ON THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. XVII 



the other 2000 francs for continuing his labors. The subject is still 

 in much obscurity, and the issue of further experiments must be 

 awaited. M. Liebig holds that the azote of plants is entirely derived 

 from ammonia, and that there is no direct absorption of the azote of 

 the atmosphere, against which opinion some of M. Ville's researches 

 seem to militate. 



The Institute of British Architects announce, as subjects for future 

 prizes ; " The Application of Wrought Iron to Structural Purposes ; " 

 " The Influence of Local Materials on English Architecture ; " and they 

 promise a tangible honor " for the best design in not less than five 

 drawings, for a marine sanitarium, or building for the temporary resi- 

 dence of a limited number of convalescents belonging to the middle 

 and upper classes of society." 



M. Milne Edwards, of Paris, has completed the first volume of his 

 great work, " Legons sur la Physiologic et 1' Anatomic Caparee de 

 1'Homme et des Animaux." It is a full exposition of the state of these 

 sciences at the present time, and of the progress they have made since 

 Cuvier wrote on them. 



Prof. Harvey, the English Algologist, has now in press, as the result 

 of his Australian expedition, an illustrated marine botany of Austra- 

 lia. The work will contain colored illustrations, and descriptions of 

 three hundred of the more characteristic and remarkable species. 

 This number will allow for the full illustration of all the Genera, and 

 of the principal sub-types composed within each Genus. 



The first part of the second volume of the Annals of the Observa- 

 tory of Harvard College published during the past year, relates wholly 

 to Saturn, and contains the observations made at the observatory by 

 Win. C. Bond, Director of the Observatory. The general results 

 have been before the public for some time, and their high merit is well 

 known. The observations are brought down to May of the present year. 

 The series of plates contain 120 figures representing the appearances 

 of Saturn and the ring at as many different times of observation. 



The celebrated Mezzofanti library has been purchased by the Pope, 

 principally out of his own privy purse, and munificently presented to 

 the Bologna public library. The collection consists of several thou- 

 sand volumes, principally classical and oriental works, and contains 

 grammars, dictionaries, and educational books alone, in eighty differ- 

 ent languages and dialects. The Bologna library, which has had the 

 good fortune to acquire this treasure, possesses already about one hun- 

 dred and forty thousand volumes, many of which are very rare. 



A continuation of Ehrenberg's great work has been recently issued, 

 consisting of eighty-eight pages large folio : and it relates exclusively 

 to North America. It consists of descriptions of earths and river sed- 

 iments, from different sections of the country, as regards their infu- 



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