2l8 



NATURE 



\_Jan. i, 1880 



Candidates for the natural science scholarship at Clare College 

 are to be examined in chemistry and chemical physics, without 

 restrictions in age. 



At Kind's College any candidates for honours are now re- 

 ceived, a^great improvement on the old exclusiveness. The 

 Vintner exhibition for natural science is worth 90/. a year, but 

 only candidates under twenty, and British subjects, may com- 

 pete, also undergraduates of the College in their first or second 

 year'. The scholarships are to be held till M.A. standing, or 

 until election to a fellowship. Candidates in natural science 

 must notify 1 >efore March 1 in what branches of natural science 

 they wish to be examined. 



Every encouragement is now offered to selected candidates 

 for the Indian Civil Service. 



It having been decided that there should be a memorial to 

 Prof. Clerk Maxwell, it might be suggested that a Maxwell 

 university scholarship in experimental and molecular physics 

 would be a great benefit, as there are scarcely any mathematical 

 or natural science competitions open to the University. Let it 

 be given for a specified research, rather than spend it on a 

 posthumous bust or portrait. 



Manchester.— Mr. J. E. A. Steggall, B.A., scholar of 

 Trinity College, Cambridge, mathematical master at Clifton 

 College, Bristol, has been appointed to the Fielden lectureship 

 in mathematics in the Owens College, vacant by the appoint- 

 ment of Mr. A. T. Bentley, M.A., to the principalship of the 

 Firth College, Sheffield. Mr. Steggall graduated as second 

 wrangler in January, 1S7S, and subsequently gained the First 

 Smith's Prize. There were twenty candidates. 



We have received a very favourable report from the Liverpool 

 School of Science, which now numbers 800 students. Before 

 long it is hoped that a central college may be established in 

 Liverpool, from which all existing branches with extensions may 

 be worked. 



The Kaiser Wilhelrn University at Strassburg is seemingly 

 becoming popular in Germany. During the last term the number 

 of students rose to Sio, this being the largest number reached 

 since the University was inaugurated. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 

 Annalen der Physik mid Chemie, No. II, 1879.— This opens 

 with a valuable contribution by Herr Hagenbach in support of 

 Stokes's law, the validity of which has been somewhat contro- 

 verted recently. The author regards Lommel's division of 

 fluorescent bodies as based on no essentially different behaviour 

 of them.— Some curious experiments on electric perforation of 

 glass are described in papers by Herren Mach and Doubrava, and 

 Herr Waltenhofen ; the latter considers the phenomenon as "a 

 mechanical work taking place at cost of the vis viva of the 

 colliding air -molecules at the part perforated, and this trans- 

 formation of energy is evidently more easily effected the 

 stronger the molecular motions ; which, when they meet an 

 obstacle, are suddenly checked." Herr Doubrava also writes 

 on the motion of plates between the electrodes of the Holtz 

 machine. — A series of experiments, by Herr L. Weber, with 

 electricity of high tension used in the telephone, seem to dear 

 up some sources of error in like observations by other physicists, 

 to give new proof of the availability of the telephone for observ- 

 ing weak periodic discharges of a conductor, and to illustrate 

 the conception of Helmholtz and others as to electric movements 

 in an induction circuit and electrolytes inserted in it. — The rela- 

 tions between velocity of rotation', resistance, current strength, 

 and electromotive force, in the Gramme machine, are set forth 

 by Herr Meyer and Herr Auerbach.— Other papers :— On the 

 true theory of Fresnel's interference phenomena, by Herr F. 

 Weber.— On the relation between galvanic resistance and specific 

 heat, by Herr Auerbach.— On extra currents in iron wires, by 

 Herr Herwig. — Experimental researches in determination of the 

 indices of refraction of liquefied gases, by Herr Bleekrode.— 

 Influence of temperature on tuning-forks, by Herr Kayser. — On 

 galvanic conduction of metallic alloys, by Herr Elsasser. — On 

 phosphorescence-phenomena, by Herr Sturtz. 



Gazetla Chimica Italiana, fasc. x. 1879.— Researches on 

 cobalt and nickel, and methods for distinguishing them when 

 mixed, by Dr. Papasogli.— On the constitution of ellagic acid, 

 by S. Schiff.— On determination of acetyl by means of magnesia, 

 by the same.— Ozone with some noble metals, by Prof. Volta.— 

 On paraoxymethylphenyl-cinnamic acid, and on oxymethyl- 

 stilbene, by Dr. Oglialoro.— On the action of perchloride of 



phosphorus on molybdic anhydrides, by S. Piutti. — On some 

 derivatives of naphtols, by S. Marchetti. — Researches on the 

 diffusion of copper in the animal kingdom, by Dr. Giunti. — On 

 amines corresponding to a toluic alcohol, by Dr. Spica. — On 

 the preparation of hydroxylamine, by Dr. Bertoni. — Transfor- 

 mation of hydroxylamine into nitrous and nitric acid, by Dr. 

 Bertoni. — On an easy and rapid process for determining at any 

 time the nitrogen, sulphur and chlorine, in organic substances, 

 by Dr. Spica. 



Bulletin de V Acadimie Royale des Sciences de Belgique, 

 Nos. 9 and 10.— M. Montigny here describes a case of super- 

 numerary rainbows which were only visible at the lower extremities 

 of the principal bow (a phenomenon overlooked in works on 

 meteorology). — M. van Mensbrugghe shows how the ventral and 

 nodal appearances of liquid veins may be explained on principles 

 he lately enunciated. —Dr. Jorissen contributes a note on the 

 employment of chloride of zinc as reagent for certain alkaloids, 

 glucosides, &c. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Royal Society, December 18, 1S79. — " Chemico-Electric 

 Relations of Metals in Solutions of Salts of Potassium," by G. 

 Gore, LL.D., F.R.S. 



In this investigation the author has determined the chemico- 

 electric positions of about twenty-four elementary substances in a 

 number of solutions, of various degrees of strength, and both 

 cold and hot, of chloride, bromide, iodide, and cyanide of 

 potassium, and has drawn from the results of the experiments 

 various general conclusions. The results are exhibited in a 

 series of tables. The experiments were made with the intention 

 of alsa determining by means of a capillary electrometer the 

 quantitative differences of electromotive force between each two 

 consecutive elementary substances of the entire series ; but after 

 making many attempts the author was unable to construct such 

 a form of that instrument as might be relied upon for accurately 

 measuring such differences. 



Chemical Society, December 18, 1S79. — Mr. Warren De 

 La Rue, president, in the chair.— The following papers were 

 read :— On the specific volume of water of crystallisation, by 

 T. E. Thorpe and J. J. Watts. Some years ago Playfair and 

 Joule pointed out that the volumes of certain highly hydrated 

 salts, for example, sodium carbonate with ten molecules of 

 water, are equal to that of the water, considered as ice, which 

 they respectively contain. This law does not hold good for 

 salts less highly hydrated. The authors of the present paper 

 have determined the precise relations between the specific 

 volumes of various sulphates of copper, magnesium, zinc, nickel, 

 cobalt, iron, and manganese, and their respective degrees of 

 hydration. They conclude that in the case, at least of the 

 so-called magnesian sulphates, the volume occupied by the 

 several molecules of water varies with the degree of hydration. 

 The first molecule occupies less bulk than any other, its mean 

 relative value is 107, the value of the second molecule being 

 13-3, of the third 14-5, the fourth 15-4, the fifth 15-6, the sixth 

 157, the seventh i6'2. These results accord with the fact that 

 the different molecules of water in a hydrated salt are held with 

 various degrees of tenacity. The authors point out the import- 

 ance of estimating the amounts of heat resulting from the com- 

 bination of successive molecules of water.— Note on the formation 

 of ozone during the slow oxidation of phosphorus, by II. 

 McLeod. The active substance formed during the slow 

 oxidation of phosphorus is probably either ozone or peroxide of 

 hydrogen. Air in which phosphorus is slowly oxidising, was 

 drawn through a U-tube 9i inches long (filled with fragments of 

 glass containing in succession sodic carbonate, a mixture of 

 potassic bichromate and sulphuric acid, and potassic per- 

 manganate), the U-tube was at the temperature of the air or at 

 ioo° C, in both cases the gas which passed through rendered 

 blue a solution of potassic iodide and starch, hydroxyl under 

 these circumstances would be completely decomposed. In 

 another series of experiments the gas was passed through a 

 narrow U-tube heated to 150° to 200 C, but no water was 

 formed. It is extremely improbable that ozone and hydroxyl 

 are simultaneously formed, as these substances decompose each 

 other The author therefore concludes that the gas obtained 

 during the slow oxidation of phosphorus possesses the properties 

 of ozone and not those of hydroxyl, the only known peroxide of 

 hydrogen.- On the analysis of organic bodies containing 



