Mar. 9, 1888.] 



SCIENTIFIC NE\A^S. 



239 



air passes along connecting pipes to tlie guards' van and 

 there sounds a whistle or rings a bell. The signal can 

 only be replaced by a person outside the carriage. 



Improvements in Isolating Carbon from Soot. — A 

 method and apparatus for obtaining pure carbon from 

 soot has been patented by Mr. R. Pringle, of Granville 

 Park, Lewisham. This invention relates to separating 

 the carbon in soot from the foreign matter, the carbon of 

 course being useful in a variety of virays. The soot is 

 thoroughly mixed with water in any suitable mixing 

 vessel, and the water and soot in suspension descend by 

 a pipe to the separating and settling vessel, which is 

 nearly full of water. The pipe descends to near the 

 bottom of the settling vessel, and is there fitted with a 

 nozzle or rose which has an impact plate a little above it. 

 The water with the soot in suspension strikes against 

 the plate, and the foreign matter is separated from the 

 soot. The former sinks while the soot rises to the surface. 



Canal Lock. — Mr. J. Rowley, of Dukinfield, Chester, 

 has patented a canal lock. The lock is constructed in 

 the form of a hydraulic lift, in combination with a water- 

 tight vessel or caisson to contain the barge. The two 

 levels of the canal are connected together by means of 

 a vertical shaft. This shaft is large enough to enclose 

 the largest barge navigating the canal, and extends from 

 the bottom of the lowest level of the canal up to such a dis- 

 tance above the water line at the highest level as will admit 

 of a loaded barge being floated into it. There is an entrance 

 into the shaft on one side at the highest level, and an exit 

 on the other side at the lowest level. The entrance and 

 exit are closed by water-tight sluices. In this shaft is 

 placed a water-tight vessel which will travel up and 

 down in suitable guides. It is provided with suitable 

 lifting gear, and so weighted that when the lifting gear 

 is released the vessel will descend to the bottom of the 

 shaft. The vessel has a water-tight door at each side, 

 so that it can receive a barge at the highest level, and 

 when the doors are closed it can be sunk to and dis- 

 charged at the lowest level. 



Breaking-in Horses. — An apparatus for this purpose 

 has been patented by Mr. H. H. Lake, on behalf of Mr. L. 

 Guinet, of France. A vertical support is provided which 

 has at its lower end a screw-threaded piece designed to be 

 screwed into the bow of the saddle. This support is 

 formed of two pieces, and united at the two ends. A 

 plate and a rearwardly projecting piece are secured near 

 the bottom in such manner that they can slide, and they 

 are secured in place by a thumb-screw. To this project- 

 ing piece, which is slightly curved at its free end, is 

 secured one extremity of a curved spring, the other 

 extremity being secured to a rod extending to the upper 

 part of the vertical support, and formed to receive the 

 end of short reins leading to the bit in the animal's 

 mouth. The rod works between two rollers situated in 

 the vertical support. The apparatus is supported upon 

 the saddle, so as to incline slightly to the rear, and is 

 retained in position by a fork-shaped piece of leather, the 

 upper ends of which are provided with a ring held by 

 hooks fixed to the vertical support. The fork-shaped 

 piece of leather is secured at its other end to the crupper 

 buckle. The power of the spring is regulated by raising 

 or lowering the sliding parts at the foot of the supports. 



ANNOUNCEMENTS. 



Princeton College. — Dr. F. L. Patton has been appointed 

 President in succession to Dr. McCosh. 



College de France. — M. T. Ribot has been appointed 

 Professor of Experimental and Comparative Psychology. 



French Association for the Advancement of Science. 

 — The meeting of the Society will be held at Oran, com- 

 mencing March 2gth, when opportunities will be afforded for 

 making excursions to interesting places in Algeria. 



Royal Society. — The Croonian Lecture will be delivered 

 by Prof. Kuhne, of Heidelberg, on Monday, May 28th, in 

 the theatre of the Royal Institution, Albemarle Street. Mr. 

 Lockyer has been appointed the Bakerian Lecturer this year. 



Institute of Chemistry. — At the anniversary meeting 

 held last evening, of the Institute of Chemistry of Great 

 Britain and Ireland, Dr. James Bell, D.Sc, F.R.S., the Prin- 

 cipal of the Chemical Department, Somerset House, was 

 elected President, Professor Odling, M.B., F.R.S., retiring. 



Grants to University Colleges. — A deputation, co n- 

 sisting of the Rev. Dr. Wace (King's College), Sir George 

 Young (University College), Professor Ramsey, Mr.Garnett 

 (Newcastle), and Mr. Clowes (Nottingham), recently had a 

 private interview with Sir William Hart-Dyke at the Educa- 

 tion Department, Whitehall, with reference to grants in aid 

 of University Colleges. Sir John Lubbock, who introduced 

 the deputation, asked whether the Government had made up 

 their mind to make a grant for University Colleges in accord- 

 ance with the hopes held out by the Chancellor of the Ex- 

 chequer last year. Sir William Hart-Dyke, having discussed 

 the matter in detail with the deputation, promised to give 

 them an answer shortly. 



Photographic Conference of the Camera Club. — 

 The following arrangements have been made : — At 2 p.m., on 

 Tuesday, March 13th, the President, Captain W. de W. 

 Abney, F.R.S., will open the conference in the Theatre of the 

 Society of Arts, 18, John Street, Adelphi. The following 

 papers will be read and discussed : — Mr. D. G. Thomson, 

 "The Application of Photography to Medicine and Allied 

 Sciences ; " Mr. H. Truman Wood, " Applications of Photo- 

 graphy to Science;" Mr. J. Traill Taylor, "Single Lenses 

 corrected for Architecture ; " Mr. G. S. Waterlow, ".Modern 

 Photographic Engraving and Printing ; " Mr. G. Lindsay 

 Johnson, " A Standard System of Weights and Measures ; " 

 Mr. W. Willis, " A Recent Improvement in Platinotype ; " 

 Mr. J. F. Mostyn Clarke, "The Present Value of Art in 

 Photography" 



From 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., the exhibition, of photographic 

 apparatus will be on view in the Library, Society of Arts. 



At 8 p.m., a special lantern slide exhibition will be held in 

 the Theatre of the Society of Arts. There will also be an 

 exhibition of photographs by members of the Camera Club, 

 21, Bedford-street, Strand. 



On Wednesday, March 14th, at 10 a.m., the exhibition ot 

 apparatus in the Library of the Society of Arts. The ex- 

 hibition of photographs by members of the Camera Club, 21, 

 Bedford-street, W.C., will be opened. 



The conference will be renewed at 2 p.m., when the fol- 

 lowing papers will be read and discussed : — Captain Abney, 

 " Theoretical Aspect of Orthochromatic Photography ; " 

 Mr. Lyonel Clark, "The Metamorphoses of the Silver 

 Image ; " Mr. T. Dallmeyer, " On a Further Development 

 and Simplification of the Standard of Comparative Ex- 

 posures, proposed by Dallmeyer ; " Sir D. Saloman, " On a 

 Ratio Slide ; ' Mr. W. F. Donkin, " A New Form of Sensito- 

 meter ; Mr. Andrew Pringle, " Centrifugal Separation in 

 Emulsion Making; ' Captain Abney, "Artificial Light in 

 Photography." 



Photographers and others interested in the subjects under 

 discussion are cordially invited to be present. The meetings 

 are open to ladies. 



