Feb. lo, l88S.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



141 



parent, but in storms, on account of the number and 

 closeness of these flakes, they often became almost 

 opaque. The snow on the mountains, in certain coun- 

 tries, gradually formed into ice, thus making glaciers, 

 which, by the pressure from above, continually travelled 

 downwards to the snow line, sometimes at the rate of 

 40 feet a day. Ice caves were found chiefly in France 

 and Switzerland ; in these caves ice continually formed, 

 and thus furnished a continual supply for the neighbour- 

 ing cities. The ice at the top of a glacier was granular, but 

 very small, getting larger as it descended. Traces of a 

 glacier, supposed to have been 1,400 feet thick, had been 

 found near Manchester. 



SILLOTH LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC 

 SOCIETY. 

 Mr. R. McMillan recently delivered a lecture in the 

 Cocoa House Assembly Rooms, Carlisle, on " The First 

 Glass Makers," being a history of the Sponge family. 

 The lecturer treated the subject in a comprehensive 

 manner, and exhibited a beautiful and perfect specimen 

 of Venus's cup, being pure glass woven by a sponge at 

 a sea depth of 600 fathoms. 



ARISTOTELIAN SOCIETY. 

 At the meeting held on January 23rd, Mr. Shadworth 

 H. Hodgson, President, in the chair, a paper was read 

 by Mr. Bernard Bosanquet, M.A., on " The Philosophical 

 Importance of a True Theory of Identity." Believing 

 that the theory of Identity is the only fundamental ques- 

 tion at issue between thinkers interested in German 

 speculation and those of the distinctively English school, 

 the writer was anxious to state the question precisely, 

 and to trace its far-reaching consequences. Attributing 

 to English thought the view that it is the ideal of 

 Identity to exclude DiiTerence, he first pointed out the 

 nature of this principle in the province of logic, referring 

 in particular to Hamilton, Mill, Jevons, and Herbert 

 Spencer, and explained the truer doctrine of recent 

 logic, to the effect that an identity or universal is a meet- 

 ing point of differences, and that identity in judgment is 

 incompatible with tautology. An analogous contrast of 

 principles shows itself in Psychology, especially in the 

 question whether Association by Similarity can be reduced 

 to a principle more like that of Contiguity, and in 

 Atomism or Individualism and the opposite conceptions 

 in Ethical and Political Science. Brilliant as has been 

 the history of British philosophy, it reveals a certain 

 insensibility to the organic and coherent aspect of man's 

 spiritual achievement, as the mere inspection of the 

 range of British philosophical literature seems to demon- 

 strate. There may be historical causes of this defect, 

 which does not appear to be rooted in the national 

 character, and which participation in the present move- 

 ment of European culture, including among many 

 elements an attempt towards a more synthetic and vital 

 philosophy, is tending to remove. 



Torpedoes. — A German firm is now manufacturing a new 

 torpedo, intended to penetrate the torpedo nets which have 

 hitherto proved impassable. To enable the torpedo to do 

 this, it is to have a much higher speed, and is to carry a 

 much heavier charge. At present four sizes are being made, 

 which can carry 40, 53, 73, and 115 kilos, and travel at the 

 rate of 25, 26, 26-25, and 27-5 knots per hour. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The Editor does not hold himself responsible for o-pinions expressed 

 by his correspondents, nor can he take notice of anonymous com- 

 munications . All letters must be accompanied by the name and 

 address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, but as a 

 guarantee of good faith. 



SP.-^WN OF FRESH-WATER FISH. 



Could any reader of your excellent paper kindly answer 

 these three questions : — 



1. What is the spawn of fresh-water fish such as carp, gold- 

 fish, tench, minnow, etc., like ? 



2. In what month of the year do the above fish spawn ; and 

 also, in what month do newts, efts, frogs, etc., lay their 

 eggs? 



3. How long does the spawn and eggs of the above-men- 

 tioned creatures take before it is hatched ; and what is the 

 best way to keep it to insure its hatching ? 



S. E. DUNKIN. 



COLLEGE EXAMINATIONS. 

 From the discussions which have appeared on the proposed 

 new University for London, it appears more clearly than ever 

 how the legitimate object of e.xaminations has been altered. 

 Instead of the examination being simply a test to show 

 whether the student has made a good use of the facilities 

 placed in his hands, it is now made the object for which he is 

 to study. The examiner is master of the situation, and can 

 dictate alike to professor and student what is to be taught 

 and how it is to be taught. Surely this is an abuse frauglit 

 with peril to the intellectual life of your nation. 



— Freiburg in Breisgau. 



A CURIOSITY IN CALCULATION. 

 " F.R.S.E. " is correct in his conclusion. December the Is8, 

 490 B.C., in history means, 489 years and i month before the 

 Christian era. December the ist, A.D. 1815, means 1814 

 and I eleven months since the Christian Era : and the two sums 

 added together = 2,304 years. J. de D. 



TEMPER.'VTURE AND RAINFALL OF 1887. 

 I send you the following summary of the temperature and 

 rainfall of the past year, thinking that it may be of some in- 

 terest to your readers : — 



Absolute minimum temperature 9° (on grass), occurred on 

 Jan. 17th. 



Absolute maximum temperature 85 'S", occurred on July 

 3rd. 



The most noticeable feature of the year was the long and 

 unprecedented drought, which commenced on June 8th, an^ 



