August 3, 1905] 



NATURE 



333 



hurst in England; and Kodaikanal in India; and are 

 sufficient for tht- present. 

 (S) Spcctrohfliograph. 



S Kensington, 

 Chicago, 



-' — -•- 1 Kodaikanal, 



( Catania (later). 

 {2) " I.imb " in " K " light ditto. 



At the fourth meeting further consideration was given 

 to the question of the solar observations which it is 

 desirable should be collected for the purposes of com- 

 parison. 



(i) It was resolved, that in connection with the observ- 

 ations of solar radiation, observations of the transparency 

 of the air should be made, more especially 



(a) on the visibility of distant and high mountains 



when possible ; 

 (h) photometrical observations of Polaris. 



(2) It was resolved that a circular be addressed to the 

 various meteorological organisations, asking them to send 

 to the secretary for the purposes of the commission a copy 

 of the publications of their offices embodying the data 

 specified in resolution of August iq, and that the organisa- 

 tions be also requested to obtain and forward copies of 

 similar publications from the colonies and dependencies of 

 their respective countries. 



(3) It was resolved that a circular should be sent in 

 the following terms : — The commission desire to direct 

 attention to the concluding paragraphs of Prof. Violle's 

 report to the International Meteorological Committee 1903, 

 and would be greatly obliged if the commission could be 

 informed of the arrangements for observing solar radi- 

 ation adopted at the observatories of the various meteor- 

 ological organisations and the methods employed to render 

 the observations comparable with those of other observ- 

 atories. 



(4) .Mr. Shaw reported that an apparatus for recording 

 solar radiation was in process of being established, and 

 tested at the Cambridge Observatory, and that Mr. W. E. 

 Wilson, of Daraniona, who had presented the apparatus 

 to the observatory, had promised a note upon the apparatus 

 for the information of the commission. 



.At the fifth meeting the question of the magnetic observ- 

 ations for the purposes of comparison was taken into 

 consideration. 



It was resolved in connection therewith : — 

 That the establishment of magnetical observatories in 

 about lat. 70° N. {e.g. Bosskop in Norway) and in very 

 high latitudes of the southern hemisphere is of the highest 

 importance for the advancement of science. 



Prof. Ricco informed the commission that it is intended 

 to establish in Italy or Sicily a magnetic observatory with 

 self-recording instruments belonging to the Italian Meteor- 

 ological Office. 



The secretary was directed to ascertain from the members 

 of the commission whether they consider it desirable that a 

 meeting should be held at Innsbruck next year (1905). 



It was also resolved that the secretarv should report to 

 the International Meteorological Committee the proceed- 

 ings of the meetings of the commission held here, and 

 ask that the proper steps be taken to bring before the 

 International Association of Academies their suggestions 

 relating to Government action. 



Letters from Messrs. Bigelow and Davis were read. It 

 w^as resolved that Prof. Pernter's letter should be trans- 

 lated and given in the proceedings. 



Prof. RicccS informed the meeting that he had been 

 charged by Prof. Rizzo to say that he will willingly 

 undertake to carry out any investigation the commission 

 mav be pleased to entrust to him, and it was resolved that 

 Prof. Rizzo should be thanked for his offer, and that a 

 written communication be addressed to him later. 



It was agreed that all communications for the com- 

 mission should be received at a central address, viz. the 

 Solar Physics Observatory, South Kensington. 

 It was further resolved that 



The commission considers it is desirable that the data 

 for the purposes of comparison should be sent to the presi- 

 dent of the commission, South Kensington (Solar Physics 



NO. 1866, VOL. 72] 



Observatory), for tabulation and comparison. The com- 

 mission attaches the greatest importance to this work, 

 more especially as it may lead to a practical system of 

 long-period forecasting, and hopes that if it be necessary, 

 an increase of staff at that observatory may be authorised 

 to bring all old observations up to date. 



The commission, after a vote of thanks to the presi- 

 dent, adjourned sine die. 



The commission has circulated in the appendix to its 

 report much valuable correspondence, but we have not 

 space to refer to it. 



With regard to the Innsbruck meeting, the following 

 members of the commission are expected to be present : — 

 M. A. Angot, Bureau Central M(5ttorologique, Paris ; Prof. 

 H. J. Angstrom, University, Upsala ; Prof. F. H. Bige- 

 low, Weather Bureau, Washington ; Prof. Birkeland, 

 University of Christiania ; Rev. P. R. Cirera, S.J., 

 Observatorio del Ebro, Tortosa, Spain ; Dr. W. G. Davis, 

 Oficina .Meteorologica Argentina, Cordoba, Argentine 

 Republic ; M. Dcslandres, Observatoire d'Astronomie 

 Physique, Meudon, Seine et Oise ; Sir John Eliot (secre- 

 tary), 54 Prince of Wales Mansions, Prince of Wales 

 Road, Battersea, and Bon Porto. Cavalaire, Var, France ; 

 Prof. G. E. Hale, (178 St. John .Avenue, Pasadena. Cali- 

 fornia, U.S.A. ; Hofrat Prof. J. Hann, XIX Hohe Warte, 

 Vienna; M. Janssen, Observatoire d'Astronomie Physique, 

 Meudon, Seine et Oise ; Prof. W. H. Julius, Rijks 

 Universiteit, Utrecht, Holland ; Prof. W. Koppen, 

 Deutche Seewarte. Holland ; Prof. S. P. Langley. secre- 

 tary of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington; Sir 

 Norman Lockyer (President), Solar Physics Observatory, 

 South Kensington ; Dr. W. J. S. Lockyer, Solar Physics 

 Observatory, South Kensington; Hofrat Prof. J. M. 

 Pernter. Hohe Warte, Vienna, .Austria ; Prof. Ricc6, 

 University de Catania, Sicily, Italy ; Prof. G. B. Rizzo, 

 University of Messina, Sicily, Italy; Prof. L. A. Rotch, 

 Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, Cambridge, Mass. ; 

 Sir Arthur Riicker, 19 Gledhow Gardens, S.W. ; Prof. 

 J. Scheiner, Kbnigl. Friedrich Wilhelms Universitat, 

 Berlin ; Dr. W. N. Shaw, Meteorological Office, 63 Victoria 

 Street, Westminster ; Prof. .A. Steen, Meteorological Insti- 

 tute, Christiania; Prof. J. Violle, Conservatoire des Arts 

 et M(5tiers, Paris; Prof. C. H. Wind, L^niversity of 

 Utrecht, Holland ; Prof. A. Woeikoff, St. Petersburg, 

 Russia ; Herrn Prof. Max Wolf, Grossherz Ruprecht- 

 Karls Universitat, Heidelberg, Germany ; Prof. .A. Wolfer, 

 Zurich Observatory, Switzerland. 



THE TE.XCHING OF PR.ACTIC.iL CHEMISTRY 

 AND PHYSICS.' 



T~\ R. FISCHER has set himself the almost limitless task 

 ^-^ of describing and comparing the various methods of 

 science teaching adopted by the principal nations of the 

 world, but he has succeeded in collecting a good deal of 

 useful and accurate information, which he has given in a 

 concise and interesting form. 



He deals with the present state of the teaching of physics 

 and chemistry in Germany, Austria, Hungary. Italy, 

 France, Sweden, Norway, Holland, Russia, Finland, Great 

 Britain. Ireland, and the United States of America. In 

 each instance he not only describes the methods of instruc- 

 tion now prevailing, but in a few words indicates the 

 gradual way in which all branches of science are slowly 

 but surely obtaining a recognised place in education. 



The chief point dealt with in connection with the teach- 

 ing of physics and chemistry is the establishment of prac- 

 tical classes for students in the secondary and other schools. 

 In this Great Britain. Ireland, and America are far ahead 

 of the other countries. In Germany, at the present time, 

 comparatively few schools, especially in South Germany, 

 have laboratories where the pupils themselves can carry 

 out experiments in chemistry and physics. Where such 

 practical work has been allowed, it has elicited much 

 interest from the pupils, even when the classes have had 



1 Abhandlunjen zur Didaktik und Philosophieder Naturwissenschaft. 

 Heft 3. " Der naturwissenschaftliche Unterricht bei uns und im Auslande." 

 By Dr. Karl T. Fischer. Pp. 72. Price a marks. Heft 4. " Wie sind 

 die physikalischen Schiiierubungen prakti^ch zu gestalten ? " By Herr 

 Oberlehrer Hahn. Pp. 67. Price 2 marks. (Berlin : Julius Springer, 1905.) 



