Notes. 
247 
1884.] 
Mr. Hugh Browne points out that the Sutlej descends 12,000 
feet in 180 miles, or at the rate of 666 feet per mile, being pro- 
bably the swiftest great river in the world. 
At the Annual Meeting of the Royal Society of New South 
Wales, in 1883, papers were read on the Geology of the Hawkes- 
bury Sandstone, by Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods ; on Tropical 
Rains, by H. C. Russell, F.R.A.S. ; on the Orbit of the late 
Comet, by G. Butterfield ; on a Method of determining the True 
South, by J. S. Chaud ; on the Progress of New South Wales, 
by Chr. Rolleston ; on Marine Fossils of the Coal Formation of 
New South Wales, by Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods ; on Mesozoic 
Fossils from the Palmer River, by J. C. Tenison-Woods ; on 
French Geographical Societies, by E. M. de la Mesler ; on Abo- 
rigines of Australia, by James Manning; on the Ashes of some 
Epiphtic Ferns, by W. A. Dixon ; and on a Fossil Plant Forma- 
tion, in Central Queensland, by Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods. M. 
Louis Pasteur was elected an Honorary Member, vice Charles 
Darwin, deceased ; and Dr. Ottocar Feistmantel a Corresponding 
Member. 
M. Zenger has constructed a direct-vision spectroscope for the 
observation of the ultra-violet rays. It consists of a new combi- 
nation of prisms of quartz and calcareous spar. 
It is said that during the tempest of January 26th telegraphic 
communication between Paris and the provinces would have 
been substantially cut off had it not been for the underground 
wires. 
During the earlier part of 1883 the atmosphere at Reunion was 
so pure that the planet Venus could easily be distinguished with 
the naked eye during the whole of the day. 
M. G. Le Grant de Tromelin ascribes the production of atmo- 
spheric eledtricity, in a great measure, to the friction of the air 
against the surface of the land and of the sea. 
A writer in “ Cosmos les Mondes ” remarks that Sirius, which 
to us appears of a brilliant white, is described by Horace as 
rubeus and by Cicero as rutilus. 
According to the “ Medical Press and Circular “ the University 
of Oxford, by a decree of Convocation passed on the 4th ult., 
has decided to engage a table at the Zoological Station of Ville- 
franche, for the use of students of the University. The Besti- 
arians made a counter demonstration, but did not venture to go 
to a division. (It is instructive to compare the watchfulness and 
energy of the Bestiarians with the “masterly inactivity” of the 
Society for the Promotion of Medicine by Research.) 
It is understood that a Bill for the incorporation of the Insti- 
tute of Chemistry is to be introduced into Parliament during this 
