March 4, 1880] 



NATURE 



427 



and termed a "Crookes's layer" by Mr. G. J. Sloney. The 

 Trevelyan rocker appears, therefore, to be a true heat-engine. 



M. E. Sarasin bas been continuing the work begun by M. 

 Forel, of observing the phenomenon of the seiches of the Swiss 

 lakes. In pursuit of this object he has constructed a registering 

 limnimeter of a more portable form than those of MM. Forel 

 and Plantamour. Instead of digging in the bank of the lake a 

 well communicating with the deep water, M. Sarasin employs a 

 tube of zinc about 35 centims. in diameter, and 150 centims. long. 

 This is fixed vertically to about half its depth in the lake, against 

 a wall or jetty, and communicates with the water by a narrow 

 tube descending to a considerable depth, thus avoiding the 

 fluctuations of mere waves. The support which holds the tube 

 also carries a pully over which a ribbon of copper passes, having 

 at one end the float, at the other a counterpoise. The axis of 

 the pulley passes into a separate case containing a registering 

 apparatus, in which a pencil rests upon a sheet of paper which is 

 carried forward at the rate of one millimetre per minute by 

 clock-work. This portable limnimeter when placed for com- 

 parison beside the fixed limnograph of M. Plantamour at 

 Secheron, gave identical indicaiior.s. It was then set up at the 

 Tour de Peilz near Vevey, in order to observe the oscillations at 

 a station further east than those previously selected. The 

 researches of M. Forel had shown the existence of long oscilla- 

 tions of 73 minutes' duration, due to unincdal waves along the 

 lengih of the lake from Geneva to Villeneuve, and of shorter 

 oscillations of 35 minutes' period, due to a binodal oscilla- 

 tion in the same direction. The former were observed, though 

 not markedly, at the Tour de Peilz, and were found to 

 be in almost exact opposition of phase to those simultaneously 

 registered at Secheron, and in agreement with those at Morges. 

 The binodal waves of 35 minutes coincide in phase at Vevey with 

 those at Secheron. These were observed to possess extreme 

 regularity, the exact mean period being 35'6 minutes. Other 

 oscillations with a period of 5 to 6 minutes were observed, and 

 are attributed to transverse oscillations in the lake from Verey 

 to St. Gingolphe. As was ob erved at Morges, the new 

 limnngraph indicated incessant small oscillations due to the 

 passage of steamboats ; the first morning boat from Villeneuve 

 could be thus detected by the oscillations produced from 12 to 

 15 minutes before its arrival. These observations leave no 

 doubt of the general correctness of M. Forel's theory, and 

 establish two points hitherto requiring confirmation ; firstly, that 

 the movements of oscillation observed at the two ends of the 

 lake are precisely similar in type, being opposite in phase for 

 uninodal waves, but identical in phase for binodal waves ; 

 secondly, that the oscillations of 35 minutes' period are due to 

 binodal waves, not as was. at one time thought possible to 

 oscillations occurring in the transverse dimensions of the lake. 



Our contemporary, the Electrician, states that the following 

 process forutili-ing old india-rubber, of which many hundred 

 tons are thrown away as waste sub.-tances, has just been patented 

 in Germany. The rubber waste is subjected to distillation ia 

 an iron v^el over a free fire, with the aid of superheated steam. 

 The lighter oils which come over first are separated from the 

 heavier products. The latter when thickened and vulcanised in 

 the Usual manner, are found to possess all the good qualities of 

 first-class natural rubber. 



Mr, J. E. II. Gordon points out, in the pages of a contem- 

 porary, that Silone is the real inventor of a form of Thom-on 

 electrometer, recently attributed to Ilerr Edelmann. This 

 "improved" instrument had the usual flat brass quadrants 

 replaced by a metallic cylinder slit longitudinally into four parts, 

 within which the "needle "was placed. Silone's instrument, 

 which was described in Poggcndorff 's Annalen for 1S75, was 

 usid for determining the specific inductive capacity of liquids, 

 and the quadrants were of tinfoil pasted inside a glass cylinder. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

 Prof. Nordenskjold in a short paper to the Paris Academy 

 of Sciences, gives a list of the collections obtained during his 

 leccnt expedition, which are to be arranged and described on his 

 return to Stockholm. There are numerous observations on 

 climate, magnetism, aurora?, hydrography, geology, fauna, 

 flora, ethnography, &c. Among the collections is a very rich 

 collection of invertebrates taken during the numerous diedgings 

 of Dr. Stnxberg in the Glacial Ocean ; to judge from the.se 

 dredgings, the fauna richest in individuals, at the depth of 30 to 



100 metres, is not to be found in the tropics, but only in the 

 Glacial Ocean and Behring Strait ; yet here the temperature at 

 bottom is always 1° to 2° C. below zero. Collections of phanero- 

 gams, lichens, and algae were made by Dr. Kjellman and Dr. 

 Almquist ; masses of bones of sub-fossil whales of the Chukchi 

 penin ula and of Rhytina stelleri of Behring Island ; a very fine 

 collection of tertiary fossil plants from Nagasaki and Labuan ; 

 this collection is expected to afford information on the former 

 equatorial climate and on the ancient centres of dispersion of the 

 present floras. Cut stones, utensils, arms, dres-es, &c, of 

 Chukcbis and Eskimo ; the latter at present use both weapons of 

 stone and the Remington rifle. This collection contains among 

 other things drawings, engravings, and sculptures in ivory, which 

 have much resemblance to the palaeolithic designs of France. 

 Lastly, there is a collection of 1,040 works in 5,000 or 6,000 

 volumes of Japanese books and MSS., printed or written before 

 the opening of the country to Europeans. The Vega left Naples 

 for Lisbon and Portsmouth on Sunday. 



Surgeon-Major II. W. Bellew has lately collected, from 

 native authorities, some useful information respecting Kafiristan, 

 that interesting country which no European has so far succeeded 

 in exploring. It appears that it is, after all, only about 150 

 miles in length, by about 50 or 60 in breadth, and its boundaries 

 may be taken as the Hindu Kush on the north, including both 

 the northern and the southern slopes, from Latkoh Darra on 

 the east, to the Farajgal valley on the range separating it from 

 Panjshir, on the west ; the Chitral River, down toChaghansarae, 

 or even Kunar, on the east, forms its limit in that direction, 

 while the southern boundary may be taken to be a line from 

 Darra Nur, on the east, to Tagao on the west ; and on the west 

 it is bounded by the Nijrao and Panjshir valleys. The whole 

 area is mountainous aid furrowed by a succession of long 

 winding valleys, each of which has its own system of branches 

 and glens ramifying into the recesses of the mountains. From 

 information which Dr. Bellew derived from a native of the 

 country, there appears to be "nowhere room to gdlop a horse." 

 Dr. Bellew, besides the topographical information which he has 

 brought together, has extended his researches into the subject of 

 the manners and customs, &c, of the Kafirs, and the results of 

 his investigations make ns regret all the more that Major Tanner 

 was last year compelled to abandon his intended visit to 

 Kafiristan. 



The March number of the Geographical Society's monthly 

 periodical contains Mr. G. J. Morrison's papers on his journeys 

 on the Grai d Canal and Yellow River, and from Hankow to 

 Canton overland, followed by Dr. Emil Holub's ace rant of his 

 last expedition in South Central Africa from the Diamond Fields 

 to the upper waters of the Zambesi, the former illustrated by 

 two maps, on one sheet, of parts of Eastern China. The geo- 

 graphical notes compri-e some interesting rennrks on Vie climate 

 of Zanzibar, which it behoves intending travellers in East Central 

 Africa to study carefully, a summary of proposals for a survey 

 of Southern Africa, and the results of Lieut. R. C. Temple's 

 observations on the distribution of the Afghan tribes about 

 Candahar. The rapid progress of the Berlin Society of Com- 

 mercial Geography is also alluded to. A memorandum by Mr. 

 Alfred Simson on the boundaries of Ecuador will be found to 

 contain matter of considerable geographical interest. Wo 

 observe that in the AprU number we are promised a map illus- 

 trating Dr. Holub's South African journeys and Sir Michael 

 Biddulph's valuable topographical notes on the eastern border 

 of Pislim and the basin of the Loras in Afghanistan. 



In reference to a note in a recent issue, it is interesting to 

 learn that a company of squatters is being formed in Western 

 Australia, with the object of at once occupying the magnificent 

 tract of country on the Fitzroy River, which has recently been 

 discovered by Mr. Alexander Forrest. It is intended to take 

 stock there, and to endeavour to cultivate tropical products. 



The Berlin Society of Commercial Geography is rapidly 

 assuming considerable importance. As we have before recorded, 

 it was started about a year ago, and now numbers some 1,500 

 members. It already has several affiliated branches among 

 German communities in different parts of the world, and issues 

 two periodicals. One of these, which is of a scientific nature,, 

 appears twice a ujon'h, while the other is purely commercial, 

 and is published every week. 



MR. Jamcs Cameron appears to be one of the most inde- 

 fatigable of tiie active members of the China Inland Mission. It 



