134 



NATURE 



{^Dec. 6, 1883 



sanitation, but also the fittings and furniture generally in their 

 effect on the health of the inmates. The most improved methods 

 of school construction will he shown, and the modes of com- 

 bating and preventing the evils of unhealthy trades, occupations, 

 and processes of manufacture will form portions of the Exhibi- 

 tion. The sixth group will comprise all that relates to primary, 

 technical, and art education, and will include detigns and 

 models for school buildings ; apparatus and appliances for 

 teaching; diagrams, text-books, &c. Special attention will be 

 directed to technical and art education, to the results of in- 

 dustrial teaching, and to the introduction of manual and handi- 

 craft work into schools. 



On the 22nd ult. the remainder of the furniture and stores for 

 Ben Nevis Observatory were carried to the top under great diffi- 

 culties. The party had intended to make the ascent at the 

 beginning of the week, but, owing to the state of the weather, 

 they could not think of it. On Thursday morning, however, 

 although the weather was not very favourable, it was decided to 

 make the ascent, and at g a.m. Mr. James M'Lean, contractor, 

 and Alex. Turban, who is in charge of the stores, along with 

 two assistants, started with some chairs and other stores. The 

 first part of the journey was easily accomplished. The anow lay 

 pretty heavy down to wiihin a mile of Achintee farmhouse, and 

 several deep wreaths were encountered before reaching the lake. 

 On reaching the Red Burn they came upon a long wreath of 

 about fourteen feet deep. The snow being somewhat soft, the 

 party had to cut a passage through, which was a rather difficult 

 task. Determined if possible to reach the top, they proceeded 

 slowly, and, as they ascended, the snow was found to be deeper, 

 in which they sometimes sank to their shoulders. Parts where 

 the wind had driven off the snow were covered with ice, render- 

 ing the path difficult and dangerous. Their efforts were, how- 

 ever, ultimately crowned with success, for at 2.30 p.m., five and 

 a half hours after starting, the party reached the Observatory. 

 The average depth of snow on the level parts on the summit 

 w as about .--ix feet, and round about the Observatory it was eight 

 feet. Mr. Omond and his assistants \\ere in excellent spirits, 

 are very comfortable, and now feel quite at home. The party 

 started on the return journey at 3.30, and Fort William was 

 reached at 6.30 p.m., the whole journey, including a stay of an 

 hour at the Observatory, occupying nine hours. 



We regret to learn of the death, on the 30th ult., of the cele- 

 brated Swedish zoologist, Prof. Sven Nilsson, of the Lund 

 University, at the age of ninety-seven. 



M. Renard has communicated recently (November 3) to the 

 Royal Academy of Brussels the results of a chemical and micro- 

 scopic examination of the ashes from the great eruption of 

 Krakatoa, which fell at Batavia on August 27 last. He finds 

 that the volcanic dust consists mainly of glassy particles, among 

 which may be distinguished crystals of plagioclase, often in 

 rhomboidal lamella;, augite, rhombic pyroxene, and magnetite. 

 The rock which has been blown into this finely divided state 

 presents the general mmeralogical composition of the augite- 

 andesites, but with a rather higher proportion of silica, which, 

 on analysis, was found to amount to 65 per cent, of the whole. 



A MEETING will be held on Friday at the rooms of the Royal 

 Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, when it will be proposed 

 to appoint a Committee, and to make such other arrangements 

 as may be considered neces-ary for the successful promotion of 

 the William Spottlswoode Memorial Fund. The chair will be 

 taken by Prof. Huxley, President of the Royal Society, at four 

 o'clock precisely. 



The members of the Polar meteorological station which Den- 

 mark maintained at Godthaab in Greenland under the inter- 

 national scheme, have just returned to Copenhagen. The chief 



of the expedition, Lieut. A. Paulsen, reports that, having left 

 Copenhagen on May 18, 1S82, in the sailing ship Cer^s, they 

 arrived at Godthaab on June 14, On the voyage out observa- 

 tions of the temperature of the sea and air were made every hour- 

 On the arrival out the expedition had to select the most suitable 

 spot for the erection of the four wooden buildings brought with 

 them, in which the magnetic and astronomical observations were 

 to be made. A small mountain ridge near the church in the 

 colony was choser. for this, as the preliminary researches in its 

 neighbourhood showed that the influence of iron strata on the 

 magnetic current w-as here very small. The buildings were then 

 erected and the pillars raised on which the transit instrument, 

 the great astronomical clock, and the eight different magnetical 

 in.struments were mounted, and simultaneously the mstruments 

 for the meteorological observations were also placed so that the 

 weathercock and the anemometers, as well as the thermometer 

 hut, were situated as free as possible. On August 1 the meteoro- 

 logical observations could be commenced, but the magnetic ones 

 were through an accident delayed until the 7th. From that date 

 complete observations were made in exact accordance with 

 the international programme without interruption every hour 

 until August 31 this year, and the expedition has thereby fully 

 accomplished its object, viz. of obtaining a full year's magaetical 

 and meteorological observations in this locality. A number of 

 other scientific researches have aLo been pursued, of which 

 those on the aurora borealis should particularly be mentioned. 

 This phenomenon was frequently observed and studied during 

 the winter, while some exceedingly valuaole statistics were ob- 

 tained as to the altitude of the auror.i borealis above the earth's 

 surface by measurements effected simnltaneou ly in various places 

 by light signals. The measurements of atmospheric elec- 

 tricity have also led to valuable results. It is stated to have 

 been the best equipped Polar expedition ever despatched from 

 Denmark. We hope soon to give further details. 



The following communication from Mr. Charles Ford, of the 

 Botanic Garden, Hong Kong, dated October 3, 1883, has been 

 forwarded to us from Kew for publication : — " By the s.s. 

 Laertes which left this place for London last week I have sent 

 two Wardian cases of live plants, one case of living orchids, and 

 a case of herbarium specimens, which I brought back from the 

 Lo-Fan Mountains up the East River, and distant about sixty 

 miles from Canton, where I spent about three weeks in August. 

 On this excursion I travelled over about eighty miles of country 

 after leaving the river, and consequently had a considerable 

 amount of trouble when the natives knew I had no boat to fall 

 back upon, and was therefore very much in their hands. I in- 

 tended to make another trip up the North River during this 

 month, but that is now impossible, as Dr. Hance, who is Acting 

 Consul at Canton, will not apply to the Viceroy for passports 

 for any one, and he says he is afraid it wUl be a long time before 

 he will feel at liberty to do so. You have no doubt heard of 

 the very serious trouble at Canton, in which a riot occurred and 

 nearly twenty European residences were attacked and burnt 

 down by the Chinese and the valuable contents of the houses 

 carried off by the mob. There is a very hostile feeling to 

 foreigners prevailing now amongst the Chinese, and it is con- 

 sidered quite unsafe to travel in the country. I was in the Lo- 

 Fan Mountains when the trouble at Canton commenced, but no 

 one attempted to molest me, and I returned to Canton in a 

 passage junk with 150 Chinese on board, and no foreigner besides 

 myself ; since then, however, matters have become much worse. 

 Mr. .Sampson's herbarium and house were burnt when his house 

 was set fire to, and Dr. Hance's, which was not more than fifty 

 yards off, might easily have shared the same fate, but very for- 

 tunately it was spared. Dr. Hance is extremely busy with 

 official matters, and he thinks it will be a long time before he 

 can resume botanical work. There is an encampment of icoo 



