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WE quote the following pleasant ‘‘international” from the 
New York Technologist :—In view of recent remarks concerning 
the action of the British Government in regard to the expedition 
proposed by British scientific men, for the purpose of observing 
the approaching eclipse, it is but justice to say that on proper 
representation being made to Mr. Lowe, the Chancellor of the 
Exchequer at once expressed his opinion that such an expedition 
was one eminently worthy of government aid, and perfect arrange- 
ments as regards ships, funds, &c., have been made. One good 
result has, however, attended this delay on the part of the British 
Government—it has afforded an opportunity for the exchange of 
very pleasant courtesies between the scientific men of the United 
States and those of Great Britain. As soon as Prof. Peirce 
heard that their government had refused the use of the necessary 
ships, he at once tendered to the English scientists all the faci- 
lilies at his command; and they were ample. No one doubts 
that, under similar but opposite circumstances, the same offer 
would have come from the other side ; for, however stubbornly 
Alabama controversies may hold out, science takes no cognizance 
of them,” 
WE are informed that the series of penny lectures on Natural 
Science, delivered at the Hulme Town Hall, are to be obtained 
in London of Mr. Pitman, Paternoster Row. 
A DEPUTATION from University College, London, consisting 
of Mr. George Grote, the president, the Hon. George Denman, 
M.P., Mr. Julian Goldsmid, M.P., and Dr. Storrar, members 
of the Council; Prof. Fuller, C.E., Prof. Wiliiamson, F.R.S., 
and Mr. J. Robson, the secretary, has waited upon the Duke of 
Argyll, at the India Office, to present a memorial from the 
Council and the Senate of the College, on the subject of the 
proposed institution of a new Engineering College for the Indian 
Service. The interview with his Grace lasted upwards of an 
hour. The memorialists consider that the deficiency in the pre- 
sent system has arisen, not from any defect in the existing places 
of education, but from the injudicious system of examinations 
hitherto pursued, and from a want of sufficient inducements to 
well-qualified men to enter on the career proposed to them. The 
memorialists assume that the latter cause is recognised by the 
Government, for it is understood that it is in contemplation to 
augment considerably the salary upon which a civil engineer in 
the service of the Indian Government will hereafter commence 
his work. The memorialists believe the proposed college will be 
prejudicial to the public service by narrowing the field for the 
selection of candidates, and by limiting their means of obtaining 
the requisite instruction. They submit that the working of 
Government colleges has not been such as to recommend the 
creation of a new Government college, having: practically the 
monopoly of appointments, and protected from competition. 
They suggest that such a step is at variance with the plan for 
throwing open to all Her Majesty’s subjects the opportunity of 
gaining Government appointments. 
AT a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, held on the 
oth inst., Dr. Carpenter read a paper on Oceanic Circulation, 
especially in reference to the inset current into the Mediter- 
ranean through the Straits of Gibraltar. After detailing the 
theories which have hitherto been propounded to account for 
this current, all of which he pronounced to be unsatisfactory, 
Dr. Carpenter propounded the following explanation :—The 
water of the Mediterranean has a uniform but limited excess of 
weight over that of the Atlantic—so limited as to do away 
altogether with the idea that there is an accumulation of salt in 
the Mediterranean. The excess of salt was found to be greater 
in the lower than in the upper stratum of water, and thus the 
excess of evaporation was produced. If there be two columns 
of water of equal density—one that of the Atlantic, the other 
NATURE 


[Fan 19, 1871 

that of the Mediterranean—an excess of evaporation lowers the 
height of the Mediterranean column. If the Atlantic column 
were of fresh water, just enough would flow in from it to restore 
the evaporated water. But it is salt water which actually flows 
in from the Atlantic, and therefore it produces an increase of 
pressure, which presses the Mediterranean water outward till the 
equilibrium is restored. This being restored, there is once more 
a reduction of the Mediterranean level by evaporation, and so 
on ; and, therefore, a circulation is always going on between the 
waters of the Mediterranean and Atlantic. The only difficulty 
in receiving this explanation is that the water of the outward- 
flowing current must run uphill ; but other examples, he stated, 
are known. The fact that such a circulation exists, he said, 
is now indisputable, recent experiments having satisfactorily 
determined the evidence of a westerly current underlying 
the surface easterly current. These currents are, therefore, only 
a portion of the general oceanic circulation, which causes a 
perpetual surface motion of warm water from the equator to the 
pole, and a counter under-current of cold water from the pole to 
the equator. In replying to objections raised in the course of the 
discussion, Dr. Carpenter said that he had only broken ground 
in the enunciation of his theory, which it would, require much 
labour yet to work out. Sir Henry Rawlinson, who occupied 
the chair, stated that in consequence of the continued illness of 
Sir R. Murchison, he had been appointed president of the Society 
ad interim, 
THE Wind-Chart, to which we referred last week, furnished 
daily by the Meteorological Office to the Shipping and Mercantile 
Gazette, is the invention of Captain Charles Chapman, 
From the annual report, it appears that the gardens of the 
Dublin Zoological Society have been very successful, the number 
of visitors being 136,000, and a considerable balance lies in 
favour of the society. The donations of axolotls from Prof. 
Wyville Thomson, and of Mammoth Cave fishes from Prof. 
Mapother, are acknowledged, but it is not stated if they live or 
have undergone any developmental changes. 
THE following regulations have been issued by the Science 
and Art Department with regard to science teachers who wish 
to attend the special (six weeks’) courses for training in teaching 
at South Kensington in June, July, and August, in accordance 
with the circular of September 1870. These applications are 
so numerous that it is impossible for the Department to make 
the selection of teachers to attend, as was originally proposed. The 
Department has therefore decided to make the selection by com- 
petition at the next May examinations. The competition for 
those who wish to attend the instruction in Biology will be in 
Animal Physiology, Zoology, Vegetable Anatomy and Physiclogy, 
and Systematic and Economic Botany. The candidate may 
take up all the four subjects, but a fair proficiency in Animal 
Physiology and in Vegetable Anatomy and Physiology will be 
essential, If this proficiency is shown, the marks obtained in 
the other subjects will be counted. By fair proficiency is under- 
stood the amount of knowledge required to pass in the advanced 
stage. For those who wish to attend in Experimental Physics, 
the {competition will be in Acoustics, Light and Heat, and in 
Magnetism and Electricity. A candidate will be required to 
take up the honours’ papers in those subjects in which he teaches, 
or in which he is qualified to earn payment, but in any of the 
other subjects of the group in which he is competing he may 
take the advanced or the elementary paper. The marks ob- 
tained in these subjects will count as in the competition for 
Royal Exhibitions. The papers of the teachers who are com- 
peting will be specially and separately looked over by the pro- 
fessional examiners—the examination being competitive only— 
and the teachers who answer best, probably to the number of 
