4 ' ,s 



NATURE 



[September 28, 191 1 



was agreed that in the graphical representation of 

 tating magnetic quantities advance in phase 

 should always 1"- represented in the counter-clockwise 

 direction; in other words, the rotation of the vector 

 shi mid be to the left. 



On the question of rating of electrical machinery 

 and apparatus the proposals of the Brussels confer- 

 hci " ere adopted without modification as follows : — 



1. The output of electrical generators is defined as 

 the electrical power at the terminals. 



2. The output of electrical motors is defined a-, the 

 mechanical power at the shafts. 



,. Both the mechanical and the electrical power are 

 i" I"- expressed in international watts. 



In this work careful attention had to be given to 

 tin- exact choice of the equivalent words in the two 

 official languages. The convenient word "output" 

 employed by English-speaking nations has no exad 

 equivalent in French. In this case again a sub- 

 committee, consisting of one member from those in- 

 1 irnational committees interested in the subject was 

 appointed to carry on further this question of the 

 national rating of electrical machinery and 

 apparatus. 



It was decided that the next meeting of the Com- 

 mission should be held in Berlin in 1913, tin 1 at 1 

 date to be announced later. 



Mr. Gano Dunn, the president of the American 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, invited the Com- 

 mission to hold an official meeting ai San Francisco 

 in 1915, on the occasion of the opening of the Pan ima 

 Pacific Exhibition. On the motion of Prof. Feldmann, 

 of Holland, seconded bv Mr. W. Duddell, of England, 

 the meeting thanked Mr. Dunn for the invitation, and 

 stated its willingness to hold a meeting in San Fran- 

 in (915, and instructed the Central London Office 

 to cooperate with the American Society in the 01 g inisa- 

 of an international electrical congress to be held 

 :i! Hi'- same lime. 



Il is interesting to remark that at the meetings 'if 

 the Electrical Congress, which was sitting at the 

 same time, it was decided that for the future the 

 irregular method of summoning international con- 

 gresses at the time of 1 1 t international exhibitions 

 should be discontinued, and that in all cases where 

 such exhibitions were held the International Electro- 

 technical Commission should be the bodv which should 

 1 - invited bv the country holding the exhibition to 

 organise tin- electrical congresses-, and in this way 

 avoid much clashing and waste of effort. 



Finally, the honorary secretary of the Illuminating 

 Engineering Societv of London, Mr. Leon Gaster, 

 who_ was nersonallv invited to attend this meeting a! 

 the invitation of the president, referred at tome length 

 to the desirability of standardising the terms and ex- 

 pressions used in connection with illumination. V 

 stated above, this matter was dealt with bv Prof. Elihu 

 Thomson in his address. Mr. Gaster rave very cogent 

 reasons whv the present loose methods of exon 

 standards of Iio-ht and of measuring tin,, 

 standards should lie discontinued, and that il 



! desirable in this kindred science of illumination 



that all nations should understand one another, as in 



- ise of the electrical art and industry. Mr. 



Caster's suggestions were strongly supported bv Dr. 



Kennelly and P>r. Clavton Sharp,' who are president 



and nast president respectively of the IlluminatinP 



Society of the United States, and the suggestion that 



various national committees be requested to put 



Ives in communication with their respective 



illuminating societies was unanimously adopted. 



There is no doubt that at this full meeting of the 

 International Electroterhnica! Commission during the 

 week- in which the delegate worked together much 

 NO. 2187, VOL. 87I 



international courtesy was shown, a great many 

 pleasant friendships were made, and undoubtedly 

 every aildiiiini.il international meeting of the kind 

 greatly helps on the cause of solidarity between men 

 oi science of the world. The meeting room certainly 

 contained a collection of men second to none in thi 

 electrical world for intellectual capacity; and that the 

 meeting passed off so smoothly and so much work was 

 done in a comparatively short time showed that 

 selectors oi tin delegates had also considered their 

 diplomatic nualities, which had also been carefull) 

 studied bv tin- countries which had sent them 1 



meeting. 



rs of coal-measures: 



THE fossil flora of the L'pper Carboniferous rocks 

 J- of Belgian Hainaut is in many respects similar 

 to that of our British coal measures, though many 

 species occur in Belgium which are unrecorded from 

 Britain and vice versa. Those who are interested in 

 the systematic study of British Carboniferous plants 



J 



SIGIUARIA ELEGINS 

 Restain.it on d apres MM. Grand'Eury et Kidston 1901. 



will therefori find much that is of interest in Dr. 

 Kidston 's description of the collections, preserved in 

 the Km -1 . from this coalfield. In all, 



191 species, included in more than fifty genera, are 

 enumerated. It is scarcely necessary to add that the 

 author's high reputation for the accuracy of his deter- 



1 Extrail des W \i 



Tome iv, " I ,es \ egetaux Hou 

 trouvant dan 



Bruxelles." By Dr. K. Kid' 

 xxiv plates. (Bru Pollei 



a] d'Histoire naturelle de Bi 

 ueillis dansle Hainaut Beige et se 

 du Mn-ct royal urelle a 



ton, F.R.S. Annee iqoq. Pp. iv + 282-f- 

 n.crick, ion.) 



