April 1 6, 1874] 



NA TURE 



469 



the most threatening signs appeared, the mercurial 

 barometer sanlc to 29'6o. On the 14th similar indications 

 showed themselves at St. Thomas — rain, squalls, and 

 thunder; while on the night of the 15th the barometer 

 suddenly fell to 2970, and a violent gust of wind from the 

 north caused many of the natives to barricade their 

 windows in anticipation of the worst. This state of things 

 lasted till next day at noon, when the mercury rose and 

 the sky cleared. 



But by this time the cyclone, now only about a hundred 

 miles to the east of the islands, had fully formed itself; 

 and henceforth its course was only too clearly marked by 

 the damage it caused among the shipping. From August 

 17 to 24 it passed north, with a westerly inclination, 

 till it fell in with the course of the Gulf Stream, above 

 Florida, and then followed that line, but gradually nearing 

 the coast, up to Nova Scotia, where the ravage was tre- 

 mendous, upwards of a hundred vessels having been 

 either dismasted, or rendered total wrecks. Further 

 north the cyclone seems to have expanded into an ordi- 

 nary storm and disappeared. 



These particulars I gathered from the captains of the 

 injured vessels, some of which took refuge in this port. 

 They are illiterate men, and not capable of furnishing 

 exact details ; but all agreed in describing the wind-cur- 

 rent as having been from north to south by west, and so 

 back by east to north ; the lowest barometric indication 

 I heard speak of was 29°. 



The second cyclone originated in the Carribffian Sea 

 itself, to the west of Barbadoes. Telegrams of threaten- 

 ing weather dated September 25 reached us at St. Thomas ; 

 and on the 26th the aspect of matters here was gloomy ; 

 the sky murky, especially to the south, with continued 

 flashes of lightning, and a very heavy sea. But the 

 hurricane did not touch Santa Cruz ; its first long-shore 

 visit having been made on the 28th at Haiti, where 

 several small ships were lost, and much mischief done. 

 Jamaica escaped ; but on the 30th the whole southern 

 coast of Cuba was ravaged from east to west, and many 

 lives lost by sea and shore. From Cuba the cyclone con- 

 tinued to pass west till it reached the Mexican coast, 

 which it skirted, then turned east, touching Havanna on 

 October 4, Florida on the y.h, and thtn, following the 

 Gulf Stream, was lost in mid-ocean. Its greatest fury 

 was in the Gulf of Mexico itself, where the injury done to 

 the shipping almost equalled that caused off Halifax by 

 the gale of August 24. 



Some disquietude has also been caused here at St. 

 Thomas by the frequency of slight earthquake shocks, of 

 which I counted five within a period of forty days. The 

 two strongest occurred on July 22 and August 12 ; in 

 both instances the movement appeared to pass from east 

 to west ; it was accompanied by a distinct rumbling 

 sound. The shock of August 12 occurred at S. 15 r.M , 

 and was within a few seconds followed by another, but 

 slighter. In two instances, June 16 and August 27, a 

 slight shock at this island had been preceded, about an 

 hour and a half before, by a stronger one at Jamaica : so 

 that the general direction of the movement must have 

 been contrary to the apparent surface vibration from west 

 to east. 



I may add that the whole of this island is manifestly 

 undergoing a gradual upheaval, as appears by the wave- 

 woin rocks of recent date, but already two or three feet 

 above water mark ; sea-shells and corals left dry, and 

 similar indications. Hence the artificial channel opened, 

 for purposes of cleansing by means of the current thus 

 established, between the south-western extremity of the 

 harbour and the outer sea, and which is in itself a clean 

 cut, twenty feet wide, through a narrow band of rock, has, 

 since 1S70, when it first was made, lost so much of its 

 depth as scarcely to allow of boat-passage ; and threatens 

 at no distant period to become absolutely useless. 



W. G. P.M-CRAVE 



NOTES 



' The well-known German serial, Poggendorffs Annalcn dir 

 Physik unci Chemit has now been in existence fifty years, and we are 

 glad to see that practical recognition has just been taken of the 

 striking fact that it has, during this long period, been under the 

 sole editorial direction of Prof. Poggendorff, while printed and 

 publislied by the same house in Leipzic. It was agreed, a short 

 time since, by a number of friends of the learned professor, that 

 they should relieve liim of his editorial duties for one volume, 

 and that this should be presented to him in honour of the occasion, 

 as a " Jubelband," or Jubilee volume. The importance of the 

 work done by M. Poggendorff and his collaboratatrs, during half 

 .1 century, through the Annalcn, is sufficiently obvious to any who 

 have taken an interest in the progress of physical science in recent 

 years. Tlie serial well reflects that enterprise, plodding in- 

 dustry, and philosophical insight, which mark original research 

 in Germany ; and the 156 volumes that have appeared (six of 

 these supplementary) constitute an invaluable storehouse for any 

 one desiring to prosecute new lines of investigation in the wide 

 field of physics. We learn from the preface to the Jubilee 

 volume (which we hope to notice at greater length) that 

 the entire number of papers published in the Annalcn 

 hitherto is 8,850 ; and among the 2,167 authors who have con- 

 tributed to its pages, we find the eminent names of Liebig, 

 Magnus, Berzelius, Rammelsberg, Rose, Faraday, Brewster, 

 Becquerel, Regnault, and many others. A work of this kind, 

 as is truly remarked, unites those engaged in similar researches 

 all over the world, into one large brotherhood of mutual assist- 

 ance and regard. We corigiatulate the learned editor on the 

 completion of such a long term of arduous and honourable ser- 

 vice to Science, and heartily join in the wish that this Jubilee 

 volume maybe followed by 'many others edited by the " Jubilar" 

 himself. 



We are given to understand that preliminary negotiations are 

 on foot for the establishment of a centml establishment for 

 Ocean Meteorology in Germany. We may hope that when such 

 a step is in contemplation, the work done by Herr von Freeden, 

 who has for the last seven years conducted the Norddeutsche, 

 lately called the Deutsche, Scewarte, at Hamburg, will meet 

 with its full measure of recognition. The establishment in 

 question has been maintained at the sole expense of the town 

 of Hamburg, and has risen steadily from a small beginning to 

 its present state of thorough efficiency, thanks, in great measure, 

 to the energy of its director. 



In the review of Belt's "Naturalist in Nicaragua " by Mr. 

 Wallace, p. 221, reference is made to the theory of the origin of 

 cyclones propounded by the aullior in terms which miglit lead 

 our readers to think that his views have been entirely unnoticed. 

 Such is however not the case, and our attention has been drawn 

 to Prof. Reye's woik "Die Wirbelsliirme, &c., in der Erd- 

 Atmosphiire, mit Beriicksichtigung der Stiirme in der Sonnen- 

 Atmosphare" (Hanover 1872), in which Mr. Belt's views are dis- 

 cussed at some length, with an expression of regret that so little 

 attention has been attracted to them. 



The Turners' Company of the City of London have acknow- 

 ledged the debt which their Art owes to pure scientific research, Ijy 

 presenting the freedom and livery of tint Company to Dr. John 

 Phillips, F.R.S-, Professor of Geology in the University of Ox- 

 ford, in recognition of his introduction into architecture of the 

 various materials which constitute the rocks of England. Mr. 

 John Jones, a member of the livery, said the City of 

 London was always willing to bestow its honours on 

 successful generals, conspicuous statesmen, and devoted patriots 

 —and the tributes were honourable to both sides — but that 

 was the very first cc^ajion on which they had offcrcu 



