July 29, 1880] 



NATURE 



307 



nearly parallel (see p. 140 of the paper above referred to). The 

 ordinate in all these cases is the thermoelectric power. 



The special feature here is the period of silence at the neutral 

 point of N and steel, viz., about 250' C. 



This observation agrees remarkably well with the theory that 

 the initial sound in the case of steel is due to its permanent mag- 

 netism ; for, according to Faraday, steel loses its coercltive force 

 about the temperature of boiling almond oil. See also Marshall 

 (Pi-oc. R.S.E., 1S71-72, p. 605). On cooling, owing doubtless 

 to the fact that exposure to a high temperature had softened the 

 steel, which was very hard to begin w ith, no period of absolute 

 silence appeared, and beats were heard. 



It was difticult to distinguish whether the note at E and F was 

 or was not due to the singing of the Bunsen flame. The ob- 

 servations, on cooling, exactly corroborated those taken during 

 heating. 



It appears to me that these experiments establish that a series 

 of sounds are produced by the passage of a varying current 

 through magnetised iron, nickel, and cobalt, which depend on 

 the fact of their magnetism. They are apparently of the same 

 nature as those observed heretofore in magnetising and demag- 

 netising iron. 



I believe that the phenomena above described explain the excep- 

 tional power of iron wires of considerable thickness, as sounders 

 in the wire telephone. When the iron wire is very thin it is 

 most likely that the effect obtained with thin wires of ordinary 

 metals predominates, and it is possible that the magnetic effect 

 may in that case be very small. I cannot say, however, that I 

 have settled this point, which clearly involves an experimental 

 difficulty. 



At all events I hope the above observations will be of suiScient 

 interest to attract notice to a subject which has not been much 

 studied lately, notwithstanding its important bearings on the 

 theory of the telephone, and what is of more scientific import- 

 ance still, the theory of magnetism in strongly-magnetic bodies, 

 a department of physics which stands in as much need of 

 additional light as any that I know. G. Chrystal 



INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGY 



XI 



'HE International Meteorological Committee appointed by 

 the Congress of Rome (1S79), will hold its first meeting at 

 Berne on the gth proximo. 



The following is the programme of questions to be considered 

 by the Committee : — 



1. Report on the action of the Committee since the date of tlie 

 Congress at Rome. 



2. Report of the Polar Conference (Weyprecht's project) held 

 at Hamburg in October, 1S79. 



3. Proposed Conference for Agricultural Meteorology, sum- 

 moned for September 6 at Vienna. 



4. Proposed comparison of the Standard Instruments of the 

 chief Observatories of Europe. 



5. Proposed Catalogue of Meteorological Observations and of 

 Meteorological Works and Memoirs in all languages. 



6. Proposed International Tables for the reduction of obser- 

 vations. 



7. Proposal for an International Meteorological Dictionary. 



8. Report on the Meteorological Organisation of England in 

 1877, being a Supplement to the Fifth Appendix to the Report 

 of the Roman Congress. 



9. Proposal by Capt. Hoffineyer for an International Tele- 

 graphic Service for the North Atlantic. 



10. Proposal respecting the exchange of Meteorological Publi- 

 cations by post. 



The Circular concerning the meeting, which is issued by Prof. 

 Wild and Mr. Scott, requests all persons wishing to make any 

 communications to the Committee to address them to Mr. Scott, 

 at 116, Victoria Street, during the current month. 



A private Conference on the relations of Meteorology to 

 Agriculture and Forestry w ill be held at Vienna on September 6. 

 The following is the programme of subjects for discussion : — 



1. What are the mutual relations of the meteorological 

 elements on vegetation, not only those which are proved to 

 exist, but those which are theoretically supposed to be probable ? 



2. What observations of meteorological elements are to be 

 particularly attended to, with especial reference to then- influence 

 on vegetation ? 



3. How far, and in what way, can meteorological observa- 



tories and stations, without interfering with their other work, 

 include these observations in their sphere of operation ? 



4. Would it not be useful with a view of establishing special 

 systems of observations for this object, as, for instance, pheno- 

 logical observations, to prepare general instructions ? 



5. Can, at the present moment meteorological central offices 

 issue weather forecasts for the use of agriculture, with reasonable 

 prospects of utility, and if this question is answered in the 

 affirmative, how can the service be organised as fully as possible ? 



Preliminary materials for the answers to these questions will 

 be found in the Reports of Dr. Lorenz and Dr. Bruhns to the 

 Roman Congress on Article 35 of the Programme. These 

 Reports have also been published separately in Gernmn, and 

 partially in French in the collection issued by the Central Office 

 at Rome of all Reports presented to the Congress. In the latter 

 volume the Report of M. Denza on the same subject is to be 

 found. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



A town's meeting was held at Liverpool last week for the 

 purpose of hearing a report from the committee appointed a year 

 or two ago as to the progress of a scheme for establishing a 

 University College in Liverpool. The report showed that in 

 spite of bad times a very gratifying readiness had been exhibited 

 on the part of a number of the leading residents of Liverpool 

 to contribute to the necessary funds, several of whom had 

 promised sums of 10,000/. each for the endowment of different 

 chairs. The Earl of Derby had also promised a similar sum, 

 the result being that 80,000/. was already insured. The col- 

 lege is to be upon the broadest basis, being non-sectarian, and 

 offering no disabilities of any kind to intending students. A 

 resolution was moved thanking donors to the fund, pledging the 

 meeting to the furtherance of the scheme, and recommending 

 that the different classes and businesses of the tovra should form 

 themselves into committees for the purpose of canvassing. 



In reply to a question by Sir J. Lawrence on Monday as to 

 the embarrassed position of the United College of St. Andrews, 

 Sir W. Ilarcourt stated that the Government would consider the 

 report during the recess, with a view to making some proposal 

 early next session. 



A COMJIITTEE is to be appointed to inquire as to the existing 

 establishments which are available for intermediate and higher 

 education in Wales. 



The Superior Council of Instruction in France has terminated 

 its second session. The most notable feature has been the 

 introduction of descriptive natural history in the eighth class, 

 that is, in the first step of classical education. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Annalen der Phydk ttnd Chemie, No. 6. — On electric expan- 

 sion, by G. Quincke. — On the thermal and optical behaviour of 

 gases under the influence of electric discharges, by E. Wiede- 

 mann. — On the electro-magnetic rotation of the plane of polari- 

 sation of light in gases, by A. Kundt and W. C. Rontgen. — On 

 the theoiy of inconstant galvanic elements, by F. Exner. — On the 

 specific heat of water, by A. Wiillner. — On the specific heat of 

 mixtures of acetic acid and water, by M. A. von Reiss. — On a 

 changed form of my proof of Maxwell's law of distribution of 

 energy, by O. E. Meyer. — Researches on heat-conduction in 

 liquids (continued), by H. F. Weber. — On anomalous disper- 

 sion in glowing sodium-vapour, by A. Kundt. — On a simple 

 method of galvanic calibration of a wire, by V. Strouhal and 

 C. Barus. — Explosive actions by ice, by Ed. Hagenbach. — On 

 the funnel-valve in evacuated tubes, by W. Holtz. 



No. 7. — Experiments on stationary vibrations of water, by 

 G. Kirchhoff and G. Hansemann. — On the nature of galvanic 

 polarisation, by W. Beetz. — Key for electric circuits, by the 

 same. — On electric expansion (continued), by G. Quincke. — 

 Experiments for detennination of an upper limit for the kinetic 

 energy of the electric current, by H. R. Hertz. — On fluores- 

 cence, by E. Lommel. — Researches on heat-conduction in liquids, 

 by H. F. Weber. — On the transverse vibrations of a bar of 

 variable cross-section, by G. Kirchhoff. 



