April 13, 1900.] 



SGIENGB. 



593 



THE MISTEAL. 



The mistral is well known as a strong cold 

 wind which is common in the region about Mar- 

 seilles, in southern France. It occurs when 

 there is a barometric gradient to the south from 

 the plateau of Central Prance, the cold air flow- 

 ing quickly down the gradient and producing 

 what the Germans have well named a Fall-iuind. 

 In the districts which are subject to frequent 

 mistrals, the trees are bent to the southeast 

 under the influence of the strong northwest 

 wind, and the gardens are protected by means 

 of high walls. The mistral is often so violent 

 as to cause considerable damage, and sometimes 

 even loss of life. Kassner, in Das Wetter for 

 February, mentions the case of a mistral which 

 occurred on January 20th, of this year. A car- 

 riage in which a lady was driving was blown 

 into a canal, and the passenger and horse were 

 drowned. One man was severely cut in the 

 head by a tile .which was" blown from a roof, 

 and another was thrown down by the wind and 

 badly hurt. In view of the accident to the car- 

 riage above referred to, the mayor of Marseilles 

 issued an order to the effect that hereafter no 

 carriages are to be allowed to drive along the 

 canals or the water-front while a mistral Is 

 blowing. Ordinary street traiBc in Marseilles 

 is always considerably interfered with by a 

 violent or a long- continued mistral. 



TYPHOONS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



The Manila Observatory, under the direction 

 of the Jesuit Fathers, has been keeping on with 

 its excellent meteorological work throughout 

 the troublous times of the past two years or 

 more. The latest publication which has come 

 to hand from the Observatory is a report by 

 Father Doyle, entitled, Tifones del Archipielago 

 Filipino y Mares circunvecinos 1895 y 1S96. This 

 is a valuable extension of the work already 

 done by the Manila Observatory in connection 

 with the typhoons, or bagnios, of the Philippine 

 region, and is a fitting supplement to Father 

 Algu6's report. Bagnios b Ciclones Filipinos, 

 dated 1897. The present report gives a detailed 

 account of the different typhoons, with tabu- 

 lated meteorological observations relating to 

 them. The tracks are plotted on a series of 

 eight maps, and the fluctuations in atmospheric 



pressure noted during the passage of three 

 special typhoons are represented graphically. 



CLIMATE AND MILITARY OPERATIONS. 



Tlie Influence of Climate on Military Opera- 

 tions is the title of a chapter in a recent work 

 on Outlines of Military Geography, by T. M. 

 Maguire (Cambridge, Eng., 1S99, Cambridge 

 Oeographical Series). Dwellers on plains are 

 compared with dwellers in mountainous re- 

 gions ; the severity of the seasons is noted in 

 connection with Napoleon's Russian expedition 

 and other military campaigns, and the subject 

 of disease among troops is also touched upon. 



E. Dec. Ward. 



Haevaed Univeesity. 



PATENTS AND THE INDUSTRIES. 

 The I'ecently published report of the U. S. 

 Commissioner of Patents is a reminder of the 

 facts that this system of protection of the in- 

 ventor and of assurance to him of the product 

 of his brain, a system to which those familiar 

 with the subject attribute a large share of our 

 unexampled progress in tlie arts and industries, 

 has, of late years, received far less considera- 

 tion than formerly and that it has not been 

 cared for as it should be. It is the most remark- 

 able stimulant to invention that the world has 

 yet seen, and to it the country owes more than 

 cau be either estimated or compensated. Yet 

 apparently neither the committees to which its 

 interests are entrusted, nor the Congress itself 

 gives much consideration to its needs or its de- 

 serts. Nearly 50,000 applications for patents 

 on new inventions have been recorded in a single 

 year. The receipts of the oflice were last year 

 far above its expenditures — $1,325,457 and $1,- 

 211,783 — and this has been the fact in every 

 year of its century of existence, with the excep- 

 tion of but eight. In 1883, the surplus for the 

 year amounted to about a half million dollars. 

 The total balance of the Patent Oflice to-day 

 amounts to $5,086,649; but Congress does not 

 even permit this earned capital to be appro- 

 priated to the needs of the Patent Office. It 

 has a wealth of resources and is annually add- 

 ing to them ; yet it is permitted to need addi- 

 tions to its staff of examiners, to suffer for lack 

 of additions to its library, which should be the 



