572 



NA TV RE 



[April 17, 1902 



minerals, natural history and human races of our tropical African 

 dominions. 



A NUMBER of prizes, varying in value from Soo to Sooo 

 francs, are offered by the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine 

 for researches in various branches of pathological and medical 

 science. The largest prize is offered for discoveries relating to 

 the diseases of the nervous centres, with special reference to 

 epilepsy, and for a really valuable discovery, such as a curative 

 remedy for epilepsy ; two premiums, one being of 5000 francs, 

 may be given in addition to the prize of 8000 francs. 



We have received from Mr. J. Baxendell the report of the 

 Fernley Observatory, Southport, for the year 1901. Mr. 

 Baxendell continues his useful experiments and comparisons 

 with the view of improving the records of self-recording instru- 

 ments, especially those obtained from anemometers of various 

 pattern?. We quote the following climatological data from this 

 important observatory : — Extremes of shade temperature, SS°'4 

 in July, I9°'I in January and December ; highest solar tempera- 

 ture, I29°'I, in August. Total rainfall, 267 inches, nearly 7*5 

 inches below the average. Bright sunshine (Campbell-Stokes 

 recorder), 1738 hours. The report contains an interesting 

 comparison of climatological statistics with upwards of fifty 

 other health resorts. 



Mr. W. E. Cooke, Government Astronomer of Western 

 Australia, has published a paper on the climate of that 

 colony, from observations made during the years 1876-1899, 

 containing a large number of valuable tables showing the 

 monthly means and extremes of the various elements, illustrated 

 by maps. The latter show that the records refer mostly to 

 stations on or near the coast, and that the inland districts are, 

 to a great extent, still unrepresented. In addition to the 

 climatological tables, general descriptions of the types of weather 

 most frequently experienced, and of the climate, with especial 

 reference to that of Perth, are given in the text, and will be 

 found very useful to all interested in the meteorological features 

 of the country. Taking Perth to represent the south-west and 

 south coastal stations, the mean monthly temperature is 64° '9, 

 the highest extreme being Ii6°7 and the lowest 3I°'2. The 

 mean annual rainfall is 32 '9 inches. Within the tropics, records 

 of 110° are not infrequent, the absolute maximum being 123", 

 at Onslow, in February, 1897. Thunderstorms, accompanied 

 by heavy rain, are frequently experienced ; the heaviest fall 

 ever recorded was 35'49 inches, near Cossack, on April 2-3, 

 1898. On the other hand, only 073 inch was recorded in this 

 district during twenty months ending January, 1S92. 



A NEW application of the electric furnace which may prove to 

 be of great practical importance was described by Mr. C. B. 

 Jacobs in a paper read before the New York section of the 

 Society of Chemical Industry. The raw material for most of 

 the barium compounds in common use is barytes, the natural 

 sulphate, and this is usually converted into other barium com- 

 pounds by treating it with coal or coke in a reverberatory 

 furnace and then working up the crude barium sulphide thus 

 obtained. It has been found that when barium sulphate and 

 sulphide are heated together in suitable proportions at the 

 temperature of the electric furnace, the sulphur is completely 

 eliminated as sulphur dioxide and barium oxide remains, the con- 

 version being so complete that only 2 to 3 per cent, of barytes 

 remains unacted upon, as against 25 to 45 per cent, by the older 

 process. By lixiviating with water and crystallising out, barium 

 hydrate is obtained at once, containing only about i per cent, 

 of impurities, chiefly barium sulphydrate. From this all the 

 other barium salts are readily obtained. The electrical energy 

 required for this process is got from the Niagara Falls, and the 

 plant in use at the present time is turning out sixty tons per day. 

 NO. 1694, VOL. 65] 



The fields into which it is finding its way are the tanning 

 industry, the white pigment and dry colour trades, the purifica- 

 tion of water for industrial purposes, and general manufacturing 

 chemistry. The largest consumption, however, is in the beet 

 sugar industry, for the recovery of the sugar remaining un- 

 crystallised in the molasses. Barium hydrate is an ideal 

 substance for the softening of water for boiler purposes, and its 

 general introduction in place of the methods at present in use is 

 only a question of price. 



The structure and design of electric automobiles are at present 

 attracting much attention from electrical engineers. Sir II. P. 

 Maxim in a lecture recently delivered before the Automobile 

 Club of New \'ork, commented on the progress made in the 

 design of accumulators. The capacity of the cells per kg. of 

 battery weight has been doubled, while the life of the plates has 

 been increased 25 per cent, by the improvements made within 

 the last three years. The best type of accumulator cell can now 

 be utilised for running 8000 kms. before renewal of the plates is 

 necessary. The electric automobile, in Maxim's opinion, is 

 superior to all other types of automobile for general use. It is 

 only likely to be supplanted by the petroleum or light spirit type 

 of vehicle, where economy is the chief consideration, or where 

 the distances to be covered are beyond the range of the electric- 

 ally propelled car. Many of the latest types of electric auto- 

 mobile possess motors designed to act as dynamos for recharging 

 the battery when the car is running downhill. A German 

 engineer, Th. Miiller, of Nuremberg, has been investigating the 

 reality of the advantages claimed for this type of vehicle, and 

 the details of his inquiry will be found in the Zeits. f. Ac- 

 ctimulalorei! und Eleinenlen-kunJe for March i, 1902. The 

 increased amount of copper required for motors, intended to act 

 under such conditions as dynamos, and the greater complexity 

 of their design, are held by Mtiller to quite counterbalance the 

 gain of 10 to 15 per cent, which is all that results in the distance 

 capacity of the cars. 



A STATISTICAL comparison of developments of German and 

 British trade in recent years is made in a long article in the 

 Times of April 3. Though the writer seeks to show that there 

 is little cause for uneasiness, he admits that Germany has 

 advanced more rapidly than Great Britain in many departments 

 of industry and commence. Especially is this true as regards 

 chemical goods and electrical machinery, but no particulars as to 

 these advances are given. So many industries depend upon 

 chemical science for their means of progress that the present 

 advantage which Germany possesses in applied chemistry is likely 

 to produce far-reaching effects. Upon this subject the writer 

 remarks : — "' Vears of research and theoretical training had m.ade 

 the German c\\em\slfaci/cfrincefs. Even in Great Britain, in 

 France and in the States most leaders of the chemical 

 trades and most assistants are Germans by birth or 

 training ; of Germany the chemical trades are a speciality. 

 The technical colleges had likewise bred a highly efficient 

 army of electrical, metallurgical and mining engineers who 

 would soon find ample scope for their talents. In addition, the 

 German mind has always been scholarly by inclination and open 

 by habit. The self-sufficiency and the inditlerence to foreign 

 doings, so characteristic of the British trader, never have been 

 features of the German. On the contrary, he has always been 

 open to foreign influences, and eager to adopt foreign ways." 

 In the metallurgical trades, also, it is stated that (Ireat Britain 

 has not kept abreast of the times. During the Last ten years of 

 last century our iron production only rose from 7,900,000 to 

 9,421,000 tons, or, say, 17.4 per cent., whereas that of Germany 

 went in the same interval from 4,658,000 to 8, 143,000 tons, and, 

 therefore, increased more than 75 per cent. If the rate of pro- 

 gress be maintained on both sides, the German iron production 



