January 23, 1902J 



NATURE 



28- 



spectra have been shaded automatically during the process of 

 reproduction so as to equalise the intensity throughout. 



As systematic work the S-inch telescope covers all parts of 

 the sky north of declination -I2^'5 from two to four times a 

 year ; the Cooke lens covers all parts available two or more 

 times a month, and the transit photometer records all stars 

 visible to the naked eye crossing the meridian every clear night. 



Arei/nifa Station. — The 13-inch Boyden telescope has been 

 used for photographing clusters containing probable variable 

 stars. With this instrument 140 plates have been obtained ; 

 2269 with the 8-inch Bache telescope and 919 with the 24-inch 

 Bruce lens. From the examination of these latter plates 298 

 new nebuUe have been found, of which 9 are spiral and 3 ring 

 nebulae. 



The long focus telescope is now back from Jamaica, where a 

 long series of photographs of the lunar surface has been 

 obtained under five different illuminations. These will furnish 

 material for a photographic atlas. The diameter of the moon's 

 image is about fifteen inches. 



/iV«; Hili Meteorological Station. — Continued experiments 

 are being made in the exploration of the upper atmosphere by 

 means of kites, altitudes up to 12,550 feet having been 

 obtained. Considerable success has attended the endeavour to 

 fly the kites from ocean-going vessels in order to record 

 weather conditions away from land surfaces. 



Total Eclipse of the Sun, May 18, 1901. — In Popular 

 Astronomy (vol. x. pp. 1-4, January), Prof. A. N. Skinner 

 gives an account of the expedition to Sumatra from the United 

 States Naval Observatory. Three stations were selected, at 

 two of which the weather conditions were unfavourable. At 

 the third. Fort de Koch, excellent photographs of the corona 

 and the chromospheric spectrum were obtained. The former 

 were taken with a lens of 5 inches aperture and 39 feet focal 

 length ; two of these are reproduced with the article ; the 

 spectroscopic equipment consisted of a 30-feet concave grating 

 spectrograph, with which six photographs were obtained. 



A MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND 

 PHILOSOPHY^ 



" ANOTHER new magazine!" But the editor, in antici- 

 pating this exclamation, suggests that it is no more 

 reasonable than would be " ."Another new flower in the fields '." 

 or " Another new tree in the wood ! " Still, one is not obliged 

 to pluck the flower or to cut down the tree ; but a new magazine 

 makes a certain claim on the attention of the public, especially 

 as it is addressed to the scientific public as well as to 

 philosophers in the stricter sense of the word. Indeed, it is 

 an attempt to induce men of science to interest themselves 

 more in philosophy and students of philosophy to pay more 

 attention to modern science. It is not intended to serve as a 

 means of popularising either of these regions of thought, and 

 the editor promises to exclude all purely speculative matter for 

 which an experimental basis is wanting. 



The first number contains an interesting article by Mach on 

 " Similarity and Analogy as an aid to Investigation," in which 

 Huygens, Faraday, Maxwell and Kelvin are held up as examples 

 of investigators who have made sound use of analogy and have 

 contributed, in consequence, greatly to the progress of human 

 knowledge. Wald contributes " Critical Studies on the most 

 important Fundamental Conceptions of Chemistry." It must 

 be confessed that this introduction (for more is promised here- 

 after) is not very intelligible. " The Principle of Continuity in 

 the Mathematical Treatment of Natural Phenomena " is the 

 title of an article by Anton Scheye. The first chapter considers 

 the principle as illustrated in the calculus ; the second deals 

 with the principle of continuity in natural science ; the third, in 

 mechanics ; the fourth, in electrical and thermal phenomena ; 

 in the fifth the kinetic theory of gases is discussed ; and the 

 sixth chapter treats of the hypothesis of matter and of ener- 

 getics. Here objections are raised to Ostwald's conclusion that 

 "Our senses tell us of differences in energy between them and 

 their surroundings " ; for it is remarked that if equal quantities 

 of energy be imparted to two bodies of equal mass yet of 

 diff'erent specific heat, having the same initial tempei^ture, 

 while the final temperature of each will be the same, heat will 

 ^An>i,,lcn^dtr NaiurfltUosophit: Edited by Wilhelm Ostwald. (Veit 



have passed from the one of lower to the one of higher specific 

 heat ; and yet e.ach will affect the sense of temperature equally, 

 though they have gained different amounts of energy. He 

 insists, therefore, that besides energy there must exist some 

 other magnitude which must not only be capable of mathe- 

 matical treatment, but must be as necessary for the true descrip- 

 tion of occurrences as energy itself. He also questions whether 

 the doctrine of energy suffices to describe such a stationary 

 condition as two equal light-rays polarised at right-angles to 

 eaeh other, or to picture the stationary state which exists when 

 energy flows in a field of permanent magnets and charged con- 

 ductors, according to Poynting's law. For these and other 

 reasons he regards it as probable that an interpretation of the 

 universe will be more complicated than would be the case were 

 Ostwald's energetic conception possible. 



Ostwald contributes a critical article on Kant's " Metaphysical 

 Basis of Science." To Kant's statement that true science must 

 treat its subject-matter according to a priori principles, and that 

 only science falsely so-called deals with laws deduced from ex- 

 periment, Ostwald replies by denying the possibility of a priori 

 conclusions, and maintains that all knowledge is derived from 

 experience. Another celebrated dictum of Kant's is that in any 

 investigation of Nature only so much real science is present as 

 is expressible in mathematical terms ; Ostwald insists, however, 

 that mathematics is only a language in which the results of 

 experiments may be conveniently expressed, and that it can 

 contain nothing more in its conclusions than what experiment 

 lends to its premisses. And while Kant, although acknowledging 

 that in principle his scientific treatise has a close connection 

 with the ordinary province of metaphysics, to wit, God, Free- 

 dom and Immortality, distinguished them sharply, regarding the 

 former " as a shoot from the same root as the latter, but one 

 which hinders its regular growth," Ostwald maintains that no 

 stronger argument can be found for the necessity of a purely 

 experimental basis for all branches of knowledge. 



A somewhat technical article by Arthur von Oettingen on 

 '* The Dual System of Harmony," and one by E. Sievers on 

 " Melody of Voice in (Reciting) German Poetry," are followed 

 by reviews of new books by the editor. Among these it is 

 somewhat amusing to find Judge Stallo's "Concepts of 

 Physics," which has only now reached the German public, 

 through its translator, H. Kleinpeter. W. R. 



NO. 1682, VOL. 65] 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge. — Mr. T. H. Middleton, professor of agricul- 

 ture in the Durham College of Science, Newcastle-on-Tyne, has 

 been elected to the chair recently vacated by Dr. Somerville. 



Dr. Barclay-Smith has been reappointed senior demonstrator 

 of anatomy. 



The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. J. J. Thomson, and Mr. R. T. 

 Wright will represent the University at the jubilee of Owens 

 College, Manchester, to be celebrated .next March. 



Education was given first place in the King's speech to the 

 Commons at the opening of Parliament last "Thursday. The 

 words used were " Proposals for the Co-ordination and improve- 

 ment of Primary and Secondary Education will be laid before 

 you." It is to be hoped that a comprehensive measure will be 

 introduced early in the session, and that nothing will be per- 

 mitted to interfere with the settlement of the questions involved 

 in it. 



The adoption of the metric system of weights and measures 

 would be so much to the advantage of the work of education 

 and commerce in this country that eflbrts should be made to 

 bring the subject forward on every suitable occasion. We are, 

 therefore, glad to see that the following resolution was passed 

 at a general meeting of Convocation of the University of 

 London on Monday : — "That this House is of opinion that, in 

 the interests of commerce, science and education, legislation 

 should be promptly undertaken to make compulsory in this 

 kingdom, after a proper interval, the use of the metric system 

 of weights and measures for all purposes." 



Proi". Alfred Lodge stated the case for reform in methods 

 of teaching geometry at the annual meeting of the Mathe- 

 matical Association held on Saturday last. He urged that a 

 new text-book of geometry, framed more or less on the model 



