356 



NATURE 



\Aiig. 29, 1872 



and Mr. Lock represent the official part of our members ; Mr. 

 Sam-iel P.rown, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Hendriks, Dr. Mount, M. 

 Tayler, and Mr. Levi, represent the Statistical Society of 

 London ; and there are also Mr. Freeman, Mr. Heron, and Mr. 

 Wethered as voluntary members. The Russian Government and 

 the municipalities of St. Petersburg are most liberal in their 

 arrangements for the reception of visitors. A free railway ticket 

 over tlie Russian territory, and free lodgings in the best hotels, 

 for every member of Congress, have been provided. The 

 Princess Helena gives evening entertainments. The Hermitage 

 and Museums are open, and there are to be e.xcursions to the 

 Exhibition at Moscow, and to the fair at Nijni Novogorod. 



The session of the Physical Science College of Newcastle- 

 upon-Tyne will commence on Oct. 2, and will be divided into 

 the Michaelmas, Epiphany, and Easter Terms. No preliminary 

 examination is required, but students must be above the age of 

 fifteen years. All particulars will be found in the college pros- 

 pectus, to be had free on application to Mr. W. Bunning, secre- 

 tary to the college. 



The twenty-seventh annual meeting of the Cambrian Arch.-co- 

 logical Association has been opened at Brecon, and the Congress 

 will sit up to Friday evening. The President for the year is Sir 

 James Russell Bailey, M. P., of Glamish Park, Cricklewell. 

 The proceedings will be of the usual character, including the 

 reading of papers on subjects of arch.-eological interest, and 

 daily excursions to places of note in the surrounding neighbour- 

 hood. 



The Journal of the Franklin Instiluti calls attention to the 

 following interesting lecture experiment: — It is well known that 

 a light ball, as of cork, is sustained for some time near the 

 summit of a vertical jet of water, issuing from an orifice of sucli 

 a nature that the steadiness of the jet is maintained. The experi- 

 ment becomes more striking when a vertical blast of air issuing 

 from a large bellows is substituted for the jet of water, as in this 

 case there is no apparent support for the ball, which comports 

 itself in a very amusing manner. When a strong blast cannot be 

 obtained, if a slender wire, about four times the length of the 

 diameter of the ball, be passed through its centre, so as to have 

 one-fourth of its length projecting from one end, and one half 

 from the other, the balancing is more readily obtained, as any 

 considerable change in the relative positions of the centre of 

 gravity and the point of support is prevented by the movements 

 of the rod. 



We learn from the Journal of the Society of Arts that the 

 directors of the telegraphic lines of France have recognised the 

 absolute necessity of improving the theoretical and practical 

 knowledge of its clerks, and with this view elementary courses 

 of telegraphy have been arranged in all the chief towns, at wdiich 

 the attendance of the employes is obligatory. In addition to 

 this, a superior course of instruction is to be opened in Paris, 

 and those clerks who have most distinguished themselves in the 

 provinces will be sent to the capital to complete their instruc- 

 tion. The courses are all to commence on the first of October. 



I/aifer's Weekly, of August 17, announces the deaths of Mr. 

 Sidney J. Lyon, a gentleman well known for his valuable geo- 

 logical and arch;eological researches v/hile State geologist of 

 Kentucky ; and of Mr. Edmund Ravenal, of Charleston, S. 

 Carolina, and Dr. Hubbard, of Long Lland, both eminent 

 conchologists. 



We notice from the Fiehl that on September 3 and 4 a sale of 

 the surplus animals of the Zoological Gardens of Antwerp is to 

 t ke place. Tlie collection to be disposed of includes many of 

 the rarer species of mammals and birds. In the former figures 

 a young Indian rhinoceros, several species of antelopes,' mou- 



flons, and a male markhare ("which," says the Fielil, " offers a 

 chance for any one desirous of increasing the size of our Welsh 

 goats "). The birds include ostriches, several species of rare and 

 new pheasants, and a considerable number of the rarer water- 

 fowl, serpents, pythons, c&c. 



We learn from the Times of India of July 26 that Mr. Mark 

 Fryar, the mining engineer who has been specially engaged to 

 develop the mineraliferous resources of British Burmah, spent 

 the last two months of 1871 in exploring the Mergui district of 

 Tenasserim ; and the results of his explorations have just been 

 published by the Etcetera Department as an extra supplemeiit 

 to the Gazette of India. Of the coal which exists tliere Mr. 

 Fryar does not speak at aU hopefully. It is deficient in quality, 

 and could not compete with English and Australian coal ; be- 

 sides which, there is no demand for it, the dense forests of 

 Tenasserim being capable of supplying the whole country with 

 fuel for generations to come. Summing up the results of his 

 two months' tour, Mr. Fryar says the most remarkable feature of 

 the districts is the wonderful extent of the distribution of stani- 

 ferous detritus: "In rivers on the mainland and on islands of 

 tlic sea, every small dishful of sandy gravel taken up contains 

 palpable traces of black tin-stone ; " and he thinks it exceedingly 

 probable that a thorough examination of the hills whence the 

 rivers flow would be rewarded by the discovery of rich veins of 

 tin ore, which could be worked with the most profitable results. 



A LETTER from Bucharest, given in the Lcz'ant Times, re- 

 ports a curious atmospheric phenomenon which occurred there 

 on the 25th of July, at a quarter past nine in the evening. Dur- 

 ing the day the heat was stifling, and the sky cloudless. Towards 

 nine o'clock a small cloud appeared on the horizon, and a quar- 

 ter of an hour afterwards rain began to fall, when, to the horror 

 of everybody, it was found to consist of black worms of the 

 size of an ordinary fly. All the streets were strewn with these 

 curious animals. It is to be hoped that some were preserved, 

 and will be examined by a competent naturalist. 



The International Congress on Weights and Measures meets 

 at Paris on September 24. 



The cyclone which had been heard of from the Bay of Ben- 

 gal, broke over B.ilasore early on the morning of the 1st July. 

 There was a heavy gale from the N.W. at about 2 a.m., and 

 at 4 A.M. the wind veered to the N.E., and blew with tremen- 

 dous violence, subsequently passing to the E. and S.E , and 

 dying away at one o'clock. The station, which was once one 

 of the prettiest in Bengal, is said now to be a mass of ruins. 

 The destruction of property has been very great. Several thou- 

 sand people were rendered homeless, and many without food. 

 The telegraph lines were carried clean away for several miles 

 on both sides of Belasore. 



The Honolulu Gazette reports the following interesting fact 

 which has recently been observed respecting the growth of coral, 

 and which deserves very careful consideration : — Somewhat less 

 tlian two years ago a buoy was moored in Kealakekua Bay. 

 I ast week the anchor was hoisted in order to examine the con- 

 dition of the chain. "The latter, which is a heavy 2 in. cable, 

 was found covered with corals and oyster-shells, some of which 

 were as large as a man's hand. The large corals measure four- 

 and-a-half inches in length, which thus represents their growth 

 during the period of two years that the anclior and cable have 

 been submerged. The specimens which we have seen show the 

 nature of the formation of the coral by the coral animals very 

 distinctly. When taken out of the water it had small crabs on 

 it. A question arises whether these crabs live on the coral 

 polypes, or whether they simply seek the branches of the coral 

 for protection. The popular idea is that corals are of extremely 

 slow growth, yet here we have a formation equal to over seven- 

 teen feet in a century." 



