POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



423 



cal Science; E, Geology and Geography; 

 F, Biology ; G, Anthropology ; H, Economic 

 Science and Statistics ; I, a permanent sub- 

 section of Microscopy. The contemplated 

 excursions include one by the Anthropologi- 

 cal Section to "Fort Ancient." A loan ex- 

 hibition of scientific apparatus, appliances, 

 and collections, will be held, in connection 

 with the meeting, by the department of 

 Science and Arts of the Ohio Mechanics' In- 

 stitute. 



The French Association at Algiers. 



The French Association for the Advancement 

 of Science met at Algiers, April 14th, and was 

 attended by about fifteen hundred persons, 

 among whom a large proportion of medical 

 men was observed. The opening address 

 was by the President, M. Chauveau, Pro- 

 fessor of Physiology in the Lyons Veteri- 

 nary College, and related principally to the 

 germ theory and Pasteur's theory of fer- 

 mentation. Several papers on local subjects, 

 chiefly relating to the geology, geography, 

 and demography of Algeria, were read in the 

 general Association, among the results of the 

 presentation of which were the diffusion of 

 much information concerning the colony, and 

 the acquisition of matter which will tend to 

 help its development. One of the most in- 

 teresting of these papers was by Colonel 

 Playfair, the British consul-general, one of 

 the only two Europeans who have visited 

 their country, on the Kroumirs. Among 

 the papers read in the sections, those in 

 the medical and agronomical sections pre- 

 dominated over all the others. Most of the 

 papers in the mathematical section related 

 to subjects of pure geometry, and several 

 of them were by foreign mathematicians. 

 M. Trepied brought forward a project for 

 the construction of an observatory at Al- 

 giers. The most important papers in the 

 section of civil engineering were by Colonel 

 Fourchault, on defensive villages, and by 

 M. Tremaux, on irrigation. Accounts of the 

 lead and iron mines of Tunis, and the cop- 

 per-mines of the Petit Kabylie, were given 

 in the geological section. Meteorology was 

 well cared for with papers on the meteo- 

 rology of Asia and of the Sahara, on meteor- 

 ological instruments, and other related sub- 

 jects. Among the anthropological papers, 

 which were numerous, were those on the 



Kabyles, the Tziganes, the Romans in Af- 

 rica, the Berber migration, the civil, politi- 

 cal, and religious institutions of the Jews, 

 and some craniological studies; a prehis- 

 toric map of the north of Africa was dis- 

 cussed in this section. The most interest- 

 ing medical papers were on the epidemics 

 of Algiers, acclimatization, and on the cli- 

 mate of Algiers as regards its influence on 

 consumptive patients. A considerable pro- 

 portion of the agronomical papers also bore 

 on Algerian interests. Botany, zoology, and 

 zootechny were inadequately represented. 

 The new section of pedagogy was estab- 

 lished under the presidency of M. Godard, of 

 the Ecole Monge, in Paris. The working 

 sessions of the Association were shortened 

 in order to give time for the entertain- 

 ments, some of which were peculiar to the 

 country, and the excursions to the borders 

 of Tunis, to the country of the Kabyles, to 

 the Sahara, to the boundaries of Morocco, 

 and to interesting spots in the province. 

 Each member of the meeting was presented 

 with a work of scientific, historical, and 

 economical notices of Algiers and Africa; 

 and, whatever else the conference may have 

 done, it has helped to add immensely to the 

 world's knowledge of Xorthern Africa. 



The association has now had a success- 

 ful career of ten years, and has done some 

 good work. The topics of which it takes 

 cognizance are divided into the four groups 

 of mathematical, physical and chemical, 

 natural and economic sciences, and are con- 

 sidered in sixteen sections. 



Hereditary Color-Blindness. A corre- 

 spondent has furnished us an account of 

 some remarkable instances of hereditary 

 color-blindness. "I recently heard," she 

 writes, " a very intelligent boy of fourteen 

 speak in this manner: 'Father, you know 

 that green or brown mare of Abe's ? ' The 

 same lad, speaking of a colored person 

 'What color?' interrupted a captious lis- 

 tener. 'About that color,' answered the 

 boy, pointing to a jar of pickled cucumbers. 



The lad, whom I call D , belongs to a 



family who have for several generations been 

 troubled with color-blindness. His grand- 

 father was unable to distinguish red, green, 

 and brown, and confounded blue and pink, 

 but always named yellow aright." The 



