546 



NATURE 



[October 27, 19 10 



to be of more pressuig importance from the point of view 

 of the lay public. 



As in the opening ceremony, so also in the closing 

 ■ceremonies, interest centred round the utterances of Dr. 

 Bashford with reference to the attitude of Great Britain 

 ■towards the Internationa! Association, the organisation and 

 proceedings of which have, in the past, not met with 

 unanimous approval. The abstention of Great Britain 

 from membership of the International Association was 

 possibly in M. Doumergue's mind during his opening re- 

 marks, and was unambiguously referred to at that cere- 

 mony by Dr. Bashford, who explained that in Great 

 Britain the opinion is held that the time is hardly ripe 

 for congresses concerning a disease of which so little is 

 Icnown as cancer, and which, at present, it is impossible 

 to prevent, there being at the same time nothing revolu- 

 lionary for such conferences to agree upon or to discuss. 

 What is wanted at present is rather an army of independent 

 active workers, for, as in the past in regard to other 

 matters, so in the future with regard to cancer, advances in 

 Icnowledge are to be e.xpected from individual investigation 

 rather than from the deliberations of national committees 

 or international conferences. Still, workers in Great 

 Britain have done all that is practicable to further inter- 

 national intercourse and collaboration, and will do so in 

 the future. 



In his closing remarks von Czerny, as president, ex- 

 pressed the hope that the objections to the organisation 

 and assumed functions of the International Association 

 will be removed before the conference is again called 

 together, probably in Dresden in 19 13. 



It may be recalled that the proposal to hold a second 

 International Conference in Paris was made after a pro- 

 posal to hold the first International Cancer Congress in 

 London had been rejected by responsible persons in this 

 countrv. 



REPORTS OF METEOROLOGICAL 

 OBSERVATORIES. 



B' 



^RE.\lE\\ " Meteorological Year-book " (1909). — This 

 volume, the twentieth of the series, gives a short 

 monthly summary of the weather, observations thrice daily 

 (in the form adopted by the International Committee), 

 two-hourly readings of the self-recording instruments, and 

 monthly and yearly resumes. The results for earth 

 temperature at various depths (0-300 cm.), evaporation, 

 solar and terrestrial radiation, &c., for a number of years 

 are shown both graphically and in tabular form. The 

 ■curves of duration of sunshine, evaporation, and solar 

 radiation all exhibit a similar and peculiar kink from July 

 to August. Dr. Grosse points out that, whereas Hann 

 considers that evaporation is most intimately connected 

 with temperature, he (the author) thinks it is more closely 

 <-onnected with the duration of sunshine. The rainfall at 

 Bremen is greatest tretween June and October inclusive ; 

 July has a decided maximum. 



Liverpool Observatory (1909). — The Mersey Docks and 

 Harbour Board, which maintains this important institu- 

 tion in the interest of navigation, has caused a second 

 seismometer to be erected under Prof. Milne's super- 

 vision, and some devices of great delicacy were introduced 

 in order to solve certain problems connected with the physics 

 •of ths earth's crust. The instrument has not been long 

 at work, but it is said that the records indicate clearly 

 a deformation of the surface due to the load of tidal water 

 In the Mersey estuary. We have before pointed out that 

 the automatic meteorological instruments include anemo- 

 meters designed by Osier, Robinson, and Dines respec- 

 tively ; the tables show for each day the velocities recorded 

 ■fay the Dines' instrument, the horizontal motion of the 

 air, and the extreme pressure on the square foot — in 

 addition to the direction. The mean temperature of the 

 year (mean of maximum and minimum), 48-1°, was 1° 

 ■below the average ; the absolute maximum, 76-4°, occurred 

 in^ May, and was 12-7° below the highest record; the 

 minimum was 22-3°, in December, 13-8° above the lowest 

 record. The rainfall, 28-45 inches, was verv slightly below 

 the normal. 



NO. 2139, VOL, 8ii1 



Royal Alfred Observatory, Mauritius (1909). — From 

 tables showing the means and extremes of the principal 

 meteorological elements, it appears that the mean tempera- 

 ture of the year was 72-9° as compared with the average, 

 73'4° (1875-1905) ; mean of daily maxima 80-4°, minima 

 66-7° ; absolute maximum 89-3°, in December ; minimum 

 54-7°, in July. Maximum in sun's rays i63-4°, in 

 January; minimum terrestrial radiation 45-7°, in May. 

 Rainfall, 47-83 inches, as compared with an average of 

 47-95 inches ; the principal feature was a total excess 

 of 11-23 inches above the normal in June and July. The 

 rainfall of June was the greatest on record in all parts. 

 The annual amount for the whole of the island (mean 

 of seventy-two stations) was 90-50 inches, as com- 

 pared with an a\'erage of 82-37 inches. During the 

 year eight cyclones occurred in the South Indian Ocean ; 

 tracks of six of them in Janua.-y and March are given. 

 The mean magnetic declination was 9° 16-34' W. The 

 magnetic disturbance which occurred on September 25-26 

 was the greatest on record, the total movement in hori- 

 zontal force being 0-00650 C.G.S. unit. Photographs of 

 the sun were taken daily when weather permitted, and 

 103 negatives were forwarded to the Solar Physics 

 Committee. 



Transvaal Meteorological Departttient (1908-9). — The 

 number of stations reporting to tiie Johannesburg Observa- 

 tory during the year ended June 30, 1909, was 599, an 

 increase of fifty-two since the last report ; these are mostly 

 rainfall stations. The year was the wettest since accurate 

 statistics have been collected, but several such rainy 

 seasons will be required before the springs can regain 

 their former activity. The average for the whole colony 

 was 40-6 inches, on eighty-three days ; the greatest rainfall 

 was on the eastern slope, in the Leidenburg district, where 

 more than 109 inches on 133 days were recorded. Map-.- 

 are given showing (i) the rainfall for 1908-9, and (2) the 

 mean for the last five years ; the latter shows that only 

 the eastern part of the colony has an average of more 

 than 30 inches. No snowfall was reported by any station, 

 but some was seen on the hills on .'\ugust 21, 1908. The 

 meteorological tables include hourly or two-hourly reading-; 

 at Johannesburg and Pretoria. Daily weather forecasts 

 are issued, and are exhibited at all postal telegraph offices. 

 The Johannesburg Observatory is well provided with self- 

 recording instruments, and it is expected that a set of 

 Wiechert's instruments for recording earthquake pheno- 

 mena will be shortly installed ; at present the department 

 distributes and collects postcards giving particulars of any 

 earthquakes noticed. 



Deutsche iiberseeische meteorologische Beobachtungen 

 (Heft xviii.). — .'Vs in several past years, this very valuable 

 series of observations has been published by the Deutsche 

 Seewarte, with the assistance of the German Colonial 

 Office. The present volume includes monthly and yearly 

 summaries of the stations under the control of the See- 

 warte, also observations at the imperial observatory at 

 Tsingtau and affiliated stations, and those made in East 

 Africa, some of which are printed in extenso. The data 

 refer mostly to 1908, wath a few arrears, and useful refer- 

 ences are given in many cases as to where the earlier 

 observations may be found. We note in the .^cta (1909) 

 of the Solar Commission of the International Meteor- 

 ological Committee, which proposes to publisli certain 

 meteorological data for the whole globe in a condensed 

 form, that the German oversea observations will be turned 

 to good account. The headquarters of the commission (of 

 which Sir Norman Lockyer is president) are at present in 

 London, in connection with the Solar Physics Observatory 

 at South Kensington. 



TREES AND TIMBER. 

 T~"HE difficulty of identifying timbers exported from 

 ^ partially explored countries is only too well known, 

 so that any attempt to arrange an authentic collection of 

 specimens of tropical timbers deserves recognition. With 

 this object. Dr. M. Biisgen has placed on record in the 

 Mitteilungen aus den Deutschen Scbutzgebietcn (vol. 

 xxiii., part ii.) the distinguishing characters of the trees 

 noted on an expedition through the German Cameroons, 

 and has published a series of figures illustrating sections 



