i897. NEWS OF UNIVERSITIES, ETC. 141 



Commissary for the Government ; their secretaries will be Messrs. G. Gilson and 

 E. van den Broeck. Mr. A. Houzeau de Lehaie will be president of the Geological 

 and Geographical Section ; J. B. Carnoy of the Biological; Dr. E. Houze of the 

 Anthropological ; and Dr. F. van der Haeghen of the Bibliographical Section. 

 A large number of prizes are offered for best collections and answers to certain 

 questions, full particulars of which can be obtained by writing to one of the 

 secretaries. 



The " Allgemeinen Gartenbau-Austellung " at Hamburg will hold an independent 

 scientific exhibition between May 28, 1897, and the end of September. There will be 

 shown: (i) Diseases of cultivated plants due to mechanical, atmospheric, or soil 

 conditions ; (2) animal and vegetable enemies of plants ; (3) ditto, friends of plants ; 

 (4) variations and abnormalities in plants ; (5) comparative manurings of pot-plants ; 

 (6) wild ancestors of cultivated plants ; (7) living, exotic, useful plants in pots ; 

 (8) a selection of the same preserved ; (9) selection of plants and plant-structures 

 arranged on morphological and biological lines ; (ro) the results of scientific 

 pollinisation experiments; (11) scientific aids to gardening. The programme will be 

 sent to interested appHcants by Dr. R. Kraepelin, Naturhist. Museum, Hamburg. 



The Committee of the International Geographical Congress, held in London 

 in 1895, tias recently sent to the various geographical societies resolutions urging 

 the importance and desirability of: (i) Antarctic exploration; (2) a geographical 

 bibliography, compiled by various states; (3) a topographical survey of Africa ; (4) a 

 map of .the earth on a scale of i : 1,000,000, with the meridian of Greenwich and 

 metric measurements ; (5) the continuance of physical investigations lately made in 

 the Baltic, North Sea, and North Atlantic ; (6) an international system of seismo- 

 graphic stations ; (7) agreement between the various geographical societies as to the 

 spelling of foreign names ; (8) the printing on all geographical maps henceforward 

 the date of their publication. Further, they request the opinion of the societies 

 as to the application of the decimal system to the measurement of times and of angles. 



The Geological Society of London has made its awards for this year as 

 follows: — Wollaston Medal, W. H. Hudleston ; Murchison Medal and part of 

 fund, H. B. Woodward; Lyell Medal and part of fund, G. J. Hinde ; Bigsby Medal, 

 Clement Reid ; Wollaston fund, F. A. Bather ; balance of Murchison fund, S. S. 

 Buckman ; balance of Lyell fund, Joseph Lomas and W. J. Lewis Abbott. 



The Surveyors' Institution is building itself a new home in Great George 

 Street, Westminster, from plans by Mr. A. Waterhouse. The second floor of the 

 building is devoted to the museum of forestry, which is being greatly elaborated by 

 the Institution. 



We learn from the Revue Scientifique, and why we should be left to learn it from 

 this we do not quite know, that a mycological society is being formed in England 

 under the presidency of Mr. G. Massee. Excursions of a week's duration will be 

 taken each year, and the first, beginning on the third Monday in September, 1897, 

 will be to the Sherwood Forest. 



The naturalists of Manchester are turning their attention to interesting points in 

 the history of their societies. The Literary and Philosophical Society has published 

 as complete a list as possible of its members since its foundation more than a 

 century ago. The President of the Geological Society of the same city (Mr. Mark 

 Stirrup), now sends us a copy of his address on the early history of that body. 

 Next to the Yorkshire Geological and Poly technic Society, this is the oldest pro- 

 vincial geological society in England, having been founded in 1838. During its long 

 career it has not only continued to be a flourishing organisation for the promotion 



