2 4 6 Notes. [April, 
T ^ arsten remarks that after the great eruption of Skapter 
Jo u , in Iceland, in the spring of 1783, atmospheric phenomena 
similar to those of the past winter were observed in Europe, 
northern Africa, and eastern Asia. 
“ Les Mondes ” informs us that aluminium has been found an 
excellent remedy against phthisis. (But not, surely, in the me- 
tallic state ?) 
An attempt is being made to introduce the turtle in the seas 
0 Provence, Algeria, and Corsica. Plots are being arranged 
where these creatures may deposit their eggs in safety. 
According to Mr. W. H. Harrington (“ Science ”) the Coleo- 
pterous fauna of the neighbourhood of Ottawa, Canada, includes 
1050 species. It is poor in Carabidas and Dytiscidae, but rela- 
tively rich in Buprestidas, Elateridas, and Cerambycidaj. 
During the last three years the cases of hydrophobia in the 
.Department of the Seine have been respectively 17, n, and 6. 
., A ^° J rd i ngt0 7 Les Mondes >” in the districts of the Opera and 
the Madeleine, the Edison Company are distributing electricity 
trom house to house, and supplying the inhabitants with power 
and light almost gratis. The writer adds “ Mon Dieu ! que 
1 esperance est une belle chose ! ” 
.A company is being formed in America for constructing a ship- 
railway across the isthmus at Tehuantepec. 
Says M. Valette— 1 “ Everyone knows that at the Academy the 
alone 1 ” 10 ^ t0 l0 ° Se ^ VGSted in the Per P etual Secretary 
From an official report, quoted in the “ Pall Mall Gazette,” we 
learn that of the 81,000 masters and mistresses in the public 
schools of France, 48,000 receive salaries below £40 yearly ! 
We remark that the Nat’onal Museum of the United States 
though provided with distinct Curators for the Departments of 
Conchology, Ornithology, Ichthyology, Herpetology, for Marine 
Invertebrates, and for Mammalia, has none for Entomology. 
It appears that the antiseptic properties of carbonic acid were 
observed and recorded by a Dr. Macbride prior to Hermbstddt 
Macbnde’s experiments are mentioned in the “ Essai sur differ^ 
entes Especes d’Air,” by Sigaud de la Fond, published in Paris, 
in 1769, Hermbstadt s work did not appear until iygi, 
M. Pasteur (“ Comptes Rendus ”) announces that the less of the 
virus of rabies is introduced into any animal, the longer is the 
stage of incubation, and the more furious is the type of disease 
which follows. But if dilution is carried beyond a certain limit 
the inoculation takes no effeCt. 
