SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
85 
the chloride of gold, which begins to form on the gold below this tempera- 
ture, is deposited in reddish long needle-shaped crystals, as voluminous as 
those of the volatile chlorides of molybdenum and tungsten, at some dis- 
tance from the heated part.— Comptes rendus , Nov. 8. 
Presence of Sodium Chloride in Sea-air. — It is not a novel fact that salt 
is present in sea-air, but the following remarks by M. G. d’Hercourt are 
based on some exact experiment : — From a series of observations made at 
Monaco, on the shores of the Mediterranean, M. Hercourt concludes that 
there is always on the sea-shores an atmosphere impregnated with saline 
particles; this layer of air has, at the above-named place, some 500 metres’ 
horizontal, and some 60 metres’ vertical extent. This impregnation of salt 
is due to what the author terms a pulverisation ” of the sea- water by the 
breaking-up of the surf, and is not directly influenced either by barometric 
pressure, hygrometric state of the atmosphere, or its temperature. This 
hydro-mineral dust ( poussihre ), as it is called by the author, is, unless there 
happen to exist near the coast physical obstacles in the shape of high moun- 
tains, carried far away inland, and is not to be confounded with what is of 
more coarse nature, and termed u spray,” which is only quite local, and 
produced when a gale of wind blows. M. Hercourt states that, even on 
calm days in winter, the atmosphere near Monaco is, at least up to a height 
of 70 metres and some few miles inland, impregnated with this hydro- 
mineral dust. There is no tide (rise or fall of water) perceptible in the sea 
alluded to. — See Les Mondes, Nov. 25, and Chemical Neivs, Dec. 17. 
Are there Chemical Atoms ? — The Chemical Society made an effort, if not 
to decide the question, at least to obtain the opinion of its Fellows on the 
subject. At a meeting which was held on Nov. 4, and which was well 
attended — Sir B. Brodie in the chair — a very excellent discussion, opened by 
Dr. Williamson in the affirmative, took place upon the subj ect of the atomic 
theory. Those who opposed the atomic doctrine were the more numerous 
of the two. The “ noes ” seemed to carry the day. The names of the 
speakers were as follows : For the atomic theory, Dr. Williamson and Dr. 
W. Allen Miller ; against it, Dr. Frankland, Dr. Odling, Dr. Mills, Sir 
Benjamin Brodie, and Professor Carey Foster; neutral, Dr. Tyndall. 
Death of Professor Penny. — It was a very unhappy termination to the 
controversy respecting the claim of the late Professor Penny (Anderson’s 
University), that of the death of this well-known labourer in the field of 
technical chemistry. 
Estimation of the Ozone in the Atmosphere. — That the present methods of 
calculating the degree of ozone in the air are defective is proved by a paper 
lately read before the Philosophical Society of Manchester, by Mr. T. 
Mackereth. This gentleman made a series of yearly observations of ozone 
and wind-currents, and he constructed a number of tables. From them he 
concludes that the maximum of ozone development is coincident with the 
maximum of the horizontal movement of the air and of the fall of rain, and 
that the minimum of ozone occurred at the time of the minimum of the 
wind and rain-fall ; and that in the summer months, when the horizontal 
movement of the air was at its minimum, ozone development was at its 
minimum too, thus proving that the existing plan of dividing ozone is open 
to fallacy. 
