440 



NATURE 



[March 13. 1902 



Before attempting to expound a new section, I endeavour to 

 explain the purpose which this section serves, for as King 

 Solomon stated : " A fool hath no delight in understanding, 

 but that his heart may discover itself." (Prov. xviii. 2.) 



In small type I have given many of the explanations that a 

 good teacher requires with his pupils in the class room, but 

 never includes in his printed manual. This peculiarity makes 

 my book useful for self-instruction. 



The beginning of all mathematical study is easy. The diffi- 

 culty begins later, because it is indispensable to know what has 

 already been studied for the understanding of what follows. 

 Therefore my arrangement permits even the youngest pupils to 

 learn something applicable to the practice of calculation. 



Wai.demar Lermanioif. 



University of St. Petersburg, Russia. 



THE NATIVE QUESTION IN SOUTH AFRICA} 

 TT cannot be too often repeated or too strongly im- 

 -*■ pressed on the public mind of this country that by 

 far the most difficult problem of South Africa is, not that 

 of the relations of the white populations to one another, 

 but that of the relations of the white population to the 

 " Natives," and of the Natives to one another. It involves 

 questions not to be solved by any process of patching. 

 The ordinary "short view" recommended by European 

 statesmen in treating European problems will not do. 

 To deal with these questions effectually, considerations 

 of afar-reaching economic and anthropological character 

 are necessary. We must understand the Native mind, 

 we must endeavour to see things from the Native point of 

 view, we must consider the Native prejudices and aspira- 

 tions as well as what we, from our point of view, regard 

 as the Natives' best interests, and we must take into 

 account their physiological and mental condition, and 

 the influence upon it of the changes which have begun 

 and the further changes impending. 



It is thus evident that, before any final steps can be 

 taken, a full inquiry into these matters must be held. 

 Until the end of the war such an inquiry would be diffi- 

 cult. Consequently, all that can be done at present is to 

 legislate on the most urgent points, so as to obtain a 

 temporary modus -ini'cndi on the labourcontracts and the 

 liquor laws. This is all that Lord Milner has yet 

 attempted. But his despatches to the Colonial Secre- 

 tary, and the important memorandum by Sir Godfrey 

 Lagden, comprised in the papers recently presented to 

 Parliament, though relating chiefly to the proclamations 

 on the two subjects just mentioned, disclose the fact that 

 the authorities are not insensible to the wider principles 

 which must underlie our future policy. Lord Milner fully 

 recognises the need of unifortnity throughout British 

 South Africa, and looks forward to a Native code to be 

 framed by a Federal Parliament. It is satisfactory to 

 learn from him that "the best colonial sentiment" as to 

 our treatment of the Natives " is not far removed from 

 the best home sentiment, as represented, for instance, by 

 temperate and reasonable advocates of Native rights," 

 such as the authors of "The Natives in South Africa," 

 reviewed in these columns last May. What is wanted is 

 that such sentiment should be controlled and directed 

 by full and accurate information. 



The Anthropological Institute and the Folklore 

 Society have already petitioned Mr. Chamberlain to 

 order a full and systematic inquiry into the Native laws 

 and customs in our new colonies at the earliest possible 

 moment. The authors of the book just referred to, 

 whom Lord Milner mentions with so much approval, 

 speak of the want of such an inquiry as " urgent." It is 

 the only satisfactory way to provide the information 

 required for the guidance of public sentiment, and of the 

 administration ; and if the example of Cape Colony be 



' " Transv.-ial. P.-ipcrs rulating lo Legislation affecting Natives in the 

 Transvaal." Presented to P.irliamcnt, January 1902. 



NO. 1689, VOL. 65] 



of value, it must precede any comprehensive attempt at 

 legislation. The readers of Naturk are primarily 

 interested in its scientific aspect. It is needless to re- 

 produce the arguments they have had before them more 

 than once. Those arguments are reinforced by Lord 

 Milner's protests against some of the statements made 

 on behalf of the Anti-Slavery Society and the Aborigines 

 Protection Society in these papers, and by Sir Godfrey 

 Lagden's admission that "there is much yet to be 

 learnt by those who are vested with the control of Native 

 affairs." And, though there is no allusion to the matter 

 in the despatches now printed, we may be allowed to 

 indulge the hope that it will not be overlooked as soon 

 as the country is sufficiently pacified to enable the 

 Government to arrange for it. Meanwhile, every oppor- 

 tunity should be taken by scientific anthropologists and 

 jurists to bring their views before ministers and members 

 of Parliament. 



THE JUBILEE OF THE AUSTRIAN METEOR- 

 OLOGICAL CENTRALANSTALT. 



TO celebrate the fiftieth year of the existence of the 

 Central Institute for Meteorology and Earth's 

 Magnetism, the \'ienna Academy has published a jubilee 

 volume,' the contents of which form a very valuable con- 

 tribution to science .md an appropriate publication for 

 this important celebration. This Central Institute, which 

 is now the hub of all the meteorological and magnetic 

 work carried on in the Austrian Empire, came into 

 existence on July 23 in the year 185 1, and it was founded 

 with the object, first, of coordinating a number of stations 

 all over the country and making them work on a uniform 

 plan, and, second, of collecting such observations. How 

 well these two objects have been carried out is familiar 

 to every meteorologist of to-day, and so successful an 

 issue of this organisation has been due to the consecutive 

 labours of such directors as Kreil, Jelinek, Hann and 

 Pernter, who have kept the Institute in such an excellent 

 state of efficiency. 



In the present volume we are first made acquainted 

 with a brief history of the events which led up to the 

 formation of the Institute, and the progress made during 

 the period of office of each director. This is written in 

 the form of an introductory chapter by the present 

 director. Prof. Pernter. It is interesting to read that in 

 the year 1851 Director Kreil had only forty stations 

 working on a uniform plan carefully prepared by the Insti- 

 tute, but eleven years later he had increased the number 

 nearly threefold. At this early stage there was a great 

 amount of work to be accomplished, and Kreil, among 

 other things, brought out the useful and valuable year 

 book which was considered at the time a " module a 

 suivre." The collection of old observations formed an 

 important duty at this period of the Institute's history, 

 and the first few volumes published contained long series 

 of valuable observations made at Wien 1775-1850), 

 Mailand (1763-1850), Prag (1775-1851), Kremsmiinster 

 (1763-1851), Salzburg (1842-1851), Udine (1803-1S42), 

 Funfkirchen (1819-1832), Stanislau (1839-1850), and 

 several other stations. 



As time went on, the Institute, like many others, began 

 rapidly to accumulate more work than it could accom- 

 plish, and this necessitated an increase in the staf)" and a 

 greater output of publications. By the year 1877, 238 

 stations were sending in their results, while twenty years 

 later this number had increased to 447 ; last year the 

 number of first, second and thi^'d class stations together 

 was 420. 



To come now to the series of valuable articles which 

 form the substance of this large volume, it may, in the 



1 " Dcnkschriftcn der kaiserliclicn Akademie der Wissenscliaflen." 

 Matkematisch'Natiirwissenschafttiche Classc^ vol. Ix.viii. 



