Dec. 4, 1873] 



NATURE 



93 



We have recently had occasion to notice the fact that the plans 

 of the new observatory at Cincinnati, U.S., had been approved, 

 and were about being caiTied into execution. It gives us plea- 

 sure to record the rapid progress that has been made in this 

 work, as evinced by the fact that on tlie 28th of August the 

 corner-stone of the new building now in process of erection on 

 Mount Lookout was laid with becoming ceremonies. The site 

 chosen for the new observatory is about four miles north-east of 

 that on Mount Adams, where the original observatory, founded 

 l)y Trof. O. M. Mitchell, was established. The corner-stone 

 that was laid in 1843'onthat elevation by John Quincy Adams has 

 lieen carefully removed to the new site, and appropriately forms 

 the corner-stone of the new equatorial pier. The observatory 

 has, by means of a tripartite agreement with the city and th,- heirs 

 of Nicholas Longworth, now passed into the hands of the Cincin- 

 nati University. The proceeds, amounting to 50,000 dols., realised 

 on the sale of the property on Mount Adams have been in- 

 vested for the support of the art department of tlie university. 

 The city, however, has pledged itself to maintain the observatory 

 wlien once tstablished, and the establishment has itself been 

 hastened by the liberality of Mr. John Kilgour, who has given 

 four acres of ground as a site for the new building, and added 

 10,000 dols. for the latter. The site is admirably adapted for the 

 purpose of the institution. It is one of the highest points in the 

 county, commanding a beautiful and extended view, and it is not 

 likely that the difficulty experienced at the old site from the 

 smoke and vapours of the city will for a long time if ever, 

 trouble the astronomers on Mount Lookout. The new edifice 

 faces south, having a width of about sixty feet, a depth of ninety 

 feet, and two wings, making the breadth through the wings about 

 one hundred feet. One of the wings will be used for the meri- 

 dian instruments ; and in the centre of the building, on a brick 

 pier thirty-six feet high and seventeen feet in diameter, will rest 

 the big telescope. The building will be two stories high, except 

 in the centre, where the revolving turret of iron for the equato- 

 rial will add half a story. The structure is to be of pressed brick, 

 v;ith freestone trimmings. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's collection during 

 the last week include an Arabian Baboon (Cynocephalus /ia?na- 

 dryas) from Arabia, presented by Miss Sandon ; a Wild Cat 

 (Felis catus) from Scotland, presented by Sir T. Riddell, Bart. ; 

 three Gray's Terrapins {Clemmys fj-ayi), and some Moorish 

 Tortoises (TcstuJo mauritanua) from Persa, presented by Hon- 

 E. Ellis ; an African Goat (Capra hiiciis) from Bedah, presented 

 by Mr. J. A. Croft ; a Macaque Monkey (Macaais cyno/nolgiis) 

 from India, presented by Lady Stirling ; two Blue-throated 

 P.arrots (Pioiius sordidiis) from Venezuela ; an Active Amazon 

 (C/tiysolis agilis) from Jamaica, and a Blackish Sternothere 

 {Sternothoerus subnigcr] from Madagascar, purchased. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The Journal of Mental Scieme, October 1873. This journal 

 is still occupied with only medico-psychological subjects. The 

 Morisonian Lectures on Insanity for 1S73 begun in this number 

 are of great interest, and mark the advance of Science in this 

 painfully important branch of knowledge. Nothing, we think, 

 can be more evident than that Dr. Skae proceeds on a scientific 

 principle when he attempts to classify the various forms of in- 

 sanity according to the bodily disease or condition, as far as it 

 can Ije ascertained, which proceeds or accompanies the insanity. 

 And it is surprising that even Dr. Maudsley should be foinid 

 among those who cavil at Dr. Skae's classification, instead uf 

 adopting his principle and making the most of it. With insanity 

 Science has made a beginning, but that is all.— In an article by 

 Dr. J. T. Dickson on " The Functions of Brain and Muscle Consi- 

 dered in Relation to Epilepsy " we have a rather singular hypo- 

 thesis concerning the functional relation of the brain to the muscu- 

 lar system. We cannot afford to indicate this curious theory ; 

 we doubt if we quite understand it ; but we can inform the scien- 



tific world generally, on the authority of Dr. Dickson, that what 

 they have been in the habit of believing on this subject " is not 

 only improbable, but impossible." Dr. Ilughlings Jackson has, 

 it seems, been at the pains to quote against Dr. Dickson some 

 passages from Herbert Spencer's Psychology ; but he could have 

 little known with whom he had to deal. Dr. Dickson quietly 

 remarks— " From this it would seem that Spencer holds some- 

 what the same, though the untenable view." Was there ever a 

 finer example of how completely original ideas can free a mind 

 from the degrading thraldom of authority ? Does Spencer differ 

 from me ' why then that is the worse for Spencer. — The article of 

 most general interest is " The Morbid Psychology of Criminals," 

 by Dr. D. Nicolson, continued from last number, and stdl un- 

 finished. It abounds in valuable observations, and good practi- 

 cal common sense. When in prison criminals offer good oppor- 

 tunities for observation, but we do not perceive that their 

 "emotional displays" can with strictness be said to mark any- 

 thing specially morbid. From all that is said, we cannot 

 gather more than that criminals are like the much larger class to 

 which they generally belong, namely people of a low type of 

 mind. The unfortunates that find their way into our prisons are, 

 we regret to think, far from the only people who cannot help 

 insanely acccusing others of wicked designs against them ; whose 

 minds are lawless and undisciplined ; who must have their 

 " breakings out ; " and for whom, when they become intolerably 

 insolent and violent, "a good drubbing on the spot" would be 

 the most appropriate medicine. People, when inclined to 

 what they ought not to do will not be deterred by the fear 

 of punishments that aie not painful, or which are too distant to 

 act on their dull imaginations. This leads to large considerations, 

 but we can only say that it would be a great matter for social 

 progress if our tender-hearted philanthropists — those who busy 

 themselves with theories of home, school, and prison discipline, 

 distributing gratis wonderful receipts for the painless cure of all 

 bad habits — could be brought to understand a little better than 

 they do the real nature of the material on which they have to 

 work. The review of the Lunacy Blue Books will be found 

 interesting; also "Antiquarian Scraps relating to Insanity," by 

 Dr. T. W. McDowall. 



Jotintal of the Royal Geological Society of frcland, vol. xiii.. 

 Part 3, for the session 1S72-73, contains E. T. Hardman on the 

 occurrence of gypsum in the Keuper Marls, near Coagh, Co. 

 Tyrone. — Prof. T. Rupert Jones, on some Foraminifera from the 

 chalk of the North of Ireland. — P. S. Abraham, notes on the 

 geology of the Hartz. — Prof. Macahster, a description of two 

 Veddah skulls, and Presidential address (which latter gives an 

 able summary of the work done by German petrologists with the 

 object of determining the mineral constitution and structure of 

 plutonic, metamorphic, volcanic and other rocks by the aid of 

 the microscope). — Prof. E. HiUl, on the microscopical structure 

 of the Limerick carboniferous Trap Rocks, and on the micro- 

 scopical structure of Irish granites. — Col. Meadows Taylor, the 

 Coal fields of Central India. — R. J. Ciuise, Analysis of the 

 Leitrim coal, remarks on the coal area of the district. — Dr. 

 Studdert, on the Lough Allen coal from the Arigna District, Co. 

 Leitrim. — G. H. Kinahan, on the carboniferous ingeniie rocks 

 of the County Limerick. — E. T. Flardman, on the occurrence of 

 siliceous nodular brown Haematite (Gdthile) in the carboniferous 

 limestone beds near Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, &c., and on an 

 analysis of whi e chalk from the County of Tyrone, with notes 

 on the occurrence of zinc therein. — Rev. Dr. Macloskie, on the 

 silicified wood of Lough Neagh. — Dr. Tichborne, on the 

 formation of crystalline minerals having the spherical foiin. 



The 2nd and 3rd numbers of the 7th volume of the Canadian 

 Naturalist commence with a paper by Dr. Dawson on impres- 

 sions and footprints of aquatic animals and imiiative markings 

 on carboniferous rocks, those considered being invertebrate. The 

 paper originally appeared in Sillima?i's Journal. — Mr. G. F. 

 Miithew continues a description of his impressions of Cuba, and 

 enters into detail respecting the botany of the island. — Mr. 

 Whileaves gives an account of a deep-sea dredging expedition 

 round the island of Anticosti, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in 

 which upwards of 100 species of marine invertebrata new to the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence weie added to the previously recorded 

 fauna. — Dr. Dawson also contiibutes a paper on the geological 

 relations of the iron ores of Nova Scotia, considering first the 

 bedded ores of the Lower Helderberg series, and of Nictaux and 

 Moose River ; next the veins of iron ore of the East River of 

 Pictou, Shubenacadie, and other parts. — Di'. Nicholson, of 

 Toronto, describes some new fossils from the Devonian rocks of 



