320 



NA TURE 



[Feb. 3, 1 88 1 



lectured in the Bohemian language ou petrography at the Uni- 

 versity of Prague. He was a diligent and iuccessful worlcer in 

 science, and his microscopical researches have made his name 

 familiar to mineralogists far beyond the boundaries of his native 

 coimtry. He has left a monograph on the porphyries ready for 

 printing. Science has lost in him a devoted student, and the 

 Bohemian nation regrets the death of one of its best sons. 



The Ttntes announces the death of Jlr. William White, a well- 

 known chemist and mining authority. Mr. White was the 

 author of numerous works, including the "History of Chemistry," 

 " Economy of Health," "Chemistry of Vegetation," "Chemistry 

 for Students," " Hints from a Chemist," " Mineral Resources 

 of Newfoundland," &c , and was for over half a century a constant 

 contributor to scientific literature. He had held at different 

 periods lectureships on metalhirgy and chemistry at various edu- 

 cational establishments, and had earned for himself a reputation 

 as a lecturer and writer on agricultural chemistry. He died in 

 London on Sunday last, at the age of seventy-one, from a 

 painful disease contracted while conducting experiments in his 

 laboratory. 



The Prussian Government, according to Berlin papers, intends 

 to purchase the Godefifroy Museum at Hamburg for the Berlin 

 Anthropological Museum. The former is ore of the most 

 interesting zoological and anthropological collections, particularly 

 with regard to Eastern Asia and the islands of the Pacific; it 

 was formed by the Hamburg firm of that name by means of 

 special scientific expeditions during the last decades. 



The Senatus of Glasgow Univer.-ity has just been presented 

 with a portrait of the Very Rev. Principal Caird, the esteemed 

 head of the University, and Mrs. Caird with a replica. The 

 portraits are the gift of subscribers belonging to all religious and 

 political parties, and are the works of Mr. Millais, R.A. The 

 Principal is rej resented in academic dress, and the likene-s is 

 very striking. The portrait presented to the Senatus will be 

 placed in the University library, the walls of which are already 

 adorned with likenesses of former principals and professors. 



M. Mariette, better known as Mariette Bey, the celebrated 

 Egyptologist, has died in Alexandria. M. Maspero, his pupil. 

 Professor of Egyptology to the College de France in Paris, has 

 been appointed by the Egyptian Government to fill the place 

 vacated by the death of M. Mariette. 



A PROPOSITION has been made by the Operator and other 

 electrical papers of the United States to open at New York an 

 international exhibition of electricity in 1S82. It is stated that 

 the United States Congress will vote a sum of money to 

 subsidise the .American exhibitors at the exhibition of this year 

 in Paris. 



The Royal Commission appointed in 1879 ''^ inquire into the 

 cause of accidents in mines have concluded the taking of evid- 

 ence. The attention of the Commis-iun is now directed to a 

 series of experiments as to the explosive nature of coal dust, as 

 to the best kind of safety lamp, and as to other matters designed 

 to elucidate the causes of explosions. It is proposed that some 

 experiments shall take place to test the efficacy of the electric 

 light as an illuminating power in mines. 



The Committee formed for the exploration of the remarkable 

 holes, which have recently appeared on the surface of Blackheath, 

 have been negotiating with an experienced well-sinker, and intend 

 to commence active operations in the course of a few days in the 

 hope of finding a clue to their origin. Contributions in aid of 

 the work, from persons interested in the investigation, will be 

 gladly received by the honorary treasurers of the Committee— 

 Dr. Prior Purvis, Landstown Place, Blackheath, or Mr. E. W. 

 Brabrook, F.S.A., director of the Anthropological Institute, 28, 

 Abingdon Street, Westminster. 



Ordinary Meetings of the Sanitary Institute of Great 

 Britain, 9, Conduit Street, W., for ihe reading of papers and 

 discussion upon sanitary matters, will be held during 1881 on the 

 second Wednesday in the months of February, April, and June, 

 chair to be taken at eight o'clock precisely. At the first meeting, 

 February 9, a paper will be read by W. H. Michael, Q. C, upon 

 " The Law in Relation to Sanitary Progress," to be followed by 

 a discussion. 



An earthquake was felt over a considerable area of Switzer- 

 land on January 27. It w-as felt with varying degrees of intensity 

 at Berne, Muensingen, Thun, Basle, Solothurn, Zurich, Bienne, 

 Oberhofen, and Aarberg. The principal shock occurred at 2.20 

 in the afternoon, Berne mean time. A slight shock was 

 observed at three o'clock the same day, and another equally 

 slight at six the following Friday morning. According to a 

 report of the Berne Observatory the first and principal shock 

 was in the direction from eart to west, with a slight northerly 

 devi.tion. The oscillation was both vertical and lateral, and 

 according to some accounts, was preceded by a rumbling sub- 

 terranean sound. Its intensity may be judged from the facts 

 that the chimes in the church clocks were made to strike and the 

 bells to toll, books were thrown from their shelves, and pictures 

 detached from the walls, while in Berne alone more than 100 

 chimneys were thrown down. This is the twenty-fourth earth- 

 quake that has been recorded in Switzerland since November, 

 1879, and is probably the most severe. 



A SHOCK of an earthquake was felt at S p.m. on January 

 24 at Bologna, Florence, Venice, Padua, Ferrara, &c. At 

 Bologna there were also slighter shocks at midnight, and at 8 

 and 9.15 a.m. next day; while Florence likev^ise had a second 

 shock at 7.53 a.m. on the 2Sih. 



In a recent number of the fournal de Physique, of which the 

 late M. d'AImeida was so long the editor, the following interest- 

 ing episode is narrated : — During the investment and siege of 

 Paris by the German armies in thewinter of 1S70-71 M. d'AImeida 

 took a prominent part in certain attempts to re-establish tele- 

 graphic communication between Paris and the provinces, using 

 the River Seine as a conductor. This suggestion originated with 

 M. Bouibouze (of galvanometer fame), who was, after the war, 

 created a chevalier for his suggestion. It was proposed to send 

 powerful currents into the River Seine from batteries at the 

 nearest available point outside the German lines, and to receive 

 in Pari-, by delicate galvanometers, from the river such a portion 

 ol these currents as might not have leaked into the earth. After 

 some preliminary experiments had been made between the Hotel 

 de Ville and the manufactory of M. Claparede at St. Denis, by 

 Professors Desains, Jamin, and Berthelot, it was decided to 

 make the attempt, and accordingly on December 17, 1870, M. 

 d'AImeida was despatched by balloon to the provinces in order 

 to try to establish this novel mode of telegraphy without wires. 

 The balloon descended after sundry perils in the Arcadian soli- 

 tudes of Champagne outside the Prussian lines. Thence he pro- 

 ceeded via Lyons and Bordeaux to Havre. Not finding suitable 

 appliances and apparatus, there was again a delay in sending to 

 England for the necessaries, which on arrival were conveyed to 

 Poissy, where M. d'AImeida regained the banks of the Seine on 

 January 14, 1871. Here however the frost proved inimical, the 

 river having been frozen hard since the beginning of December. 

 The attempts at communication were however to have been made 

 on January 24, when the armistice was proclaimed. It was too 

 late ; ami the world missed a famous scientific exploit from 

 amongst those which made the siege of Paris notable beyond all 

 other sieges of history. 



M. Jules Ferry, French Minister of PubHc Instruction, and 

 JI, Tirard, Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, paid an 



