562 



NATURE 



[Oct. 28, 1875 



interest in Sir Charles during his illness, and previous to the 

 removal of his body to London a religious service was held at 

 the Anglican chapel in the Rue d'Agueneau, at which a deputa- 

 tion from the Academy was present. MM. Dumas and Tresca 

 delivered addresses, which will be published in the Comptes 

 Rendus. Sir Charles was buried yesterday in his family burial- 

 place at Kensal Green. We shall give a memoir in an early 

 number. 



The following changes are proposed to be made for the 

 ensuing session in the Council of the London Mathematical 

 Society : — Profs. Cayley and Sylvester, having served their term 

 of office, become ordinary members, and the Council recommend 

 that their places be filled up by Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S.,and 

 Mr. W. Spottiswoode, F.R.S. Dr. Henrici, F.R.S., and Mr. 

 H. Martyn Taylor are put in nomination to fill up the vacancies 

 caused by the withdrawal of Mr. R. B. Hayward and Mr.W. D. 

 Niven. 



The anniversary meeting of the foundation of the French In- 

 stitute by the executive directors of the first French Republic was 

 celebrated as usual on the 25th of October. The president v.^as 

 M. Lefuel, a member of the Academy of Fine Arts : he was 

 assisted by delegates of the other academies. M. Lefuel had to 

 perform the duty of awarding the great biennial prize (see vol. 

 xii. p. 526) for 1875 to M. Paul Bert, member of the "Versailles 

 Assembly and a Professor of Physiology at the Sorbonne, for his 

 discoveries relating to the part played by oxygen in the act 

 of respiration. Although the report was presented to the 

 Academy of Sciences at a secret sitting, it is expected that it 

 will be published shortly, as the noblest part of the award is not 

 the gift of a handsome sum of money, but the reasons why the 

 prize had been adjudged to the candidate. After this the report 

 for the prize established by the celebrated Volney was read at 

 full length, and three lectures were delivered. The last one was 

 by M. Mouchez, the new member of the Academy of Sciences, 

 on the Venus Transit Expedition to St. Paul. The brave captain 

 read it in plain sailor-like fashion and with much humour, and 

 met with a most favourable reception. 



The Congress of Meteorologists, which was to have been held 

 at Poitiers at the end of October, has been postponed for a 

 month, and will be held on the 19th, 20th, and 21st Nov. next. 

 It is to be styled the " Meteorological Congress of Western 

 Oceanic France." All the departments situated within the 

 space bounded by the Dordogne, the Atlantic, the Loire, and 

 the central mountains of France, together with the Council of 

 the Observatory of Paris, will be represented on the occasion. 

 Among the representatives who will be present are MM. 

 Belgrand, Renou, de Touchimbert, de Tastes, de la Gournerie, 

 Lespiault, Raulin, and Leverrier, who will preside. Delegates 

 from the departments of the regions adjoining' are invited to be 

 present to assist in laying the basis of a common understanding 

 among the different regions in matters referring to meteorology. 



A Reuter's telegram, dated Rome, October 23, states that 

 Mr. J. Norman Lockyer and Major Testing had arrived there, 

 deputed by the British Government to propose to the Italian 

 Government to send to the Exhibition at South Kensington in 

 1876 a collection of the instruments used by Italian professors in 

 recent important astronomical observations. 



Prof. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S., who left early in June for 

 Australia, has returned to England via the Rocky Mountains 

 Railroad and New York. The duties of the Geological chair 

 at Owens College have been taken during his absence by Mr. 

 C. E. De Ranee, F.G.S., of the Geological Survey of England 

 and Wales. 



The Commission on Vivisection have been meeting con- 

 stantly during the past and present weeks, and have examined a 

 considerable number of witnesses. 1 



It is announced that the preliminary works for the Channel 

 Tunnel are to be commenced this week near Calais. A shaft 

 will be sunk to a depth of 100 metres. 



As zoologists are not likely to look in the Transactions of the 

 Society of Biblical Archaeology for anything concerning their own 

 studies, especially in a paper entitled " The Tablet of Antefaa 

 II.," it may be as well to mention that this paper, by the learned 

 president of the society. Dr. S. Birch, of the British Museum, in 

 the last issued number of the Transactions (vol. iv. part i.), con- 

 tains an interesting account, with numerous illustration?, of the 

 different breeds of domestic dogs kept by the ancient Egyptians. 

 It would appear from the drawings preserved on the walls of the 

 tombs, that the variations of this animal in those early days were 

 quite as well marked] as those that may be seen at a modern 

 dog- show. 



The Geographical Society of Paris held its first semi-monthly 

 meeting of session 1875-1876 on the 20th of October; more 

 than 190 members were present. The chair was filled by M. 

 Delesse, the president of the central section. The coi-respondence 

 was unusually long and interesting, and it is evident that 'geo- 

 graphical studies are advancing in France. 



An expedition under M. Largeau has been fitted out by the 

 French Chambers of Commerce and private subscriptions to 

 proceed to Rhadames from Algiers, and open communications 

 with Soudan and Timbuctoo. The expedition is already on 

 its way. A French paper, the Rappel, has sent a special corre- 

 spondent with M. Largeau ; this is perhaps the first time that 

 any French journal has taken such a step. 



News has been received from the French Gaboon expedition 

 under MM. Marche and Brazzi. These two gentlemen had 

 arrived at St. Louis and selected a number of Laptots to accom- 

 pany them in their excursions. The expedition is to last several 

 years. A Government steamer was to conduct them from St. 

 Louis to Gaboon. 



A French expedition is being fitted out to make a " Tour du 

 Monde " in ten months. The excursionists are to visit India, 

 Japan, the interior sea of Japan, Chinese ports, Au stralia, &c. 

 A special ^library, with instruments, will be placed on board. 

 The members of this expedition will be exclusively of the male sex. 

 The fare is to be 800/., everything included. The Geographical 

 Society will superintend the management of the enterprise, 

 although it will be supported by private funds and is altogether 

 a private speculation. 



The Marquis de Compiegne, the African explorer, has ftle 

 for Cairo, where he has been appointed by the Khedive the 

 acting secretary of the newly- established Khedival Geographi- 

 cal Society. 



The Ti7nes special correspondent at Suez, under date Oct. 26, 

 telegraphs as follows with regard to African exploring expedi- 

 tions : — "Despatches of the 14th and 20th of August, received 

 yesterday, report that Lieut. Gordon was in Appudo with the 

 steamer. The Kabba Regga people were intriguing. Linant 

 saw Stanley, who had traversed Lake Victoria from south to 

 north alone, at M'tesas. Cameron was at Tanganyika for eight 

 months, trying to go the .western route between Uganda and 

 Zanzibar, which was interrupted by the Karaque tribe two 

 degrees south. Subsequent despatches report the death of 

 Linant in a fight with the Kabba Regga people. Lake Victoria 

 is very large, and full of isles. " 



We announced some time ago that the Italian Geographical 

 Society was organising an expedition for African exploration. 

 The Society has already raised 70,000 lire, which it expects its 

 honorary president, Prince Humbert, to raise to 100,000 lire 

 (4,000/.) The Times Milan correspondent sends additional 



