240 



NA TURE 



\y an, 3. I S89 



December 24. — M. Janssen in the chair. — After the usua 

 annual allocution pronounced by the President, M. Janssen, 

 the names were announced of the successful cojipetitors 

 in the prize essays proposed for the year 1888. These were 

 as under: — Geometry: Grand Prize of the Mathematical 

 Sciences, M. Emile Picard ; Prix Bordin, Madame Sophie 

 de Kowalewsky ; Pri< PVancceur, M. Emile Barbier ; Prix 

 Poncelet, M. E. CoUignon. Mechanics : Extraordinary Prize 

 of 6000 francs, MM. Banare, Hauser, and Reynaud, 2000 

 francs each ; Prix Montyon, M. H. Bazin ; Prix Plumey, 

 Madame Benjamin Normand and family ; Prix Dalmont, 

 M. Jean Kesal. Astronomy : Prix Lalande, M. Joseph 

 Bossert ; Prix Valz, Mr. E. C. Pickering ; Prix Janssen, Dr. 

 William Huggins ; Prix Damoiseau, not awarded. Statistics : 

 Prix Montyon, M. Felix Faure, M. I. Teissier, and MM. 

 Lallemand and Petitdidier. Chemistry : Prix Jecker, M. 

 Maquenne and M. Cazeneuve. Geology : Prix Cuvier, M. 

 Joseph Leidy. Botany : Prix Desmazieres, M. V. Fayod ; 

 Prix Montagne, M. Gaston Bonnier. Agriculture: Prix 

 Vaillant, not awarded. Anatomy and Zoology : Prix Savigny, 

 not awarded ; Prix Thore, Dr. Carlet ; Prix da Gama Machado, 

 not awarded. Medicine and Surgery : Prix Montyon, Dr. Hardy, 

 Dr. Albert Henocque, and MM. FoUin and Duplay ; Prix 

 Breant, Dr. Hauser ; Prix Barbier, MM. I.eroy, Raphael Dubois, 

 and Dr. Ehrmann ; Prix Godard, Dr. Maurice Hache ; Prix 

 Lallemand, MM. Fran^ois-Franck and Paul Blocq. Physiology .- 

 Prix Montyon, Dr. Augustus D. Waller (London) and M. Leon 

 Fredericq. G^-ci^fl/ziy.- Prix Gay, M. Siniart. General Pi-izes : 

 Prix Montyon (Unhealthy Industries), Dr. Paquelin and M. 

 Fumat ; Prix Tremont, M. Fenon ; Prix Gegner, M. Valson ; 

 Prix Delalande-Guerineau, Pere Roblet ; Prix Jerome Ponti, M. 

 Koenigs ; Prix Laplace, M. Paul- Louis Weiss. — The pro- 

 gramme of prizes proposed for the year 1889 comprises the 

 following: — Geometry: Prix Francoeur (1000 fr.), discoveries 

 or works useful to the progress of pure or applied 

 mathematical sciences ; Prix Poncelet (2CX)0 fr.), same 

 subject. Mechanics : Extraordinary Prize of 6000 francs for 

 any invention tending to increase the efficacy of the 

 French naval forces ; Prix Montyon (700 fr.), invention or 

 improvement of instruments useful to the progress of agri- 

 culture, the mechanical arts or sciences ; Prix Plumey (2500 

 fr. ), any invention or improvement tending most to the progress 

 of steam navigation ; Prix Fourneyron (500 fr.), theoretical and 

 practical essay on the progress of aerial navigation since 1880. 

 Astronomy : Prix Lalande (540 fr.), any essay or observation 

 most useiul to the progress of astronomy ; Prix Valz (460 fr.), 

 the most interesting astronomical observation during the year ; 

 Prix Janssen (gold medal), any discovery or work tending to the 

 progress of physical astronomy. Physics : Prix L. La Gaze 

 (three of 10,000 fr. each), the best work on physics, chemistry, 

 and Physiology. Statistics: Prix Montyon (500 fr.), the best 

 work on the statistics of France. Chemistry : Prix Jecker 

 (10,000 fr.), any work tending most to the progress of organic 

 chemistry. Geology: Prix Delesse (1400 fr. ), best work on 

 geology or mineralogy. /i'(7/a«j ; Prix Barbier (2000 fr.), most 

 useful discovery in medicine, surgery, pharmacy, or botany ; 

 Prix Desmazieres (1600 fr. ), the most useful work on all or any 

 section of Cryptogamy ; Prix Montagne (looo and 500 fr.), 

 useful works on the anatomy, physiology, development, or de- 

 scription of the lower Cryptogamous plants ; Prix de la Fons 

 Melicocq (900 fr.), best work on the botany of North P'rance. 

 Agiiculture : Prix Vaillant (4000 fr.), best work on the diseases 

 of cereals in general. Anatomy and Zoology : Grand Prix des 

 Sciences Physiques (3000 fr.), the complete study of the 

 embryology and development of any animal ; Prix Bordin (3000 

 fr.), a comparative study of the auditory apparatus in mammals 

 and birds; Prix Savigny (975 fr.), in aid of young zoologists 

 studying the invertebrates of Egypt and Syria. Medicine and 

 Surgery : Prix Montyon (one or more prizes not otherwise 

 specified), for the best work on the healing art ; Prix Breant 

 (100,000 fr.), for a specific against cholera ; Prix Godard (1000 

 fr.), anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the genito-urinary 

 organs; Prix Lallemand (1800 fr.), researches on the nervous 

 system in the widest sense of the term ; Prix Ballion (1400 fr.), 

 any work most useful to the health and improvement of the 

 human race ; Prix Mege (10,000 fr.), to continue and complete 

 the essay of Dr. Mege on the causes that have retarded or ad- 

 vanced the progress of medicine. PhysiAogy : Prix Montyon 

 (750 fr.), for the promotion of experimental physiology; Prix 

 Pourat (1800 fr.), e.xperimental researches on muscular con- I 



traction ; Prix Martin-Damourette (1400 fr.), therapeutic 

 physiology. Physical Geography : Prix Gay (2500 fr.), com- 

 parative study of the floras and faunas and relations existing 

 between the Polynesian Islands and surrounding lands. General 

 Prizes : Prix Montyon, one or more prizes for the be-t means of 

 rendering unhealthy industries less dangerous ; Prix Tremont 

 (1100 fr.), for any work tending in any way to promote the 

 interests of France; Prix Gegner (4000 fr.), to promote the 

 positive sciences ; Prix Petit d'Ormoy (10,000 fr.), researches 

 in pure and applied mathematical sciences and the natural 

 sciences ; Prix Laplace (a complete collection of the works of 

 Laplace), the first student leaving the Ecole Poly technique. 



Astronomical Society, November 7.— M. Moussette in the 

 chair. — Colonel Laussedat read a paper on national time, in 

 which he urged the adoption of Paris time throughout France. — 

 M. Gunziger observed Barnard's comet on November 4. It was 

 about the size of the nebula in Andromeda, with scarcely any 

 tail, but a bright nucleus of about the sixth magnitude. — Rev. 

 S. J. Perry, of Stonyhurst College, was elected an honorary 

 member. — The Royal Astronomical Society and the Liverpool 

 Astronomical Society were elected Corresponding Societies. 



December 5.— M. Flammarion, President, in the chair.— The 

 President announced that important gifts had been offered for 

 the Society's proposed Observatory : M. Bardou offered a 4-inch 

 equatorial, M. Secretan a transit instrument, M. Liitz spectro- 

 scopic and photographic apparatus, M. Levy a set of binocular 

 glasses. Thanks were voted to the above donors. — M. Flam- 

 marion read a paper on the changes observed in Mars, specially 

 referring to Dawes's forked bay and Lake Moeris. — M. Gerigny 

 read a paper on the aberration of light, showing the influence of 

 the sun's motion upon that phenomenon by Yvon Villarceau"s 

 method. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Boilers : their Construction and Strength : T. W. Traill (Griffin).— Our 

 Fishery Rights in the North Atlantic: J. I. Doran (Philadelphia).— 

 Methods of Analysis of Commercial Fertilizers, Cattle Foods. &c. (Wash 

 ington).— The Probable Cause of the Displacement of Beach Lines : A. 

 Blytt (Chri.stiania).— Bulletin of the New York State Museum of Natural 

 History, Nos. 4, 5, 6 (Albany). 



CONTENTS. Page 



Scientific Worthies, XXV.— James Joseoh Syl- 

 vester. By Prof. A. Cayley, F.R.S. {With Steel- 

 Plate Engraving. ) . . . . • 217 



The Cremation of the Dead 219 



Assaying • 221 



The Orchids of the Cape Peninsula. By R. A. 



Rolfe 222 



Our Book Shelf:— 



" Carl von Linne's ungdomsskrifter " 222 



Douglas: " First Principles of Physiography " . . . 223 

 Letters to the Editor: — 



" Engineers" versus " Professors and College Men." 



—Prof. P. G. Tait 223 



The Sun-spot Cycle.— Rev. S. J. Perry, F.R.S. . . 223 



" Renaissance of British Mineralogy."— A Teacher . 273 



Ventilating Bees.— Eva M. A. Bewsher 224 



Sonorous Sand at Botany Bay.— A. Sidney Olliff . 224 



How Rain is Formed. By H. F. Blanford, F.R.S. . 224 



The Soaring of Birds. By 'William Froude .... 230 



Notes 230 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Detection of New Nebulae by Photography 232 



Comets Faye and Barnard, October 30 232 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week i83g 



January 6-12 233 



Notes on Meteorites. VII. (Illustrated.) By J. 



Norman Lockyer, F.R.S 233 



Preliminary Note on Keeling Atoll, known also as 



the Cocos Islands. By Dr. H. B. Guppy .... 236 



Societies and Academies 238 



B :>oks, Pamphlets, and Serials Received ..... 240 



