Investigation since 1932 of the neutron nas now developed sufficiently to enable Dr. Feather of Cambridge to outline "The Production and Properties of Neutrons." After tracing the history of the word, he describes researches in 1931-2 leading to the discovery by Chadwick of the neutron, a neutral particle with a mass slightly greater then that of ihe hydrogen atom. It is an integral part of atomic nuclei of other elements together with the proton, and can be used to disrupt nuclei of many elements.
In an article on "The Identification and Correlation of Coal Seams"
Professor Trueman of Glasgow points out the expense and labour involved in tracing workable seams up to 8,000 feet in England. Faults complicate matters, and fossil nature has been found useful in finding lost seams.
Dr. Martin of London concludes the articles with an advanced treatise on the approach to the theory of optical instruments, acknowledging that there are many problems yet unsolved.
Washington Hailstones Recent advances in science are dealt with under various headings. In astronomy, much effort has been devoted to the exact measurement of time. Instruments have been improved and the personal error studied, the latest methods having reduced this to 01 seconds. In physics, efforts have been made to prevent sound reflection and its transmission by indirect ways such as pipes, by experimental study of the acoustical properties of buildings. Details of observations of hailstones, semicircular in shape and more than 1 inch in diameter, made at Washington this year, are given in Downhampton, for centuries a quiet agricultural village on the Sussex Downs, found itself growing into an industrial centre owing to the building there of rayon factories, The increasing town population brought with them the usual evils of town life. These were a source of worry to genial Tom Kenmore, the landlord of the "Duke of Normandy, who, with the aid of his fistic pro ess, had kept the people of Dow hampton away from evil and notoriety for many years. When, however, the suggestion of murder arose, he found that the young Scotland Yard detective did not approve of his rough and ready methods of meting out justice. Unable to force his methods on. this friend, the detective, poor oid Tom found Downhampton bathed in undesirable publicity. The effect of this was that two of Down-hampton's respected citizens worried themselves into committing serious crimes to cover up minor indiscretions. Although the murder originally suspected never took place, between the spreading of the rumour and the revelation of the fallacy of the rumour, other crimes hed been committed. The moral from Mr. Maurice B. Dix's "Prologue to Murder" (Ward Lock, London 3/6) is that it is far better to leave the control of justice of a district with a respectable reputation -to those who have lived there all their lives, and undo: stand it, rather than to hand it over to representatives of the law whose sole experience has been acquired amid metropolitan crime. There is no better method of making a truthful man a liar than telling him he is one-—w.vc.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.