302 



NATURE 



[jfan. 30, 1890 



spite of the oppressive climate and surroundings. Just before 

 noon on Saturday, Lieutenant Thierns went to see him at the 

 hospital and found him much exhausted ; but he was again at 

 his post in the observatory at 3 p.m., at which time an 

 important photograph was secured with the mirror. In the 

 evening he went on board the Comus for dinner, but was only 

 able to lie on a sofa all the time ; and he sent to the doctor for 

 some chlorodyne. Much against the wishes and earnest advice 

 of Captain Atkinson (who spoke to me of Father Perry with the 

 sincerest regard and esteem). Father Perry made his way on 

 shore in a violent pouring rain to sleep in his own quarters, and 

 would allow no one to hinder him. Next morning, Sunday the 

 22nd, was the important moment of the eclipse. Lieutenant 

 Thierns landed with his observatory party at six o'clock, and on 

 arrival was informed by Mr. Rooney that Father Perry had 

 passed a very bad night and was very ill, so a man was sent to 

 help him over the bad half mile from his quarters, as he declined 

 to let himself be carried on a stretcher. He reached the obser- 

 vatory in good time, though in a very exhausted state. As the 

 important moment approached, he seemed to rally, and, during 

 the minutes of the eclipse, seemed to be himself again, and 

 showed no signs of illness or exhaustion. There were two 

 photographic instruments in use — one an old one, which had 

 often been in use before, the other was the special new corona 

 graphic instrument prepared for the occasion, of which Father 

 Perry himself took charge. He was so alert and self-possessed 

 during the eclipse, that his friends about him hoped he was not 

 so ill, but he gave way immediately after, and with much difficulty 

 reached his quarters in the hospital. It was known after, that 

 during the previous night he had been very seriously ill." 

 On Sunday night it became evident that he was suffering from 

 the very worst form of dysentery. On Wednesday, Christmas 

 Day, he was better, and the vessel started for Demerara. All 

 hope was gone on Friday at 1.30 p.m. At 3 p.m. his mind 

 began to wander, and at 4. 20 he died. It is pathetic to read 

 that before he quite lost consciousness he thought himself again 

 engaged in " the supreme moment of the scientific mission 

 which had so long filled his thoughts," and " began to give his 

 orders as duiung the short minutes of the eclipse." 



At its annual sitting, the Russian Academy of Sciences 

 elected the following as Corresponding Members : — In Mathe- 

 matics, Prof, Sophie Kovalevskaya, Stockholm ; in Astronomy, 

 Prof. Moris Lcewy, Paris ; in Chemistry, Prof. Stanislas Can- 

 nizaro, Rome ; in Biology, Th. Keppen, Russia, and Prof. 

 Henri Baillon, Paris. 



The Sanitary Institute has made arrangements for the ninth 

 course of lectures and demonstrations for sanitary officers. They 

 will be given in the Parkes Museum, and will be specially 

 adapted for candidates preparing for the Institute's examination 

 for inspectors of nuisances. The introductory lecture will be 

 delivered on February 18 by Mr. E. C. Robins. Among the 

 lecturers will be Sir Douglas Galton and Prof. W. H. Corfield. 

 The former will lecture on ventilation, measurement of cubic 

 space, &c ; the latter on sanitary appliances. 



Messrs. Macmillan and Co, are issuing a monograph of 

 the British Cicadse, by George Bowdler Buckton, F.R.S. It 

 will consist of eight quarterly parts, each containing on an 

 average ten litho-chromo plates and letterpress, illustrating the 

 forms, metamorphoses, general anatomy, and the chief details 

 connected with the life-history of this family of insects. The 

 work will contain also short diagnoses of all the British species, 

 about 230 in number, most of which have come under the 

 author's notice, each species being illustrated by one or more 

 coloured drawings. Some account will be given of the curious 

 myths and tales told by ancient Greek and Latin poets, and 

 descriptions will be appended relating to the curious sound- 



organs possessed by some species, and other subjects connected 

 with the economy of this interesting but difficult group of 

 Rhynchotous insects. 



Messrs. Macmillan and Co. have in the press a " Manual 

 of Public Health, " by Mr. Wynter Blyth, M.R.C.S., Medical 

 Officer of Health for St. Marylebone. 



Malta has suffered a great loss in the almost sudden death of 

 Dr. Gulia, Professor of Botany, Hygiene, and Forensic Medicine 

 in the Royal University of Valletta, He was born, in 1835, ^^ 

 Cospicua, a suburb of Valletta, where his father was a physician. 

 He graduated in medicine and surgery, in 1855, at Valletta, and 

 afterwards went to complete his studies at Paris, where he made 

 the acquaintance of a large number of eminent men, including 

 Milne-Edwards, Blanchard, and Vidal, On his return to reside 

 in his native town, he was elected to the above-mentioned Chair 

 in the University in Valletta. Besides attending to his pro- 

 fessorial duties and the requirements of a large medical practice, 

 Prof. Gulia found time to edit an important medical journal, in 

 which he exhibited great literary and scientific talents. He also- 

 issued, among other writings, a " Flora of Malta." His son is 

 about to publish his last work, containing the completest account 

 of the flora of Malta up to the present time, bringing the total 

 number of species up to 833. 



At a meeting of the Society of Arts, last week, Mr, Bru- 

 denell Carter read a valuable paper on " Vision-testing for 

 Practical Purposes." Referring to colour blindness, Mr. Carter 

 said that Dr. Joy Jeffries, in the last edition of his work on the 

 subject, tabulates the results of the examination of 175,127 per- 

 sons, and shows that the percentage of this number who were 

 colour (blind amounted to 395. Any method of examination, 

 which gives a percentage differing from this in any marked de- 

 gree must, Mr. Carter thinks, be vitiated by some error. Of the 

 methods of examination pursued on the English and Scottish 

 lines of railway, and by the Board of Trade, he said they had 

 one feature in common — they were all wrong, "the direct off- 

 spring, in almost every instance, of a degree of ignorance and 

 presumption, the very existence of which would be incredible if 

 the proofs of it were not brought daily under our observation. " 

 "Even where the use of Holmgren's method is professed," said 

 Mr. Carter, "the rules laid down by Holmgren for conducting 

 it are, as a rule, utterly ignored, and the results obtained are as 

 utterly misleading. The test should be used in exact conformity 

 with his very detailed and precise instructions, or it should not 

 be used at all," 



The first of a series of Friday evening lectures on Astronomy 

 was delivered on Friday, the 24th instant, by Mr, E. J. C. 

 Morton, at the Battersea Public Baths. An audience numbering 

 over 400 assembled, and manifested much interest in the subject 

 with which Mr. Morton dealt. The lectures are being given in 

 connection with the University Extension Scheme, 



The following science lectures will be given at the Royal 

 Victoria Hall during February : 4th, ' ' Algeria and Morocco, " by 

 Mr. Henry Blackburn ; lith, " Arsenic," by Mr, Ward Cold- 

 ridge ; i8th, "Eyesight and Some of its Defects," by Dr. Collins;. 

 25th, " Sinai and Palestine," by Sir Charles Wilson. 



The third series of lectures given by the Sunday Lecture 

 Society will begin on Sunday afternoon, February 2, in St. 

 George's Hall, Langham Place, at 4 p.m., when Dr. B, W. 

 Richardson, F.R.S., will lecture on " The Health of the Mind ; 

 and Mental Contagions." Lectures will subsequently be given 

 by Sir Henry E. Roscoe, M.P., F,R,S., Mr, Justin H, 

 McCarthy, M,P., Mr, G, Wotherspoon, Mr, H, L. Braekstad, 

 Mr. Louis Fagan, and Dr, James Edmunds. 



Great efforts are being made to secure that the eleventh 

 meeting of the National Electric Light Association, to be held 



