The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-06 00:00:00

Castillon, in the south of France, has just murdered
a person who slept in the same room with him, after
which he went to the room where his mother was
asleep, and cut her throat. lle ran out of the house
almost naked, and he attempted to stab the gen-
darmes who took.him into custody. When taken he
was on the pedestal of a statue, and was vociferat-
ing, " There is only one God, and I am he."
The Emperor Alexander and his two sons have
been to the Exhibition. The Emperor did the
honours in the beautiful salon which has been pre-
pared for him, and a repast was served up from the
Russian section. The Baron de Budberg and many
illustrious Russians had the honour of being invited.
The mania for seeing royal personag-s is still in
full swing in Paris, and the announcement that the
King of Prussia, accoinpanied by Al. Bismark, would
arrive this afterno-m at the Northern Railway sta-
tion has attracted half the population thither. The
King, I believe, will reside at the Tuilerip.

EFFECTS OF ELECTRICITY ON WIRES.

In a paper addressed to the Academy of Sciences
by M. F. P. Leroux, in which the author examines
certain phenomena which natural philosophers have
either avoided to explain, or have confessed to be-
long to an unknown action of the electric fluid,
one of the most curious of these phenomena is
that of the undulations produced in the wires by
the discharges, and the momentary diminution of
length they experience in consequence. This
shortening in the wires was first observed by
Nairne, whose experiments were repeated by Van
Maram. The latter admitted the diminution of
length, but failed to perceive the undulations. M.
Ed. Becquerel, however, insteadof keeping the wire
stretched between the two poles, suspended it by one
end, and simply stretched it with a very light
weight, and in this way he was enabled to ascertain
the existence of very perceptible undulations. M.
Riess carried the matter further, and concluded
that the diminution of length was but a conse-
quence of the undulations. M. Becquerel found
that under the influence of successive discharges.
the undulations would not only continue but in.
crease ; at the same time, however, there is no per-
ceptible oscillation; for, on observing the wire at-
tentively at the moment when it becomes luminous
enough under the influence of electricity to be-
come visible, its shape appears distinctly defined.
What is the cause of the undulatory deformation it
undergoes? Our author at first suspected it to be
owing to some action of terrestrial magnetism, and
he therefore subjected the wire to the influence of
powerful magnet=, b:it without success. He then
operated on wires left entirely free at their nether
extremity, and the undulations under such circum-
stances became much stronger, two or three dis-
charges being sufficient to render them quite per-
ceptible ; but their order is so irregular, and they
assume such a variety of shapes, that no rule can
be laid down regarding them. One thing, how-
ever, did not escape our author's notice, viz., that
the temperature caused by the discharges was not
without influence upon them ; for, in order to
obtain deep undulations, it must remain within
certain limits, not below a dark red heat, and not
so high as to soften the metal much. In the latter
case the undulations are exceedingly minute and
close together; platinum wires being then best
suited for the experiment. Our author, therefore,
concludes that the phenomenon alluded to does not
require any new principle for its explanation, and
is a simple question of temperature. As the heat
engendered by the discharge increases, the wire
tends to increase in length by dilatation; but as
this power of dilatation acts also transversely, there
is also a tendency to increase in diameter, and it is
to this double molecular action the undulations
must be ascribed.

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.

OXFORD, JUNE 5.

The following gentlemen have been elected
scholars of IVadham College :—Mr. Bodington,
from Birmingham School ; Mr. Cremer, of Wad-
ham College, and formerly of Highgate School ;
and Mr. Baynes, from Rugby, elected for mathe-
matics.

The Junior Proctor willtee:Ave the name of c m-
didates for responsions, from themselves or their
tutors, at Exeter College, on Friday, June 14, from
1 o'clock till 2 ; Saturday, June 15, from 1 o'clock
till 3.

CAMBRIDGE, JUNE 4.

The Observatory Syndicate have issued their an-
nual report, in which they recommend the purchase
out of the Sheepshanks fund, of a new transit circle,
with an object-glass of Bin. diameter by Cooke, the
fittings by Simms, at a total cost of 1,175. After
detailing the other work of the Observatory, Profes-
sor Adams reports :
been given to the
regarded as strictly belonging
anit imo ne t
ehoarss a
subject which, I
subjectt
i3‘ kC,
to astrononiy proper.
oi
nnosufi
sdttehrena bop lNever
oabdteti
ce
" The remarkable display in November last was
closely watched by us in conjunction with Professor
Challis. The courses of a large number of the me-
teors were recorded, and the observations have been
communicated to Mr. Glaisher in order that they
may be compared with simultaneous obsarvations
made. at other stations. For a considerable
interval, both before and after the time of the
greatest display, the meteors were so numerous as
to make it utterly hopeless to attempt to identify
any particular meteors observed at different places;
but it is possible that some of those which were
observed when they were occurring less frequently
may hereafter be identified, and that the heights
above the earth's surface at which they appeared
:nay consequently be ascertained.
" Careful determinations of the position of the
radiant point were made independently by Professor
Challis and by myself. When the radiant point is
known, the only additional datum which is required
in order to determine all the elements of the orbit
of the meteors is their periodic time about the sun.
Now, the value of this element has, I think, been
conclusively established by my recent researches,
the results of which have been communicated to the
Cambridge Philosophical Society and the Royal
Astronomical Society.

" In an able paper on November meteors by Pro-
fessor IL A. Newton; of Newhaven, published in the
American Journal of Science and Arts, the author
shows that the periodic time of the meteors about
the sun is restricted to five possible values, each
capable of an accurate determination, and he sug-
gests that the secular motion of the node of the
orbit, corresponding to each of these periods; may be
calculated, and since the actual motion of the node is
known, it may thus be decided which of the five
periods is the correct one. I have carried out this
suggestion, and found that the theoretical motion
of the node corresponding to four of the five admis-
sible periods is less than one-half of the observed
quantity; whereas the theoretical motion correspond -
ing to the fifth period—namely,
33-4 years—almost
exactly agrees with the quantity observed. This
seems to leave no room for doubt that the period
which has just been mentioned is the correct one.
" The calculations for determining the theoretical
motion of the node, due to.the action of the several
disturbing planets, are necessarily very long. Mr.
Graham has given me most efficient assistance in
making them.
" A new meteoroscope has been constructed by
Mr. Simms under my direction. The chief points
of difference between this instrument and that
which was originally devised by Professor Chalis
several years einee are the two following, viz.:—
The verniers for reading off the horiz)ntal and
vertical eirchs are placed close together, so that both
circles may be read while the eye retains the same
position. 2. The instrument
is provided with a
position circle carrying a straight edge which can
be readily turned in any direction across the field of
view, so that the. direction of
flight of a meteor
may be determined with considerable accuracy."

THE LIVERPOOL TOWN COUNCIL AND THE EARL
of DERBY. —At the meeting of the Liverpool Town Council
yesterday it was decided, on the motion of Mr. Picton,
seconded by Mr. Lawrence, that a portrait statue of the
Earl of Derby be erected in St. George's Hall, "in com-
memoration of eminent public services to the nation during
a long
and distinguished public career, and also as a me-
Morial of the presentation of the Derby Ltuseum to the
town of Liverpool." -