OX THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. XV 



The Cuvierian prize, which is assigned every three years to the 

 author of works in Natural History, was given to Prof. Richard Owen, 

 who for more than twenty years, through works of great number and 

 elevated character, has contributed largely to comparative anatomy 

 and paleontology. This prize was first given to Prof. Agassiz for his 

 work on fossil fishes, and the second time to Prof. Miiller of Berlin, 

 for his researches on the structure and development of Echinoderms. 



It is thus seen that in this year, as in others preceding, foreign men 

 of science have taken a large part of the prizes, a fact highly honor- 

 able to the Academy of Sciences, showing that a right to its munificence 

 does not rest in being a Frenchman, but in being worthy of it through 

 actual labors. 



The number of well-endowed Meteorological Observatories is grad- 

 ually increasing. The Pope has recently authorized the formation of 

 one at Rome, and has contributed liberally towards the expense of 

 constructing it and of providing it with the necessary instruments. 

 The Captain General of Cuba, has also decreed that one shall be 

 established on that island, under the direction of Mr. Poey, the well- 

 known meteorologist. 



The Paris Observatory now receives meteorological observations 



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every day from fourteen stations in France and seven in foreign coun- 

 tries. The foreign stations are Madrid, Rome, Turin, Geneva, Brus- 

 sels, Vienna, and Lisbon. Now that telegraphic communication has 

 been established between France and Algeria, meteorological observa- 

 tions from districts of Northern Africa will also be included. 



The sum of $15,000 has been donated to Iowa College by Mr. Chas. 

 Hendrie, for the ultimate purpose of establishing and endowing a 

 school in that institute, similar to the " Lawrence Scientific School in 

 Harvard University." 



The French Government has recently created a new chair in the 

 Museum of Natural History, at Paris, under the name of " Vegetable 

 Physics," and has appointed to it M. G. Ville, who has distinguished 

 himself by his researches on the absorption of nitrogen by plants. 



The new professor will have, it appears, specially to occupy himself 

 with such matters relative to vegetable production as do not fall strictly 

 within the domain of botany, the cultivation of the soil, and agricul- 

 tural chemistry. 



In an election for a vacant Professorship of the Natural Sciences in 

 the University of Glasgow, Scotland, during the past year, Prof. Henry 

 D. Rogers, Geologist to the State of Pennsylvania, was unanimously 

 chosen. Prof. R. is now engaged in the supervision of the publication 

 of the Report of the Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, which consti- 

 tutes one of the most important and elegant contributions ever made 

 to natural science. 



