December 8, 1923] 



NATURE 



841 



Prof. A. Smitheli.s resigned in June last the chair 

 of chemistry in the University of Leeds, which he had 

 held with much distinction since, in 1886, he was 

 appointed in the old Yorkshire College. His part 

 in promoting the foundation of the University of 

 Leeds, in bringing technological studies into relation 

 with other work of the University, in furthering 

 chemistry and its technical applications, and in 

 linking up the University with the community it 

 serves, is well worthy of commemoration, and a 

 committee has been appointed to raise funds for this 

 purpose. With the money obtained it is proposed 

 to have a portrait of Prof. Smithells painted for 

 presentation to the University, and to establish in 

 his name, and by his advice, a fellowship or scholar- 

 ship within the University — two means by which 

 his connexion with the University will be handed 

 down to posterity. Subscriptions, made payable to 

 the treasurer of the Smithells Fund, should be for- 

 Avarded to Mr. A. G. Lupton, Beechwood, Roundhay, 

 Leeds. 



Mr. Paul C. Standley, associate curator of plants 

 in the National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, 

 has left Washington for Panama, where he will make 

 investigations of the plant life of the Canal zone and 

 its immediate vicinity. This work, undertaken in 

 co-operation with the Department of Agriculture, 

 has for its object the preparation of a descriptive and 

 illustrated account of the plants occurring in the 

 region. Botanical exploration of the Isthmus of 

 Panama was begun about 1790 by Luis N^e, a French- 

 man, who accompanied the famous navigator Mala- 

 spina on his voyage around the world- A very 

 extensive collection also was obtained by the Smith- 

 sonian Biological Survey of the Panama Canal Zone 

 in 1910-11, and more recent collectors have forwarded 

 to the National Museum noteworthy collections, so 

 that at the present time more than 2000 species of 

 plants are known from the region. From a botanical 

 point of view the Isthmus has not been thoroughly 

 explored, however, and it is probable that further 

 work there will increase this number by 50 per cent, 

 ''mama is particularly rich in palms, and has a good 

 ] )resentation of orchids and ferns. After spending 

 >out two months in Panama, Mr. Standley will go 

 Costa Rica to make further collections of plants. 



In the course of his presidential address to the 

 institution of Civil Engineers delivered on November 

 Sir Charles Langbridge Morgan had a good deal 

 lo say in encouragement of the numerous young men 

 seeking to enter the civil engineering profession, often 

 with an equipment of scientific knowledge and general 

 education which would have been regarded as excep- 

 tional in his own early days. Sir Charles traced the 

 development of transportation in Greater London 

 during the past fifty years, and gave a number of 

 interesting tables relating to local railways, suburban 

 sections of main-line railways, tramways, omnibuses, 

 '^tc. ; these carried a total of 1,036,806,934 pass- 



igers in 1900 and 3,125,321,122 in 1920. From the 

 tlevelopments which have taken place, and others 

 projected. Sir Charles refuses to believe that the 

 profession of civil engineering has entered upon a 



permanent decline. No one can deny that there is 

 reason for temporary discouragement of young men 

 who are at present confronted with extraordinary 

 difficulty in obtaining work. If the older members 

 were to shut their eyes to the seriousness of the 

 position of junior members of the profession, they 

 would be failing in their duty. It is the part of such 

 bodies as the Institution of Civil Engineers to do all 

 that can be done by organisation, encouragement, 

 and co-operation to hasten that recovery of the whole 

 profession to which all look forward. 



A GUIDE, with code and instructions, relative to 

 wireless weather telegraphy in Great Britain and the 

 countries of Europe and North Africa, has recently 

 been issued by the Meteorological Office of the Air 

 Ministry (M.6. 252, H.M.S.O. 25. (>d. net). The 

 details of the meteorological messages transmitted 

 by the several coimtries are arranged on a uniform 

 plan. Times of sending are explained and the 

 meanings of the symbols used, so that any one 

 having the suitable equipment can receive both 

 reports and forecasts. The issue of particulars of 

 the messages from different countries is brought 

 up to date, and amending notices will be issued as 

 required from time to time. Purchasers of this new 

 edition of the guide will be informed when fresh 

 notices are issued if they notify the Director of the 

 Meteorological Office that they desire to receive the 

 information. Use can be made of messages trans- 

 mitted to the Meteorological Office by the aid of 

 which the daily weather reports and forecasts are 

 prepared for the Press and the general public. In 

 addition to this a " general inference " is issued at 

 9.15 A.M. and 8 p.m. based on observations taken at 

 numerous local and foreign stations as well as over 

 the Atlantic. An example is given of the " general 

 inference," and it is stated that " the first trans- 

 mission of this report is made at ten words a minute 

 for the benefit of amateurs." The message is in 

 plain language, and can be readily understood by 

 others than meteorologists. The general inference 

 is in effect a picture in words from which a general 

 survey of the prevailing and controlling weather 

 conditions can be obtained. 



The annual reports of the Smithsonian Institution 

 of Washington contain not only full statements of the 

 activities of the Institution during the year, but also 

 a large general appendix which consists of a miscel- 

 laneous collection of memoirs covering a wide range 

 of subjects. This appendix forms fully three- 

 quarters of the volume for 1921, which has recently 

 been issued, and it provides a valuable collection of 

 noteworthy scientific papers issued during the year. 

 Many of the items are original and by American 

 workers, while others are translations and reprints. 

 Among the latter are : " Cosmogeny and Stellar Evolu- 

 tion," by Mr. J. H. Jeans, from N.\turk of June 30 and 

 July 7, 1921 ; and " The Age of the Earth," by Lord 

 Raleigh, Prof. W. J. Sollas. Prof. J. W. Gregory, and 

 Dr. Harold Jeffreys, from Nature of October 27, 

 192 1. The translations included are: "The Dia- 

 meters of the Stars," by A. Danjon, from L'Astronomie 

 of November and December 19-21 ; " The Historic 



NO. 2823, VOL. I 12] 



