i6 



NATURE 



[November 19, 1914 



Cryptogam ic botany. He also published a fungus 

 flora of Australia and many papers of scientific 

 importance, besides innumerable minor articles. 

 His industry is further attested by the presence in 

 the Kew collections of about 25,000 of his draw- 

 ings of fungi. During later years, especially, he 

 wrote popular books, and also turned his atten- 

 tion to other fields of cryptogamic botany. 



After his retirement in 1892 Cooke retained his 

 interest in fungi, and until 1904 attended the 

 annual fungus foray of the Essex Field Club. 

 Recently his eyesight failed, though his mind 

 remained keen and active. He was honorary 

 M.A. of Yale, and LL.D., and in 1903 he had the 

 honour of being awarded the gold medal of the 

 Linnean Society. A. D. C. 



NOTES. 



The King has been pleased to approve of the follow- 

 ing awards this jear by the president and council of 

 the Royal Society : — A Royal medal to Prof. E. W. 

 Brown, F.R.S., for his investigations in astronomy, 

 chiefly in lunar theory; a Royal medal to Prof. W. J. 

 Sollas, F.R.S., for his researches in palaeontology, 

 especially in the development of new methods. The 

 following awards have also been made by the president 

 and council : — The Copley medal to Sir Joseph Thom- 

 son, O.M., F.R.S., for his discoveries in physical 

 science ; the Rumford medal to the Rt. Hon. the Lord 

 Rayleigh, O.M., F.R.S., for his numerous researches 

 in optics; the Davy medal to Prof. W. J. Pope, 

 F.R.S., for his researches on stereochemistry and on 

 the relations between crystalline form and chemical 

 constitution ; the Darwin medal to Prof. E. B. Poul- 

 ton, F.R.S., for his researches in heredity; the 

 Hughes medal to Prof. J. S. Townsend, F.R.S., for 

 his researches on electric behaviour of gases. 



National regret at the death of Lord Roberts on 

 Saturday last, as the result of a chill caught while on 

 a visit to France to see the Indian troops, is shared 

 by men of science. Throughout his career Lord 

 Roberts stood for scientific organisation and individual 

 efficiency ; and to the last day of his life he was con- 

 cerned with undertaking useful services for his 

 country. In the field his success was the fruit of care- 

 ful forethought, boldness, and vigour ; when an ad- 

 ministrator he laid stress on the encouragement of 

 intelligence and initiative among soldiers of all ranks ; 

 and after his retirement from active service he devoted 

 the remainder of his days to advocating the encourage- 

 ment of rifle shooting as a national pursuit, and the 

 establishment of a system of obligatory physical train- 

 ing. He saw the needs of his country and did his 

 best to educate public opinion in favour of a remedy 

 for them. In Lord Roberts the attributes of duty and 

 self-sacrifice were represented at their highest, and 

 the whole Empire mourns that he has now passed into 

 silence. 



The council of the Physical Societv of London has 

 decided not to hold the annual exhibition of physical 

 apparatus this year. 



The eight3-ninth Christmas course of juvenile lec- 

 tures, founded at the Royal Institution in 1826 by 

 NO. 2351, VOL. 94] 



Michael Faraday, will be delivered this year by Prof. 

 C. V. Boys, his title being "Science in the Home." 



We regret to learn of the death, at sixty-five years 

 of age, of Dr. J. Borgmann, professor of physics in 

 the University of Petrograd, and author of various 

 works on electricity and magnetism. 



We regret to announce that Prof. August Weis- 

 mann, professor of zoology in the University of Frei- 

 burg-im-Breisgau since 1867, foreign member of the 

 Royal Society, and of world-wide distinction as a 

 biologist, died on November 5 at eighty years of age. 



At the annual meeting of the London Mathematical 

 Society, held on November 12, the De Morgan medal 

 was presented to Sir Joseph Larmor in recognition 

 of his researches in mathematics and mathematical 

 physics. 



•V FAIRLY strong earthquake was felt over Jamaica 

 on October 15 (see Nature, vol. xciv., p. 207). A 

 month later, on November 15, two other shocks were 

 felt, the first at 12.50 a.m., of considerable force, and 

 lasting seven or eight seconds ; the second, a slighter 

 shock, between 8 and 9 a.m. No serious damage was 

 caused by either shock. 



Mr. W. S. Adams, Mount Wilson Solar Observa- 

 tory, California ; Prof. H. Andoyer, professor of 

 physical astronomy in the Sorbonne, Paris ; and Dr. F. 

 Schlesinger, director of the Allegheny Observatory, 

 and professor of astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, 

 U.S.A., have been elected associates of the Royal 

 Astronomical Society. 



It is announced in the London Gazette that the 

 King has appointed Mr. T. H. Warren, president of 

 Magdalen College, Oxford, to be Knight Commander 

 of the Royal Victorian Order, and Mr, C. G. Robert- 

 son, fellow of All .Souls' College, and senior tutor in 

 modern history at Magdalen College, Oxford, to be 

 Commander. 



For several years Prof. W. B. Bottomley, King's 

 College, London, has been working on the bacterial 

 treatment of peat; and some results of the investiga- 

 tion have been described in papers presented to the 

 Royal Society and the British Association. The Board 

 of Agriculture has now made a grant of 150Z. to the 

 botanical department of King's College in aid of re- 

 search on the subject of the probable accessory food- 

 substances in humus and " bacterised " peat, a condition 

 of the grant being "that reasonable facilities will be 

 accorded to any accredited scientific worker who may 

 desire to undertake investigations in connection with 

 ' bacterised ' peat." 



At the anniversary meeting of the Mineralogical 

 Society, held on November 10, the following officers 

 and members of council were elected : — President : Dr. 

 A. E. H. Tutton. Vice-Presidents ; Prof. H. L. Bow- 

 man and Dr. A. Hutchinson. Treasurer : Sir William 

 P. Beale, Bart. General Secretary : Or. G. T. Prior. 

 Foreign Secretary : Prof. W. W. Watts. Editor of the 

 Journal : Mr. L. J. Spencer. Ordinary Members of 

 Council : Mr. F. H. Buder, Mr. J. P. De Castro, 

 Mr. B. Kitto, Prof. A. Liversidge, Dr. J. J, Harris 



