tions which the ha;niogIobin of the blood undergoes under the 

 influence of a reduction in the atmospheric pressure, by M. J. 

 Vallot. From experiments carried out on Mont Blanc it was 

 found that the rarefaction of the air produces immediately in 

 man an increase in the activity of the exchanges, tending to 

 compensate the deficiency of oxygen. Fatigue tends to oppose 

 this increase, and may so far overbalance it as to produce 

 mountain sickness. But this effect disappears after prolonged 

 rest at a high altitude, and the increase in the activity of the 

 exchanges goes on for some time until the body becomes 

 acclimatised. On descending, the return to the normal rate of 

 exchange is prolonged in proportion to the length of sojourn 

 above. — The physical and chemical phenomena of respiration at 

 diflerent altitudes during a balloon ascent, by MM. J. Tissot and 

 Hallion. — New researches on the dissociation of carbonoxyhoemo- 

 globin, by M. N. Grehant. The destruction of carbonoxyhajmo- 

 globin existing in the blood is much more rapid when pure 

 oxygen is breathed than when air is breathed ; in the latter 

 case the amount of carbon, monoxide in the blood remains- 

 constant for nearly twenty minutes after the breathing is 

 commenced. — Researches on the effect of the stings of Ztz/;'*?- 

 dectus lygutlalits, by M. L. Bordas. In Corsica and other 

 countries the effect of these stings is considered very dangerous, 

 but it is shown in the present series of experiments that such 

 stings are never mortal in man or the larger animals, although 

 proving rapidly fatal to certain insects, coleoptera and orthop- 

 tera. — The influence of diseases of the parents upon the imper- 

 fections of the offspring. Tuberculous lesions without microbes, 

 by MM. A. Charrin and Gabriel Delamere. — On two diseases 

 of the leaves of chrysanthemums not previously described, by 

 M. H. Joffrin. — On the existence of a principle, toxic to the 

 pear tree, in the berries, seeds and stems of mistletoe, by M. 

 Emile Laurent. — The phenomena of the capture of superficial 

 water courses by subterranean streams in calcareous districts, 

 by M. E. Fournier. — On the three crystophyllian series of the 

 western Alps, by M. Pierre Termier. — Experimental comple- 

 ment to the history of the striated gravels, by M. Stanislas 

 Meunier. 



New South Wales. 



Royal Society, October 2.— Mr. H. C. Russell, C.M.G.^ 

 F.R.S. , president, in the chair. — On the relation between 

 leaf venation and the presence of certain chemical constituents 

 in the oils of the Eucalypts, by Mr. R. T. Baker and Mr. 

 Henry G. Smith. In this paper the authors show that 

 there exists a marked agreement between the venation of 

 Eucalypts leaves and the characteristic constituents in their 

 oils. The venation shown by the leaves of the "bloodwoods" 

 E. corymbosa, E. trachyphloia, &c. , is indicative of a predomin- 

 ance of pinene in the oils and an absence of phellandrene. It 

 is this end of the Eucalyptus series that is more closely as- 

 I sociated with the Angophoras, because the venation of the 

 1 leaves is similar and the chemical constituents in agreement. 



