426 RECORD OF SCIEXCE FOR 1886. 



was receutly i>nhlislu'(l. Tlie pii'sideiit lor the current year is Dr. Hugo 

 Miiller, P. R. 8., and tlie tirst vice-president is William Crookes, F. R. S 

 The twelve principal chemical societies of tUe world have nearly nine 

 thousand members, distributed as shown in the following table (from 

 H. 0. Bolton's Address to K Y. Academy of Sciences, March 15, 1880) : 



Deutsche cbeuiische Gesellscliaft zii Berlin 2, D.'.O 



Society of Chemical ludnstry (England) 2, 40.J 



Chemical Society of Loudon 1,500 



Soci6t6 chimique de Paris •'">*>() 



Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland 430 



American Chemical Society 250 



Society of Public Analysts (England) HO 



Chemical Society of St. Petersburg KiO 



Associaziono chimico-farmacentica Uoreiitina *200 



Chemical Society of Tokio, Japan H > 



Chemical Society of Washington, D. C 46 



Association of Official Agricultural Chcini.-its (United States of America) 17 



Total 8,781 



The centenary of the death of Scheele was commemorated on jMay 21, 

 1886, at the little town of Kiiping, Sweden, where he passed the last 

 ten years of his life. 



The prodigious activity in all departments of science obtaining in 

 Germany is well illustrated by statistics of the meeting of "deutscher 

 Naturforscher uud Aerzte" held at Berlin in September, 1880. At this 

 meeting no less than 5,651 persons took part, including 2,221 members, 

 1,931 associates, 1,496 women. Nearly every quarter of the globe was 

 represented. North America by 42 persons, Japan by 16, India by 2, 

 Egypt by 4, Australia by 4, and the Cai)e of Good Hope by 2. In the 30 

 sections into which the association is divided 522 lectures and 155 

 experimental demonstrations were held in 131 sessions. And those in 

 attendance were invited to join 48 excursions. 



The first meeting of this association was held in 1821, in Leipzig, and 

 was attended by 13 persons; surely small beginnings are not to be 

 desi)ised. 



NECROLOGY OF CHEMISTS, 1886. 



Robert Alexander, a young English chemist of much promise, was 

 killed instantly during the disastrous earthquake in Charleston, South 

 Carolina, August 31, 18S6. He was born March 18, 1863, near Birken- 

 head, England. His chemical education was chiefly in the analytical 

 laboratory of Mr. G. W. Wigner, London. In January, 1886, he came 

 to America, and in March went to Charleston, where he was engaged 

 in developing a sanitary system when he met his death. 



James Ap.john died June 2, 1886, at the advanced age of ninety one. 

 He held the chair of chemistry in the Royal College of Surgeons, Dub- 



* Estimated. Many chemists are members of several societies ; against this dupli- 

 cation may be set tlio^je chemists not connected with societies. 



