'.Z^ 



NATURE 



{Sept. 12, 1878 



Bolivia, Columbia, Panama, and Costa Rica, making everywhere 

 enormous botanical collections. A similar journey to the Philip- 

 pine Islands under the auspices of Veitch and Co., of London, 

 followed in 1868, but in 1871 he was back again in his favourite 

 field, the north-western portion of South America. Here he 

 met his death in a hospital, reduced to poverty, and fairly worn 

 out in the cause of science. Wallis stood fairly first among the 

 travelling botanists of our day, possessing a rare combination 

 of courage, energy, and scientific training. Not only were 

 hi? contributions to botany of great value, but he actually 

 introduced into European horticulture no less than 1,000 new 

 varieties from across the ocean, and no small portion of the 

 brilliant treasures of our modern conservatories are due to his 

 unwearied zeal. 



Thk American Association met, under the presidency of 

 Prof. 0. C. Marsh, at St. Louis on August 21 and following 

 days, and, judging from the reports that have reached us, 

 the attendance was not quite up to the average, St. Louis 

 having a bad reputation on account of its heat, this year 

 aggravated by the dread lest the yellow fever might extend up 

 the Mississippi Valley to the meeting-place of the Association. 

 Vice-president Thurston gave the introductory address " On the 

 Philosophic Method of the Advancement of Science," in which 

 he traced the history of scientific research from early times, and 

 advocated the establishment of a systematic method for discover- 

 ing competent scientific writers, and endowing them adequately 

 for the pursuit of research. Mr. A. R. Grote gave an address 

 entitled "Education, a Succession of Experiences." Mr. Edison 

 was present at the meeting for a short time and met with an 

 enthusiastic reception ; he read a paper on some of his inven- 

 tions. A committee was appointed to arrange for a eulogy on 

 the late Prof. Henry. We see from the neatly got-up Daily 

 Programme of the Association that upwards of 100 papers were 

 down to be read. We hope to give an account of the principal 

 papers in an early number. The Association meets next year at 

 Saratoga, on the last Wednesday of August, Mr. G. F. Barker 

 of Philadelphia, president. 



At the recent International Congress of Anthropology several 

 interesting reports were read by specially appointed reporters, 

 M. Thulie gave a report on anthropological societies and educa- 

 tion in anthropology. In tracing the history of anthropological 

 societies in France and England, he showed the gradual progress 

 which had been made in the objects and method of the science. 

 M. Topinard's report was on astronomical, biographical, and 

 pathological anatomy. He divided anthropology into general 

 and special — the former embracing the human group as a whole 

 and in its relation with the lower animals, the latter department 

 being entitled "Zoological Anthropology;" special anthro- 

 pology or ethnology investigates natural divisions, primitive or 

 secondary, called races. Another division was into anatomical, 

 biological, and pathological anthropology. Ethnographical re- 

 ports were given by AL Girard de Rialle on Europe, Central 

 and Western Asia, and America, and by M. Bordier on Africa, 

 Eastern Asia, and Oceania. M. de Rialle called attention to 

 the magnificent museums in the northern European countries, 

 Sweden, Finland, and Russia, as contrasted with France, and 

 still more markedly, we might say, with England. These 

 reports were illustrated by reference to the fine collections 

 shown at the Paris Exhibition. There were two reports in the 

 department of prehistoric archaeology, one by M. de Mortillet 

 on geological times, and the other by M. Cartailhac on the neo- 

 lithic period. In the report on demography (a sort of statistical 

 anthropology), by M. Chervin, he gave a beautiful example of 

 a statistical study by Dr. Berg, of the Swedish Statistical Bureau, 

 who traces the influences of the Swedish wars between 1795 and 

 1 8 10, generation after generation down almost to the present 



day. Dr. Lebon read an instructive paper on the results of his 

 experimental researches on the variation of volume of the cranium 

 in their relations to intelligence. He showed that intelligence 

 was proportionate to the volume of the cranium, and that among 

 the higher races the difference between the size of individual 

 crania is less than among inferior races. A curious result is 

 that among the women of the inferior races the' cranium is gene- 

 rally larger than among those of the superior races ; this result 

 he ascribes to the insignificant part allotted to females in the 

 active work of civilised society. 



Among the resolutions passed by the International Congress 

 on weight?, measures, and coins, at Paris, was the following : — 

 " The Congress learns with pleasure the progress of the metric 

 system ; it deplores that England, Russia, and the United States 

 have not yet entered into the same path ; and it is of opinion 

 that the Governments of those countries should be solicited to 

 give effect as early as possible to an act of progress so eminently 

 useful to science, commerce, and international relations." The 

 British and American members had a separate meeting, and 

 resolved to petition their respective Governments to appoint a 

 mixed Commission to consider the adoption of the metric system 

 by both countries, and to make all necessary recommendations 

 for the proper legislation to secure the desired end. 



The Gazetta d' Italia recounts a somewhat remarkable change 

 in the surface of the earth at the village of Ortagli, a short 

 distance south-east of Florence. In the course of a few days 

 the tract on which the village stands has gradually sunk, until 

 the depression amounts to about fifteen feet. It has not been 

 sufficiently regular to prevent the houses from making threatening- 

 divergences from the perpendicular, and the population has 

 taken refuge in the field. Strange to say another tract of land 

 about two hundred yards from the village is, on the contrary, 

 gradually rising, at times nearly rapid enough to be noticed with 

 the eye. Several Italian savants are on the ground studying the 

 strange phenomenon. 



At the next meeting of Russian Naturalists at St. Petersburg 

 tho question of chronology is again to be ventilated, with a view 

 of proposing to the Government the change of date from the 

 old stjle, now in use in Russia, to the new style used everywhere 

 else in Europe and abroad. 



Admiral Mouchez appointed two days every month when 

 the Paris Observatory might be visited by the public, but the 

 number of requests increase so much that he has been obliged 

 to establish supplementary visits. On Saturday, September 7, 

 the number of visitors exceeded a thousand. Admiral Mouchez 

 intends giving a great soiree at the Observatory, on which 

 occasion all the celestial objects drawn from nature by a clever 

 artist will be shoM-n with a magic lantern. He has asked from 

 the Ministry of Public Instruction the loan of a portrait of Louis 

 XIV., the founder of the Observatory. This portrait will be 

 placed in the large saloon and surrounded by the portraits of 

 Lalande, Laplace, Arago, Leverrier, and other great astronomers 

 whose names have been associated with the establishment. 



A Commission was some time since appointed to report on 

 the great reflector which Leverrier discovered to be imperfectly 

 polished. The Commission has examined the instrument care- 

 fully, but unfortunately drawn up an ambiguous report, so that 

 Admiral Mouchez is said to be left in a most perplexing position. 

 The report does not say clearly that the instrument is good, but 

 at the same time it gives no authority to reject it and to have 

 it polished again. The perplexity is enlarged by the incertitude 

 on the results of works in course of execution. The polishing 

 of the' glasses ofJthe large refractor has been placed in the same 

 hands in pursuance of a ^'contract signed by Leverrier long ago. 

 It is expected that at the next meeting the Council of the 



