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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



physical science. The building here 

 shown will occupy about one third of 

 the space, the remainder of which will 

 be left for future extension. When 

 complete the exhibition space will con- 

 sist of three large roof-lighted halls, 

 200 by 100 feet, with surrounding gal- 

 leries on the first and second floors 

 lighted from the sides and from a large 

 central well. It is intended to exhibit 

 the larger and heavier objects, such as 

 locomotives and engines, on the ground 

 floor of the new building. 



The museum has a great collection of 

 objects illustrating the history of dis- 

 covery and invention and the principles 

 of experimental and mechanical science. 

 These include: The earliest steam en- 

 gines constructed by James Watt for 

 industrial purposes, Stephenson's "Roc- 

 ket" locomotive, Symington's steam en- 

 gine, which was the first to propel a 

 boat, and the engine of the "Comet" 

 steamboat. Arkwright 's original spin- 

 ning machinery, Wheatstone's electric 

 telegraph apparatus and other machines 

 and instruments of vast importance con- 

 tributed by Great Britain to civilization. 



Science collections were first arranged 

 in the South Kensington Museum in 

 1857, but of the early mechanical ob- 

 jects and models the most important are 

 those which were brought together in 

 the Patent Office Museum and handed 

 over to the Department of Science and 

 Arts in 1883. The collection of scien- 

 tific instruments and apparatus took 

 origin when certain of the objects in- 

 cluded in the loan collection of 1876 

 were deposited in the museum. This 



collection already includes many illus- 

 trations of scientific investigation and 

 inquiry that are of historic interest. 



SCIENTIFIC ITEMS 



We record with regret the death of 

 Mrs. Matilda Coxe Stevenson, for the 

 last twenty-five years ethnologist in the 

 Bureau of American Ethnology; of 

 Lieut.-Col. Charles E. Woodruff, U. S. A., 

 retired, known for his publications on 

 the effects of sunlight and other sub- 

 jects; of Dr. Hugo Muller, F.R.S., 

 past-president of the British Chemical 

 Society, and of Sir A. H. Church, 

 F.R.S., formerly professor of chemistry 

 in the Royal Academy of Arts, London. 



Amherst College at its recent com- 

 mencement conferred its doctorate of 

 laws on Professor Benjamin K. Emer- 

 son, class of 1865, for forty-five years 

 teacher of geology in Amherst College. 

 Wesleyan University has conferred the 

 same degree on William North Rice, 

 who was graduated from the institution 

 fifty years ago. 



Surgeon-General Rupert Blue, of 

 the Public Health Service, was elected 

 president of the American Medical Asso- 

 ciation at the recent San Francisco 

 meeting. — Dr. Viktor von Lang, emer- 

 itus profesor of physics at Vienna, has 

 been elected president of the Vienna 

 Academy of Sciences. — Lord Fisher, 

 former first sea lord of the British 

 admiralty, has been appointed chairman 

 of an "inventions board," which will 

 assist the admiralty in coordinating and 

 encouraging naval science. 



