388 



NATURE 



{Sept. 5, 1872 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Procccilings of the N'ciucastU-oii- Tyite Chemical Soiic'y, 

 1871-72. — The number of meetings held by the society during 

 the past year has been 6, the session only lasting from October 

 to March with one meeting in each month. The Octolier 

 number opens with the address of the president, Mr. John 

 Glover, wliich contains a short review of the papers read before 

 the society during the previous year. The first communicatiim 

 ii one which does not seem to have attracted the attention winch 

 it deserves ; it is by Messrs Pattinson and Marreco " on the 

 residual sulphur in purified coal gas," that is to say, the sulphur 

 contained in coal gas after the removal of the sulphuretted 

 hydrogen by means of oxide of iron or by lime. At various 

 times violent fluctuations liave taken place in the amount of the 

 residual sulphur in the gas supplied to Newcastle, the quantity 

 varying from 25 grains in the 100 cubic feet down to 4 grains. 

 The authors believe that the explanation of this lies in the fact 

 that the lime purifiers then in use were sometimes allowed to 

 become " foul " or acted on to a great extent by the sulphuretted 

 hydrogen, &c. , contained in the crude gas. Contrary to what 

 might have been expected, when some of the purifiers had 

 become foul, the quantity of sulphur decreased rapidly, but that 

 when the foul lime was replaced by clean lime, tlie quantity of 

 sulphur immediately rose to some 25 grains per 100 cubic feet. 

 An example is given of an occasion when clean lime was 

 placed in the boxes, the amount of residual sul|:>liur in ^as 

 was found to be 17 "58 grains, and that as this lime became foul, llie 

 succeeding weekly tests gave i2'io and 069 grains respectively. 

 The method employed for the estimation of the sulphur is not 

 stated ; it is to be hoped, however, that one of the more recent 

 methods has been adopted, and not the " Letheby sulphur test," 

 which, as is well known, gives at the be^t, most inaccurate results. 

 According to the authors it would seem a simple matter for our 

 large gas companies to considerably reduce the quantity of sul- 

 plmr present in gas, at comparatively no expense to themselves. 

 The probable chemical action which appears to take place is the 

 formation of a sulphocarbonate from the combined action of the 

 carlion disulphide in the gas and the foul lime. Most of the 

 reaiiining papers possess principally a technical interest. 

 Amongst these we notice one "on the action in tiie black salt- 

 pan and calcining furnace in alkali manufacture," by Mr. Moor- 

 house, and " on a new mechanical calcining-furnace " by Mr. 

 Gihb, who also contributes a paper "on the formation of sodic 

 cirbonate by the action of carbonic anhydride on solutions of 

 sodic sulphide.'' Dr. Lunge also contributes the abstracts of 

 two papers by Fresenius, the first "on the quantitative estima- 

 tion of sulphuretted hydrogen in presence of carbonic anhydride, " 

 and the second "on the best method of analysing artificial 

 manures." This latter paper should be read by all interested in 

 artificial manures, and will well repay a careful study. One 

 feature to be noticed at the meetings of this society is that there 

 is almost always a spirited discussion on the papers read, which 

 shows very well the interest taken by the members in promoting 

 the advance of chemistry, and also the welfare of their society. 



Aiiiwli di Chi mica applicila alia Mcdicina coinpilati del Dottor 

 Ciovannl Polli, No. 4, 1872. The contents of this number is 

 of varied interest, the papers being grouped together under 

 various heads, such as [jharmacy, toxicology, therapeutics, &c., 

 are very easy of reference. Under the head of pliarmacy there 

 are several papers given, which are abstracts of papers already 

 published in other countries, such as " On the determination of 

 the value of chloral hydrate," " On a new reaction of alcohol," 

 by lirrthelot, and others. Amongst them there is a note on the 

 adulteration of essence of peppermint, which is now adulterated 

 with the essential oil of copaiba ; there is a second note on the 

 adulteration of argentic nitrate with zincic nitrate, the amount of 

 which, in some specimens, leaves no doubt of its having been 

 introduced with fraudulent intention. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



rHILADEU'HIA 



Academy of Natural Sciences. — October 3, 1S71. — Dr. 

 Ruschenberger, pre-ident, in the chair. — Mr. Thomas Meehan 

 refeired to some observations made liy him last spring before tlie 

 Acadrrny in regard to the olticc of Inid scales and invuincral 

 brads. Tlie genenal iiiqiressiou was that they were formed lor 

 the purpose of protecting tlie tender parts beneath. At thai 



time he exhibited branches of Fraxinus excelsior on which some 

 of the buds were entirely naked, and others clothed with scales 

 in the usual manner. They could scarcely be for protection in 

 this instance, as both were equally hardy. He now had to ex- 

 hibit an ear of corn which had been produced without the usual 

 involucral bracts or husks, and yet was as jjerfect as if clothed 

 in the usual way, showing that the husk was of not much im- 

 portance as a protecting agent. An interesting point was that 

 this ear had been formed on the end of a male panicle or tassel. 

 It was not uncommon to find scattered grains of corn amongst 

 male flowers, but a perfect ear like this he had never before 

 seen. The ear was eight-rowed, and contained two hundred 

 perfect grains. It was the variety known as " popcorn." 



November 7. — Dr. Ruschenberger, president, in the chair. — 

 Prof. Cope exhibited a specimen of a Galeodcs, probably G. 

 pallipes of Say, taken in the town of Denver, Colorado, by Dr. 

 Gehrung. According to that gentleman, it was common in that 

 place in houses, and was an enemy and destroyer of the Ciincx 

 lectulaii'ius (bedbug). In captivity, it showed a preference for 

 them as food, and crushed them in its short cheles, preliminary 

 to sucking their juices. — -Mr- Thomas Meehan said that while 

 travelling through a wood recently he was struck in the face by 

 some seeds of Ilainaiiielis vir^inica, the common Witch Hazel, 

 with as much force as if they were spent shot from a gun. Not 

 aware before that these capsules possessed any projecting power, 

 he gathered a quantity in order to ascertain the cause of the 

 projecting force, and the measure of its power, l^aying the 

 caijsules on the floor, he found the seeds were thrown generally 

 four or six feet, and in one instance as much as twelve feet away. 

 The cause of this immense projecting power he found to be simp- 

 ly in the contraction of the horny albumen which surrounded the 

 seed. The seeds were oval, and in a smooth bony envelope, 

 and when the albumen had burst and expanded enougli to get 

 just beyond the middle where the seed narrowed again, the con- 

 traction of the albumen caused the seed to slip out with force, 

 just as we would squeeze out a smooth tapering stone between 

 the finger and thumb. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



English.— Memoirs of the Geological Survsy of England and Wales. 

 Vol IV. -The Geology of the Lond n B.isin : T. McK Hughes (Whittalter). 

 — Autumns on the Spey : A. C. Kno.x (Van Voorst). —A Handbook of British 

 Bi.ds: J. £. H.irtinglVan Voorst). -AHindbookof the Birds of Egypt: G. 

 E. Shelley (Van Voorst) —Thoughts and Meditations on the Mysteries of 

 Life. Book I : John Frith (Triibner) — Physical Geography : S. P. J. 

 Skertchley (Murphy).— The Seaweed Collector : Shirley Hibberd (Groom- 

 bridge and Sons), —Flora of Liverpool (the Liverpool Naturalists' Field Club). 

 —Human Physiology : W. T. Filter (J. Kempeter). 



CONTENTS Pagb 



Naval Science 369 



OuK Book Shelf 370 



Lbttkrs to the Editor:— 



Radial Polads.ttion of the Corona.— G. K. Winter .... 371 

 Err.atum of the Errata, or, "A Few Millions."— Dr. A. M. 



Maveu 372 



Rev. John Ward on Atmospheric Germs.— Ur. C. M. Ingleiiy. . 372 



Coefiicienls of the Linear E,\pansion of Solids. — T. Stevenson. . 372 



Originoflus=cts.-J. J. MuKi-HY, F.G.S 373 



I HE Law which Regulates the 1''requency of the Pulse . . 373 



The Co.ngri-:ss ok Prehistoric Arch.-eologv 373 



The French Scientific Association v 374 



Temi'ekature of the Sea cetvveen Greenland, Northern 



EuROfE, and Si'itzbergen 374 



The Royal Society of Victoria 375 



Notes 377 



Thb British Association Meeting : — 



Section A — Sectional Proceedings 380 



Section B.— Sectional Proceedings 382 



Section C. — Sectional Proceedings 382 



Section D. — Sectional Proceedings 385 



Section E.— Sectional Proceedings 3S6 



Section G. — Sectional Proceedings 387 



Scientific Serials 388 



Societies and Academies 388 



Books Received 388 



I. — Vol. vi., p. 361, tst col., line 17, for "meeting" read "heat- 

 : 19, for j" illuminated" read "eliminated." 



NOTICE 



We ie§ leave to state that we decline to return rejected communica- 

 tions, and to this rule we can make no exception. Commtinica- 

 lions respecting SuOscriplions or Advertisements must Oe addressed 

 to the Publishers, not to the Editor, 



