242 



NATURE 



\yuly 13, 1876 



in the Kew collection, so rich is it in Indian and Colonial pro- 

 ducts, some are nevertheless absolutely new, and many of them 

 are fresher than those which have been contained in the Museum 

 for some years. 



M, Raffray, we learn from V Explorateur, 'entrusted with a 

 scientific mission by the French Minister of Public Instruction, 

 proposes to explore the Sunda Islands and New Guinea, espe- 

 cially in relation to their natural history. He takes with him as 

 assistant, M. Maurice Maindrow, of the Entomological Labora- 

 tory of the Paris Museum. The explorers will embark at 

 Toulon on the 20th inst. for Singapore, in a government vessel. 

 From Singapore, M. Raffray will proceed by Batavia to Ternate 

 and the island of Waigiou, where the two explorers intend to so- 

 journ till the spring of next year. Proceeding then to Dorey, Ihey 

 will endeavour to land on the coast of the Aropin country, on 

 the south of Geelvincks Bay, a region which has not been visited 

 by the Italian explorers, Beccari and D'Albertis. M. Raffray 

 expects his expedition to last for two or three years, according to 

 the state of his health. 



SiGNOR D'Albertis and party have left Somerset on their 

 way to New Guinea ; they have a steam launch with them. 



Mr. Ernest Giles, the Australian explorer, was last heard 

 of at Mount Murchison on April 10, when all was well. Mr. 

 Giles expected to reach Beltana, South Australia, about 

 September. 



In reference to our article on the Tasmanians last week, we 

 learn that that people are not quite extinct, though nearly so. 

 It appears by a letter from M. Castelnau, French Consul at 

 Sydney, to the Geographical Society of Paris, read at its last 

 sitting, that the only four Tasmanians living were presented at 

 the last levee held by the Governor of Tasmania. The Times 

 of last Thursday intimated the death of another last,Tasmanian ; 

 but evidently we have not yet seen the end of them. 



We are glad to see that the subscription for the proposed 

 memorial to the late Mr. Daniel Hanbury is progressing ; there 

 is already a considerable list of subscriber?, but there is room 

 for many more. The memorial, as we have already intimated, 

 is to be a gold medal, to be awarded for high excellence in the 

 prosecution or promotion of original research in the natural 

 history and chemistry of drugs. Subscriptions should be sent 

 to the hon. secretaries to the fund, 17, Bloomsbury Square, 

 W.C. 



A MEETING has been held to promote a memorial to the late 

 Dr. Parkes, F. R. S. It is hoped that a sufficient sum of money 

 may be collected to establish a museum and laboratory of hygiene 

 similar to those now existing at Netley. 



The Council of the Royal School of Mines have awarded 

 the Royal Scholarships for first-year students to T. E. Holgate 

 and F. G. Mills ; the Royal Scholarship for second-year students 

 to A- N. Pearson ; the De la Beche Medal and Prize for Mining 

 to H. Louis ; the Murchison Medal and Prize for Geology, and 

 the Edward Forbes Medal and Prize for Natural History and 

 Palaeontology, to W. Hewitt. The following have obtained the 

 Associateship of the school during the past session (1875-76) : — 

 W. Plewitt, C. V. Boys, J. de Goncer, F. E. Lott, H. Louis, 

 E. F. Pittman, E. B. Presshnd, J. H. Barry, A. J. Campbell, 

 P. de Ferrari, M. H. Gray, H. Gunn, W, Howard, A. B. 

 Kitchener, W. F. Ward. 



Capt. Mouchez sent to Amsterdam and St. Paul Island, some 

 time since, a trading-vessel, in order to collect specimens of natural 

 history to complete the collections made during the Transit of 

 Venus expedition. The ship was wrecked on Amsterdam Island, 

 and the crew were drowned, the captain only being saved. He 

 remained for two months on the island, and was rescued by a 

 Norwegian whaler. But during his forced stay in that solitude, 

 Capt. Herman did not lose sight of the objects of his mission, 



and devoted to it all the time he was not obliged to devote to 

 obtain food and shelter. All the objects collected under such 

 peculiar circumstances have been sent to France by the Mes- 

 sageries Nationales, and are expected to arrive by their next 

 steamer. 



Mr. Floyd (not Lloyd), the President of the Board of Trus- 

 tees for the Lick Donation, has come to an arrangement with M. 

 Leverrier for the better execution of the contemplated instru- 

 ments for the Paris and San Francisco Observatories. The 

 masses of glass required are to be made in Paris, at Fell's glass- 

 works, and the object-glasses very likely by an English optician. 

 The French refractor is to have a double set of object-glasses, 

 the necessary money having been given to M. Leverrier by 

 M. Blshofsheim, one of the richest Parisian bankers, the 

 donor of the Bishofshelm transit instrument nt)w constructing 

 at the Paris Observatory. . 



The following are the numbers <jf visitors to the Loan Collec- 

 tion of Scientific Apparatus during the week ending July 8 : — 

 Monday, 3,211 ; Tuesday, 2,544; Wednesday, 607; Thursday, 

 609; Friday, 614; Saturday, 4,354; total, 11,939. 



During the present week twelve demonstrations of apparatus 

 were given at the Loan Collection on Monday, eleven on Tuesday, 

 six on Wednesday, seven to-day ; five will be given to-morrow, 

 and seven on Saturday. 



An examination will begin onTuesday, October 10, at Merton 

 College, Oxford, for the purpose of electing to one Physical 

 Science Postmastership, of the annual value of 80/., tenable for 

 five years from election. The subjects of examination will be 

 Chemistry and Pliysics. There will be a practical examination 

 in Chemistry. Further Information may be obtained from the 

 tutor in Physical Science. 



Mr. Thomas Stevenson writes with reference to Mr. 

 Kinahan's letter on sand-drift in Nature, vol. xiv., p. 191, that 

 from a passage in his book on '♦ The Design and Construction of 

 Harbours," second edition, p. 245, it will be learned that the 

 pine planted by Lord Palmerston was the Pinus maritima 

 major. In his report to Lord Palmerston in 1839, Mr. R. 

 Stevenson recommended that this pine should be procured from 

 France. A kind of bent grass was planted on the side next the 

 sea, so as to act as a protection to the pines during their first 

 growth. The result of the experiment was highly successful. 



A REPORT has gone the round of the papers that the Govern- 

 ment have recently made an offer to the Council of the Zoological 

 Society of a strip of ground on the north bank of the Regent's 

 Canal, on condition that the Gardens should be opened free to 

 the public on one day in each week, and that this offer has been 

 declined. This report is quite unfounded, the strip of land 

 referred to having been granted to the Society in 1869. Upon it 

 is built an aviary, and the lodge in connection with the Primrose 

 Hill gate. That a still further extension of the Gardens would 

 be to the public gain, all visitors will no doubt testify. 



Herr Carl Hagenbeck, the well-known dealer in living 

 animals at Hamburg, has just received a large collection from 

 Upper Nubia, amongst which are four elephants, five giraffes, 

 and several other large mammalia. They are under the care of 

 four Hamran Arabs, whose sword-hunting feats have been so 

 well described by Sir Samuel Baker in his work on the Nile and 

 Its tributaries. Dressed In their native costumes and mounted 

 on four fleet dromedaries, these Arabs cause quite a sensation 

 among the Inhabitants of Hamburg, and are of themselves. In- 

 dependent of the animals, well worthy of a visit from all passing 

 In that direction. 



The living gorilla, which we referred to a fortnight ago as 

 being at Liverpool, after travelling from Hull to Hamburg, was 

 forwarded to Berlin, in the Aquarium of which city we believe 

 It Is to be deposited. 



