June 20, 190; 



NATURE 



187 



that the application of duplicate fans on one upcast shaft 

 would result in great economy. 



On Friday Mr. Austin Hopkinson discussed the reform 

 of British weights and measures. Mr. J. T. Brown 

 described the methods of working the thick coal of 

 Warwickshire, expressing, incidentally, the opinion that 

 coal seams exist more or less continuously, but at great 

 depth, under the large tract of country between the South 

 Staffordshire and East Warwickshire collieries. Mr. D. M. 

 Chambers gave an account of the mining of ozokerite at 

 Boryslaw, in Galicia. Mr. C. .Sandberg drew some general 

 conclusions regarding the origin of the geological struc- 

 ture of South Africa. His conclusions are as follows : — 

 The main directions of mountain-folding pressures have 

 been nortli and south and east and west, the result of the 

 former being predominantly evident in the central zone and 

 that of the latter on the periphery of South Africa. These 

 orogenic forces worked simultaneously, and together built 

 up the tectonic structure of South Africa, which may thus 

 no longer be regarded and studied as the outcome of manv 

 different and local, that is, comparatively insignificant, 

 causes, that have worked independently of one another. 

 These systems of forces acted on all the strata of the 

 geological systems, from the Primary upwards, either at 

 different periods, or possibly during one long period, when 

 there was active deposition of the younger sediments in 

 one place and denudation of the older in another. The 

 origin of poorten (gaps in mountain ranges), river vallevs, 

 and pans is traceable to the same causes which produced 

 anticlines and syndines, brachy-synclines, basins or domes, 

 that is, to fold-producing pressures, the former set of 

 phenomena being, in fact, only modifications or diminutives 

 of the latter. 



.\nother paper on .South .African geology was contributed 

 by Mr. A. R. Sawyer, who gave some information regard- 

 ing the general geological conditions obtaining in the New 

 Rand goldfield in the Orange River Colony. The last 

 paper was by Mr. H. W. O. Ilalbaum, who discussed the 

 contradictory formul.t given by various authorities for the 

 strength of cast-iron tubbing, and proposed a rational 

 formula in which the action of corrosion as well as of 

 the pressure to which the tubbing is subject is taken into 

 account. In connection with the meeting, visits were 

 arranged to the generating station of the Great Western 

 Railway at Park Royal, and to the Portland cement works 

 at Northfleet. The next meeting of the institution will be 

 held at Sheffield on September 4, 5, and 6. 



THE PLANET SATURN. 

 C.Vl URN has now become well visible as a morning 

 star. The rings being turned nearly edgeways to the 

 earth, the belts in both hemispheres may be observed to 

 advantage. The irregular markings can also be satisfac- 

 torily seen, as there will be practically no interference 

 from the rings. 



This planet is perhaps more utilised as a " show " 

 object than as a subject for critical study by observers. 

 There is no doubt, however, that it is well calculated to 

 repay the most diligent attention. It is true that there is 

 rarely an outbreak of such magnitude on the disc as that 

 which affected the \. tr niperate region of Saturn in the 

 summer of 1003. In fact, it would appear that reallv 

 \vell-marked instances of irregular spots among the dark 

 belts or bright zones are by no ineans frequent. Prof. 

 Barnard said that the spots which he discovered in iqoj 

 V ere the first he had ever distinguished upon the planet, 

 :ind certainly these particular niarliings were the first that 

 had been clearly and satisfactorily seen bv the writer, 

 though he had been observing Saturn for more than thirtv- 

 live years. 



It is extremely probable that the real surface of Saturn, 

 like that of Jupiter, is hidden from our view. We cannot 

 therefore determine the rotation period of the planet's 

 actual globe, but only of the dense vapours floating above 

 it and forming its atmosphere. These vapours are 

 obviously influenced by great differences in velocity, the 

 period nf the N. temperate latitude being twenty-three 

 minutes longer in too; than the equatorial region in 

 1.S76-7. It is very desirable to ascertain the rates of 



NO. IQ64, VOL. 76] 



velocity of the various latitudes, as has been done in the 

 case of Jupiter. To this end the planet should be examined 

 frequently at every opposition, so that, whenever any 

 visible disturbances present themselves, a large number of 

 tiieir transits across the central meridian may be taken. 

 In certain years, according to the best testimony, the belts 

 are apparently smooth and even with no interruptions or 

 irregularities due to dark and light spots. Visible atmo- 

 spheric disturbances no doubt occur on Saturn more often 

 than is supposed. Jupiter's envelope presents very frequent 

 '.videntes of eruptions and irregularities capable of pro- 

 ducing very conspicuous and in some cases long-enduring 

 spots. To Saturn, therefore, the most beautiful planet of 

 our system, we may naturally look to afford us fuller in- 

 formation as to his surface currents if observers will but 

 keep a critical eye upon the physical aspect of the object 

 as seen in good telescopes. W. F. Denning. 



THE IXTEKNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE 



STUDY OF THE SEA. 

 T^HE sixth meeting of the International Council for the 

 -*■ Study of the Sea was held at the Foreign Office in 

 London on June 13 and 14, when delegates and experts 

 representing Norway, .Sweden, Finland, Russia, (iermany, 

 Denmark, Holland', Belgium, and Great Britain w^ere 

 present and took part in the discussions. The meeting 

 was formally opened at noon on June 13 by Sir Edward 

 Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign .Affairs, who was 

 accompanied by Lord Carrington, President of the Board 

 of .\griculture and p-ishcries. Prof. Otto Pettersson. of 

 Stockholm, vice-president of the council, occupied the chair 

 in the absence of the president, Dr. Herwig, of Hanover. 



Sir Edward Grey said that from the necessities of our 

 geographical situation and of our associations we have a 

 natural interest in everything that concerns the sea. We 

 have a great interest in the practical side of the labours 

 of the Council, and are not deficient in interest in the 

 scientific side as well. The British Government has shown 

 the interest which it Jittaches to work of this kind by 

 continuing for another year its subscription to the work of 

 the Council. It must be a question of increasing interest 

 as to whether the means of capture of fish in the sea, and 

 the increase of the demand, are tending to overtake the 

 natural supply. It is, of course, impossible to deal w'ith 

 this subject adequately simply by legislation within our 

 own territorial waters, because the territorial limits of the 

 sea have been arranged without any special regard to the 

 habits of the fish, and the habits of the fish have been 

 arranged by nature without any special regard to territorial 

 limits. Therefore, whatever measures may be taken for 

 ourselves, and whatever separate investigations other 

 countries may make for themselves, if any question arises 

 as to how the protection of fish in the North Sea can be 

 controlled, encouraged, and preserved, it must form the 

 subject of discussion between the different countries which 

 are interested in the high seas. 



Prof. Pettersson said that five years have passed since 

 the commencement of the international investigation of 

 the sea and eight years since the lines of the researches 

 were laid down by the conference in Stockholm. The 

 bounty of the Governments has supplied the means to 

 carry on the work of investigation on a larger scale than 

 has perhaps ever before been employed in scientific enter- 

 prise. The Council is convinced that the statesmen of 

 Great Britain were well advised when they engaged their 

 country to participate in this international work, of the 

 ultimate success of which the Council feels assured. The 

 British Government has taken the wise and just decision 

 to devote a year to an inquiry in order to gain a sure 

 ground for its future action. This work the Council leaves 

 fn the hands of the British Government with the utmost 

 confidence. 



Dr. Lewald (Germany) said that the German Govern- 

 ment was of opinion that investigations must be continued, 

 and that some form of international cooperation was re- 

 quired. M. Hamman (Belgium) and Commander Drechsel 

 (Denmark) also spoke. The subsequent proceedings of the 

 Council were conducted in private. 



In connection with the meeting of the Council, Prof. 



