April%, 1880] 



NATURE 



549 



old alumni and other friends come to the rescue. A large part 

 of the income of the University is derived from the farms which 

 form part of its endowment, and the recent depreciation of this 

 kind of property has seriously affected the moderate income of 

 the University, which we hope will be able to weather the 

 storm. 



The University of Buda-Pesth, which was founded in 1635, 

 intends to celebrate, on May 13, the hundredth year since its 

 revival and development by Maria Theresa. There will be a 

 thanksgiving service in the morning and a grand academical and 

 civic procession through the streets. An oration will be delivered 

 and an ode recited, and there v> ill be a banquet, to be followed 

 by a grand ball. In honour of the occasion medals will be 

 struck, honorary degrees will be conferred on distinguished men, 

 and a work by the Hungarian Minister of Justice, rauler, 

 describing the work of the University during the last 100 years, 

 will be published. 



IN consequence of the unavoidable absence of Dr. C. V, . 

 Siemens, his paper at the Society of Telegraph Engineers, on 

 "The Application of the Dynamoelectric Current to the Fusion 

 of Detractory Materials in considerable Quantities," which was 

 to have been read on the 14th inst., is postponed until the 28th 

 inst. The papers to be read will be seen from our Diary. 



Baumgartner, the inventor of a navigable balloon, having 

 three cars attached, each with ten or twelve wings, set in motion 

 by a crank, has attempted an ascent at Leipzic. On the rope 

 being cut the balloon rose very slowly, skimming the house-tops, 

 whereupon the two assistants jumped out of the centre car in 

 alarm. The balloon shot up to a 'great height, then burst and 

 fell. Baumgartner was not seriously hurt, and .is resolved on a 

 second experiment. 



THE ship Border Chi/f, which arrived at Melbourne from 

 London on February 14, reports seeing an iceberg of very large 

 proportions in lat. 47° S. and long. 52 1 E. This ice island was 

 considered to be about 250 feet high and about five miles in 

 length. Another vessel, it is stated, struck an iceberg on March 26, 

 in lat. 46 N., long. 4S° W., and sank next day. A Cardiff 

 steamer on her homeward voyage from New York encountered 

 an immense mass of drift-ice, which it took forty-eight hours to 

 get clear of ; in steaming through it she received several injuries. 

 No fewer than 100 icebergs are stated to have been seen on the 

 pa -nge. 



The season is extremely rainy in Algeria, and an almost 

 unexampled occurrence has taken place ; inundations have 

 lyed some houses at Nemours, and the traffic on the 

 railway from Arzew to Saida has been obstructed by the fall of 

 rocks undermined by the recent rains. A magnificent crop is 

 anticipated, and travelling in the Sahara will be exceptionally 

 easy this summer. 



We have on our table the following works: — "The Field 

 Naturalist's Handbook," Rev. J. G. Wood and Theodore Wood 

 (Cassell) ; "Water Analy.-is," E. Frankland (vau Voorst); 

 " Botany for Children," Rev. G. Henslow (Stanford); " Eth- 

 nology," J. H. Painter (Bailliere); "Guide to the Electric 

 Testing of Telegraph Cables," V. Hoskier (Spoil) ; " The In- 

 fluence of Colloid upon Crystalline Form and Cohesion," Dr. W. 

 M. Ord (Stanford) ; " Introduction to the Science of Language," 

 2 vols., A. II. Sayce (Kegan Paul); "Indian Notes," F. K. 

 Hogg, M.D. (Churchill) ; Publications of the Cincinnati Ob- 

 servatory; " Micrometrical Measurements of Double Stars;" 

 " The Constitution of the Earth," R. Ward (G. Bell and Sons) ; 

 "The Disestablishment of the Sun," John Bland (Sprague 

 and Co.) ; " Abbildungen von Vogel-skeletcn," Dr. A. B. 

 Meyer (Dresden) ; " A Criticism of Dr. Croll's Molecular Theory 



of Glacier Motion," J. J. Harris Teall (Simpkins) ; " Secret of 

 a Good Memory," J. Mortimer Granville (Bogue) ; Journal of 

 the Royal Society of New South Wales, and Annual Report of 

 the Department of Mines of New South Wales (Triibner) ; 

 "Notes of Observation of Injurious Insects;" "Astronomie 

 Populaiie," CamiUe Flammarion; "Practical Chemistry," W. 

 A. Tilden (Longmans); "The Sidereal Messenger of Galileo 

 Galilei," E. S. Carlos (Rivington) ; "British Marine Polyzoa," 

 2 vols., Thomas Hincks (van Voorst); "United Slates Geo- 

 logical Survey," vol. xii. 1S79 ; "Testing Instructions," vol. ii„ 

 Schwendler (Triibner); "Physiology of Religion," part I, 

 Henry Lee (Triibner) ; " Transactions of the Cremation Society 

 of England " (Smith, Elder) ; " International Dictionary for 

 Naturalists and Sportsmen," E. Simpson Baikie (Triibner) ; 

 " The Geological Record for 1S77," edited by W. Whitaker 

 (Taylor and Francis) ; " Henry's Contribution to the Electro- 

 Magnetic Telegraph," W. B. Taylor (Washington); "Die 

 Beobachtung der Sterne, Sonst und Jetzt," J. Norman Lockyer 

 iVieueg und Sohn) ; "Japanese Metric and English Weights 

 and Measures," Edward Kinch (Tokio) ; " Annuaire de l'Aca- 

 deinie Royale des Sciences ; " " Elements of Modern Chemistry," 

 Adolphe Wurtz(Swan, Sonnenschein, and Allen) ; "Geography,' 

 Keith-John-ton (Stanford); "Philosophic Scientifique," H. 

 Girard (Triibner) ; "Australian Orchids," part 5, R. D. Fitz- 

 gerald (Triibner). 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey (Macacus cynomolgus) 

 from India, presented by Mr. G. Kirby ; a Prince Albert's 

 Curassow (Crax albcrti) from Columbia, presented by Mr. 

 H. B. Whitmarsh; a West African Love Bird (Agapornis 

 ) from West Africa, presented by Mr. J. W. Gillespie; 

 a Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), captured in the Red Sea, pre- 

 sented by Dr. Wm. Anderson ; a Greater Black-backed Gull 

 {La/us marinus), European, presented by Mr. E. Thornhill ; a 

 Slow- worm (Anguis fragilis), British, presented by Mr. Leslie 

 Jeyes; two Dingo Dogs (Canis Jingo), two Red Kangaroos 

 (Macropus rufits), two Vulpine Phalangers (Phalangista 

 vulpina, var.), two Mauge's Dasyures (Dasyurns maugai), a 

 Short-headed Phalanger ( BeliJeus brevitrps), two Emus {Dromatu 

 ■hotlandia) from Australia, two Common Wombats (P/ias- 

 colomys wombat), from Tasmania, a Weeper Capuchin (dbiu 

 capucinus) from Brazil, a Horned Tragopan (Ceriomis salyra) 

 from the South-east Himalayas, deposited ; a Feline Dourocouli 

 (A; ctipithecm vociferous) from South Brazil, a Rock Cavy (CeroJon 

 rtipestris), a Whits-spotted Rail (A'allus maculatus), an Orinoco 

 Goose \chmalopex jubala), a Brazilian Teal (Querquedula 

 brasiliemis) from Brazil, purchased. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



As might have been expected, Prof. Nordenskjold and his 

 companions have met with an enthusiastic reception in Paris, 

 both from Government, from the scientific societies, and from 

 the general public. Delegates from the Government received 

 him on hi- arrival, the unusual honour of aCommandership of the 

 Legion of Honour has been conferred upon him, v, hile Capt. 

 Pafander has been made an officer. He was present at the 

 public meeting of the Socie;es Savantes, when he received a \\ arm 

 reception, while the Geographical Society received him publicly 

 in the Cirque of the Champs Elysees. On Sunday a banquet at 

 the Hotel Continental was given him, with Prince Oscar of 

 Sweden as president, and on Monday another banquet by the 

 Geographical Society as a body, while the municipality of 

 Paris presented him with a special gold medal. We wonder 

 if any member of the municipality of London could tell who 

 Nordenskjold is, or what he has done, that all Europe, except 

 England, should make so much fuss about him. Such a 

 reception as he has had in Paris in its nationality and 

 publicity contrasts markedly with the treatment he received 

 here. No doubt he arrived at an unfortunate time, but 



