434 



NATURE 



[June 2, 192 1 



a g^eological study, the fruits of which 

 appeared in 1902 in a two- volume work entitled 

 "Asiatic Russia." The relations of science and 

 religion were also discussed by him in several of 

 his publications. 



We regret to announce the death, on May 28, 

 at sixty-four years of age, of Mr. R. E. Dennett, 

 author of " At the Back of the Black Man's Mind," 

 "Nigerian Studies," "West African Categories," 

 and other works. 



Notes. 



Owing to the postponement of the sailing of the 

 Celtic, on which he had booked his passage from 

 America, Prof. Einstein is unable to lecture at King's 

 College, London, until Monday, June 13, at 5.15 p.m. 

 All the tickets which have been issued for June 9 will 

 be available for that date. 



Several changes have recently been made in the 

 scientific staff of the Australian Museum, Sydney. 

 Dr. C. Anderson, who has been mineralogist since 

 1901, succeeds the late Mr. R. Etheridge, jun., as 

 director. Mr. A. Musgrave fills the vacancy caused 

 by the death of Mr. W. J. Rainbow, entomologist, 

 and Messrs. J. R. Kinghorn and E. le G. Troughton, 

 second-class assistants, have been promoted to be first- 

 class assistants in charge of reptiles, birds and 

 amphibians, and mammals and skeletons respectively. 



Mr. W. L. G. Joerg, of the scientific staff of the 

 American Geographical Society of New York, and 

 editor of its Research Series, left on May 21 on a six 

 months' leave of absence for a trip to Europe on 

 behalf of the society to study the present status and 

 tendencies of geography in Europe and to establish 

 closer relations with kindred workers and institutions. 

 During his trip Mr. Joerg expects to visit most of the 

 universities where modern scientific geography is 

 represented. Communications to him may be ad- 

 dressed c/o Messrs. Brown, Shipley and Co., 123 Pall 

 Mall, London, S.W. i. 



At the anniversary meeting of the Linnean Society 

 of London on May 24 the Linneah gold medal of the 

 society, the highest award in its gift, was presented 

 to Dr. Dukinfield H. Scott, and all who know the 

 value and extent of his service? to recent and fossil 

 botany during the last forty years will agree that the 

 award is thoroughly deserved, and some may be dis- 

 posed to wonder why it was not bestowed earlier. 

 The medal was instituted in 1888 on the occasion of 

 the centenary of the foundation of the society, and is 

 given in alternate years to a botanist and a zoologist 

 who at the time of the award is not on the council. 

 Dr. Scott's services as councillor, secretary, and presi- 

 dent of the society have been almost continuous, so 

 that the opportunities of making the gift have been 

 very few until the present year. 



The Mount Everest Expedition started from Dar- 

 jeeling in two parties on May 18 and 19. The staff 

 of the expedition consists of Col. Howard Bury, the 

 leader, Mr. H. Raeburn, Dr. Kellas, Mr. G. L. Mal- 

 lory, and Mr. G. H. Bullock, Alpine climbers; Mr. 

 A. F. Wollaston, surgeon and naturalist; Dr. A. M. 

 Heron, geologist; and Major H. T. Morshead and 

 Capt. O. Wheeler, survey officers. Col. Bury's first 

 dispatch to the Times contains particulars of the 

 NO. 2692, VOL. 107] 



organisation and start. Major Morshead, with two 

 assistants and fifty coolies, left Darjeeling in advance, 

 going by the Teesta Valley to correct some of the 

 Sikkim maps. He was to rejoin the main expedition 

 on June i at Khamba Dzong. The principal transport 

 of the expedition consists of 100 Chinese and Tibetan 

 mules, with drivers drawn from hill tribes and accus- 

 tomed to long marches. Forty Sherpa coolies, mostly 

 from villages south or south-east of Everest, accom- 

 pany the expedition. Several of them have been with 

 Dr. Kellas on high climbs and are trained in ice-work. 

 Mr. Wollaston is taking two Lepcha collectors and 

 skinners to assist in biological work. The expedition 

 has a complete photographic equipment, and every 

 camera can be used for telephotographic work. Ar- 

 rangements have been made for developing the plates 

 and films on the spot. Col. Bury records with grati- 

 tude the help afforded by the Government of India, the 

 Indian railways, and the Governor of Bengal (Lord 

 Ronaldshay). 



The secretary of the Institution of Electrical En- 

 gineers informs us that, in view of the continuance 

 of the coal strike, the Scottish Committee has reluc- 

 tantly decided to cancel the proposed summer meeting 

 of the institution. 



The autumn meeting of the Iron and Steel Insti- 

 tute will be held, by invitation of the Comit^ des 

 Forges de France, in Paris, on Monday and Tuesday, 

 September 5 and 6. At the conclusion of the meeting 

 in Paris alternative visits have been arranged to works 

 in Lorraine and in Normandy, and a party of the 

 members has been invited to visit the Creusot works 

 of MM. Schneider and Co. 



Two notices of memorials to distinguished men of 

 science appear in the Revue scientifique of May 14. 

 The first refers to the monument erected to the 

 memory of Wurtz the chemist at Strasbourg, which 

 will be dedicated on July 5 next. The other notice 

 deals with the centenary of Ampere's discoveries in 

 electricity. Electrical engineers in France are taking 

 steps to restore the tomb of the celebrated physicist 

 in the cemetery of Montmartre. 



The annual meeting of the British Science Guild 

 will be held at the Goldsmiths' Hall on Wednesday, 

 June 8, at 3 p.m. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, presi- 

 dent of the Guild, will present the annual report, and 

 there will be addresses by the Very Rev. William R. 

 Inge (Dean of St. Paul's) on "The Road to Ruin and 

 the Way Out " and by Sir Richard A. S. Redmayne 

 (chairman of the Imperial Mineral Resources Burftau) 

 on "The Importance of Research in Promoting the 

 Development of the Mineral Industries." Tickets 

 may be obtained from the Secretary, British Science 

 Guild, 6 John Street, Adelphi, W.C.2. 



