NOVEMBER 24, 1899. ] 
ally formed which impedes the solution of the 
gold. In this case the silver chlorid coating 
must be from time to time dissolved off by 
ammonia. The small amount of platinum in 
the gold solution is precipitated by sal ammo- 
niac. When much silver is present the alloy 
is fused with zinc and then treated with sulfuric 
acid before the above process. 
THE atomic weight of palladium has been 
several times redetermined in the past few 
years, but with results varying from 105.75 to 
107.18. Nocause has been discovered for these 
discrepancies. The figure accepted by Clark 
is 106.36, by Richards 106.5, and by the German 
Committee 106.0. Three new series are de- 
scribed by W. L Hardin in the Journal of the 
American Chemical Society, in each case the 
compound used being one not hitherto used for 
atomic weight determination. The palladium 
itself was most carefully purified. The results 
are as follows: Using diphenylpallad-diammo- 
nium chlorid, mean of seven determinations 
107.006; using diphenylpallad-ammonium bro- 
mid, mean of five, 107.036; using ammonium 
palladium bromid, mean of four, 107.00; mean 
of all, 107.014. It will be seen that this figure 
is decidedly higher than that usually received ; 
it is, however, in close agreement with that ob- 
tained by Keller and Smith (107.18 as a mean 
of nine determinations) by the use of pallad- 
diammonium chlorid. 
J. L. H. 
CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. 
INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL COMMITTEE. 
AT the meeting of the International Meteor- 
ological Committee held at St. Petersburg, 
September 2-7, 1899, it was decided that the 
Sub-Committee on Terrestrial Magnetism and 
Atmospheric Electricity should be maintained as 
a distinct organization, under the direction of 
the International Committee. The committee 
recommended that meteorological institutions 
should take part in observations of earthquake 
phenomena, and in the matter of Antarctic ex- 
ploration expressed the opinion that it is highly 
desirable (1) that the results of these explora- 
tions should be completed by data from the 
observatories already existing in the Southern 
Hemisphere and by those made on board ves- 
SCIENCE. 719 
sels traversing the southern oceans ; (2) that- 
new meteorological stations should be estab- 
lished in the southern part of the Antarctic 
regions, and especially that magnetic observa- 
tions should be organized ; (3) that magnetic 
determinations over the whole globe should be 
made simultaneously with those made during 
the expeditions. The subjects of publishing 
tables of diurnal range of temperature for each 
country in a special form, the importance of 
actinometric observations, the multiplication. 
of observations with the hair hygrometer in 
place of the wet-bulb thermometer, the laying 
of a cable between Iceland and Europe, and. 
the publication of an international periodical 
weather report to contain ten-days means for: 
about 100 stations, were discussed, but no 
definite action was taken regarding them. It 
was decided that the International Committee. 
and all the sub-committees should meet in Paris. 
in 1900, immediately after the Meteorological 
Congress. Nature of October 19th contains a brief’ 
account of the Proceedings at the September 
Meeting of the International Committee. 
THE TEXAS FLOODS OF JUNE 27 TO JULY 15. 
A report on the flood in the Brazos river val- 
ley, Texas, at the end of June and the begin- 
ning of July last appears in the Monthly Weather 
Review for July (issued September 22d). The. 
writer, Dr. I. M. Cline, Local Forecast Official 
of the Weather Bureau at Galveston, states. 
that the heavy rains resulted from a semi-trop- 
ical storm which moved northward from the 
central portion of the Gulf of Mexico. The 
storm was first noted on the morning weather 
map of June 26th, and moved inland during 
the night, dying out as it advanced. An anti- 
cyclone moving southward from the northwest 
opposed the Gulf storm on June 27-28, these 
being the pressure conditions which prevailed 
during the occurrence of the rains. Two of 
the heaviest rains recorded during the 72 hours 
ending at 8 A. M., June 28th, were as follows : 
Alvin, 7.27 ins.; Brazoria, 7.83 ins. During 
the 72 hours ending at 8 A. M., June 29th. 
some of the heaviest rainfalls were: Columbia, 
8.06 ins.; Danevang, 11.07 ins.; Rock Island, 
10.15 ins., and during the 72 hours ending at 8 
A. M., June 30th, Brenham had 19.99 ins- 
