June i6, 1898] 



NATURE 



J57 



in August and continue open until the end of September. New 

 instruments and apparatus will be exhibited from September 17 

 to September 28, and prizes will be awarded for the best of 

 them. Any machine, apparatus, preparation, or object invented 

 since 1888 may be entered for this exhibition. Objects illus- 

 trating methods of instruction in physics and chemistry will be 

 exhibited from September 17 to September 25. Communications 

 referring to the exhibitions should be addressed, Ilerrn 

 Director Frauberger, Diisseldorf, Friedrichsplatz 3/5. 



The sixty-sixth annual meeting of the British Medical Asso- 

 ciation will be held at Edinburgh on July 26-29, under the 

 presidency of Sir T. Grainger Stewart. A detailed statement of 

 the arrangements which have been made for the meeting appears 

 'n the British Medical lotirnal. An address in medicine will be 

 delivered by Prof. T. R. Eraser, F.R.S. ; an address in surgery 

 will be delivered by Prof. Thomas Annandale ; and an address 

 in psychological medicine will be delivered by Sir John Batty 

 Tuke. The programme of business arranged by the officers of 

 the sixteen sections is long and varied. In addition to the 

 sections in which the business of the annual meeting is ordinarily 

 carried on, there are for the first time this year sections devoted 

 to medicine in relation to life assurance and to tropical diseases, 

 two departments which have grown into positions of great 

 practical importance during the present generation. A consider- 

 able number of distinguished members of the medical profession 

 resident in America and the Continent of Europe have accepted 

 invitations to take part in the proceedings. 



There are at Prague two distinct botanical gardens, one 

 belonging to the German, the other to the Bohemian University. 

 The former is now under the direction of Prof. R. v. Wettstein, 

 the latter under that of Prof. L. Celakovsky. 



The Rev. Arthur C. Waghorne, Bay of Islands, Newfound- 

 land, for nearly twenty-five years a missionary in Newfoundland, 

 offers for sale collections of Labrador and Newfoundland plants, 

 both flowering and flowerless, named by competent authorities. 



We learn from the Oeslerrheichische Botanische Zeitschrift 

 that M. Philippe Plantamour-Prevost has bequeathed his villa 

 " Mon repos," on the shore of the lake, to the city of Geneva, 

 for the reception of Delessert's herbarium, and for the botanic 

 garden founded by A, P. de Candolle. 



In a note in the Kew Bulletin, No. 135, for March 1898, 

 reference is made to the probable success of a process for the 

 artificial manufacture of indigo on a large scale. The Badische 

 Anilin und Soda Fabrik, Ludwigshafen, is now manufacturing 

 * ' indigo-blue " at a price which very seriously threatens the 

 prosperity of the culture of indigo in India. 



According to the Botanical Gazette, the coming meeting of 

 the American Association for the Advancement of Science at 

 Boston promises to be one of the most notable in the history of 

 the Association, It is the fiftieth anniversary, and special 

 efforts are being made to arrange a worthy celebration. The 

 local committees have been appointed, and the week selected is 

 August 22-27. The local secretary is Prof. H. W. Tyler, of the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 



Prof. John W. Harshberger, of the University of Phila- 

 delphia, pleads, in the Botanical Gazette, for the establishment 

 of a tropical botanical station in Mexico. The locality 

 especially advocated is a station called Las Canoas, on the 

 Mexican Central Railroad, 144 miles from Tampico. Las 

 Canoas is situated in a beautiful basin-shaped valley 3500 feet 

 above the sea-level. There is an abundant supply of pure 

 water, and the air is clear and bracing. The vegetation 

 is described as of great luxuriance, and the flora is remarkably 

 varied and beautiful. A temporary station could be established 

 NO. 1494, VOL. 58] 



here with very little expense, and the virgin forest would supply 

 enough botanical material for years to come. 



An important investigation in connection with mortality is 

 being carried out jointly by the Institute of Actuaries and the 

 Faculty of Actuaries, under the superintendence of Mr. T. G. 

 Ackland, who now has a staff of thirty clerks constantly at 

 work upon a large body of cards containing statistics supplied 

 by assurance companies. The whole of the data relating to the 

 experience in respect of annuitants have been dealt with, and 

 the tables are now in the press. In response to applications 

 made by the Presidents of the Institute and the Faculty, life 

 assurance offices have undertaken to contribute liberally towards 

 the cost of the investigation, which will necessarily be very 

 heavy. The contributions of the companies at present promised 

 or received amount to 10,953/., which sum, it is hoped, will 

 cover the larger portion of the expense, and thus relieve the 

 Institute and the Faculty from any anxiety as to their ability 

 to carry to a satisfactory conclusion this valuable investigation. 



From a report before us we see that last year was an eventful 

 one in the history of the New York Zoological Society, and it 

 ended in the establishment of the Society as a permanent insti- 

 tution for the promotion of zoological knowledge. All the 

 original objects have been furthered, and noteworthy results 

 have been obtained. The proposal by the Society that 261 acres 

 of land in South Bronx Park should be set apart as the site of 

 the New York Zoological Park, has been unanimously adopted 

 by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund. The general plan 

 of the Park has been completed and approved by the Park 

 Commissioners. The collections and animal buildings, to cost 

 not less than 250,000 dollars, are to be presented to the City by 

 the Society ; and the City is to prepare the ground for occupancy, 

 and to maintain the Zoological Park when established. The 

 sum of 100,000 dollars has been subscribed towards the gift from 

 the Society to the City. This was the amount which had to be 

 raised before the plans could be proceeded with, and work could 

 not be commenced until it was subscribed. Since March 15, 

 1897, the membership of the Society has increased from 118 to 

 600 ; but in order to carry out the plans on a scale worthy of 

 New York, the Society should enroll at least 3000 annual mem- 

 bers. The Society has decided to systematically foster both the 

 painting and sculpture of animals ; and, with the idea of estab- 

 lishing a school of animal painting and sculpture, provisions for 

 studios have been made in the plans of several of the buildings. 



We are glad to learn from the sixth annual report of the 

 Sonnblick Society for the year 1898 that several improvements 

 have recently been made in the arrangements of this important 

 mountain station, and that the various observations and experi- 

 ments are carried on with vigour. The meteorological observatory 

 at the summit has now been quite separated from the visitors' 

 refuge which existed in the same building, and a well-equipped 

 station has also been established at the foot of the mountain, at 

 which comparative observations will be regularly made, and will 

 render those at the summit of higher value. These elevated 

 stations are of much scientific interest in connection with the 

 frequent ascents by manned and unmanned balloons for the 

 purpose of investigating the higher regions of the air. 



We have received from Mr. N. A. F. Moos, the Director of 

 the Bombay Observatory, his report to the Secretary to the 

 Indian Government for the year ending March 31, 1898. This 

 observatory is devoted chiefly to terrestrial magnetism and 

 meteorology, astronomical observations being restricted solely 

 to time observations. All the magnetographs have been in 

 constant action throughout the past twelve months. On June 12 

 the traces clearly showed the small vibration due to the earth- 

 quake on that day; and on September 21, at loh. 40m., 



