225 



NATURE 



[July 7, 1898 



attainments of the widest possible description, and 

 scientific sympathies that are wider than possible attain- 

 ments. Not only is such a man advisable for the general 

 advancement of science— he is necessary for the par- 

 ticular post. An almost inevitable association with 

 specialisation is limitation of outlook, and as the various 

 members of the staff of the museum become more 

 ■efficient in their own departments, they require more and 

 more the assistance of a controlling and coordinating 

 -chief. Precisely as they become more distinguished in 

 their own branches of exact knowledge, it becomes more 

 necessary that an officer in whose wide powers they have 

 the fullest confidence, and for the dignity and respons- 

 ibility of whose post they have the highest respect, should 

 be at their head. 



There is no possible mode by which the election of a 

 person with these high qualifications may always be 

 secured, but at least it is certain that he should be sought 

 for m the widest field. Britain and the Colonies, the 

 whole Empire should be passed in review before choice 

 is made of one to hold this arduous, dignified and 

 supreme post. We need not doubt that the Trustees 

 will rise to the level of their responsibilities, and we are 

 glad to know that the President of the Royal Society is 

 numbered among them. 



NOTES. 



In honour of the centenary of the establishment of the 

 Physical and Agricultural Society at Konigsberg, Dr. Walter 

 Simon has given the Society the sum of four thousand marks to 

 be offered as a prize for a work on the subject of plant or animal 

 electricity, presenting either fundamentally new aspects, or 

 dealing with the physical cause of organic electricity, or its 

 importance upon life in general, or upon certain functions. 

 The competition is open to every one. The works presented 

 may be printed or written in German, French, English, or 

 Italian, and must be sent in before December 31, 1900. Works 

 which are published before the end of next September will not 

 be admitted to the competition, as the intention is to give the 

 prize for works which are comparatively recent at the time of the 

 award. Should no work of sufficient merit be presented the 

 prize may be withheld, or two prizes of five hundred marks 

 <each may be awarded. The Committee appointed to make the 

 award consists of Profs. W. Pfeffer, B. Frank, W. Kuhne, 



E. Hering, and L. Hermann, with power to add to their 

 number. Further information concerning the prize may be 

 obtained from the President, or the Secretary, of the Physikalisch- 

 okonomischen Gesellschaft, Konigsberg. 



The fourteenth annual general meeting of the Marine Bio- 

 logical Association was held on June 28 ; Prof. E. Ray 

 Lankester, F.R.S., President, being in the chair. The Report 

 of the Council dealt largely with the work done at the Plymouth 

 Laboratory during the year. Reference was made to Mr. 

 Garstang's investigations of the habits and migrations of the 

 mackerel, to Mr. Holt's researches on the reproduction and 

 development of fishes living in the neighbourhood of 

 Plymouth, and their distribution at different ages, as well as 

 to the experiments with floating bottles for determining the 

 surface drift in the English Channel, and to the systematic 

 investigation of the dredging and trawling grounds between the 

 Eddystone and Start Point. Twenty-two naturalists and eight 

 students were reported as having worked at the Laboratory 

 since the last annual meeting, in addition to the members of the 

 regular staff. The following were elected members of Council 

 for the year : — President, Prof. E. Ray Lankester ; Hon. 

 Treasurer, J. A. Travers ; Secretary, E. J. Allen. Council : 



F. E. Beddard, Prof. Jeffrey Bell, G. C. Bourne, Sir John 



NO. 1497, VOL. 58] 



Evans, G. H. Fowler, S. F. Harmer, Prof Herdman, Prof. 

 Hickson, J. J. Lister, Sir John Murray, P. L. Sclater, D. H, 

 Scott, Prof. C. Stewart, Prof. W. F. R. Weldon. 



On June 30 the Senate of the Dublin University conferred 

 the honorary degree of Sc.D. on Mr. R. H. Scott, Secretary to 

 the Meteorological Council. In a humorous Latin speech the 

 Public Orator referred to the fact that many people believed 

 the recipient to be not only the interpreter, but also the author 

 of the weather. Last year the French Government conferred 

 on Mr. Scott the Order of Officer of the Legion of Honour, in 

 recognition of valuable services rendered during many years to 

 the French Marine, by the transmission of timely notices of 

 impending bad weather. 



Mr. John Milne, writing from Shide, Isle of Wight, says : — 

 At 6h. 48m. 37s. p.m. on June 29, preliminary tremors with 

 a duration of nine minutes heralded the commencement of a 

 large earthquake. The movements extended over three hours. 

 The maximum change in inclination of the surface of the ground 

 was between nine and ten seconds of arc. From an open 

 diagram the period of the E.W. movements which were the 

 most pronounced was thirteen seconds. Assuming a velocity 

 of 2 '5 km. per sec, then the length of the earth-waves would 

 be about 32 km., and their height about 30 cm. Records were 

 obtained at Kew, Laibach, and probably at all observing 

 stations in the world. 



The annual general meeting of the Society of Chemical 

 Industry will be held in Nottingham on July 13-15. 



The latest Verhqndluttgen of the Berlin Geographical Society 

 (1898, Nos. 5 and 6) contain the addresses delivered at the 

 special meeting held at the end of May to celebrate the 

 seventieth anniversary of the foundation of the Society. The 

 medals presented at the meeting were as follows : — The Hum- 

 boldt medal to Dr. Nansen ; the Karl Ritter medal to Dr. E. 

 von Drygalski, for his work in Greenland and the monograph 

 upon it ; the gold Nachtigal medal to Dr. G. Schweinfurth, for 

 his explorations in Africa ; and the silver Nachtigal medal to 

 Captain Ramsay, for his geodetic and cartographic work in 

 German East Africa. Prof. W. M. Davis, Prof. G. K. Gilbert, 

 M. A. de Lapparent, and Prof. Mohn were elected honorary 

 members ; and the following were elected corresponding 

 members of the Society :— Dr. Sven Hedin, Lieut. Johansen, 

 W. Obrutschew, Dr. Fritz Sarasin, Dr. Paul Sarasin, Captain 

 Sverdrup, and Dr. Eduard Freiherr von Toll. 



For several years the Royal Geographical Society, latterly in 

 co-operation with the Royal Society, has been making strenuous 

 efforts to influence the Government to equip an expedition for 

 the exploration of the Antarctic, the greatest unknown area on 

 the face of the earth. It will be within the recollection of our 

 readers that at an enthusiastic meeting held at the Royal Society 

 last February, at which Dr. Nansen and Prof. Neumayer, 

 besides many distinguished British men of science, were pre- 

 sent, the great value of the results to be derived from an 

 Antarctic expedition was clearly explained. Previous to this, 

 in October last, the President of the Royal Geographical 

 Society wrote to the Prime Minister urging that an Antarctic 

 expedition should be undertaken either by Her Majesty's 

 Government or with the aid and sanction of the State. The 

 President pointed out in strong terms that it was the duty of 

 England to undertake the further exploration of the greatest 

 unknown region of the globe, and so complete the work done 

 by Ross fifty years ago. The reply received at the time was 

 sympathetic and gave reason to hope that the final reply, which 

 was to be sent at a later date, would be favourable. The final 

 reply has just been received from Lord Salisbury, and in it 



