NEWS OF UNIVERSITIES, MUSEUMS, AND 



SOCIETIES. 



The following appointments among Botanists have recently been made : — Dr. 

 Hans Molisch to the Professorship at Prague vacant through the death of Dr. Weiss : 

 Dr. L. Tost to be extraordinary Professor in the University of Strassburg ; Arturo 

 Baldini to be Curator of the Botanical Gardens at Bologna ; Dr. Fr. Schult to be 

 extraordinary Professor in Kiel University ; Mr. M. A. Carleton, lately assistant in 

 the Agricultural College at Manhattan, Kansas, to be assistant in the Division of 

 Plant Pathology at Washington, D.C., where he will pay special attention to the 

 rusts of cereals and other plants; and Mr. J. Percival, who has for the last few 

 years been lecturing on subjects of agricultural interest for the Surrey County 

 Council, to be Professor of Botany in the new Kent and Surrey Agricultural College 

 at Wye. We also note that Professor Julius Wiesner has returned from his travels 

 in Java. 



The United States Government have appointed Mr. F. L. Scribner, recently 

 director of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station, to a newly-created post 

 chiefly connected with the investigation of grasses and forage plants. Such an 

 official is an admirable invention ; but why should he be handicapped at the outset 

 by being labelled " Agrostologist " ? 



Dr. Kumm has been appointed Curator of the natural history collections in the 

 West Prussian Provincial Museum at Dantzig. 



Among the names of those nominated by the Council of the Royal Society for 

 election we notice those of Mr. W. Bateson, Mr. G. A. Boulenger, Mr. R. Lydekker, 

 and Dr. D. H. Scott. It is not likely that anyone whose opinion is worth having 

 will cavil at this year's selection. Still we cannot help regretting that no geologist 

 has been nominated. 



Mr. Charles Baron Clarke has been selected for the new President of the 

 Linnean Society in succession to Professor Charles Stewart. A more satisfactory 

 selection could scarcely have been made. 



The ruling of the Chairman that Mr. Thiselton Dyer's motion expressing 

 approval of the Gresham scheme was out of order, has probably saved the Convoca- 

 tion of the London University from making a sad e.xhibition of business incompetence. 

 At the previous meeting. Convocation carried a resolution referring the whole 

 question of the constitution of the University to a joint committee representing both 

 the Senate and Convocation. This proposal has been accepted by the Senate, and 

 the Committee has been appointed. Mr. Thiselton Dyer's resolution simply 

 re-opened the whole question before the Committee's report had been received. 

 This course would have been disrespectful to its own committee, and practically a 

 breach of faith with the Senate. The main result of this precipitate haste would 

 have been to alienate many votes that would have been given for the resolution had 

 it come on before the appointment of the Committee, or would be after the report is 

 received. In the present condition of politics, no immediate steps are likely to be 



