Feb. 9, 1871] 
NATURE 
295 

Tue New York Association for the Advancement of Science 
has recently elected officers for the ensuing year, and the 
American Chemist notes that on looking over the list it finds 
that, among the names of fifteen officers, it does not recognise a 
single man of science. Six are clergymen, three are pliysicians. 
Thongh it is pleasant to see these men anxious to promote the 
cause of science, a little sprinkling of scientific menu would tend 
to increase the confidence of the public in the discussions of the 
society. 
THE American Chemist states that Prof. William Griffis, of 
Rutgers College, has gone to Japan as Professor of Chemistry 
and Natural Philosophy in the University of Japan. 
THE following scientific appointments to American Colleges 
have recently been announced :—Mr. George C. Swallow, to the 
chair of Agriculture in the University of Missouri ; Mr. Charles 
Hi. Wing, to the Brofessorship of Applied Chemistry, Dr. 
Alonzo M. Chase, as Instructor in Analytical Chemistry, and 
the Rev. J. J. Brown, to the chair of Physics, in Cornell Uni- 
versity ; Mr. T. H. Staver has been elected Professor of Agri- 
cultural Chemistry at Harvard University ; and Mr. Albert H. 
Chester has been appointed to the Childs Professorship of Agri- 
cultural Chemistry in Hamilton College. 
THE Legislature of Colorado, at its last session, appropriated 
thirty-nine hundred dollars for a building for a school of 
mines. The corner-stone of that building was laid on Monday, 
August 15, 1870, by Bishop Randall, in the presence of a 
large assembly of people. 
THE Scientific American states that the Board of Trade of the 
city of Buffalo has obtained a franchise and organised a com- 
pany to be styled the Oxyhydrogen Gas Company, having for 
its object the introduction of the oxyhydrogen gas light inte 
that city. A committee of investigation has visited the oxygen 
gas works in New York, and with the information thus obtained 
we are informed that the work is to proceed at once. It would 
appear that Buffalo is to be the first city in America to adop! 
this splendid light. ‘The experiment is an important one, anc 
its success will be watched with considerab‘e interest by gas 
consumers in this country and America. 
Ir may be interesting to record that during the two mid-winter 
months of December 1870 and January 1871, the average tem 
perature of the air at Backheath was, according to Mr, Glaisher’: 
tables, exactly 5° F. below the mean of the last fifty years. O1 
46 days the temperature was below the average, and above the 
mean on only 16 days, the mean for the 24 hours having beet 
below the freezing-point on 27 days. The iowest average was 0) 
December 25th, when it fell as low as 189°, or 18°7° below th 
mean of the last fifty years. During nearly the whole of January 
the weather was also exceptionally warm in the neighbourhood 
of London ; in the midland and eastern counties, the depression 
would be considerably greater. 
THE American Chemist for January announces that it com 
mences its existence with that m mber asan independent journal, 
devoted to Theoretical, Analytical, and Technical Chemistry 
The articles, Loth extracted and original, among which is « 
curious one on Assaying one hundred and thirty years ago. 
promise a supply of varied and useful information. It propose: 
to present its readers with abstracts of all papers published in 
America or elsewhere, which involve chemical principles in thei: 
discussion. 
THE Zritish Medical Fournal states that two additional case: 
illustrating the efficacy o! the injection into the veins of ammonic 
in snake-bite, on the plan of Professor Halford, are published i: 
the Melbourne papers. They are reported with great decision 
of statement as to the immediate benefits conferred, but without 
the scientific precision of detail which is needed, and which will, 
we hope, be forthcoming, 

A MEETING was held in the Town Hall, Stranraer, on Friday, 
the 5th January, to discuss the advisability of establishing cheese 
factories in the county on the American system, and a committee 
was appointed to inquire into the details regarding the manage- 
ment of the Derbyshire cheese factories, aud to report at a 
future meeting. 
M. Lirrré has received a letter from M. Gambetta, praising 
him highly for his invaluable works, and nominating him as Pro- 
fessor of History to the Bordeaux Polytechnic School. The letter 
was published by public authority in the AZonzteur. 
THE new fuel invented for Paris is more substantial than had 
been supposed, It is the asphalt used for coating the side-ways 
of the streets. The total Jength of ¢o/¢oirs is about two million 
yards, the breadth two yards, and the thickness half an inch, so 
that the cubic measurement of asphalt ready for use is 555,550 
cubic yards. It is mixed with about half of its weight of sand, 
which reduces the real weight of asphalt to 277,777 cubic yards. 
[It is difficult to burn asphalt without being suffocated with 
smoke. But all these drawbacks can be met successfully by 
scientific skill and ability. M. Le Troost, directorof the Grenelle 
Gas Works, has erected furnaces for using tar as fuel in the 
distillation of tar. Tar is sufficient without the help of any 
other fuel to prepare gas for ordinary purposes or for inflating 
balloons. These furnaces were working successfully from the 
beginning of November, and this success has probably led to the 
idea of using asphalt as fuel for ordinary purposes. 
One rather singular invention for remedying the actual want of 
fuel in private houses became very popular in Paris during the 
siege. They prepare cylinders of clay impregnated with bitu- 
minous substances ; these combustible cylinders are used like the 
ordinary charcoal which is necessary in Parisian cookery. The 
earthy matters, of which the proportion is not greater than 
necessary, remain in the furnaces like ashes left by the com- 
bustion of charcoal. It is stated that it is proposed to continue 
the use of this kind of artificial fuel. 
THE Academy states that the great attraction of the geological 
portion of the St. Petersburg Museum consists in one entire 
yallery of mammoth remains, probably including many nearly 
-ntire skeletons, the bones of all of which are ina remarkably 
fresh state of preservation. Some years since (owing to the ex- 
ertions of Sir Antonio Brady), an almost entire mammoth’s skull, 
with tusks of colossai proportions, was obtained at the brick- 
pits at Ilford, in the Thames Valley brick-earth, and now adorns 
the geological gallery of the British Museum. Since the appoint- 
ment of M. Dupont to the post of keeper in the Brussels 
Museum, the almost entire skeleton of a mammoth, found some 
ime since, but neither repaired nor mounted, has been diligently 
mended up bit by bit, till they are able now to boist the 
possession of the best example of Lilephas primigenius out of 
St. Petersburg. One is struck with the comparative height and 
slenderness of the mammoth’s skeleton as compared with the 
node elephant, and it seems probable that he was a more active 
ind a lighter-built beast than the Asiatic or African species. It 
is to be hoped that the British Museum collection will ere long 
be enriched by the addition of a skeleton of the Silerian mam- 
mouth. The execution of the fortifications around Antwerp has 
led to the discovery, not only of elephants’ and mastodons’ re- 
mains, but of a most wonderful series of cetacean bones. These 
wre now arranged ina fine gallery in the Brussels Museum, which, 
under the direction of M. A. de Borre, bids fair to be one of the 
most attractive of Continental institutions. 
Suocks of earthquake were felt in Scinde on the 12th 
November. 
On the 24th October at 1.40 A.M. a smart shock of earth- 
uake was felt at Yokohama, with a deviation from E, to 5,W. 
‘he shock was remarkable for long duration, ; 
