352 



NA TURE 



\Ang. 29, 1872 



by passing a spark between two points attached to the breeching. 

 I believe this would be really practicable and useful. 

 August 9 J- F- Tennant 



MAGNETICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL 

 WORK AT BOMBAY 



WE have received from Mr. C. Chambers, F.K.S., the 

 Uirector of the Colaba Observatory, Bombay, 

 three memoirs, to appear eventually as appendices to the 

 volume; observations dealing with (i) the Absolute Di- 

 rection and Intensity of the Earth's Magnetic Force at 

 liombay, and its Secular and Annual Variation, (2) on the 

 Lunar Variations of Magnetic Declination at Bombay, 

 and (3) a description of a new Self-Registering Rain 

 Gauge. In the first memoir Mr. Chambers refers to the 

 diminution of terrestrial magnetic action with increase of 

 height above the ground. He states, " I am aware that 

 experiments have at times been made to determine the 

 effect upon the terrestrial magnetic force, of change of 

 elevation or depression, both upon mountains and in 

 mines ; and it may be that such have been made also upon 

 high buildings ; but excepting the observations made in 

 the vaults of the Paris Observatory, which I have not 

 seen any discussion of with reference to this point, 1 

 believe that no long series of observations— capable of 

 detecting small differences of the kind now pointed out — 

 have been made elsewhere than at Bombay ; and that 

 the facts so strongly brought to light by the Bombay 

 observations have not previously been forcibly com- 

 mented on. It has now been shown — by the discussion 

 of independent observations in each case— that diminu- 

 tion of effect with increase of height extends to— (i) the 

 Secular Variation of Declination, (2) the Secular Variation 

 of Horizontal Force, and (3) the Diurnal In«iuality of 

 Horizontal Force. Consistent testimony of this kind- 

 even allowing for the possibility of explaining the first 

 case on a different hypothesis— gives probability to the 

 supposition that the phenomenon of sensible diminution 

 of terrestrial magnetic action with moderate and practi- 

 cally attainable elevations above the earth's surface is 

 general." 



The object of the new rain gauge is to produce a com- 

 plete record of rain-fall by means of photography, with 

 this additional advantage, that vvhcnever a barometer is 

 kept in continuous operation there need be no additional 

 expense in working the rain gauge. 



SCIENCE IN JAPAN * 



PROF. W. E. GRIFFIS writes us a very encouraging 

 letter from Fukuwi, Japan, where he is giving practi- 

 cal instruction in a chemical laboratory established a year 

 ago. Sixty students attend his daily lectures on chemis- 

 try and physics, properly illustrated by experiments, and 

 twelve students do actually practise in the chemical labo- 

 ratory. What he says of Japan is equally true here in 

 the United States, only that the rubbish of astrology and 

 Chinese philosophy, which prevent rapid progress there, 

 are here represented by notions not less common nor less 

 obstinate. He says :--" In teaching physical science in 

 Japan, one has need to begin at the lowest foundation, to 

 demonstrate everything, and to clear away much rubbish 

 of astrology, Chinese notions of philosophy, falsely so 

 called, &c. ; yet the students arc fairly intelligent, and 

 promise hopefully to fill, in some measure, the greatest 

 educational need of the country — good teachers." 



The following will also merit attention : — "It may please 

 you to know that Japan, just entering upon her course of 

 modern civilisation, has begun by not only assigning a 



' From the low.i " School Uibot.ilory of Physic.il Science." 



foremost place to physical science in her schools, but has 

 already established several laboratories, in which students 

 receive practical instruction from German and American 

 professors. The chief laboratory in Osaka is presided 

 over by a German professor, having nearly one hundred 

 students. Another laboratory, it is expected, will be 

 established in Yeddo. There is one in the province of 

 Kaga, in charge of a German professor ; another, also un- 

 der a German, is at Shidzoka, in the province of Suruga. 

 The laboratory in Fukuwi, province of Echeyen, has been 

 established nearly a year." This is the laboratory of 

 Prof Griffis, .above spoken of. 



It gives us, indeed, great pleasure to record these sig- 

 nificant evidences of progress in the far-off Japan. These 

 facts, as well as many others, show that at length 

 commerce, the arts, and physical science, have com- 

 menced their missionary career in Japan, and will soon 

 introduce the blessings of civilisation in that great country 

 leaving the Japanese and Chinese gods to take care of 

 themselves, if they can. 



THE "HASSLER" EXPEDITION 



THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS 



'"PRE numbers of Nature for July 11 and iS contain 

 -*■ reports from Prof. Agassiz himself of his Hasslcr 

 Expedition ; we are glad to be able to furnish the follow- 

 ing continuation of these reports from a writer in the 

 Nnv York Tribune who accompanies the Expedition : — 



"About sundown on Thursday June 6 we bade good-bye 

 to the Ossipee and to Payta, and, with a fair wind and 

 smooth sea, started for the Galapagos. Darwin's account 

 of this archipelago had excited our curiosity and interest 

 to the highest degree. Of course our visit was all too 

 short to settle the many interesting questions which his 

 narrative suggests. We landed on Charles early Monday 

 afternoon, June 10, and left early Wednesday morning. 

 We landed at Tagus Cove, on Albemarle, Thursday morn- 

 ing, and remained until Friday afternoon. On Saturday 

 at noon we anchored off James Island, and remained until 

 Sunday at 10 o'clock, when we visited Jervis Island, and 

 remained until sunrise on Monday. We anchored at Inde- 

 fatigable Island on Monday by 9 o'clock a.jl, and were 

 detained repairing our engine until Wednesday afternoon, 

 June 19, when we started for Panama. In so brief a visit 

 to so remarkable an archipelago, no conclusions can pro- 

 perly be drawn from what we did not see, and yet one of 

 the most interesting points of inquiry was precisely one 

 that can be definitely settled by negative testimony only — 

 the inquiry whether plants and animals found on one 

 island are wanting on the other islands in the group. 

 That this should be the case is not mcredible ; even on 

 the continent we sometimes find plants and animals con- 

 fined to very narrow localities. And although we had a 

 very limited opportunity to examine the five islands on 

 which we landed, our observations, as far as they go, tend 

 to confirm the statements heretofore made that the Gala- 

 pagos have a fauna and a fiora decidedly of an American 

 type, yet decidedly peculiar to themselves, and that even 

 each island differs from the other islands ; nay, that this 

 difference extends, in some degree, to the fishes in the 

 Ijays around their shores. 



'' The islands are to my eye much more recent in their 

 formation than Juan Fernandez. Indeed, Narborough and 

 Albemarle have so fresh a look that you could easily 

 believe that there had been extensive eruptions there 

 within the present century. Immense domes, 4,000 to 

 5,000 feet high, stand upon very flat truncated cones, 

 twelve or fifteen miles in diameter. Over the whole sur- 

 face of such mountains arc scattered craters, chimneys, 

 and small truncated cones. From many of these craters 

 streams of lava have flowed toward the sea, some of them 



