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NATURE 



\_Feb. 14, I « 



The monument to be placed over the grave of the late 

 General Prjevalsky on the shores of Lake Issik-kul has received 

 the final approval of the Czar, It was designed by the traveller's 

 companion and friend, M, Bilderling. The Invalide Russe 

 gives the following description of it: — "The monumertt repre- 

 sents a picturesque rock 28 feet high, on the top of which is 

 perched a large eagle, emblem of strength, intrepidity, and 

 intelligence. The eagle grasps in its talons a map of Central 

 Asia, the arena of the scientific exploits of the deceased, and in 

 its beak an olive-branch, symbol of the peaceful scientific con- 

 quests which Russia owes to Prjevalsky, On one of the sides of 

 the rock is a large bronze cross, beneath which is the inscription, 

 ' Nicholas M ikhailovitch Prjevalsky, born 29th of March, 1839, 

 died 20th of October, 1888,' In the interior of the rock is cut 

 a spiral staircase crowned with an enlarged copy of the medal 

 struck by the Academy of Sciences in 1887 in honour of 

 Prjevalsky, and showing the original inscription, 'To the first 

 explorer of Nature in Central Asia.' " 



At the last meeting of the Royal Swedish Geographical 

 Society the Vega Gold Medal— the highest honour at the dis- 

 posal of the Society — was conferred upon Dr. Nansen. There 

 are only five other recipients, viz. Nordenskiold, Palander, 

 Stanley, Prjevalsky, and Junker. 



The eighth annual meeting of the Sanitary Assurance 

 Association was held at 5 Argyll Place, W., on Monday, the 

 President, Sir Joseph Fayrer, F.R.S., in the chair. After the 

 reading of the Report, the following resolution was adopted : 

 "That Dr. R. Farquharson, M.P., be ask to introduce the 

 Sanitary Registration of Buildings Bill on the opening of Par- 

 liament, and to take the necessary steps to obtain as early a day 

 as possible for the second reading ; that Sir W. Guyer Hunter, 

 M.D., M.P., Sir Henry Roscoe, M.P., F.R.S., and Dr. 

 Cameron, M.P., be asked to again join Dr. Farquharson in in- 

 troducing the Bill ; and that as soon as the Bill is printed and in 

 the hands of the members of the House of Commons, the 

 President of the Local Government Board be asked to receive a 

 deputation in support of the Bill." 



The Sanitary Institute has made arrangements for a series 

 of lectures and demonstrations for sanitary officers, specially 

 adapted for candidates preparing for the Institute's examination 

 for Inspectors of Nuisances. The lectures will be delivered on 

 Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., beginning with a lecture on 

 the general history, principles, and methods of hygiene, to be 

 given by Dr. Benjamin Ward Richardson, F.R.S., on March 5. 



A MASTERLY paper on the scientific work of the German poet 

 Adelbert von Chamisso was read by Emil du Bois-Reymond 

 before the Berlin Academy of Sciences on June 28, 1888. This 

 paper has now been issued separately. A most interesting account 

 is given of Chamisso's voyage round the world in the Rurik — a 

 voyage which in some respects resembled that of Darwin in the 

 Beagle, fifteen years later. Among the many subjects which 

 attracted Chamisso's attention during the voyage was the construc- 

 tion of coral islands. In connection with this question, curiously 

 enough, he often receives credit for an observation with which he 

 had in reality nothing to do. ]3arwin, for instance, was under 

 the impression that it was Chamisso who had noticed that " the 

 larger kinds of coral, which form rocks measuring several fathoms 

 in thickness, prefer the most violent surf." M. du Bois-Reymond 

 •shows clearly that this observation was made, not by Chamisso, 

 but by his companion in the Rurik, Dr. Eschscholtz. 



Amongst the memoirs recently published by the Societe 

 Philomathique of Paris in celebration of the hundredth anni- 

 versary of its foundation, is one by M. A. Milne-Edwards, 

 describing a very singular new species of marsupial mammal of 

 the genus Dactylopsila from New Guinea. Dactylopsilapalpator, 

 as it is proposed that this species shall be named, is remarkable 



for the enormous length of the fourth digit of the fore-limb, which 

 surpasses in its proportions even (hat of the celebrated third 

 finger of the Aye-aye, and is more than an inch longer than the 

 two adjoining fingers. This new marsupial makes a second 

 addition to the accurate catalogue of this order of mammals 

 recently prepared by Mr. Oldfield Thomas, another important 

 species (which will probably turn out to be the type of a new 

 family) being the extraordinary fossorial form from South 

 Australia, of which the discovery was announced in our issue 

 of October 18, 1888 (see Nature, vol. xxxviii. p. 588). 



On Sunday night, about 10.40, a shock of earthquake was felt 

 in many parts of East Lancashire. At Great Harwood the 

 vibration was so distinct that the occupants of a bedroom saw the 

 wardrobe rocking and feared it would fall. "At Heapey, near 

 Chorley, where there are many geological faults," says the Times, 

 "a villa residence seemed to be struck three times, as if an 

 attempt were being made to turn it round, and afterwards it 

 oscillated to east and west five or six times, as if settling down 

 after a violent shaking. But this effect was unique, and in most 

 cases only a slight tremor was observed." At Bolton "there 

 was first a heavy shock, and then for a few seconds a tremor. 

 Doors were banged up ; light articles danced in the houses ; 

 people were lifted in their beds, and one man in thp out districts, 

 who was sitting in front of a fire, was thrown into the grate, 

 burning his hands and face. The electric bells at the fire brigade 

 station were rung, and the central telephone office was besieged 

 with inquiries. It was at first thought there had been a terrible 

 colliery explosion." At Greenhaugh, near Kirkham, the shock 

 was heralded by "a noise travelling in a westerly direction, 

 which was followed by two or three oscillations." 



An earthquake occurred at Klagenfurt, on January 27, at 

 10.49 P-ni-> and on the same day a slight shock was felt at Ala, 

 in the South Tyrol. At San Jose (Costa Rica), the National 

 Capitol, the Cathedral, the President's palace, and many houses, 

 were destroyed by the earthquake on December 29 and 30, 1888 ; 

 and at Alejuela, several people were killed, and much damage 

 was done. 



A Manila paper gives an account of an eruption of the 

 Mayon volcano, in the Philippine Islands, on December 15, 

 1888. Vast columns of ashes were seen to ascend from the 

 crater, and in a very short space of time the darkness became 

 so intense that, though it was midday, lights had to be used in 

 every house. The inhabitants of Legaspi, Camalig, Ligao, 

 Libog, and other surrounding districts, were quite panic-stricken. 

 At the time when the mail left, no loss of life had been reported. 

 The lava, in vast streams, was then pouring down the mountain. 



In the Report of the Meteorological Council for the year 

 ending March 31, j888, recently published, the Council regret 

 the loss they have sustained by the resignation of Prof. Stokes, 

 consequent upon his election to Parliament. His place has been 

 filled by the appointment of Dr. A. Buchan, who is well known 

 by his various researches in meteorology. The work of the 

 Office during the year in question is discussed under— (i) Ocean 

 Meteorology. In this branch active intercourse is kept up with 

 the Royal and Mercantile Navies, and an appendix shows that a 

 large amount of valuable observations is being collected from 

 all parts of the ocean. The investigations into the synchronous 

 weather of the North Atlantic, the barometrical pressure charts 

 for the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and Part 5 of the 

 contributions to Arctic meteorology have been completed, and 

 noticed severally in our columns. Among the discussions now 

 in hand may be mentioned those for the Red Sea, the Aden 

 cyclone of June 1885, current charts for the principal oceans, 

 and cyclone tracks in the Southern Indian Ocean for the years 

 1848-86 from materials supplied by Dr. Meldrum. It is intended 

 that the discussion of the weather for the region lying between the 



