172 



NA TURE 



\yan. I, 1874 



of the time announced for their reception. Of these 102 me- 

 moirs, only 33 were judged worthy of serious examination. But 

 no one has gained the famovis prize of 25,000 francs, which the re- 

 fore reverts to the testator's family. As to the priie of 5,000 

 francs, it will probably be divided among various competitors 

 who have presented interesting memoirs. 



At the Annual Meeting of ihe Institution of Civil Engineers, 

 held on December 23, it was stated that on the 30th November 

 last, the number of members and associates was 1,994. On the 

 subject of finance, it was stated that during the last fo urte en 

 years the savings had amounted to something like 2,000/. per 

 annum, on the average. The receipts are now nearly 9,000/. per 

 annum, while the ordinary expenditure was only 6,000/. per 

 annum. What with trust funds, investments, and cash balance, 

 the Institution has 30,233'. 8f. dd. at its disposal. The library 

 numbers 10,443 volumes. 



We would draw the attention of our London readers to the 

 advertisement in this week's Nature with regard to the Junior 

 Philosophical Society, meeting at 6.^, Victoria Street, S.W. We 

 believe we have had occasion to speak of it before, as one whose 

 object and method of work are commendable. 



The January number of Petermann's Ccogyaphisclies MittlicU- 

 ungcn, contains a contribution by Dr. Nachtigal giving valuable 

 details concerning the various Pagan tributaries to the kingdom 

 of Baghirmi. Dr. Meyer gives some statistics of the inhabitants 

 of the Philippine Islands, whose number he estimates at 

 7,451,352. In the same number is a communication from 

 Dr. Miklucho-Maclay, dated Batavia, October 25, 1873, in 

 which he maintains lliat the Papuas and Negritos belong to the 

 same race, notwithstanding that the former arc dolichocephalic, 

 and the latter brachycephalic. 



The principal article in Guido Cora's excellent Italian Geo- 

 graphical Journal Cosmos, is on "Recent Expeditions to New 

 Guinea." 



The " Second Report of the Committee on Boulders ap- 

 pointed by the Royal Society of Edinburgh," contains much 

 interesting infjrmation which will no doubt be idtimately of 

 service to geologists. 



We have received tlie first number of T/tc Argonaut (Hodder 

 and Stoughton), a journal started by " a number of j'oung fellows 

 who are just entering on the bolder thoughts or the more active 

 duties of manhood," for the purpose of discussing questions in 

 which all earnest young men tike an interest. It professes to be 

 rlevoted to no party either in religion, politics, or philosophy. 

 It is edited by Mr. George Gladstone, F. C. S., and this first 

 number contains an Introduction by Dr. Gladstone, F.R. S. The 

 contents are varied and mostly interesting. 



The Opening Address to the Geological Association, by the 

 president, Mr. Henry Woodward, F.R.S., has been printed as 

 a supplemental number of the Proceedings. The Address is a 

 survey of what has been done in geology during the past twelve 

 months. 



" The Glaciation of the Northern Part of the Lake Dis- 

 trict," is the title of a paper by Mr. J. Clifton Ward, reprinted 

 from the Quarterly Journal of the Geological SocUty. 



The Memorial Diplomatique states that the Italian Consul at 

 the Piraeus has informed his Government that M. Theodore 

 Tubini, b.>nker, at Atlieus, has obtained a concession for cutting 

 a canal through the Isthmus of Corinth. The principal clauses 

 of the c inces'.ion are that the canal shall have a miniiinim depth 

 of 8i metres (27 ft.), and a width of 12 metres (39 ft.) at the 

 bottom. Half-way tlirough the canal is to be a dock of 30,000 

 square metres in extent, and of sufficient depth to receive the 

 largest vessels. Tli: canal is to be completed in six years. The 



concession is for 99 years, and a deposit of 12,000/. is to be paid 

 immediately after the Greek Parliament has approved the con- 

 cession. The estimated cost of the undertaking is 800,000/. 



The principal papers in No. 39 of the Journal of the Scottish 

 Meteorological Society, are " The Report of the Committee ap- 

 pointed to investigate the Relation of the Herring Fishery to 

 Meteorology," an abstract of which has been given in our report 

 of the Society's meeting, and a valuable paper by the Rev, 

 W. Clement Ley, " On the Mean Inclination of Winds towards 

 the Lower Isobarics." The Journal contains, as usual, the 

 admij-ably compiled quarterly Meteorological returns from the 

 Society's numerous stations. 



We have received a reprint from the " Proceedings of the 

 Geologists' Association" of Mr. Henry Hick's paper on the 

 "Classification of the Cambrian and Silurian Rocks. 



Part III. of vol, xxii. of the "Transactions of the North of 

 England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers " con- 

 sists entirely of an elaborate and valuable paper on the geology 

 of the ReHesdale ironstone district, by Mr. G. A. Lebour, of the 

 Geological Survey. It is accompanied by two useful maps of the 

 district. 



An aerolite. Iron says, weighing about twelve pounds fell in 

 the vicinity of Marysville, Cal., on the 24th of August, which 

 was so hot that it could not be handled for some time. It came 

 crashing through the tree tops with a bright flash, and was found 

 buried eight feet in the gi-ound. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include an Asiatic Wild Ass [Equus onag:r) from 

 S. W. Asia, presented by Capt. II. L. Nutt ; an Anubis Baboon 

 (Cyiiocephalus anubis) and a Patas Monkey (Ccrcopithecus ruber) 

 from W. Africa, presented by Mr. A. E. Oakes ; a Bonnet 

 Monkey (UTacacus radiatus) from India, presented by Mr. F. E. 

 Bradley ; a Hybrid Duck (between i A'lx spoiisa and 9 A. 

 galcricnlata), p'esented by Mr. J. C. Parr ; a Yarrell's Curassow 

 (Crax yarrclli) from S.E. Brazil, and a Coypu (I\fyopotamus 

 coypus) from S. America, purchased. 



SCIENCE IN KONIGSBERG 



AyE havelbefore us the Schriften cler A'ciiiglichcn Physikalisch- 

 Okonomisrhen Gcscllscltaft zii Kdnigsbo g,ia'! 1871-72, inwhich 

 is to be found a considerable amount of useful scientific obser- 

 vations, both of local and general interest. Dr. Berendt, who, 

 along with some coadjutors, has been engaged in preparing a full 

 geological map of Prussia, and in other geognostic researches, 

 describes a specimen of immature amber brought from the sea- 

 bottom on the Samland coast. Under a wrinked and brittle 

 crust, the resinous substance was soft, transparent, and highly 

 elastic. From some similarity of physical properties (not com- 

 plete, however). Dr. Berendt inclines to identify it with a fossil 

 reiin found by Bergemann in brown coal of Lattorf, and de- 

 scribed under the name of kranzit. The sp. gr. of the new 

 substance is 0*934 ; it is insoluble in alkalies, spirit of wine, oil 

 of turpentine, soluble in sulphuric acid ; it begins to melt at 

 300°; in air it burns with a luminous sooty flame, giving a 

 peculiar smell ; it is free of sulphur, but contains a little nitrogen, 

 like amber and some kinds of asphalte. 



The same author has given much attention to the formation of 

 amiier in Prussia, and in an earlier number of the Schri/lcn 

 (iS6g, first part) will be found a very full investigation, by him, 

 of the suliject. In one of the jiresent numbers he gives an 

 account of preparations lately made for subterranean mining of 

 ihe substance in Samland. Hitherto this meihod has not been 

 adapted, and on two accounts chiefly ; the nature of the super- 

 incumbent strata (which are generally sand and clay), and the 

 high value of amber, which sufficiently repaid the other method. 

 The Government, however, has lent some aid, and in July 1S72 

 bo:ing was commenced at the southern base of Carlsberg, 

 where, at a depth of about forty-four metres, blue earth was 

 found containing amber in abundance. This is about 57m., 



