Vov. 25, 1880] 



NATURE 



87 



tte difference of tcmpemtuyc between the liquid in ebullition and 

 thk condensed liquid. The weight of liquid condensed in unit 

 tirie is independent of the interior pressure or of tlie mean tem- 

 pewture during distillation. Analysis shows that tlie gases 

 ha-\e no power of solution on one another. M. Pictet was thus 

 led to an industrial process for reclification of spirits. 



GEOGRAPHICAL , NO TES 



At the meeting of the Geographical Society on Monday, Sir 

 Bartle Frere read what may best be described as a suggestive 

 paper on Temperate .South Africa as a route to the Central 

 Equatorial Region. After defining the temperate region as tlie 

 vast tract of country extending to Cape Frio on the Atlantic 

 coast and to the mouth of the River Tugela on the op^-osite side 

 of the continent, and giving a brief account of its geography, 

 &c. , Sir Bartle addressed himself chiefly to the task of pointing out 

 how it could be made available as a base of operations in exploring 

 the country north of the Zambesi, and suggesting agencies which 

 might be turned to account for the extension of s;eographical 

 knowledge. These agencies are the traders and hunters, who 

 have a wide acquaintance with many regions otherwise unknown, 

 and missionaries of various denominations. The lattei have no 

 less than eighty-four fixed stations beyond the colonial bound- 

 aries, manned by 81 2 Europeans, many of whom are highly- 

 cultivated and intelligent men, and have great opportunities for 

 acquiring geographical information. Sir Bartle Frere also hoped 

 that the Council of the Society might see their way to urging the 

 Government to undertake a proper survey of the coast-line, as 

 well as of the interior of the five colonies. 



At the meeting of the Berlin Geographical Society on Novem- 

 ber 6 the safe arrival of I'r. Lenz at Timbuctoo (by a route not 

 before taken by any European) was .announced. Two of his 

 followers were lost in the desert, and t .vo had gone bick. Dr. 

 Stecker (who lately went tc Massowah vilh Herr Rohlfs) will, 

 according to circumstances, either push through the Galla regions 

 or to the East coast, or to the Great Lakes. Major v. 

 Mechow reached a town on the Quanza, in the territory of the 

 Hollo, about 2CO km. from Malange on July 19, after great 

 difficulties, especially in carriage of the boat. The natives w^ere 

 friendly throughout. A little .above the place reached are the 

 two last falls of the (luanza, between which is the mouth of the 

 Cambo. The Major seems to have been the first white to visit 

 these waterfalls. He was going to Lopung with a view to 

 determine the course of the Quanza. Dr. Fogge and Lieut. 

 Wissmann were also travelling in tiiat regi3n the same month, 

 intending to reach Mussumba, the residence of the Muata 

 Jambo ; Dr. Pogge's object is to establish stations in the interior. 

 Lieut. Wissmann will make journeys for topographical and 

 collecting purposes. The Italian traveller. Dr. Matteucci, is 

 seeking to reach Bomu from South Dar-For, going round 

 Wadai and Bagirmi. Inter alia the Society resolved to memo- 

 rialise the German Government to take part in the international 

 project of systematic Polar investigation. 



At the sitting of November 19 of the Socicte de Geographic 

 of Paris M. Zweifel received the palm of Officer of the Academy 

 as a reward for the discovery of the sources of the Niger, in 

 company with M. JIarius Moustier. The laureate declining to 

 speak himself, an address w as delivered on behalf of him and his 

 companions by Dr. Harmand, the well-known explorer of 

 Cochin China. It appears that MM. Zweifel and Moustier saw 

 a granite rock from which the pow rful stream takes its rise ; 

 but they were not admitted to the site, owing to the high 

 priest of Tembi Saleh, who inhabits an island situated on 

 a small lake formed by th" stream at a very few miles from its 

 source. So something more remains to be done to complete 

 the work begun by Laing, Reade, and Blyden. 



Sir Allex Young leaves England next month in his yacht, 

 and will visit, among other places, the Canary Inlands, a portion 

 of the West Coast of Africa, and St. Helena, extending his 

 voyage as far as the Cape, where he will make preparations and 

 inquiries for a projected expedition of discovery to be undertaken 

 by him to the Antarctic regions. It will be remembered that 

 the Erebus and Terror, commanded by Sir J. Ross and Capt. 

 Crozicr, penetrated in 1841 to 78° 4 S., a latitude which has 

 never been reached before or since. 



The November number of Pelermann' s Miltheihingcn has a 

 long papei by Spiridion Go_cevic, containing his ethnographical 



studies in Upper Albania. A very fine map embodies the 

 important results of Severzov's exploration of the Pamir in 187S, 

 with accompanying text, followed by an account of Lieut. -Col. 

 Pjevzov's JDurney through Mongolia in 187S-9, to Kuku-Choto 

 and Kalgan. A summary is given of the Arctic work of 1880, 

 followed by the usual monthly notes. 



The first Bulletin of the recently-formed International Geo- 

 graphical Institute at Berne consists of a programme of the 

 projected Italian Antarctic Expedition under Lieut. Bone, which 

 is to le.ave Genoa in March 18S1. A sketch is given of what has 

 been previously done in this region, showing that the field is 

 practically virgin so far as scientific work is concerned. The 

 programme of the Italian expedition is very comprehensive, and 

 the ultimate object is to pave the way for the establishment of an 

 Antarctic observing station. 



No. 3 of vol. iii. of the Deutsche geographiiche Blatter, the 

 organ of the Bremen Geographical Society, contains the con- 

 tinuation of the unfortunate Dr. Rutenberg's journal in 

 Madagascar, and the lecture given at the Danzig meeting of the 

 German Association by Dr. Neumayer on " Polar Expeditions 

 or Polar Research?" To the latter able lecture we referred 

 last week, the point insisted on being that while the two are 

 perfectly congruous, the former should be subjected to the latter, 

 which must be carried out on the system of Polar observatories 

 advocated by Weyprecht, and to which nearly every civilised 

 nation adheres except England. 



The new number of the Marseilles Geographical Society's 

 Bulletin contains a very voluminous account by Messrs. Zweifel 

 and Moustier, of their expedition to the sources of the Niger. 

 This memoir is illustrated by a map showing their route, and 

 supplemented by an appendix containing information as to the 

 natural resources of the country traversed, the races of the 

 interior, &c. 



The last part of Le Globe contains a paper (with map) on the 

 Island of Cyprus, by M. Paul Chaix, and some account of 

 recent researches in the Pamir, furnished by M. Veniukoff. 



In the current number of les Missions Catholijues, M. Arm- 

 brusterhas commenced a series of papers on Corea, drawn from 

 information furnished from time to time by the Romish mis- 

 sionaries, the only Europeans who h.ave ever had any opportunity 

 of acquiring a real knowledge of the interior. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Oxford. — The preliminary examination in the Matural Science 

 School begins on Monday next, November 29. The Final Honour 

 School begins on Monday, December 6. 



The Brakenbury Scholarship in Natural Science at Balliol 

 College has been awarded to Mr. William Stroud, from Owens 

 College, for proficiency in physics and chemistry. Proxime 

 aeeesslt Mr. A. D. Hall, from Manchester Grammar School. 

 Mr. J.J. Hart, Manchester Grammar School, and Mr. J. E. 

 Marsh of Balliol, are honourably mentioned. 



ON 



A METHOD- OF DETERMINING THE 

 CRITICAL TEMPERATURE FOR ANY 

 IIOUID AND ITS VAPOUR WITHOUT 

 MECHANISM ' 



APIECE of straight glass tube— 60 centimetres is a con- 

 venient length— is to be filled with the substance in a state 

 of the (greatest purity possible. It is to contain such a quantity 

 of the° substance that, at ordinary atmospheric temperatures, 

 ab-jut 3 or 4 centimetres of the tube are occupied by steam of 

 the substance, and the remainder liquid. Fix the tube in an 

 upright position, with convenient appliances for warming the 

 upper 10 centimetres of the length to the critical temperature, or 

 to whatever higher or lower temperature maybe desired; anl 

 for warminf a length of 40 centimetres from the bottom to some 

 lower temperature, and varying its temperature conveniently at 

 pleasure. ., , , c 



Commence by warming the upper part until the surface of 

 separation of liquid and steam sinks below 5 centimetres from 

 the top. Then warm the lowest part until the surface rises 



I By Sir William Thomson, Biitish .^5Soc;,^^ion, Sw.in5=n, Section A. 

 Tuesday, August 31. 



