66 THE ROYAL SOCIETY. Burlington House, London. Thursday, March 1, at 4.30 p.m.-A. E. H. Tutton, F.R.S. : The Hexahydrated Double Sulphates containing Thallium." A. E. H. Tutton, F.R.S.: The Hexahydrated Double Selenates containing Thallium." W. H. J. Childs : "The Distribution of Intensity in the Band Spectrum of Helium The Band a λ4650.' (Communicated by O. W. Richardson, F.R.S. M. C. Johnson: Studies in the Behaviour of Hydrogen and Mercury at the Electrode Surfaces of Spectrum Tubes." (Communicated by S. W. J. Smith, F.R.S.) 66 Papers by the following will be read in title only-W. E. Curtis, R. G. Lunnon, S. Chapman, F.R.S., N. F. Mott, and G. H. Biggs. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE. Gower Street, London. Monday, February 27, at 2 p.m.-" The Realistic Epic of Castile." A public lecture by Señor A. R. Pastor, Ph.D., B.Litt., King's College, London. Tuesday, February 28, at 5.30 p.m."Henrik Ibsen." First of a course of four public lectures by Prof. J. G. Robertson. Other lectures, March 6, 13 and 20. New Patents. These particulars of New Patents of interest to Readers have been selected from the Official Journal of Patents, and are published by special permission of the Controller of His Majesty's Stationery Office. Latest Patent Applications. 3,240.-Anshinachie, P. P. J.-Manufac- matic acid chlorides. February 2nd. 3,042. Goodrich, R. J.-Process of preparing ortho-ortho-dicarboxyl-di phenyl-diamino-anthraquinones. 2,864.-Imperial Chemical Industries, 3,179.-Synthetic Ammonia & Nitrates, Ltd.-Effecting chemical reaction under pressure. February 1st. Specifications Published. 257,619.-I. G. Farbenindustrie Akt.-Ges. -Process for introducing sulpho. cyanide groups into organic com pounds. 263,191.-Chemical Works (formerly Sandoz).-Process for the production of 2-amino-4-nitrophenoxyethanol or -propandiol. 284,450.-Wulfing, J. A. Von, and Busch, A.-Processes for preparing neutral to weakly acid water-soluble silicic acid compounds. 284,574.-I. G. Farbenindustrie Akt.-Ges. -Extraction of carbon from gaseous mixtures. dioxide BRISTOL UNIVERSITY. Required at BRISTOL UNIVERSITY, a LECTURE ASSISTANT IN PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. Experience in either Physics or Chemistry, or a knowledge of Physical Instruments, essential. Wages, 60/- to 70/-. Apply, stating age and qualifications, to Registrar. JUST PUBLISHED. RASA-JALA - NIDHI or Ocean of Indian Chemistry & Alchemy. VOLS. I. AND II. This is the most Comprehensive and Scientific Treatise on Hindu Chemistry, Alchemy and Medicine-a Science almost lost to Humanity several Centuries ago. and now reclaimed by DR. BHUDEB MOOKERJI, M.A., of 41A, Grey Street, Calcutta. The text is in Sanscrit and English. Neatly bound in cloth; best antique paper. Demy 8vo. About 350 pages, each Volume, To be had of Messrs. Luzac & Co., Great Russell Street, London, and of the Author in India. MILLER'S EXPERIMENTS AND THE CONSTITUTION OF MATTER. PART V. By DR. W. TOMBROCK (Holland). Illingworth, Physical Review (Nov., 1927) has repeated Kennedy's work with an even more sensitive apparatus and confirms Kennedy's results (The Chemical News, 1927, cxxxiv, 244. Piccard and Stahel, Comptes Rendus, Nov. 28, 1927, in their paper "The Absence of the Ether Wind on the Righi," state that the experiments of Miller were not confirmed, so that Miller stands alone in obtaining a positive result from the MichelsonMorley experiment of 1926. This result has not in the meantime been obtained again by Miller; at any rate it has not been once more publicly confirmed. The discrepancy between observation and theory also still remains unexplained. I have pointed out the confirmation of a part of the conclusions drawn by Miller which has been obtained by observations of an entirely different character (The Chemical News, 1927, cxxxv, 1). Prof. Paul Painlevé lectured on Noevmber 17 at the Institut Français du RoyaumeUni on "Absolu et Relativité." M. Painlevé emphasised the essentially scientific character of the theory of relativity, which has often been falsely represented as a metaphysical doctrine. Relativity demands the objective reality of the external world. What it does is to deprive time and space of the absolute character with which they have previously been wrongly endowed. In M. Painlevé's opinion, the theory is coherent and logically sound. He also gave an evening discourse at the Royal Institution before a large audience and put the question as to whether matter would appear continuous or discontinuous if our senses were refined far beyond the range of our most powerful instrumentthe famous controversy of plenum versus vacuum. In turn, continuity and discontinuity have seemed to prevail as an explanation of matter and of light. He then dealt with the atomic microcosm, showing that the study of corpuscular radiations. forces us to introduce the idea of discontinuity inside the atom and to regard all matter as made up of two final elements only the electron and the proton. Painlevé mentioned the difficulties which lie in the way of explaining the luminous spectra emitted by atoms, and expressed the hope that the new mechanics, by asso M. ciating material eorpuscles with these mysterious waves, would ultimately overcome those difficulties. These two objections to the special theory of relativity in any case still remain in my opinion: Tummers: The two fundamental principles of the theory are contradictory. His proof thereof has not up to the present been refuted. Tombrock: Time is measured duration and as such is absolute. The relativity of time rests on a confusion of time with motion, which is not absolute but dependent on the attendant circumstances, thus relative.1 These two objection's have nothing to do with a positive or negative result of Miller's experiments and so do not stand or fall with it. 1 It may appear paradoxical, but in the measurement of time lies the absolute, the magnitude of what one measures is independent of the unit used in the measurement. The interval between two instants does not become smaller if one determines it with a slowly moving clock, hence time is called absolute. The neglect of this paradoxical but fundamental truth brings about a confusion of time with the unit of measurement of time; the unit of measurement of time is determined by a special movement and motion is dependent on the attendant circumstances thus relative. So also is the unit of measurement but not the interval of time which one measures therewith. The relativity of the time is thus brought about by a confusion of time with motion. I travelled 10,000 miles on American and Canadian railways. These are almost all owned by private enterprise. The visitor is struck by the large size of the locomotives and rolling stock, and the immense length of the trains, freight trains sometimes being almost a mile in length, and passenger trains being relatively large. The fuel used is either oil or coal, according to the district being traversed, and the service is good, long distance trains running well to timetable. The accommodation, however, is only medium-the Pullman cars seem crude in a country specialising in modern conveniences, and the seating in the day cars is not equal to that in our best Australian trains. In the winter time the artificial heating makes the carriages insufferably hot and close. the traffic; but perhaps most of all by the manner in which they are lighted. The streets at night invariably have a gala appearance, and all important buildings and objects are illuminated. The people take a great pride in their towns, and wish to have them visible at all times. Possibly this feature is a little overdone, but within limits it has everything to recommend it, and could be well adopted in our Australian towns, particularly Melbourne, whose sepulchral gloom at night time is something that none of its citizens can possibly be proud of. New York is truly an extraordinary city, and its buildings, especially in the downtown area, viewed from the top of one of the hignest of them, constitute an amazing accumulation of bricks and mortar. Thirtystorey buildings are more the rule than the exception and those of lesser height are regarded as obsolete. The street traffic is extraordinarily dense, and is regulated by semaphores with a master control, but the underground and elevated railways are mostly depended upon for passenger transport. The harbour that surrounds the city on three sides is one of the remarkable features. PERSONALITY. The technical men on the works and mines are almost without exception of fine personality, keen and enthusiastic in their work, and anxious to give all information possible. In New York I had the privilege of meeting a number of most interesting men, well known in the mining world, notably Dr. Callow, Mr. Hardinge (Hardinge Mill), Mr. Dwight (Dwight and Lloyd),Dr. W. R. Ingles, Mr. Carl Eilers, Dr. Foster Bain (the Secretary of the American Institute), who afforded me every possible facility, and many others, all of whom were men of charming personality and hospitality itself. INDUSTRIAL. Work proceeds smoothly and efficiently. Men appreciate that their welfare depends upon output, and wages and conditions are fixed by mutual arrangement between the management and the employees, and seem fairly well standardised from place to place; the 8-hour day is general, and the basic rate is usually about 16s. or 17s. Works do not suffer from a multiplicity of classifications and demarcations of jogs, all the operating men employed in a concentrating mill, for instance, being on the same classification, which makes for economy and efficiency. At the Trail works there have been no industrial unions since a big strike which took to place several years ago, and industrial differences and other matters are adjusted by a council comprising representatives of employer and employees. in Now York I had an interesting experience as to strikes in that part of the world, as shortly after 1 arrived there the whole of the employees of the underground and overhead city railways went out. With this means of transport out of commission New York must cease function, and the carrying on of the service is absolutely a vital matter. Immediately upon the commencement of the strike a volunteer staff was able to maintain a 50 per cent. service, and on the following day a 75 per cent. service was organised and maintained, this gradually increasing until in three weeks' time the strike broke down. The features that most interested me were the prohibition of picketing, which is absolutely illegal in any shape or form, and the fact that the settlement included the retaining of the services of all volunteers who wished to remain. In considering the circumstances and conditions under which the mining industry exists in America, as compared with Australia, the advantages that A merica possesses are outstanding, the most important being the following: 1.-The huge scale of operations reduces overhead costs to a minimum and permits large expenditure of capital on new plant, etc., without disproportion of depreciation charges, and it also affords wonderful opportunities for research work on a plant scale, some companies running pilot mills for experimental work, which are as large as the whole treatment plant in many instances in this country. 2. The enormous home market for products and ready access to foreign markets. 3. The accessibility of the latest machinery and plant and general supplies at a minimum cost. 4. The cheapness of power and fuel. 5. The freedom from burdensome industrial conditions, restrictions of output, etc. As compared with the foregoing, Australia has the following handicaps : 1.-Mining operations are on a comparatively insignificant scale, except possibly in the case of Broken Hill, which means high costs and renders research work on a plant scale impracticable, and comparatively |