3o6 



NA TURE 



'\_yan. 27, 1 88 1 



the establishment of special institutions having no other object 

 than the search after new truth. Their administration would be 

 difficult. The right men can be found for the work, but can the 

 right electors be found ? Ardent searchers after a more intimate 

 knowledge of nature do still live, will ever live ; but what of 

 First Commissioners of Works like — but I need not name him ? 

 What of Lords of the Treasury who refused the request of a 

 great physicist for 150/. for the investigation of the tides? Vet 

 these gentlemen assist in governing a maritime state of some 

 importance. Such electors as these are not within my view, and, 

 if they were, how of the detailed management? Men given up 

 to research are not to be tied by the common rules of official 

 life ; to be compelled to report in annual bine books the exact 

 measure of work they have done ; to show how many drachms 

 of oil of vitriol they have used, and account for every ounce of 

 platinum. 



Special institutions will, be founded, but they will owe their 

 origin to private individuals like Sir Josiah Mason ; who, 

 having taken into their confidence the chiefs of the world of 

 science in making the appointments, will speak to the masters of 

 research in this wise : — 



" I have built a house for you replete with every requirement 

 for your work ; I have provided you with such assistants as you 

 have asked for; I have given you an income placing within your 

 reach every reasonable comfort. Occupy your lives in the study 

 of nature. If you succeed in your efforts to attain to new truth, 

 the world will be the gainer. If you fail, your efforts will be 

 enough reward for me." 



Such language as this will be surely one day heard. In this 

 fortunate town it is already heard. During the past year a 

 member of this Society, Mr. Fulford, has taken a houc, and, 

 having admirably fitted it up, has handed it over to our two 

 distinguished associates, Dr. Gore and Dr. Norris, in order that 

 they may enjoy at least the requisite structural conveniences for 

 the prosecution of research. This building is called the " Institute 

 of Scientific Research." 



I must, however, remind you_ that this noble enterprise 

 must be supplemented by some such efforts in the way of 

 endowment as those now made by this Society; and that those 

 who work even in the highest sphere are bound by the same 

 necessities as bind other men. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Annalen der Physik und Chemie, No. 12 (December, first No.), 

 — On the density and tension of saturated vapour, by A. Wull- 

 ner and O. Grotrian. — On the application of the electrodynamic 

 potential to determination of the ponderomotive and electro- 

 motive forces, by R. Clausius. — On friction in free liquid sur- 

 faces, by A. Oberbeck. — Simple methods and instruments for 

 resistance-measurements, especially in electrolytes, by F. Kolil- 

 rausch. — Influence of temperature on the phenomena of cliarge 

 of a liquid cell acting as condenser, by H. Herwig.^On the 

 modes of electric discharge in gases, by O. Lehmann. — On the 

 electric discharge in liquid insulators, by W. Holtz. — On electric 

 figures on the surface of liquids, by the same. — On the increase 

 of danger from lightning and its probable causes, by the same. 

 — On a microprismatic method for distinction of solid sub- 

 stances, by O. Maschke. — Note on Herr Weber's reply, by A. 

 Winkelmann. 



Reale IsHliito Lombardo di Scienze e Lettert. Rendiconti. 

 Vol. xii., fasc. xix. — The Leprosy of Upper Italy, especially of 

 Comacchio (continued), by Prof. Sangalli. — Influence of traction 

 and vibration of a metallic wire on its electric conductivity, by 

 Dr. de Marchi. — On a case of twisted neck ; a contribution to 

 the doctrine of transport of spinal influence and to establish- 

 ment of a hypothesis for its explanation, by Prof, de Giovanni. 



Zeitschrift fiir ■wissenschaftliche Zoologie, November, iSSo, 

 contains : Dr. H. von Ihering, on the affinities and kinship of 

 the Cephalopods. — Dr. J. Bellonci, on the origin of the optic 

 nerve and on the minute structure of the " tectum opticum " in 

 the Teleostei (Plates i and 2). — Dr. D. Sochaczewer, on the 

 organ of smell in the terrestrial pulmonates (Plate 3). — Dr. 

 Fritz Miiller, on the case-making Trichoptera larvte of the Pro- 

 vince of Santa Catharina (Plates 4 and 5), translated by his 

 brother. Dr. Hermann Miiller, from the memoirs in Portuguese 

 in the Archives de Museu National, Rio de Janeiro. — Dr. 

 William Marshall, researches in the sponge groups, Dysideida; and 

 Phoriospongije (Plates 6 to 8). — Prof. Dr. Krause, on two very 



early human embryos (Plate 9).— Dr. H. Simroth, on the ner- 

 vous system in the foot of Paludina vivipara, with a woodcut of 

 the nerves as dissected out. 



Rej'ue internalionale des Scurues biohgiqueSfiHecemba l&Zo con- 

 tains: — A. de la Calle, on the formation of language (continued). 

 — M. Decatte, microcephalism, from the point of view of atavism. 

 — M. Zaborowski, historical sketch of the relative knowledge 

 possessed by the ancients and in mediaeval times of the large 

 monkeys. — Notices of learned societies. — French Association 

 for the Advancement of Science (the Rheims Meeting). — The 

 Academy of Sciences, Paris. 



Schrifkn der physikalisch-okonomischen Gesellschaft zu /Cdnigs- 

 I'irg (1877, ii. ; 1878, i. and ii.). — These parts contain the 

 following papers : — On Baron von Richthofen's loess theory and 

 the alleged steppe character of Europe at the close of the Glacial 

 period, by Dr. A. Jentzsch. — Observations of the station for 

 measuring the fern; erature of the soil in various depths, at the 

 Konigsberg Botanical Gardens, by Prof. E. Dorn.— On the pre- 

 hi-toric-archceological work done by the Society, by Otto 

 Tischler. — On the commercial routes of the ancients to the 

 amber country, by Dr. Krosta. — On the physics .of the soil, by 

 Dr. von Liebenberg. — On the discoveries in prehistoric tombs at 

 Fiirstenwalde, by Otto Tischler.— On hair-covered human beings 

 and the abnormal growth of hair, by Prof. Ilildebrandt. — On 

 the marine fauna near the Prussian coast, by Prof. Zaddach. — 

 On the alleged steppe character of Central Europe, by Dr. 

 lentz-ch. — On the state of civilisation in Denmark during the 

 first centuries after Christ, by O. Tischler. — On Darwin's theory, 

 by Herr Czwalina. — On East Prussian burial-grounds, by O. 

 Tischler. — On the fauna of Madagascar, by Prof. Zaddach. — On 

 the intra-Mercurial planet, by Dr. Franz. — On the geological 

 maps at the Paris Exhibition, by Dr. Jentzsch. — On some special 

 geological maps of Germany, by the same. — On the principles of 

 the kinetic theory of gases, by Dr. Saalschiitz. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 



Chemical Society, January 20. — Prof. H. E. Roscoe, pre- 

 sident, in the chair. — The president announced that the Faraday 

 lecture would be delivered by Prof. Ileln-holtz in the Royal 

 Institution, On the Modern Development of Faraday's Concep- 

 tion of Electricity. The following papers were read : — On pen- 

 tathionic acid, by Mr. V. Lewes. The author has succeeded in 

 obtaining beautifully crystallised barium and potassium penta- 

 thionates by partially neutralising Wackenroder's solution and 

 evaporation in 7'acuo. — A preliminary note on some hydrocarbons 

 from rosin spirit, by Dr. Armstrong. Cymene, toluene, and 

 metaxylene were found to be present. The hydrocarbons in- 

 soluble in sulphuric acid are probably hexhydrides of hydro- 

 carbons of the benzene series. The author does not consider 

 that rosin is directly derived from terpene. — On the determi- 

 nation of the relative weight of single molecules, by Dr. Vogel 

 of San Francisco. — On the synthetical production of ammonia 

 by the combination of hydrogen and nitrogen in presence of 

 heated spongy platinum, by G. S.Johnson. About 0*0144 grm. 

 of ammonia were obtained in two and a half hours. — Gn the 

 oxidation of organic matter in water, by A. Downes. — Analyses 

 of Queensland soils, by Prof. A. Liversidge. These analyses 

 are interesting, as the soils include samples from districts which 

 were exempt from the disease prevalent in the sugar plantations 

 around. — On the volumes of some compounds of the benzene 

 naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene series, by Dr. 

 Ramsay. — On the atomic volume of nitrogen, by Dr. Ramsay. — 

 On a new theory of the conversion of bar iron into steel by the 

 cementation process, by Dr. Marsden. The author thinks that 

 carbon diffuses in an impalpable powder through the heated iron. 

 — On the action of sulphydrate of potassium on chloral hydrate, 

 by W. W. J. Nicol. Thioglyoxylic and thioformic acids are 

 formed. 



Zoological Society, January 18.— Prof. W. H. Flower, 

 LL.D., F.R.S., president, in the chau". — The Secretary read a 

 report on the additions that had been made to the Society's 

 Menagerie during the month of December, 1880, amongst which 

 special attention was called to a young female Red Wolf (Cam's 

 jiihatus) from the Argentine Republic, presented by Mr. W. 

 Petty of Monte Video, being the second example of this scarce 

 animal received, and to a Pig from Brooker Island, Louisiade 

 Archipelago, presented by Lieut, de Hoghton, of H.M.S. 



