May 27, 1875] 



NATURE 



n 



Sweden, Denmark, the United States, the Argentine Republic, 

 Peru, and Brazil, signed, at Paris, the International Convention 

 for the adoption of the metrical system of weights and mea- 

 sures. A special clause reserves to the States not included in 

 the above list the right of eventually adhering to the Convention. 



It was the Hon. T. Elder (not Eden), who, with Mr. 

 Hughes, bore the expenses of Col. Warburton's journey across 

 Australia, the narrative of which we noticed in last week's 

 Nature (p. 46). 



The French Association for the Advancement of Science 

 meets at Nantes this year, under the' presidency of M. 

 d'Eichtal, an influential banker largely connected with railway 

 interests. The local committee is presided over by the Mayor, 

 and a large sum has been collected for defraying the expenses 

 connected with the meeting. 



The annual report of the trustees of the Museum of Compara- 

 tive Zoology, of Cambridge, U.S., for 1874 has just been pub- 

 lished, and contains the current history of that distinguished 

 establishment, as also the list of the additions to its various 

 departments. The strict economy necessary to relieve the 

 Museum from its embarrassments, after the death of Prof. 

 Agassiz, has effected its purpose, and its financial condition is 

 rapidly approaching a satisfactory state. 



Prof. Alexander Agassiz announces that the experience 

 of the past two years has shown the impossibility of conducting 

 the Arderson School of Natural History, Penikese Island, 

 upon the plan originally intended. The trustees find themselves 

 at the end of the means at their disposal. To enable them to 

 carry on the school it is proposed to charge a fee of fifty dollars 

 for the season, and they hope that a sufficient number of pupils 

 can be secuied to warrant them in going on. Even with the 

 proposed charges there will be a considerable deficit (as was the 

 case last year) to be met by the friends of the Penikese School. 



We believe that M. Wallon, the French Minister of Public 

 Instiuction, is to present a law for the organisation of the higher 

 education in Fiance. 



The Watford Observer of May 22 contains reports of two 

 papers read at the last meeting of the Watford Natural History 

 Society: " Introductory Remarks on the Observation of Perio- 

 dical Natural Phenomena," by Mr. J. Hopkinson, F.L.S., and 

 " Notes on the Observation of Plants," by the Rev. Dr. W. M. 

 Hind. It is gratifying to see local societies turning their atten- 

 tion to subjects of so much importance. 



During the first three days of last week the Geologists' Asso- 

 ciation made an interesting excursion to Charnwood Forest, in 

 Leicestershire. A full report of the proceedings appears in the 

 Leicester Chronicle for May 22. 



Messrs. Chapman and Hall have just published a trans- 

 lation of F. Jagor's "Travels in the Philippines," of the German 

 edition of which we were able to give a favourable review in 

 vol. viii. p. 138. The translation seems to us to be well done, 

 and the book contains a good map and many illustrations ; it 

 merits a favourable reception from the English reading public. 



We have an evidence of the activity of research in the United 

 States in the following list of American Microscopical Societies 

 furnished by the American Naturalist :—Agz.%%\z Institute, Sacra- 

 mento, California j Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 

 Biological and Microscopical Section ; American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, Microscopical Section ; American 

 Microscopical Society of New York ; Bailey Club, New York ; 

 Boston Microscopical Society ; Boston Society of Natural His- 

 tory, Microscopical Section ; Dartmouth Microscopical Club, 

 Hanover, N, II. ; Fairmount Microscopical Society of Phila- 

 delphia ; Indiana Microscopical Society, Indianopolis, Ind. ; 



Kirtland Society of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio, Micro- 

 scopical Branch ; Louisville Microscopical Society, Louisville, 

 Kentucky ; Maryland Academy of Sciences, Baltimore, Section 

 of Biology and Microscopy ; Memphis Microscopical Society, 

 Memphis, Tenn. ; New Jersey Microscopical Society of the City 

 of New Brunswick, N. J. ; Providence Franklin Society, Pro- 

 vidence, N. J., Microscopical Department; San Francisco Mi- 

 croscopical Society ; Society of Natural Sciences, Buffalo, N.Y., 

 Microscopical Section ; State Microscopical Society of Illinois, 

 Chicago, 111. ; State Microscopical Society of Michigan, Kala- 

 mazoo, Mich. ; Tioy Scientific Association, Troy, N.Y., Micro- 

 scopical Section ; Tyndall Association, Columbus, Ohio, MicrO' 

 scopical Section. Eight of these societies have been established 

 within the last two years. 



We have received the Eighth Annual Report of the Perthshire 

 Society of Natural Science, from which we regret to see that 

 there has been rather a falling-off in the prosperity of the Society, 

 arising mainly from indifference on the part of the majority ot 

 its members. In this, as in most ether similar societies, the work 

 is done by but a small portion of the members. Still the Society 

 is working well in various ways, and this report contains a long 

 and interesting address by the President, Sir Thomas Moncrieff, 

 on the work done by the Society during the past year. We 

 hope the publication of this Report will be the means of rousing 

 a larger number of the members to take an interest in the work 

 of the Society. 



The Report for 1874, leadatthe thirteenth annual meeting of 

 the West Riding Consolidated Naturalists' Society, embracing a 

 large number of Field Clubs in the West Riding, is a very favour- 

 able one. At the time of the meeting, some months ago, the 

 number of members was 545, and the Report states there is good 

 reason to believe that studies in the various branches of Natural 

 History are now diligently and earnestly pursued. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during 

 the past week include a Black Ape {Cynopithecus niger) from 

 Celebes, presented by the Hon. Evelyn H. Ellis ; a West Indian 

 Agouti {Dasyprocta antillensis) from Trinidad, presented by Mr. 

 Christopher James ; a Coypu Rat {Myopotavius coypu) from 

 South America, presented by Mr. Robert E. Baton ; a King 

 Penguin {Aptenodytes pennanti) from the Falkland Isles, pre- 

 sented by Mr. L. Cobb ; an Indian Cobra {Naia iripudians), 

 two Russell's Vipers ( Vipera russdli), three Carpet Vipers {Echis 

 carinata), an Indian Eryx (Eryx johnit), an Indian Python 

 {Python moliirus), three Indian Rat Snakes (Ptyas mucosa), and 

 five Long-snouted Snakes {Passerita mycterizans), from India, 

 presented by Dr. John Shortt ; two Rendall's Guinea Fowls 

 {Numida retidalli) from West Africa, two King Parrakets 

 {Aprosmictus scapulatus) from New South Wales, deposited ; a 

 Molucca Deer (Cervus moluccensis), born in the Gardens. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Journal oj the Franklin Institute, April. — The following 

 are the principal original papers in this number : — Report on a 

 test trial of a Swain turbine water wheel, by J. B. Francis, 

 C.E. — On the moments and reactions of continuous girders, 

 by M. Merriman, C.E. — Compound and non-compound engines, 

 steam jackets, &c., by C. E. Emery, C.E. ; this is the first part 

 of a paper presenting a discussion of the results of experiments 

 made on several U.S. Government steamers. — First part of a 

 paper on experiments made at the Mare Island Navy Yard, 

 California, with different screws applied to a steam launch, to 

 ascertain their relative propelling power, by Chief Engineer 

 B. F. Isherwood, U.S.N. — New processes in proximate gas- 

 analyses, by Prof. Henry Wurtz, continued from a former 

 number. — On the cause of the light of flames, being a transla- 

 tion from the German of W. Stein, who discusses the results 

 attained by Prof. FranklMid. 



