1898] NEWS 437 



cal Society. It is to be hoped that souk- day the Alliance will have a building of 

 its own, for at present these societies have to meet at various buildings in the 



city. 



The fourth annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America, held at Boston, 

 under the presidency of Dr N. L. Britton, on Augusl V.) and 20, was most success- 

 ful. Prof. L. M. Underwood was elected president for 1899. The address of 

 Prof. J. M. Coulter, the retiring president, was on " The origin of Gynmosperms 

 and the Seed Habit," and has already appeared in Science. The other papers 

 of interest to our readers were "On Sporogenesis in Arisaema," by Prof. G. F. 

 Atkinson; "Symbiotic Saprophytism," by Prof. D. T. Macdougal ; " Sporo- 

 genesis in Trill in in" by Prof. G. F. Atkinson; "Structure and development of 

 the Centrosphere in Corallina," by Dr B. M. Davis ; " Relations between the 

 Forest Flora and Geological Formations in New Jersey," by Dr Arthur Hol- 

 lick ; " Notes on the Fertilisation of the white Pine," by Miss M. C. Fergusson ; 

 "A Helianthus from Long Island," by Dr N. L. Britton ; " Tetradformation in 

 Tsuga," by W. A. Murrill ; and " A fossil moss from the State of Washington," 

 by Mrs Britton and Dr Hollick. 



The American Forestry Association, we learn from Science, held a meeting 

 from August 23 to 25, at Boston. Reports were presented by various States 

 as to the condition of the forestry movement. The most important feature of 

 the meeting was the discussion of the aims and objects of the newly-established 

 State College of Forestry at Cornell, by its director, Dr Fernow. Science promises 

 to print his address in full. 



The Commission appointed by the Colonial Office and the Royal Society to 

 investigate the mode of dissemination of malaria with a view to devising means 

 of preventing the terrible mortality which now takes place among Europeans 

 resident in tropical and sub-tropical climates will consist of Dr C. W. Daniels, of 

 the Colonial Medical Service, British Guiana ; Dr J. W. W. Stephens, formerly 

 Lawrence Student in Pathology and Bacteriology at St Bartholomew's Hospital ; 

 and Dr R. S. Christophers, of University College, Liverpool. Dr Daniels will 

 proceed at first to Calcutta, where he will acquaint himself practically with the 

 remarkable work which Surgeon-Major Ross, of the Indian Medical Service, is 

 carrying on into the relation of mosquitos to the dissemination of malaria. Drs 

 Stephens and Christophers will spend some time in Rome studying malaria. 

 Subsequently the Commissioners will meet at Blantyre, British Central Africa. 



A Commission — consisting of Dr Thomas R. Fraser, F.R.S., Professor of Materia 

 Medica and Clinical Medicine at Edinburgh University (president) ; Dr Wright, 

 Professor of Pathology at the Army Medical School, Netley ; Dr Ruffer, who has 

 been for some time head of the Egyptian Sanitary Department at Cairo ; and 

 two officers of the Indian Civil Service, Mr .1. P. Hewett, CLE., and Mr A. 

 Cumine, both of whom have had much to do with recent plague affairs in India — 

 has been appointed to report on the following matters concerning the jdague in 

 India : (1) the origin of the different outbreaks ; (2) the manner in which the 

 disease is communicated ; (3) the effects of certain prophylactic and curative 

 serums that have been tried or recommended. The Commission reached Bombay 

 towards the end of November. 



Mr E. W. L. Holt has been appointed by the Royal Dublin Society to make 

 researches over a period of five years on the life-history of the mackerel. A ship 

 is being fitted up as a floating laboratory at Berehaven which will be Mr Holt's 

 headquarters. 



Hamburg has founded at Freihafen a station for the protection of plants 

 against injurious insects introduced from abroad, and against plant-disease 

 generally. 



