May 2, 1912] 
NATURE 23 
said of the standard traverses. The regulations 
of the department (1908) admit the same closure 
error, 20" for the triangles of both the major and 
minor triangulation ; but doubtless in the new 
second order work the average error is much less. 
Magnetic and seismographic records were 
regularly obtained at the observatory at Christ- 
church, and progress was made with the reduction 
of the observations of the magnetic survey, though 
no mention is made of an extension of the field 
work. The most important seismograph traces are 
reproduced. 
Tide gauges are in operation at ten ports, and 
the methods of reducing the observations are dis- 
cussed. To economise time and labour mechanical 
computation is largely employed, and mechanical 
plotting of coordinates with the aid of a co- 
ordinatograph is about to be introduced. In this 
connection we note the commencement of precise 
levelling at Wellington, but neither the instru- 
ments nor the permissible differences in the work 
are mentioned 
The report of the Colonial Survey Committee 
for the year 1910-11, dealing with the surveying 
work which is being carried out in the Crown 
colonies and in Ceylon, contains much interesting 
information, and shows a steady improvement in 
peur work. Thee ae onlend | established in 1885 and directed up to the time of his 
measurement and work connected with it in ten 
colonies amounted to about 65,o00l., besides 
about 80,000]. which was expended by Ceylon. 
Everywhere the need for accurate surveys is 
felt, and in every colony where work has been 
done cadastral (landed property) surveys are in 
progress. For these a higher accuracy for control 
is needed than for topographical surveys, which 
are on smaller scales and do not deal with so 
sharply defined boundaries. The employment of 
trustworthy triangulation is steadily increasing, 
but still it is in progress in five only of the nine 
colonies which report that cadastral surveys are 
being carried on. For some colonies the accuracy 
of the work is stated, and triangular closing errors 
Of 22eto) 16! for second order triangulation and 
of 8” to 12” for third order triangles speak of ex- 
cellent work done under conditions which are fre- 
quently most trying. There are some survey 
departments which do not report on the accuracy 
of their work in this way, and the value and 
interest of the report would be greatly increased 
if not only the angular precision were stated but 
generally the accuracy, the rate, and the cost of 
the different classes of work. 
The number of control points available for the 
detail survey is also a matter of great interest to 
surveyors, and the interchange of such informa- 
tion on a systematic plan, as is done in the reports 
of the survey of Indian and of most foreign sur- 
veys, would be of much value. In Fiji a base-line 
19,320 ft. in length was measured with a probable 
error of field observation of 1 in 4,000,000, but 
including errors arising from coefficient of error 
and temperature of the tape and of standardisa- 
tion, the probable error of the base is put at 1 in 
260,000. 
NO. 2218. voL. 89] 
The stereophotographic method of sur- , presidency of Johns Hopkins University, 
vey is being employed here for iuthiee on the 
scale of 1: 31,250 with 1oo-foot contours. 
Cyprus appears in the report for the first time, 
and here a cadastral survey of the landed property 
in the island has been commenced, as required by 
the law passed in 1909 for the revaluation and 
| registration of property in the land; it is based on 
a triangulation originally executed for topo- 
graphical purposes, and will therefore need some 
revision to make it adequate as a control of the 
registration of small Race El, Goes 
NOTES. 
Tue first conversazione of the Royal Society 
this year will be held in the rooms of the society 
Burlington House on May 8. 
for 
at 
Dr. C. H. Reap has been elected president of the 
Society of Antiquaries for the ensuing year. 
WE regret to see the announcement of the death, 
on April 28, of Mr. J. Gray, honorary treasurer of 
the Royal Anthropological Institute and examiner at 
the Patent Office. 
Ir is stated in Science that the late Prof. Abbott L. 
Rotch has bequeathed to Harvard University the 
Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, which he 
death. He has further provided an endowment fund 
of 10,000l. 
On Friday, May to, the third May lecture of the 
Institute of Metals will be delivered by Sir J. Alfred 
Ewing, K.C.B., F.R.S., on “The Inner Structure 
of Simple Metals.’’ Cards of invitation admitting to 
the lecture can be obtained on application to Mr. G. 
Shaw Scott, secretary of the Institute of Metals, 
Caxton House, Westminster, S.W. 
THE annual dinner of the Society of Engineers 
(Incorporated) will be held at the Criterion 
Restaurant, Piccadilly Circus, W., on Saturday, 
May 11, when Mr. John Kennedy, the president, will 
talke the chair. Among those who have promised to 
attend are Sir Wm. H. M. Christie, K.C.B., F.R.S., 
Sir David Gill, K.C.B., F.R.S., Sir Maurice Fitz- 
maurice, chief engineer to the London County 
Council, Mr. Alexander Siemens,  past-president 
Inst.C.E., and Mr. H. P. Boulnois, chairman of the 
Royal Sanitary Institute. 
Tue Royal Meteorological Society will meet at 
Southport at the end of next week, by invitation of 
the Mayor and Corporation. On Saturday, May 11, 
a popular lantern lecture, ‘“‘A Chat about the 
Weather,” will be given by Mr. W. Marriott, and on 
| Monday, May 13, there will be visits to the Marsh- 
side Anemograph Station and the Fernley Observa- 
tory, Hesketh Park, succeeded by a meeting of the 
society, at which the papers to be read are :—Results 
of hourly wind and rainfall records at Southport, 
1902-11, by Mr. J. Baxendell; the south-east trade 
wind at St. Helena, by Mr. J. S. Dines. 
Dr. Ira REMSEN has sent in his resignation of the 
Baltimore, 
