158 



NA TURE 



\yune 25, 1874 



by the authors to meteorological agencies. These proportions 

 are nearly the same as those which liave come out from the dis- 

 cussions of similar facts for previous yesrs. Tlie paper next 

 deals with an objection whicli has been raised to the reasoning 

 in its predecessors, viz. that it is not fair to take the meteoro- 

 I')gical records lor Sionyhurst as a test of the atmospherical 

 jihenomena in a coalfield situated at some distance from tlie 

 observatory. The autliors show, by taking an instance of a baro ■ 

 metrical depression, whose centre pissed over Stonyliurst, and 

 which was accompanied by an explosion in South Wales, that 

 such an objection as tliat cited could never have originated with 

 anyone accustomed to deal with daily weatlier cliarts. Tlie 

 next question discussed was the alleged grciter prevalence of 

 explosions with certain winds ; and it was shown by the most 

 reliable data for our climate that the ordinary changes of pressure 

 and temperature in the windrose were hardly sufficient to account 

 for the explosions which are found to accompany the siu/den 

 changes of weather. Tlie paper proceeds with a discussion of a 

 diagram exhibiting the continuous curve of barometrical pressure 

 from Glasgow Observatory for the last nine months of 1873, and 

 a curve showing the prevalence of hre-damp in the miucs of the 

 West of Scotland district for the period. These latter returns 

 have been furnished by Mr. Galloway from the entries in the 

 books ordered to be kept at each mine, by the Coal Mine Regu- 

 lation Act, 1872. The books of thirty-five mines about Glasgow 

 have been used for the comparison. The two curves show a very 

 remarkable accordance in their course, though that of fire-damp 

 exhibits some striking irregularities, owing probably to the fact of 

 the men having been slow to learn the new duties required of 

 them by the Act. It may be expected that these irregularities 

 will disappear in future years. The result places it beyond the 

 possibility of a doubt that the escape of fire-damp is related 

 rcainly to the conditions of atmospherical pressure, and that a 

 careful watch over tha barometer is, above all, necessary in each 

 colliery, though one such record would suffice for several 

 adjacent mines. The paper gives some instances of ex- 

 plosions which might all have been prevented by proper 

 ventilation and by the use of safety-lamps, and states how 

 pressing the need is that safety-lamps only should be used 

 in all places where fire-damp may accumulate, whenever the 

 atmosphere is in a disturbed condition, as shown by the record 

 of the birometer and thermometer. The authors conclude by 

 stating their conviction that it is not too much to ask those 

 cliarged with the responsibility of the safety of miners' lives to 

 learn the first principles of the laws of diffusion and intermixture 

 of gases, and to familiaiise themselves with the use of the 

 barometer and thermometer, so as to know when it behoves 

 them to take extra precautions in t'"e minagement of their mines. 

 — Solar radiation, 1859-74, by Rev. F. W. Stow. — The diurnal 

 inequalities of the birouieter and thermometer, as illustrated by 

 the synchronous observations mide during May 1S72 at the 

 summit and base ol Mount Washington, New Hampshire, at the 

 respective heights of 2,615 ft. and 6,283 ft. above the sea-level, 

 by W. W. Rundell. The hoarly mean differences of pres- 

 sure and temperature at these stations and at Portland, Maine, 

 the nearest U.S. station to Mount Washington, arc discussed 

 and their most prob.able coefficients are determined, also the 

 times at which their maxima and minima occur. — On the diurnal 

 variation of the barometer at Zi-Ki-Wel, ani mean atmospheric 

 pressure and temperature at Shanghai, by Rev. A. .\I. Colombel. 

 — Weather report for 1S73 at Woosung, China, by C. D. 

 Braysher. — Notes regarding a remarkable hailstorm at Pieter- 

 maritzburg. Natal, on April 17, 1874, by Rev. J. D. La 

 Touche. 



Royal Astronomical Society, June 12. — Prof. Adams, 

 prcaiden!", in the chair. — .\ y r-er by Mr. Stone, the Government 

 astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope, was read, describing his 

 observations of the eclipse of April 16 made near Klipfontein, 

 in South Africa, of which an account has been given in 

 Natuke {vol. X. p. 59).— Mr. Bidder described a micro- 

 meter whicli he had contrived for measuring the position 

 of very faint stars. Ghosts of the wires, wlilch can be 

 rendered dimmer or brighter at the discretion of the ob- 

 server, are [ircjected Into the field of view by means of reflect- 

 ing prisms ; and diaphragms can be used, cutting out the light 

 of the wires Irom any portion of the lield. — M. d'Abbadie was 

 called upon to f;ive some account of the French preparations for 

 the transit of Venus. The l-'iench Government will occupy five 

 station-, and will make use ol the Daguerreotype In preference to 

 the collodion process. Their photographs will be taken in the 

 priuclpal focus of their instniraeiUs, ard the image of the sun 



will thus be only about 36 millimetres in diameter. The trial 

 photographs are so sharp that they hope to be able to make use 

 of a magnifying power of 250 in measuring the photographs for 

 the purposes of reduction. — The President announced to the 

 Society that a petition was about to be presented to the Dean of 

 Westminster, praying him to admit of the erection of some 

 memorial to Jeremiah Horrox in Westminster Abbey. — It was 

 announced that the next meeting of the Society would be held 

 in their new room in Burlington House. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, June 15. — M. Bertrand in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read : — .Solar theories ; reply 

 to some recent criticisms, by M. Faye. The author meets ob- 

 jections raised by M.M. Ledieu, Duponchel, and P. Secchi, in 

 former numbers of the Comptcs Roidus. — On the heat evolved by 

 chemical reactions in the different states of bodies, by M. Ber- 

 thelot. The author considered the heat developed in the gaseous, 

 liquid, and solid states. — Observations on the communication 

 relating to Phylloxera made by M. Lichtenstein during the seance 

 of June 8. — .\ note by M. Blanchard, in which the author highly 

 eulogises the experiments of Lichtenstein. — Researches on the 

 electrolysis of the alkaline carbonates and bicarbonates, by MM. 

 P. A. I'avre and F. Roche. This is a thermo-chemical research 

 undertaken with a view ol throwing light on the constitution of 

 these bodies. — On the phenomena of static induction produced 

 by means of Rhumkorff's coll ; a note by AL E. Bichat. The 

 author finds that static electricity, as from the Holtz ma- 

 chine, when passed through the secondary wire gives rise in 

 the primary wire to the development ol a current possessing all 

 the properties of the voltaic current, and like this current appear- 

 ing to have only one direction. — M.J. M. Gaugain presented a 

 note on magnetism. — On some properties of the systems of curves 

 (^ = I, !» = I), by IL Fouret. — GeneraUsation of a theorem 

 communicated at the j/(Z«l"^ of June i, by M. H. Durrande. — 

 On oxyfluoboric acid, by M. A. Basaro v. This acid is stated to 

 be produced when boric fluoride is passed into water, and the 

 asdgned formula is BO^H, 3HF. The present research tends to 

 prove that no such body exists, the composition formerly deter- 

 mined by analysis being a result of chance. — On the absorption 

 of ammonia from the air by vegetables, by AL T. Schlceslng. 

 The author has been growing two tobacco plants under precisely 

 the same conditions, except that one plant was freely supplied 

 with ammonia, while the other was excluded froiu this gas. 

 Analyses prove that the plant supplied with ammonia is much 

 richer in nitro.;eneous compounds tUan the other. — Research on 

 the o.xygen dissolved in the water of artesian wells, by M. A. 

 Gerardin. The author concludes that oxygen is never fo and in 

 subterranean waters if these are kept out of contact with the air. 

 — On a case of lead-pDlsoning, by MM. G. Bergeron, and 

 L. I'Hote.^On creatine, by M. R. Engel. The author has 

 studied the reactions of this substance. — Anaesthesia by intra- 

 venous injection of chloral afler the method of Prof. Ore ; re- 

 moval of a cancer from the rectum, by M.M. DenelTe and Van 

 Wetter. — On the geology of the regions comprised between 

 Tangiers, El-Araich et Meknes (VIorocco), by M, Bleicher. 

 The author has recognised the following formations — recent, 

 tertiary, cretaceous, and Jurassic. — On the character of the littoral 

 zone in the English Channel, the ocean, and the Mediterranean, 

 by M. P. Fischer. 



CONTENTS Pack 



The New Phvsical Laboratorvof theUniversit/of Cambriuge 



( It^ii/t lUusit-iitioits) 139 



The "Challengbr" IN TUE South Atlantic 142 



Colonial Geological Surveys. I. C.vnada. By Prof. A. Geikie, 



F.R.S M4 



Our BoQic Shelf 146 



Letters to the EdiT' 'R : — 



Proposed Issue of Daily \Ve.ither Ch.irts of Europe and the North 



Atlantic— R. H. Scott, K.K.S 146 



TheDegeneracy of Man.— E. H. TVLOK, F.R.S 146 



Flighcof birds.— Prof. F. Guthrie 147 



.\n Optical Delusion 147 



Longevity of tlw Carp. — Rev. R. R. SuFFlELD 147 



Le Gentil's Ousekvation of the Transit of Venus {With lilus- 



traiian) 148 



On the Temi'orarv Fading of so.mb Leaves when exposed to the 



Sun. By H. C Sorbv, F.R.S 140 



The Comet.— J. R Hmu, F.R.S. ; J. N. Lockves, F.R.S. ... 149 



Notes 150 



Conference FOR Maritime Meteorology. ByR. H. Scott, F.R.S. 152 



Scientific Serials 153 



Societies and Academies , 154 



