914 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 388. 



tration effect supervenes ; a larger particle will 

 evaporate because the effect of surface tension 

 supervenes. 



4. In connection with this simple mechanism 

 for producing stable nuclei of a startling de- 

 gree of smallness by mere shaking, nuclei 

 which may be without electrical charge, the 

 question naturally arises whether the mech- 

 anism is not sufficient to account for nuclei in 

 the presence of saturated vapor, in general. 



Suppose therefore that such chemically pow- 

 erful agencies as' the X-rays, or Becquerel 

 rays, or ultra-violet light, or the electric glow, 

 etc., on being passed through a saturated 

 vapor, produce in that vapor a new chemical 

 synthesis in degree, however small (fancy the 

 vapor pressure due to a few hundred nuclei 

 per cubic centimeter!), soluble in the liquid 

 from which the vapor arises. Then imme- 

 diately around the new molecule there will be 

 a region of vanishing vapor pressure. The 

 new molecule (or ion) will therefore grow by 

 condensing the vapor, until further growth is 

 arrested by the decrement of vapor pressure 

 due to diminishing convexity. In other words, 

 the critical diameter is again reached. 



C. Baeus. 



Brown University, 

 Providence, R. I. 



QUOTATIONS. 



THE APPLICATIONS OF ELECTRICITY IN GREAT 



BRITAIN. 



The Institution of Electrical Engineers 

 appointed, about a year ago, a committee to 

 inquire into electric legislation and to recom- 

 mend, if possible, such action as might assist 

 the electrical industry. Some three weeks 

 ago we gave the general conclusions of the 

 committee, as embodied in a number of reso- 

 lutions. Its report has now been issued, with 

 a large amount of interesting evidence, ex- 

 tracts from which we publish to-day. There 

 are practically no dissentients from the 

 opinion that electrical enterprise is in a very 

 backward condition in this country. The 

 fact may be differently explained by differ- 

 ent people, and no doubt, more than one cause 

 may fairly be assigned. There are a few who 

 rather glory in our backwardness, and try to 



persuade us that other nations have lost 

 money by going ahead. But however the 

 fact may be explained or regarded, it is uni- 

 versally admitted. In the use of electricity 

 for traction, for lighting, and for the econom- 

 ical supply of power for manufacturing pur- 

 poses, we are far behind other nations. So 

 much is this the case that, when any demand 

 arises for generating machinery and plant, 

 it is found that there has been no previous 

 demand of such a kind as to produce manu- 

 facturers with the requisite appliances and ex- 

 perience. An electric railway or tramway 

 company has to import machinery from 

 America or Germany, because it cannot be 

 supplied at home, or, if supplied at all, is 

 produced with extreme slowness. Things are, 

 no doubt, improving in that respect, though 

 it is not altogether agreeable to reflect that 

 the improvement is largely due to American 

 enterprise. The public are mostly concerned 

 in noting the phenomena of traction and 

 lighting. Yet it may be taken as certain 

 that a far greater aggregate loss to the nation 

 arises from the failure to take due advantage 

 of the immense economy in the production 

 and transmission of power that electricity 

 offers when intelligently applied. The com- 

 mittee finds that the main cause of our back- 

 wardness is stupid and restrictive legislation, 

 carried out by legislators having no knowledge 

 of the subject they had to deal with, and al- 

 lowing, themselves to be guided by abstract 

 political or economic theories. In other 

 countries rulers called upon to deal with ques- 

 tions of this kind habitually consult men of 

 science , and frame their regulations with 

 some regard to the special nature of the sub- 

 ject-matter. In other words, different forms 

 of national intelligence are coordinated for 

 the national good. — The London Times. 



CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. 



MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 



The Monthly Weather Review for January 

 (issued April 11), the first number of Vol. 

 XXX., is somewhat changed in external 

 appearance, and the name of Mr. H. H. 

 Kimball as assistant editor ig associated with 

 that of Professor Abbe. There is a distinct 



