ytme 25, 1874] 



NATURE 



153 



before June I next, in order to allow ample time to draw up a 

 report on the replies for consideration at the Conference. 



It seems advisable that, as above stated, the action taken at 

 Vienna should be carefully reconsidered under several heads 

 which will now be recapitulated. 



I. Ohcn'ii/hi:is. — In respect of this subject it will be most 

 convenient to take the " Abstract Log" of the Brussels Confer- 

 ence, and to discuss the several subjects of observation therein in 

 the oi-der of sequence of the columns. 



Cols. I and 6. Date and position of the observations. — Is it 

 your opinion that a fresh column should be 

 added, headed "Course and Distance by 

 the Log in every Watch of four hours " ? 

 ,, 7 and S. Currents. 



,, 9 Magnetic variation. — Is it desirable to give 



an additional column for the " Direction of 

 Ship's Head" ? 

 ,, 10 and II. Wind, direction and iorce. — Is it possible to 

 employ an anemometer at sea so as to give 

 trustworthy results ? Can the use of the 

 Beaufort Scale be made universal ? 

 ,, 12 and 13. Barometer. — To what degree ol minuteness 



is it necessary to observe this instrument ? 

 ,, 14 and 15. Thermometer — Dry bulb and wet bulb. — 

 Should these observations be required from 

 all ships ? 

 ,, 16. Forms and direction of clouds. — Is this 



column sufficient, or should any notice be 

 taken ot more than one stratum of clouds ? 

 ,, 17. Proportion of sky clear. — Is it not advisable 



to substitute for ihis heading "Proportion 

 of sky clouded '' ? 

 ,, iS. Hours of rain, fog, snow, &c. — Is it desirable 



to retain this heading, or to substitute for it 

 and No. 23 a column headed — "Weather 

 by Beaufort Notation " ? 

 ,, 19. State of the sea. — Should this be given accord- 



ing to a numerical scale ? 

 ,, 20. Temperature of sea surface. 



,, 21. Specific gravity of sea surface. 



,, 22. Temperature at depths. — Is it desirable to 



retain these two last columns, or can the 

 observations when taken be inserted in the 

 column for " Remaiks " ? 

 ,,• 23. Weather. See No. iS. 



,, 24. Remarks. 



II. Inslrumcuts. — What patterns of instruments should be 

 employed for any observations which may require them ? Is 

 .here a reasonable possibility of introducing the metric and cen- 

 tigrade systems for general use at sea ? 



III. Ijisiiuctions. — Is it possible to devise a general form of 

 instructions to ensuie uniformity in regard of methods of obser- 

 vation and registration? 



IV. 0/wi-z'frs. -What control should be exercised over the 

 observers as to their instruments and registers ? Is it desirable 

 that all instruments employed should be the property of the cen- 

 tral establishment, and /in/ to the observers? 



V. Co-vpcralion of the Royal N'avy. — To what extent can 

 ships of war assist; in. forwarding the ends of meteorological 

 inquiry ? 



VI. Discussion. — Can general suggestions be thrown out as 

 to the most profitable mode of discussion of the observations ? 



VII. Sttltjcrts of Iiiijiii?y. — To what extent can a division of 

 labour as regards sulijects of inquiry be carried out in a spirit 

 of fairness to the collecting and discussing establishments respec- 

 tively ? 



VIII. Sailing Direclions. — In how far are purely practical in- 

 vestigations, such as the preparation of sailing directions, admis- 

 sible for a scientific institution ? 



Any gentleman into whose hands this programme may come, 

 and who is himself not likely to attend the Conference, is re- 

 quested to forward any remarks he may wish to make on any of 

 the subjects mentioned herein to Mr. Scott, at the above address, 

 before July i, 1S74. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The Jouninl of thi Chemical Society for May contains the fol- 

 lowing papers communicated to the Society : — On the action of 

 bromine on alizarin, by W. H. Perkin. Alizarin heated in a 



sealed tube with a solution of bromine in carbon disulphide 

 yields monobromalizarin,. CjjILBrO,. This latter substance 

 lieated with acetic anhydride gives diacetobromalizarin, 

 Ci4HiBr(C.,H.,0)204, and with nitric acid a mixture of phthalic 

 and oxalic acids, while free bromine is given off. Specimens of 

 cotton prints showing the difference in the shade of colour pro- 

 duced by alizarin and bromalizarin v/hen used as dyeing mate- 

 rials accompany the paper. — Note on the action of trichlor- 

 acetyl chloride upon urea, by Raphael Meldola and Donato 

 Tommasi. The authors have obtained tiichloracetyl urea 



CO • -vju '" ^ • — Researches on the action of the copper- 

 zinc couple on organic bodies. Part V. On the bromides of the 

 defines; and Part VI. On ethyl bromide, by Dr. J. 11. Glad- 

 stone and A. Tribe. The couple acts upon dry ethylene bromide, 

 producing ethylene by double decomposition ; in presence of 

 alcohol the decomposition is explosive. The action of the couple 

 is the same either in presence of alcohol or water, and the fact 

 that these substances facilitate the action is explained by the 

 authors by the solvent action of these liquids on the film of zinc 

 bromide formed on the surface of the couple. Propylene and 

 amylene bromides are decomposed in a similar manner, yielding 

 the corresponding olefines. With regard to the action of the 

 couple on ethyl bromide the authors are of opinion that ethylo- 



C H ) 



bromide of zinc - ,,". ! Zn is always formed, and this on further 



heating produces zinc ethyl and zinc bromide or two semi-mole- 

 cules of ethyl may decompose with the formation of ethane and 

 ethylene. In presence of water or alcohol ethane is always pro- 

 duced according to the reactions : — 



-j3^fZn + H,0= j3^[ 



Zn -^ CIL 



■ B? r" + ■ H S ° = Br 1 2" + C^H^ 



— The agglomeration of finely-divided metals by hydrogen, by 

 Alfred Tribe. Copper, palladium, and platinum in a finely- 

 divided state agglomerate when Iiydrogenised. By way of hypo- 

 thesis the author suggests that the minute particles of the metals 

 are surrounded by layers of liquid hydrogen which coalesce.— 

 The last paper is by Andrew Fuller Ilargreaves On the sponta- 

 neous comtjustibility of charcoal. The maximum amount of 

 oxygen is absorbed from the atmosphere within three days after 

 carbonisation, so that from that time charcoal may be used for 

 gunpowder without danger, but up to that period spontaneous 

 combustion is liable to occur. About three-fourths of the journal 

 is devoted to foreign abstracts. 



Transactions of the Manchester Geological Society, vol. xiii. 

 Part IV. — The papers in this part are the following : — On coal- 

 cutting machinery, by Mr. W. II. J. Traice ; Additional notes 

 on the millstone grit of the parish of Halifax, by Mr. James 

 Spencer ; On Permian and Trias, by Mr. E. W. Binney, 

 F. R.S., ; On Pleistocene mammalia found near Castleton, 

 Derbyshire, by Mr. J. Plant, F.G.S. 



Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, vol. iii. No. 5. — 

 Besides an account of some of the excursions made by the Asso- 

 ciation during 1S73 the numljer contains the following papers, 

 abstracts of which have been given in our reports of the So- 

 ciety's proceedings : — On some fossils from the Margate chalk, 

 by J. W. Wetherell, with illustrations ; On the valley of the 

 Vezere, Perigord, its limestones, caves, and Prehistoric remains, 

 by Prof. T. Ruptrt Jone.s, F.R.S. ; On ammonite zones in the 

 Isle of Thanet, by F. A. Bedwell. The last-mentioned occu- 

 pies a large part of the number, and is illustrated. 



F.nllitin of the Essex [Salem, U.S.) Institute, vol. iv., 1S72. 

 — The principal papers in the Bulletin of this very efficient 

 Institute for 1872 are a communication from Mr. S. A. 

 Nelson On the Meteorology of Mount Washington, the main 

 purpose of which is to show the advantages for meteorological 

 purposes mountain-stations ofter over those less elevated ; and a 

 "Catalogue of the Mammals of Florida, with notes on their 

 Habits, Distribution," &c., by C. J. Maynard. — The Bulletin 

 for 1S73 contains more papers of scientific interest than that of 

 the previous year. — The first paper is a short one, by Dr. A. S. 

 Packard, On the glacial phenomena of north-east America com- 

 pared with those of Europe. — There is a short but interesting 

 statement by Mr. J. H. Emerton of the results of his observa- 

 tions on worms of the genus Nais. — Mr. S. M. Allen contri- 

 butes a paper On ancient and modern theories of light, heat, and 

 colour. — Mr. H.Herrick contributes a Partial Catalogue, of con- 



