FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE, 



195 



applicable to a whole century. But this law, true for a century and 

 a half century, will it hold good for a quarter, or say a tenth, of a 

 century ? 



" I have divided the latter half of the eighteenth century into two 

 portions of twenty-five years each ; and calculations similar to the 

 above have led to similar results : so also for ten-yearly periods. I 

 have also divided it into ten periods of five years : the numbers not 

 being great in this case, the irregular and perturbating causes it 

 might be easily imagined would Regain their sway, and mask the 

 differential action of a continuous influence. Nevertheless, in eight of 

 these ten periods the preponderence is with the syzygies. 



These results, however, of which the concordance is very striking 

 and demonstrative of an influence connected with the movement of 

 the moon in its orbit, are not the only ones to be mentioned. M. 

 Perrey has found that the numbers of times the days of perigee and 

 apogee with the two days preceeding and following have been 

 marked by shocks of earthquake, are as follows : — 



Days of shock. 



Perigee \ 526 



Apogee 465 



Excess at perigee 60 



Or, counting only the day before and after : — - 



Perigee 313 



Apogee 278 



Excess at perigee 35 



M. Perrey concludes by referring to journals kept at Monteleone, 

 Messina, Calanzaro, and Scilla, at which places in every instance, the 

 shocks felt with the moon on the meridian exceed those felt at other 

 times. 



This paper was followed by one by M. Gentili, " On the cause 

 assigned to Earthquakes, founded on observations made at different 

 times at the summit of the Soufriere, a volcanic mountain in Guada- 

 loup." 



Capillary Infiltration of Water in Rock-strata. 



This journal was the first to call attention in this country to the 

 important researches of M. Daubree on the metamorphism and 

 chemical conditions of rocks. 



Another contribution to our science, under the title of " Experi- 

 ments on the possibility of a capillary infiltration through porous 

 materials, in spite of a strong counter- pressure of vapour," has been 

 recently presented to the Academie des Sciences, by this eminent 

 experimentali st. 



" Every day," he says, " in the great phenomena which make 



