532 



NATURE 



[April i, 1880 



temperature is definitely measured by the pressure exerted by the 

 steam of a convenient liquid which is kept at the required tem- 

 perature, where by steam is meant vapour in presence of its 

 liquid. The range of temperature through which sulphurous acid 

 can be so employed, with a moderate column of mercury (the 

 manometric colttmii) to measure by its height the pressure exerted, 

 is from — 40 C. to +20° C. Below this inferior limit carbonic 

 acid may be substituted, and above the superior limit water is 

 eminently suitable, and can be made to stand a temperature of 

 140° C. For still higher temperatures the steam-pressure 

 mercury thermometer is required, a water manometric column 

 being used for temperatures below 280 , and a mercury mano- 

 metric column for temperatures above that limit and below 520°. 

 The water manometric column is necessary for the lower range, 

 so as to give the thermometer sufficient sensibility for registering 

 small increments of temperature throughout that range. A 

 sulphurous acid cryophorus was also exhibited, its structure being 

 the same as the differential steam-pressure sulphurous acid ther- 

 mometer, which is simply a U-tube closed at both ends and filled 

 with sulphurous acid in the liquid and gaseous states. This 

 instrument was the type upon which the steam-pressure water 

 thermometer and the steam-pressure mercury thermometer for 

 the highest range were constructed. — Sir W. Thomson also 

 communicated a paper on the vibrations of a columnar vortex, in 

 which he proved that the velocity of propagation of a longi- 

 tudinal wave along an infinitely long vortex column was about 

 one-third the velocity of the surface of the column in its undis- 

 turbed state. He also discussed the case of transverse vibra- 

 tions, and pointed out the importance of such investiga- 

 tions as probably throwing some light upon the nature of the 

 sudden gusts which accompany great storms.— Prof. Turner rend 

 a paper on the structure of the comb-like appendages and teeth 

 of the basking shark. These comb-like appendages, though 

 differing remarkably in many ways from whale-bone, seemed to 

 serve a^very similar function. — Sir Wyville Thomson communi- 

 cated a preliminary report, by Mr. Herdman, on the Ascidue of 

 the Challenger Expedition, from which it appeared that of the 

 sixteen new species discovered by the Challenger, only two had 

 been previously known. — Prof. Tait laid before the Society a 

 few notes regarding his application of rotatory polarisation to 

 the determination of the position of bright lines in feeble spectra. 



Boston, U.S.A. 



American Academy of Arts and Sciences, March- 10.— 

 Charles Francis Adams in the chair. — Prof. Edward C. 

 Pickering read a paper on Huggins's recent photographs of the 

 spectra of stars, and gave a formula based on the; molecular 

 constitution of matter, which apparently explained the peculiar 

 grouping of lines observed by Muggins.— Mr. Albert A. Michel- 

 son, of the United States Navy, explained a plan for obtaining 

 the 'velocity of the solar system through space. He proposes to 

 measure the velocity of light by a method which obviates the 

 necessity of having the ray of light pass back and forth over the 

 same path, and by the employment of the revolving mirrors, 

 which are maintained at the same speed of revolution, the 

 velocity of light can be obtained in the direction of the move 

 ment of the earth through space and in the opposite direction. 

 Mr. Michelson is about to undertake experiments to determine 

 the question of the movement of the solar system.— Prof. J. 1'. 

 Cooke, of Harvard University, gave the results of various 

 methods which have fully confirmed his value obtained for the 

 atomic weight of antimony. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, March 22.— M. Ed. Becquerel in the 

 chair.— The following papers were read :— On the origin of the 

 solar system, by M. Faye. — On some applications of elliptic 

 functions, by M. Hermite. — On the compensation of tempera- 

 tures in chronometers, by Mr. Phillips.— On the tritoxide of 

 silver, by M. Berthelot.— Observations on the decomposition of 

 permanganate of potash by oxygenated water, by M. Berthelot. 

 He is led to the hypothesis of a tritoxide of hydrogen (HO.,) 

 resulting from oxidation of oxygenated water by the perman 

 ganatc.— On electric regulation of the hour in Paris, by M. 

 Tresca. The system comprises (1) a certain number of horary 

 centres distributed on two telegraphic systems ; they are good 

 clocks, with action regularised every second ; (2) the clocks ol 

 the town kept in their present state, but true in time. Of the 

 former, six have been in action since January 3 ; and six others, 

 on a distinct system, are to be set up. — Report to the Academy 

 on the results obtained during the voyage of the Magicienne, for 

 observation of the transit of Mercury, by Admiral Serres. This 



includes information about transport of time, differences of 

 longitude in South America, observations on magnetism, measure- 

 ment of the force and direction of winds, the transit of Mercury, 

 description of an electric log, &c — On the curves defined by a 

 differential equation, by M. Poincare. — On the integrals of 

 algebraic functions, by M. Pellet. — On a class of functions of 

 several variables drawn from inversion of integrals of solu- 

 tions of linear differential equations, the coefficients of which 

 are rational functions, by M. Fuchs. — Analysis of luminous 

 phenomena produced by electric discharges in rarefu 

 by M. Fernet. The discharges in a large vertical tube 

 were viewed by reflection in a rotating mirror behind a 

 slit in a screen. The peculiar appearances of the bright 

 curves occurring between the poles is described. — On the 

 thermal laws of electric sparks produced by ordinary, incom- 

 plete, and partial discharges of condensers, by M. Villari. — On 

 a case of remanent polarity of steel opposite to that of the 

 magnetising helix which produces it, by M. Righi. Theory led 

 him to believe that with a series of bars of the same steel and 

 diameter, but decreasing lengths, a certain length would be 

 reached which would not give magnetisation, while, with less 

 length, a remanent polarity would be got, opposite 1 

 the coil. He states how he realised the latter. — On the photo- 

 graphy of the solar spectrum, by M. Conche. His method is 

 long exposure of bromised gelatine plates. — On the density of 

 iodine at high temperatures, by MM. Crafts and Meyer. — On a 

 mode of production of acetal, by MM. Engel and Giiard. — 

 Specific heats of solutions of potash and of soda, by M. Hemmerl. 

 — On the alkalies of pomegranate, by M. Tanret. — Artificial 

 production of a leucotephrite identical with the crystalline lavas 

 of Vesuvius and La Somma ; nascent crystalline forms of leucite 

 and nepheline, by MM. Fouque and Levy. — Artificial reproduc- 

 tion of spinel and corundum, by M. Meunier. Chloride of 

 aluminium, steam, and metallic magnesium (or zinc) were 

 brought together in a heated tube. — On the normal presence of 

 copper in plants which live on rocks of the primordial formation, 

 by M. Dieulafait — Researches on the vaso-motor innervation, 

 the circulation of the liver and of the abdominal muscles, by M. 

 Laffont. — On the anacomical character of the blood in phleg- 

 masias, by M. Hayem. — On the godrooned cells of the intra- 

 vaginal hyaline system of the nerves of Solipedes, by M. Reliant. 

 — On the nervous system of Idothea entomon (an isopod crus- 

 tacean), by M. Brandt. — On the caducity of the hooks, and 

 even of the scolex in Tamias, by M. Megnin. — M. Larrey 

 presented, from M. da Cunha Bellem, a Portuguese work, 

 entitled "Medical Life on the Battle-field," and . gave an 

 analysis of it. 



CONTENTS Page 



Fossil Echinoderms 509 



Mbdicine Past and Present 510 



The Comstock Lode 5" 



Our Iiuok Shelf: 



" Micrometrical Measurements of Double Stars made at the Cin- 

 cinnati 1 Ibservatory in 1878 and 1870, under the Direction of 



Ornv.nd Stone. MA. " S'= 



Lyman's " Ophiuridze and Astrophytidae of the Challenger Expe- 

 dition" 5 J 3 



Lettbhs ro the Editor: — 



The Density of Chlorine.— Fred. D. Brown 5"3 



The Annual Variation of the Barometer in India.— S. A. Hill . . 513 



Gunnery Experiments. — X 5 J 4 



A Museum Conference.— James Paton; J. Romillv Allen. . 514 

 " Herschel and Cameron's Practical Astronomy."— Major J. 



Herschkl, R.E 51s 



Meteor.— B. W. S 5*5 



The Audiph.ne.— Thos. Fletcher 515 



A Comet ossERVrn from H.M.S. L'riumph 515 



Socotha. B/ Bavley Balpouh 515 



Chk.mic»l Equilibrium. Bv M. M. Pattison Muir 5»6 



A Leaf from thi History of Swedish Natural Science, I. By 



Prof. A. E. Nordknskjold 5*8 



The Temperature of Space ami its Bearing on Ierrestrial 



Phvsics By Jambs Croll 5« 



■ 5 2 - 



rBB Soil during Winter 5*3 



Notes . 5=3 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



The Southern Comet 5-5 



Physical Notes 526 



Geographical Noms „ 5=6 



The Meteor Shower of Januarys. By W. F. Denning . . -; 5*7 

 . in the Asiatic Alliancks of the Fauna of the " CoNGEMAH 



Deposits of South-Eastern Europe r-L,;,,',,' 



On the iirigin of the Mineral. Structural, and CHEMICAL 



Characters of ophites and Related Rocks 5=9 



Scientific Serials »° 



Societies and Academies " 



