October 21, 1887.] 



SCIENCE. 



203; 



package containing more than a certain amount must be accom- 

 panied by a customs permit or certificate from the local farmer, and 

 heavy penalties are appointed for breach of these regulations or in- 

 fringement of the privileges of the farmers. The effect of the 

 decree is to establish a monopoly in the trade in opium in the gov- 

 ernment, vi-hich will work through the licensed farmers. But no 

 provision is made for the sale by public auction of the right to deal 

 in opium, as is usual in British and other colonies where opium is 

 farmed. 



— We learn from The Critic that a periodical of a somewhat new 

 character is to appear in The Hague (Netherlands). It will be a 

 fortnightly in four languages, — English, French, Spanish, and 

 Italian, — containing original correspondence on letters, arts, and 

 science from London, Paris, Madrid, and Naples. A New York 

 correspondent has been invited to contribute an American letter to 

 the quartet already named. The object is to promote the study of 

 languages. The editor of the new periodical is to be M. Taco H. 

 deBeer, editor of de Portefeicille, the Dutch Art Clironiclc. and 

 Literary Review. 



— A new process of electroplating natural objects, such ^s ani- 

 mals, flowers, and tissues, has been brought out in France, and, as 

 described in Engineering, is as follows : An albuminous liquid is 

 obtained by washing some slugs or snails in water to clean them, 

 then placing them in distilled water until they give off their albumi- 

 nous matter. This is filtered and boiled for an hour, then distilled 

 water is added to make up for that lost by boiling, and also about 

 3 per cent of nitrate of silver. This solution is then kept in bottles 

 hermetically sealed, and in a dark place. When required for use, 

 about 30 grams of the liquid are mi.xed with about loo grams of 

 distilled water, and into this solution the objects to be electro- 

 plated are immersed for a few moments. They are then put into a 

 bath consisting of about 20 per cent of nitrate of silver dissolved in 

 distilled water, and afterwards submitted to the action of sulphu- 

 retted-hydrogen gas, which reduces the nitrate of silver on the 

 albumen-coated object. Thus treated, an organic object becomes 

 fitted to receive the electro-deposited metal intended for it ; and 

 the layer is said to be of superior fineness to that produced by the 

 other known processes for coating natural objects with metal by 

 galvanoplasty. It shows the texture of the object with much 

 delicacy. 



— Improvements have been made at the glacial pot-hole on 

 Colonel Hackley'sland in Archbald Borough, Lackawanna Co., Penn. 

 Mr. Hackley has generously appropriated the sum of five hundred 

 dollars for the purpose of protecting it against the action of the 

 weather, and also to make it more attractive to visitors. All the 

 underbrush has been cleared and the ground graded, leaving the 

 shade-trees standing, forming a little park. At present the pot- 

 hole is divided in two by a wooden brattice for the purpose of 

 mine-ventilation. All this timber-work will be taken out, so that 

 the entire pot-hole can be seen. 



— Reports of two journeys through Yemen have recently been 

 published, — one of a German scientist, E. Glaser, who visited the 

 country for the purpose of collecting Sabian inscriptions and manu- 

 scripts, in which he was eminently successful ; one by the English 

 major-general, F. T. Haig. The latter made only a flying trip 

 through the country, starting from Hodeida on the western coast, 

 to Sanaa, the capital, a distance of 140 miles, and from Sanaa turn- 

 ing due south to Aden, 260 miles. Including a week spent in 

 Sanaa, the journey occupied, in all, thirty-one days. The object of 

 the journey was to ascertain whether it might be possible to do any 

 thing for the Christianization of the inhabitants. Glaser, on the other 

 hand, staid in southern Arabia from October, 1882, to March, 1884, 

 and from May, 1885, to Februaiy, 1S86; and at the present time he 

 is again at work in his old field. It is somewhat amusing to com- 

 pare the statements of both travellers. Haig describes the severity 

 of the Turkish taxation, and their cruelty against the natives. 

 Glaser, on the other hand, praises the safety of the territories occu- 

 pied by the Turks, and states that the English have no control 

 whatever over the tribes inhabiting the colony of Aden, who 

 receive an annuity amounting in the aggregate to twelve thousand 

 dollars a year. During the last fifteen years the Turks have suc- 



ceeded in establishingtheir authority in several parts of Arabia, but 

 it is only in Sanaa that the influence extends into the interior- 

 According to Haig's description, they cannot feel very safe here : 

 " The town has an Arab population intensely hating the few 

 thousand Turks by whom it is held down, heavily taxed, and gen- 

 erally obliged to furnish gratis the supplies required for the large 

 garrison of Turkish soldiers. The latter are not allowed to go into 

 the narrow streets for fear of assassination. There is a citadel at 

 one part of the walls, with its guns turned significantly, not to the 

 outside, but upon the town. Glaser staid most of his time in Sanaa,, 

 and made numerous excursions in the neighborhood. He made 

 astronomical observations and surveys in addition to his important 

 archseological collections. The following notes are taken from his 

 description in the Proceedings of the Geographical Society of Vienna. 

 The west side of Arabia is occupied by a mountain-range from 

 eight thousand to ten thousand feet in height. The western declivity 

 of this range is very steep, falling abruptly to the Tihama, a plain 

 about two thousand feet in height, with a gradual slope towards 

 the sea. The eastern slope of the mountain-range is very gradual.. 

 The south coast of Arabia is also occupied by high mountains.. 

 While the high land between these ranges is a desert, the slopes are- 

 drained by numerous rivers, some of which are running throughout 

 the year. The slopes of the mountains are highly cultivated, ter- 

 races being built from the summit of the range to its foot. Those 

 which can be easily irrigated yield four crops annually, and are 

 highly prized. Coffee is one of the principal products of "this 

 country. While Haig describes the climate of the high parts as 

 wholesome and agreeable, it is quite the reverse according to 

 Glaser. He says that malarial fevers prevail in the high land as 

 well as in the low land. In Sanaa the temperature frequently falls 

 below the freezing-point, and during the hottest season a tempera- 

 ture of 92° F. was observed. In winter the daily variations are 

 very great, a temperature of 32° in the morning being followed by- 

 one of 68° after noon. The western slopes of the mountains are 

 moistened by heavy fogs which every day ascend from the low 

 land to the summit, though they do not extend into the interior of 

 the country. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



* -f* The attention of scientific jnen is called to ike advantages of the correspondence- 

 columns o/Sa^KQK for placing fromptly on record brief preliminary notices of 

 ilieir investigations. Twenty copies of the tiumder containing his com?n2inication 

 will be furnished free to any correspondent on request. 



The editor will be glad to publish any queries consonant with the character of 

 thejournal. 



Correspondents are requested to be as brief as possible. The writer's name is- 

 in all cases required as proof of good faith. 



The Scientific Swindler Again. 



A MAN answering the description of the impostor given in pre- 

 vious numbers of Science, appeared at the rooms of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History on Saturday last, having in his possession 

 a microscope, which he offered for sale at a very- low price. We 

 suspected his character, but, having no charge against him, were 

 unable to do any thing, and were in hopes he would return on Mon- 

 day with his microscope, as he engaged to do. He did not return, 

 and we could therefore do nothing. Alpheus Hyatt. 



Boston, Oct. 18. 



Savagery in Boyhood. 



Every thing, we suppose, must be considered hereditary in the 

 present age; even the tendency to wear cocked hats, or to throw 

 cabbage-heads on hallow eve. At any rate, the Popular Science 

 Monthly for October brings this doctrine to bear upon the phe- 

 nomena of savagery in boyhood, as noticed in Science of Oct. 7.. 

 The author explains that cruelty in children is the transmitted habit 

 of ancestral savages, and observes that " the emotion of pity ap- 

 peared late in the history of the race." In the same connection we 

 may mention the intense interest which children take in narratives 

 of warfare : torturing animals is a less general incident. But the 

 callousness of children in contemplating the horrors of war and its 

 consequences has always been an interesting fact to us. However, 

 is no other analysis of this possible than the supposition that our 

 savage forefathers were cruel ? May we not be in danger of making- 



