Tchesme, Earthquake at, 112 Tea-Planter's Manual, T. C. Owen, 268 Technical Education, 592; Mr. Girling, 567; and the House of Technical School at Bombay, 206 Telegraph Wires, Propagation of Electricity in, Ed. Hagenbach, Telegraphic Determinations of Australian Longitudes, 474 Telephone Line from Paris to London, Proposed, 544 Telescope, Hours with a Three-Inch, Capt. Wm. Noble, 246 Temple Observatory, Mr. Seabroke, 401 Ten Years' Progress in Astronomy, Prof. C. A. Young, 67, 86, Tepper (J. G. Otto), Native Plants of South Australia, 205 Terrestrial Crust, on the Conditions of Form and Density, Thorpe (Prof. T. E., F.R.S.): Explosions in Coal-Mines, W. N. Thouar's Exploration of Bolivia, 231 Throat, Various Effects of Irritation in the, 575 Throndhjem, in Norway, Display of Aurora Borealis at, 112 24 Thunderstorms, Dr. Hann's Observations on, 112 Thylacoleo carnifex, Sir Richard Owen, F.R.S., 111, 142 Tidal Friction and the Evolution of a Satellite, James Nolan, Tides of Long Period, on the Dynamical Theory of the, G. H. Tilden (Prof.), on the Nature of Solution, 21, 64 Tillo (A. C. von), Magnetic Horizontal Intensity in Northern Time, an Apparatus by which, may be communicated to Per- Tin Mines near Meshed, M. Ogorodnikoff, 376 Tippoo Tip and the Emin Pasha Expedition, 402 Todhunter (Isaac, F. R.S.), History of the Theory of Elasticity, Toes, Observations on Heredity in Cats with an Abnormal Tolmie (Dr. W. F.), Death of, 228 Tomlinson (Herbert), the Coefficient of Viscosity of Air, 165 Top-shaped Hailstones, C. S. Middlemiss, 413: T. Spencer Topinard (M.), on the Simian Characters of the Naulette Jaw, 22 Topley (W.), Erosion of the English Coasts, 37 Topography, Functional, of the Brain, Prof. Ferrier, 453 Torpedoes, proposed Examination of, by Prof. Burdon Sander- Total Solar Eclipse of August 29, 1886, Arthur Schuster, F. R. S., Towns, Ozone Papers in, Dr. W. J. Black, 76 Traill (Dr. William), of Woodwick, Obituary Notice of, 419 Trains of Pulleys and Drums, Prof. H. Hennessy, F.R.S., Transmission of Power by Compressed Air, 272 Trécul (M.A.), on the Term "Latex" in Botany, 600 Tribes of the Nile Valley North of Khartoum, Sir Chas. Wilson Trimen (Dr. H.), Hermann's Ceylon Herbarium" and Tripos, Mathematical, Prof. J. W. L. Glaisher, F.R.S., 101, Tripos, on the Earlier, of the University of Cambridge, Sir Tropical and Extra-Tropical Cyclones, on the Relation between, Trout: Brook, Spawning of, 16; Lochleven, Dr. Day, 166; 66 Tunicata, on the Colonial Vascular System of the, 336 Ulrich (Prof.), Discovery of Identity of Sand in the New United Kingdom, Ordnance Survey of the, Lieut.-Col. T. United States: Earthquakes in, 36; Fish Commission, Work of Units of Weight, Mass, and Force, Prof. A. G. Greenhill, 486; University College, Bristol, Albert Fry, 345 University College, Liverpool, Generous Endowments, 280 Universities: University Extension Scheme, 611; Trial of, in Unwin (Prof. W. C., F. R.S.), on some New Measuring-Instru- Upsala University, Female Students at, 306; New University Uralian Society of Natural Sciences, 133 Uranus, Ellipticity of, Prof. W. Valentiner, 614 Urine, Ammoniacal Decomposition of, Dr. W. R. Smith, 404 Urua, Capt. Cameron's Lecture on, 259 Urvolk of Japan, Aino Hairiness and the, F. V. Dickins, 534 Vaerdalen, Norway, Brilliant Meteor seen in, 612 Vaizey (J. R.), the Morphology of the Sporophore in Mosses, 358 Valentiner (Prof. W.), Ellipticity of Uranus, 614 Van Slyke (L. L.), Kilauea after the Eruption of March 1886, Vanadic Acid, Quantitative Analysis of, 576 Vanadium occurring in Rocks and Mineral Ores, on the Extrac- Vaporisation of some very Volatile Substances, on the Latent Variables: New, S. C. Chandler, 307; New, in Cygnus, Dr. Veddahs, C. Stevens on the, 134 Veddas of Ceylon, 205 Veeder (Dr. M. A.): Aurora, 54; Meteors and Auroras, 126; Vegetable Soils, on the Direct Fixation of the Gaseous Nitrogen Vegetable Tissues, on the Effect of certain Stimuli on, Anna Velocities, Virtual, F. Guthrie, 149 Venezuela, Anthropological Notes from, 496 Venice, Earthquake Shock in, 350 Ventosa (V.), a Claim of Priority, 513 Venukoff (M.), on the Upheaval of the South-West Coasts of Verbeek, Volcanoes in Sumatra, 60 Verhandlungen of the Berlin Geographical Society, 520 Vienna Geographical Society, 354; Imperial Academy of Vilayet Konia, Asia Minor, Earthquake at, 375 Virtual Velocities, F. Guthrie, 149 Virus, Scorpion, Sir J. Fayrer, F. R.S., 488; Prof. C. Lloyd Vitality of Mummy Seeds, Geo. Murray, 582 Vitality of Seeds, 414; F. G. Hilton Price, 463; L. Blome- Vitality and its Definition, Prof. John W. Judd, F.R.S., 511; Volcanoes of Japan, Prof. Milne, 19; in Sumatra, Verbeek, Voltaic Arc, on the, 576; Electromotive Force of the, 331 Vortices, Aerial, and Revolving Spheres, Experiments on, Ch. Vries (Prof. Hugo de), how to make Colourless Specimens of Wagner Free Institute of Science, 230 Wales (Prince of), Imperial Institute, Prof. Huxley, 265 Walker (Gen. J. T., F.R.S.), on the Lu River of Tibet, 615 Wall (H. Beresford de la Poer), Manual of Physical Geography Wallace (Dr. Alfred R.), Geo. J. Romanes, F. R. S., on Physio- War and Ballooning, Eric S. Bruce, 259 Ward (Henry A.), West Indian Seal, Monachus tropicalis, 392 Warington (R., F.R.S), on the Constitution of the Nitrogenous Washburn Observatory, Publications of the, 159 Washington, Ninth Triennial Meeting of the International Washington Observatory, 308, 614; Capt. R. L. Phythian, Watch, Means to Convert a, into a Repeater, 312 Water, Aërated, on some Phenomena connected with the Freez- Water Battery, Henry A. Rowland, 452 Water in the Chalk beneath the London Clay of the London Water, Cohesion of an Air-free Column of, Prof. Helmholtz, Waters (A. W.), Fossil Chilostomatous Bryozoa from New Vertebral Column of the Common Frog, Abnormalities in the, Waterspouts, Ch. Weyher on, 407; M. Mascart, 431; on a Prof. C. Lloyd Morgan, 53 Complementary Experiment relative to, 600 Watson (Rev. Henry W.), an Error in Maxwell's " Electricity Watt's (Dr. G.), Observations in the Manipur District, 308 Wave-Length of the Lines of the Solar Spectrum, Prof. Henry Wave-Motion in Hydrodynamics, Prof. A. G. Greenhill, 477 Weather, the Recent, 198; Rev. W. Clement Ley, 54; F. T. Weather Terms, a Few of our, Rev. W. Clement Ley, 323 Weight, Mass, and Force, Units of, Prof. A. G. Greenhill, Weight, and Dynamical Units, Mass, Robt. F. Hayward, F. R.S., Weights and Measures, International Committee of, 203 Weinstein (Dr.), Observations of the Earth's Current in the Weir (J. Jenner), Sparrow chasing Pigeons, 584 Weldon (W. F. R.), a Balanoglossus Larva from the Bahamas, Wesley Naturalist, 444 Wesley Scientific Society, 84 West (Wm.), a Question for Chemists, 584 West Indies Botanical Federation in the, D. Morris, 248; Wetzler (Jos.) and T. C. Martin, Electric Motor and its White (W. K.), Modern War-Ships, 306 White (William), Heredity in Abnormal-Toed Cats, 125 Whitworth (Sir Joseph): Obituary Notice of, 304; his Will, Wieder heim (Robert), Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates, W. Newton Parker, 121 Wight (Isle of), Oyster Fisheries of, 57 Wild (James), Death of, 594 Wilder (Dr.), on the Nomenclature of the Brain, 255 Willemite, on the Artificial Production of Zincite and, M. Alex. Williams (G. H.), Norites of the Cortlandt Series, 452 Wills (J. T.), on the Region between the Nile and the Congo, Wilson (Sir Chas.), on the Tribes of the Nile Valley North of Wilson (Dr. Daniel), Right Hand and Left-Handedness, 307 Wilson-Barker (David), Electrical Discharges in the Doldrums, Wind, Influence of, on Barometric Readings, Prof. Cleveland Wines, New, on the Teatment of, with Sugar, 432 Winlock (Miss Anna) and Prof. W. A. Rogers, Reduction of Winter, Alpine, and its Medical Aspects, A. Tucker Wise, 170 Wires, Electrical Resistance of suspended Copper and Iron, Wise (Dr. A. Tucker): Alpine Winter and its Medical Aspects, Wissmann (Lieut.), Fresh Expedition from Luluaburg, 521 Women Education of, in Japan, 229; Observatory for, in Wood (J. G.), the Handy Natural History, 341 Wragge (Clement) appointed Meteorologist to the Government Wright (Dr. C. R. Alder): Commercial Organic Analysis, Wright (G. Frederick), the Muir Glacier, 380 Wright (Lewis), the Zirconia Oxy-hydrogen Light, 583 Wurster (Dr.), Active Oxygen in the Animal Organism, 383 Yacht-building, Fifty Years of, 539 Yellow Fever: Microbe of, 528; Results obtained by the Pre- Young (Prof. C. A.), Ten Years' Progress in Astronomy, 67, 86, Young (Dr. Sydney) and Prof. William Ramsay: Preliminary Yukon, Exploration of the Watershed of the River, 593 Zacharias (Dr. Otto), Investigation of North German Lakes, Zanzibar, Dr. Lenz's arrival at, 283 Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie, 376 Ziegler (E.), a Text-book of Pathological Anatomy and Patho- Zincite and Willemite, on the Artificial Production of, M. Alex. Zintgraff (Dr.), Exploration of the Cameroon District, 475 Zone, Equatorial, of almost Perpetual Electrical Discharge, Zoological Gardens: Additions to, 17, 36, 59, 85, 113, 134, 159, Zoological Record, 613 Zoological Research, Grants for, Berlin Academy of Sciences, Zoological Results of the Challenger Expedition, 49 Zoology, Hand-book of, with Examples from Canadian Species, Zoology, a Junior Course of Practical, A. Milnes Marshall, Zoology, Proposed Lectures on, at the Zoological Gardens, Zoology, Mythical, of the Far East, 591 Zuntz (Prof.), Alimentary Values of Various Albuminous Sub- Zurich, Earthquake Shock in, 350 EVERYBODY in the least degree conversant with the pits and to differences in the mode of origin and matters connected with coal-mining will at once admit that our knowledge of the remote causes of colliery explosions has increased enormously during the last few years. Whether, however, the practical application of this knowledge has kept pace with the rate of increase in the knowledge itself is another matter. Since 1851, when the first Mines Inspection Act was in force, the number of fatal explosions in collieries has steadily diminished, but the annual loss of life from these catastrophes is as great as ever. During the ten years ending 1860 there were 820 fatal explosions, resulting in 2441 deaths, or an average of 2.98 deaths per fatal explosion; during this decade there was an average of 3000 persons employed in and about the mines for every fatal explosion, and 1008 persons for each resulting death. During the ten years ending 1870 the number of fatal explosions fell to 565; the deaths were 2267, or an average of 401 per fatal explosion; and the ratio of persons employed to each fatal explosion was 5650, and hence to each resulting death 1408. During the ten years ending 1880 the number of fatal explosions was 424; the resulting deaths were 2686, or an average of 6:33 per fatal explosion; the ratio of persons employed to each fatal explosion was 11,372, and to each resulting death 1795. During the five years ending 1885 we have had 146 fatal explosions, with a loss of 906 persons, or an average of 6'20 deaths from each explosion; the ratio of persons employed to each fatal explosion was 17,503, and to each resulting death character of the explosion. Thirty years ago the pits as a rule were comparatively shallow and damp. Such a sinking as that of the Ashton Moss pit at Audenshaw, which is upwards of half a mile deep, was unknown. Explosions in these damp shallow pits were usually caused by the ignition of gas, most frequently by naked lights; they were very local in their action, and the loss of life was small. Nowadays an explosion in a deep and dry mine not unfrequently penetrates throughout the whole pit; it is often extremely violent, and the number of deaths, mainly from after-damp, is correspondingly great. There can be very little doubt that such explosions are, in the main, caused by dust. The fact that fire-damp is not the only explosive agent which may be present in coal-mines is now generally recognised. It is, however, a moot point with many practical men whether coal-dust alone, in the entire absence, of gas, can bring about an explosion of any magnitude. It is generally conceded that a very small amount of gas, an amount, indeed, too small to be recognised by the elongation of the flame of a safety-lamp, or the formation of a cap," " is sufficient in the presence of coal-dust to form a dangerously explosive atmosphere, but colliery managers and many mining engineers have, apparently, been slow to believe that dust itself may, under certain conditions, effect an explosion quite as violent in its character as the most formidable gas explosion of which we have any record. The Royal Commissioners appointed to inquire into accidents in mines reported that in their opinion it was well established that even when the air is quite free from fire-damp, an exceptionally inflammable coal-dust, in a very finelydivided and dry condition, and existing in abundance in the immediate vicinity of a blown-out shot, may when B |