Jan. 6,i888.] 



SCIENTIFIC NE^A^S. 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Mr. Newlands and the Royal Society. — Mr. New- 

 lands, the first discoverer of the periodic law, has, at 

 last, received the Copley medal for this grand step in 

 chemical theory. 



The Gresham Lectures. — A reform is called for in the 

 Gresham lectures, the subjects of which, as appointed by 

 the founder, are astronomy, geometry, divinity, and music. 



Boric and Salicylic Acid. — The use of these chemicals 

 for the preservation of milk is increasing in England. In 

 France the introduction of salicylic acid into articles of food 

 or drink is forbidden. 



The Preservation of Cider. — Both congelation 

 and heating to about 60° C. have been tried in France for 

 the preservation of cider, the form^er fruitlessly, and the 

 latter with success. 



What is an Element? — Dr. J. Gibson, lecturing before 

 the Andersonian Chemical Society, Glasgow, on the 

 question, " What is an Element ? " concluded that we 

 could not as yet give a definite answer. 



Slaughtering by Electricity. — Some experiments 

 have been recently made in St. Petersburg with the idea 

 of slaughtering cattle by electricity, the results of which 

 have been highly satisfactory — death being in all cases 

 instantaneous. 



Mystery Gold. — This alloy is composed of copper, 

 silver, gold, and aluminium. Owing to the presence of 

 the last-named metal the reaction of nitric acid upon 

 copper is considerably diminished, so that it is difficult to 

 distinguish it from sold. 



Borings in the Nile Delta. — According to a paragraph 

 in Nature, the borings carried on in the Nile Delta by the 

 Royal Society have been temporarily stopped by the 

 breaking of the pipe. The depth reached is over 324 ft., 

 but no solid rock has been arrived at. 



SuB-CuTANEOus TuBES. — There are millions of little 

 tubes lying underneath our skins. It is estimated that 

 on the average there are 2,800 of them to every square 

 inch of the surface of the body. Every one measures 

 when straightened out a quarter of an inch, and so we 

 find that altogether there must be twenty-eight miles of 

 this minute tubing beneath our skin. 



Electric Lighting in Parliajient. — It is estimated 

 that to light the whole of the buildings connected with 

 the House of Lords and the House of Commons, 5,000 

 lights will be necessary. At present only 500 electric 

 lights are used, and these have given such general satis- 

 faction, that the impression exists that the necessary 

 extension will be readily sanctioned. 



Earthquakes in Russia.- — At the suggestion of 

 Professor Mushketoff, who has just returned from his 

 official visit to Semiretchia, a special commission has 

 been appointed to watch the course of any earthquakes 

 that may happen, and to report on them, in those parts 

 of the Empire which are most frequently visited, such as 

 the Caucasus, Turkestan, and the Transbaikal region. 



Telephone to St. Bernard. — The monks of St. Bern- 

 ard have established what is probably the highest-lying 

 telephone connection in Europe, in order to facilitate 

 their famous work of charity. Their well-known hospice 

 is now in telephonic communication with the towns oi 

 Proz and St. Pierre in Switzerland and those of Pontine 

 and St. Remy, on the Italian side of the mountain. 



Intrinsic Light. — M. D. Monnier defines the intrinsic 

 light of a lamp as the ratio of the photometric power to 

 the area of the illuminating surface. The following 

 figures are given as the intrinsic light of certain lamps ; 

 Argand Burner . . . . o'3 candle per sq. cm. 



Siemens Regenerative Burner o'6 ,, ,, 



Incandescent Lamp . . . . 30'0 ,, „ 



Arc Lamp . . , . . .480-0 „ „ 



Solar Halos. — The iridescent ring or halo usually 

 taken as an indication of approaching rain or snow, seen 

 at times surrounding the sun, is known to most people. 

 Occasionally outside this ring parts of other circles are 

 seen touching it, but recently M. Cornu noticed these tan- 

 gential arcs without the ring. He is of opinion that their 

 appearance is due to the ice particles floating in the upper 

 atmosphere becoming horizontal and strictly parallel. 



The Canals of Mars. — The curious " canals " on the 

 surface of Mars are like nothing else known, and still 

 remain unexplained. They are seen as nearly straight 

 lines, and appear hke cuttings, with parallel sides, ex- 

 tending from sea to sea across the planet's continents. 

 They are about fifteen miles wide. They were discovered 

 a few years ago by Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer 

 and their existence has since been confirmed by several 

 other observers. 



Cultivation of Flax. — Early last spring Messrs. 

 Carmichael and Dalgleish offered, in order to revive 

 the flax industry, to supply farmers in the vicinity of 

 Dundee with flax seed for a thousand acres. Eighty 

 farmers took advafitage of the offer, and the reports now 

 published with regard to the experiment show that 

 although the crops have been somewhat light, the results 

 have been such that several of the farmers are prepared 

 to sow flax another year. 



Long-Distance Telephony. — The results obtained or. 

 the New York-Philadelphia line are so satisfacto-ry that 

 this line of telephonic communication is being rapidly 

 extended. A line from New York to Boston with thirty 

 wires, as well as another service to Albany, will probably 

 be opened for traffic early in January. The wires are 

 carried on poles from 45 feet to 50 feet high, which are 

 strong enough to carry fifty wires, although only twelve 

 will be placed at first. 



Train Lighting in Germany. — From a report recently 

 issued, containing statistics of the various methods 

 employed in Germany for lighting railway carriages, it 

 appears that gas is greatly in favour, and that at present 

 oil is used to a limited extent. This improvement may 

 however have the effect of retarding the general adop- 

 tion of electric lighting, as the railway companies will 

 be averse to abandon gas after incurring the expense of 

 fitting up the carriages for it. 



