jnnc 17, 



I SSo'i 



NA TURE 



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be empowered by the Legislature to make provision for the 

 inspection and sanitary classification of dwellings, upon applica- 

 tion being made by the owners thereof, and to grant certificate^ 

 of iiealthworthiness in different categories, for terms of years, 

 according to the perfection of sanitary equipment and fitness 

 for habitation of such dwellings ; and to determine the scale of 

 fees to be paid for such inspection during construction and 

 repair, and also upon delivery to the applicant of the certificate 

 of classification awarded to such d\'. elling. In the long discus- 

 sion which followed it was clear that the sense of the conference 

 was in favour of some change, but opinions were much divided 

 as to how inspection and certificates should be brought to bear. 

 Among other arguments it was urged that, as Lloyd's Association 

 inspected the construction of ships and granted certificates, it 

 would be only an extension of a recognised system to inspect and 

 give certificates for houses. After a protracted discussion, the 

 resolution was passed with some few alterations. An exhibition 

 of sanitary appliances was open free to the public. Tlie chief 

 novelty was the new filtering medium adopted by the Admiralty 

 and War Office named Carferal, on which Prof. De. Chaumont 

 has recently reported so favourably. 



Mr. R. L. Jack, the Government Geologist of Queensland, 

 has been carrying out his survey operations under difficulties 

 unknown to home geologists. While he and his party were 

 pursuing their explorations in the north of York Penin-ula 

 they were attacked by a band of natives, Mr. Jack receiving a 

 spear in the neck, which had to be cut out. Fortunately the 

 wound, though troublesome, is not likely to be attended with 

 any serious or permanent results. North of Temple Bay Mr. 

 Jack came upon a hitherto unknown large river, which he has 

 named the " Macmillan." 



'Xv.'E Daily Nnus gives some .nccount of a recent lecture by 

 Prof. Palmieri on earthquakes. Prof. Palmieri went on to say 

 that earthquakes have no doubt shorter or longer periods of pre- 

 paration. The earth is never perfectly quiet for some time before 

 and after a great shock, but gradually sinks into repose or in- 

 creases in agitation. The ProfcsDr believes that, by regi.-tering 

 the slight preliminary tremblings and noticing their increase or 

 decrease it would be possible to forestall an earthquake about 

 three days in advance, just as tempests are now foretold. If a 

 connected system of seismographic stations were to be organised 

 — the different stations communicating with each other by tele- 

 graph — it would be quite possible, in most cases, to issue warn- 

 ings to the threatened district in time. The seismographic sta- 

 tions should be erected by the different Governments in quiet 

 places where the ground was not liable to be shaken by heavy 

 r.T ilway trains. 



The illumination of the park of the Industrial Exhibition of 

 Melun with Wild candles has been considered successful, and will 

 be continued every night during the whole of the summer. It is 

 said that the proprietors of the Wild patent will take an injunc. 

 ti^n against M. Jamin for an infringement of their patent, alleging 

 that his directing frame is not an independent invention. 



M. W. DE FoNVlELLE has discovered that the intermittent 

 current of the frame of his electro-magnetic gyroscope can be 

 m.ide continuous if the magnet is replaced by an electro-magnet 

 worked by an interrupter. 



The French Government has taken an important step in the 

 education of the people ; a course of teaching in agriculture has 

 been ordered to be introduced into every primary school in the 

 country. 



MESSR.S. Macmillan and Co. have published a sixth edition 

 of the late Prof. George Wilson's well-known Httle book, " The 

 Five Gateways of Knowledge." 



Chemists engaged in the analysis of alcoholic liquids will be 

 able shortly to possess an elaborate and complete series of tables- 

 of spirit gravities, prepared by Dr. Thos. Stevenson, of Guy's, 

 and to be published in handy book size by Mr. Van Voorst. 



Mr. G. Ambrose Pogson, British Vice-Consul at Hamburg, 

 writes to the Times from that place, under date June J 2, as to 

 "St. Elmo's Fire" : — A series of thunderstorms, he states, has 

 lately passed over Hamburg. During the nth inst. the air was 

 densely charged with electricity; the storm broke about 10.15 

 p.m., lasting until II p.m., during which time, at very short 

 'ntervals, from my station, about 1,200 yards distance from the 

 copper-roofed low-er of the church kuDwn as St. Jacobi, 

 about 300 feet high, I saw this phenoaienon apparently resting 

 about 30 feet from the summit of tlie steeple. The colour 

 was a reddish purple, and reminded one somewhat of burning 

 potassium. From repeated comparisons with other objects during 

 the lightning flashes, I judged these fire-balls (two were several 

 times visible) to be from 4 feet to 6 feet in diameter. The longest 

 duration that I timed was 42 seconds. This passing away of 

 such dense masses of electricity by induction was visible some 

 twenty times, but whether performed silently I had no means of 

 ascertaining. From the apparent size of flame and the non- 

 lighting quality of the colour, I estimated it as equal to lo,coo 

 candles. The colour was doubtless the effect of the glare of the 

 copper roof. 



During iSSi no less than five exhibitions will be held at 

 Frankfort-on-the-Main, viz., a patent exhibition, a horticultural, 

 a balneological, an industrial, and a tanner's and furrier's exhi- 

 bition. 



A meeting of the members of the Aeronautical Society of 

 Great Britain will be held at the Society of Arts, Adelphi, on 

 Monday, June 21, for the reading and discussion of papers, and 

 generally for the advancement of the Society's interests. The 

 chair -will be taken precisely at 8 p.m. 



We are requested to make the following announcement with 

 regard to the Sunday Art Exhibitions of the Sunday Society : — 

 On Sunday, June 20, the first exhibition at the Hanover 

 Gallery, including Hans Rljkart's great picture of the Entry of 

 Charles V. into Antwerp, will be open to the members of the 

 Society, and on the two following Sundays, June 27 and July 4, 

 the public will be admitted by means of free tickets, which will 

 be issued to those who apply by letter, sending a stamped and 

 addressed envelope to the Honorary Secretary, 6, Dudley Place, 

 W. On each Sunday the Gallery will be opened from 3 till 

 9 p.m. The Grosvenor Gallery will be opened to the members 

 of the Society on Sunday, July 25, and to the public on .Sunday, 

 August I, by tickets to be had on written application as ab^ve. 



On Saturday the Geologists' Association and the West Londoa 

 Scientific Association make a combined excursion to Croydon 

 and Riddlesdown. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past fortnight include a White-throated Capuchin (Cdns hypo- 

 Uncus) from Central America, presented by Miss Baker ; a 

 Toque Monkey (Macacus pilmlus) from Ceylon, presented by 

 Mr. H. P. Brenan ; a Brown Bear (C'rsus arctos) from Asia, 

 presented by Mr. Chas. Overbeck ; a Pig-tailed Monkey [Macaciis 

 nemestrinus) from Java, presented by Mr. W. C. Lawes ; a 

 Macaque Monkey {Macaciis cyiioniolgiis) from India, presented 

 by Mr. T. H. Adey ; a Black -eared Marmoset (Hafale feriicillala) 

 from South-East Brazil, presented by Mr. G. Mantell; three 

 Slender Loris (Loris gracilis) from Ceylon, presented by Lord 

 Lilford, F.Z.S. ; a Dingo Dog (Cattis dingo) from Australia, 

 presented by Lord Ernest Gordon ; a White Pelican (Fdicanus 

 onocrotalus) from North Africa, presented by Mr. J. Simonds ; a 

 Musky Lorikeet (Trichoglossus concinnm) from Au tralia, pre- 



