XII NOTES BY THE EDITOR 



that are at present in use in different countries, and thus to harmonize 

 the maps of all countries. The connection of the French and Russian 

 systems will be carried out by the officers of those countries. 



Uriah A. Boyden, Esq., of Boston, Mass., has deposited with the 

 Franklin Institute, of Philadelphia, the sum of one thousand dollars, 

 to be awarded as a premium to " any resident of North America who 

 shall determine by experiment whether all rays of light, and other 

 physical rays, are or are not transmitted with the same velocity." 

 The award is to be made by a committee of three citizens of the 

 United States, of competent scientific ability, to be appointed by the 

 managers of the Institute. 



Prof. Torrey, of New York, the well-known botanist, has presented 

 to Columbia College his immense herbarium, the fruit of forty years' 

 assiduous labor, together with his valuable botanical library. The 

 herbarium is especially rich in North American plants, as it contains 

 full sets of nearly all the collections made by the numerous exploring 

 expeditions of the United States Government, from that of Maj. Long, 

 in 1819, to the present time, and the original specimens from which 

 the descriptions in the official reports were made. The herbarium is 

 also authority for the plants described in the Flora of North America, 

 by Dr. Torrey and Dr. Gray. The Floras of Europe, Asia, the Cape 

 of Good Hope, Australia, and many other parts of the world, are 

 largely represented by collections named by the highest authority. 



Patents. Within the past year some important changes have 

 been made by Congress in the United States system of Patent Laws, 

 of which the following are the most noticeable : 



Under the new system, pictures, prints, and artistic designs of every 

 description, may be patented, and no person can use or duplicate the 

 same without the consent of the originator. Merchants may obtain 

 patents upon their trade marks, and even upon the labels which they 

 affix to their goods. This provision also covers, in particular, orna- 

 mental designs in any fabric or material ; every new style of tool or 

 pattern used or produced in any trade ; and ornaments and decora- 

 tions formed from any material. In short, any new form of any arti- 

 cle of manufacture may be patented. Makers of such articles will 

 therefore be encouraged to exercise ingenuity in producing improved 

 forms, so as to enjoy a monopoly of the sale thereof. 



Patents can be taken out under the new system, in accordance 

 with the above provisions, for three and one-half, seven, or fourteen 

 years, as the applicant desires ; and the following is the tariff of fees 

 established by Congress for the same : 



For a patent of three and one-half years, ten dollars ; for a patent 



