320 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



other, is one frequently recurring, 

 namely, should the executive command, 

 of scientific work be entrusted to a 

 scientific man or is this unnecessary? 

 When it was first arranged that Pro- 

 fessor Gregory should take part in the 

 expedition, it was imderstood that he 

 would be the scientific leader. The 

 British Government, however, gave a 

 liberal subsidy, and a naval officer, 

 Lieutenant Robert F. Scott, was ap- 

 pointed commander. Professor Gregory 

 being made head of the civilian scien- 

 tific staff. The relative position of 

 Captain Scott and Professor Gregory 

 gave rise to fi'iction. Sir Clements 

 Markham and the Royal Geographical 

 Society holding that the scientific work 

 was under the oontrol of the naval 

 officer in command. There were numer- 

 ous conferences, and Professor Gregory 

 finally consented to be satisfied with 

 the control of a party to be landed on 

 the coast. When, however, it was de- 

 cided that the party should only be 

 landed if this did not interfere with 

 geographical exploration, Professor 

 Gregory resigned. It seems evident 

 that a scientific expedition can have 

 but one leader, and it is natural that 

 the Royal Geographical Society should 

 regard exploration rather than geo- 

 logical and biological research as the 

 primary object in the present case. 

 The results will depend on the per- 

 sonality of Captaiia Scott, an unknown 

 quantity in America; he may simply 

 engage in adventure, or he may prove 

 himself a competent scientific leader. 

 The German expedition, with Dr. von 

 Drygalski in absolute control, has, how- 

 ever, an advantage from the scientific 

 point of view. 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 

 Pkofessoe Truman Heney Saf- 

 FORD, who since 1877 had occupied the 

 chair of astronomy at Williams Col- 

 lege, died on June 13, at the age of 64 

 years. — Dr. Otto Lugger, State ento- 

 mologist of Minnesota, and well known 

 for his important contributions to 

 economic entomology, died of pneu- 

 monia on May 21. — John Viriamu 

 Jones, principal of University College, 

 South Wales, and professor of physics 

 in that institution, died on June 2, at 

 the age of 45 years. — The eminent 

 paleontologist. Professor Gustaf Lind- 

 strom, keeper of the department of 

 fossil animals in the Royal Museum, 

 Stockholm, Sweden, died on May 16. 



At the annual meeting of the Ameri- 

 can Academy of Arts and Sciences, it 

 was unanimously voted to award the 

 Rumford Medal to Professor Elihu 

 Thompson 'for his inventions in elec- 

 tric welding and lighting.' — One of the 

 Carnegie Research Fellowships of the 

 Iron and Steel Institute of Great 

 Britain has been awarded to Mr. John 

 A. Matthews, who at present holds the 

 Columbia University Barnard Fellow- 

 ship. 



Dr. Frederick Peterson, of Colum- 

 bia University, has been appointed by 

 Governor Odell the medical member of 

 the New York State Lunacy Commis- 

 sion. Dr. Peterson's appointment at 

 the present time is especially fortimate, 

 owing to the complications in connec- 

 tion with the State Pathological Insti- 

 tute, which will doubtless be settled 

 with regard to the best interests of 

 science and the care of the insane in the 

 State hospitals. 



