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NATURE 



{April i, 1880 



The large glass disk which has been cast by M. Feil of Paris is 

 not, we are informed, intended for Paris, but for Pulkowa ; the 

 Paris "lass is already in the hands of the opticians. The exact 

 weight of the Pulkowa disk is 195 kilog. The annealing will 

 be finished next week, after a duration of about twenty-one 

 days. After the completion of the operations M. Feil will 

 begin the casting of the great Pulkowa flint lens. It will weigh 

 220 kilog., and the time of annealing will be about five 

 weeks. 



By permission of M. Herve Mangon, M. Raoul Pictet has 

 «iven, in the great amphitheatre of the Conservatoire des Arts 

 et Metiers, a lecture on the Artificial Production of Cold, a ques- 

 tion which has become exceedingly practical in Paris, to the dis- 

 cussions raised by the impending transformation of the Morgue. 

 MM. Dumas, Fremy, and other scientific notabilities of Paris 

 were present at the lecture, which will be followed by others, 

 the intention of M. Herve Mangon being to give similar privi- 

 leges to any competent person wishing to promulgate any scientific 

 theories. 



THIS week the French scientific world is very busy in Paris. 

 The French Association for the Advancement of Science and 

 the delegates of the SocietesSavantes are holding their meetings 

 at the Sorbonne and other places on the occasion of the Easter 

 holidays. On Friday evening the Societe de Physique will hold 

 their annual meeting. The long-expected and deferred reception 

 of Nordenskjold will veiy likely give a new interest to all these 

 demonstrations. 



Mr. Philip Magnus, B.Sc, B.A., has teen elected to the 

 post of Organising Director and Secretary of the City and 

 Guilds of London Technical Institute. The number of 

 applications was fifty-eight. The Drapers' Company having 

 offered a sum of 10,000/. towards the new buildings projected 

 for a school of applied science at Cow r per Street, conditionally 

 upon an equal sum being raised to meet it, 5,000/. is already 

 provided, and it is thought that other companies will be not 

 unwilling to assist in this matter by contributing the remaining 

 portion. 



The court of assistants of the Clockmakers' Company, to 

 encourage the highest excellence in the production of the marine 

 chronometer, have determined to award annually two prizes to 

 the makers of the two chronometers which shall perform w ith 

 the greatest accuracy under the conditions prescribed by the 

 Astronomer-Royal at the annual trials at the Royal Observatory, 

 Greenwich. The first prize will consist of ten guineas and the 

 freedom of the company, and the second prize five guineas. 



Vesuvius, the Naples correspondent of the Daily News 

 telegraphs last Friday, as usual during full moon, shows 

 greatly increased activity. Two new mouths opened last 

 night at the foot of the new cone, sending jets and red- 

 hot stones to a great height, while the lava issued from 

 the central crater. The same correspondent gives some de- 

 tails as to the railway up Vesuvius. The station Is situated 

 on a level spot on the west side of the mountain, about half-an- 

 hour's walk from the observatory. The constructors of the 

 railway have adopted the American double iron rope system. 

 There are two lines of rails, each provided with a carriage 

 divided ; nto two compartments and capable of holding six 

 persons. While one carriage goes up the other comes down, 

 thus establishing a counteqioise which considerably economises 

 the steam of the stationary traction engine. The incline is 

 extremely steep, commencing at 40°, increasing to 63°, and con- 

 tinuing at 50° to the summit. Every possible precaution has 

 been taken against accident, and the railway itself is protected 

 against possible flows of lava by an enormous wall. The ascent 



will be made in eight to ten minutes, while before it required 

 from one to two hours. To obtain th'e necessary supply of water, 

 large covered cisterns have been constructed, which in winter 

 wiil be filled with the snow that often falls heavily on Vesuvius- 

 This •now will be quickly melted by the internal heat, and, 

 besides the water thus obtained, the frequent rainfall will also 

 be conducted into the cisterns. 



The Naples correspondent of the Daily News gives, in 

 yesterday's issue, an interesting account of the rise and progress 

 of the zoological station at that city ; with most of the facts our 

 readers are already familiar. Several Governments — Italy, 

 Prussia, Russia, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Bavaria, 

 Saxony, Wiirtemburg, Baden, Hesse, Hamburg — have each one 

 or more tables, the British Government being conspicuous by its 

 absence. The Italian Ministry of Marine thinks of hiring a 

 table for the use of the marine officers, to enable them to learn 

 the methods of fishin<7 and preservation of specimens, in order 

 to make collections during their long voyages. Altogether 

 nineteen tables are engaged, which represent an income of 

 40,000 francs. The income arising from the public aquarium 

 has never yielded more than a sum of 20,000 francs per annum. 

 The remaining expenses have hitherto been covered by subven- 

 tions from the Imperial German Government, and it is to be 

 hoped that a new yearly subvention of 40,000 francs, which has 

 been petitioned for by the most celebrated scientific men of 

 Germany, and granted by the German Parliament, may be 

 consented to by the Government. The correspondent gives 

 several facts to show the wide utility of this station and its 

 influence on the progress of science. 



On Sunday week a shock of earthquake was felt throughout 

 Moldavia. 



A general meeting of the Mineralogical Society of Great 

 Britain and Ireland will be held in the University of Edinburgh 

 on Monday, April 5, at 3 p.m. (by permission of the Senatm 

 Academical), Prof. W. F. Ileddle, F.R.S.E., president, in the 

 chair. The following paper, with others, will be read : — "On 

 the Microscopic Structure of some Vitreous Basalts," by Prof. A. 

 Geikie, F.R.S. On this occasion the attendance of gentlemen 

 interested in mineralogy is invited, whether Members of the 

 Society or not. 



The Photographic News is responsible for the following :— 

 Everybody knows how jealously the gates of the Royal Observa- 

 tory are guarded, and what difficulties even scientific men have 

 to gain admission. But Mr. Glaisher, the worthy President of 

 the Photographic Society, and who was until lately Superin- 

 tendent of the Meteorological Department, tells a story that goes 

 far to prove that nothing is impossible to a re 5 olute man. Avast 

 star shower had been anticipated and its coming heralded in 

 every newspaper. The staff at Greenwich, with the Astron _.mer- 

 Royal at their head, remained the whole night through making 

 observations and counting the bright meteors as they fell. The 

 weary night passed, and the small hours of the morning came, 

 only to find the jaded observers still pursuing their duty. " That 

 makes 10,704," said our friend Mr. Glaisher. "Beg pardon; 

 how many?" exclaimed a voice behind him. ' 10,704, 

 repeated the President of the Photographic Society ; and then, 

 not recognising the voice, he turned and saw a stranger : " Who 

 are you, and where do you come from?" At first, the 

 only possible conjecture was that the stranger had fallen from 

 the clouds along with the star shower ; but it w^as not so, for, 

 closing a little note-book, he simply replied, "I am the special 

 correspondent of the New York Herald. Thank you very much. 

 Good morning." How that special managed to get through the 

 park gates and elude the vigilance of the keepers ; how he got 

 inside the walls of the Observatory ; how he pressed into the 



