August 4, 1898] 



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far as it can be met by Clovernment action. Amongst the duties 

 of this new oflSce would be: (i) To collect and focus existing 

 information upon any subjects of commercial interest, whether de- 

 rived from official or from unofficial sources, and whether relating 

 to British Colonies or dependencies or to foreign countries. (2) 

 To reply to inquiries which can be answered by a short note or 

 by word of mouth, or by reference to published commercial data 

 and statistics. (3) To direct inquirers who want special 

 information to the proper quarter — e.g. to the Commercial 

 Department of the Foreign Office, the office of a particular 

 Colony, Chamber of Commerce, the Imperial Institute, and so 

 forth. The proposed office would also bring together all the 

 information contained in the diplomatic and Consular reports 

 bearing upon particular industries and the state of the market 

 for particular classes of goods. By these means it is believed 

 that a wider knowledge of the conditions of the industries and 

 markets abroad would be secured than exists at present. 



The Engineer x^^oxi.?. that on July 27 a series of experiments 

 in aerial research were conducted in the grounds of Shaw House, 

 near Newbury. The experiments were carried out under the 

 direction of the Rev, J. M. Bacon, Dr. R. Lachlan, Mr. J. N. 

 Maskelyne, and others, with the advice and assistance of Lord 

 Kelvin, Lord Rayleigh, and other men of science. The balloon 

 was in charge of Mr. Percival Spencer and his brother, and was 

 filled with 40,000 cubic feet of gas. The main object of the ex- 

 periments was to discover in what measure the intensity of 

 sound is influenced by altitude, by the presence of clouds, &c. 

 The weather proved favourable for the observations, and the 

 ascent was successfully made at twenty minutes past five o'clock, 

 the balloon drifting steadily in a north- westerly direction. As 

 soon as the balloon had had a fair start the series of experiments 

 commenced. The first experiment in acoustics was with the 

 voice, followed by five tests with musical instruments, these 

 being succeeded by the discharge of rifles and blasts of the siren 

 from an engine. Then came a rifle volley, followed by a roll of 

 musketry, succeeded in turn by discharges of cotton-powder, 

 four ounces being used in each charge. After this came three 

 further discharges of cotton-powder, with eight ounces in each 

 charge. When the balloon had travelled a considerable dis- 

 tance there were two explosions of cotton-powder with double 

 charges, the final experiment being a comparison between a 

 discharge of four ounces of gunpowder and four ounces of cotton- 

 powder. The aeronauts had with them a receiving instrument, 

 and by noting the altitude and the souncis which reached them, 

 took the angular distance. The balloon descended at ten 

 minutes to seven o'clock at North Denford. All the experi- 

 ments proved highly successful. 



The attention of the Belfast Corporation Public Health Com- 

 mittee has been recently called to the fact that many cases of 

 typhoid fever had been traced to the eating of shellfish gathered 

 on the banks of Belfast Lough, which are saturated with 

 sewage matter, and it was decided to call public attention to 

 the circumstance in order that people may be apprised of the 

 danger of eating shellfish taken from such an unsavoury locality. 



The Treasurer of Guy's Hospital has received an anonymous 

 <lonation of 6000 dollars from a gentleman who listened to the 

 speech delivered by Mr. Balfour on the recent occasion of the 

 distribution of prizes in the medical school, with the request that 

 the Governors would use the sum for the purpose of endowment 

 of medical research. This generous response to Mr, Balfour's 

 appeal is most praiseworthy, and the example set by the donor 

 will, we hope, be emulated by many other men of means acting 

 with the same public spirit. 



As has already been announced in these columns, the seven- 

 tieth meeting of the Society of German Naturalists and 

 NO. I 50 1, VOL, 58] 



Physicians, which is to be held at Diisseldorf in September, will 

 be preceded by an exhibition of "historical-ethnographical 

 medicine," to be opened immediately. The Alhenantrn states 

 that the exhibits will include an exact reproduction of the 

 oldest Egyptian medical papyrus— the Veterinar-papyrus of 

 Kahun, twelfth dynasty — showing the veterinary operations of 

 four thousand years ago. Some of the " finds " of the Imperial 

 German Archreological Institute in Athens will be on view, 

 which demonstrate that the original "god of the physicians " 

 in Athens was Amynos, who was afterwards displaced from that 

 honour, and Asklepios adopted in his stead. Dr. Sudhoff has 

 organised a special department as a " Paracelsus Exhibition." 



In connection with the meeting of the British Medical As- 

 sociation, the University of Edinburgh has conferred the 

 honorary degree of LL.D, on the following medical men: — 

 Dr. Henry Bowditch, professor of physiology. Harvard Uni- 

 versity ; Sir William Broadbent, Bart., F.R.S. ; Dr. Lauder 

 Brunton, F.R.S. ; Dr. E. Doyen. Paris; Dr. David Ferrier, 

 F.R.S., professor of neurology, King's College, London; Dr. 

 Joseph Forster, professor of hygiene, University of Strassburg ; 

 M. le Comte de Franqueville, Member of the Institute of 

 France ; Dr. Karl Gerhardt, professor of clinical medicine, 

 University of Berlin; Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson, F.R.S. ; Dr. 

 Theodor Kocher, professor of surgery. University of Berne ; 

 Dr. August Martin, professor of gynecology, University of 

 Berlin ; Dr. Johann Mikulicz, professor of surgery. University 

 of Breslau ; Dr. Ottavio Morisani, professor of midwifery, 

 University of Naples ; Dr. William Osier, professor of medicine, 

 University of Baltimore ; Dr. William Playfair, professor of 

 obstetric medicine, King's College, London ; Dr. Roddick, 

 professor of surgery. University of Montreal, President of 

 British Medical Association, 1897 ; Dr. Siegmund Rosentein, 

 professor of clinical medicine. University of Leyden ; Dr. Her- 

 mann Snellen, professor of ophthalmology, University of 

 Utrecht; and Sir Richard Thome Thorne, K.C.B., F.R.S., 

 chief medical officer. Local Government Board, London, 



Under the auspices of the Essex Field Club, a meeting of the 

 scientific (Natural History) societies of Norfolk, Suffolk and 

 Essex was recently held at Witham, to take steps for the 

 establishment of an annual conference or congress of these 

 societies, Mr. David Howard occupied the chair, and the 

 discussion was opened by Mr. W. Cole, who read a short paper 

 advocating such an annual assembly, and pointing out how 

 much work might be done conjointly which would be 

 difficult for any one society to accomplish alone. He also 

 advocated, as a possible result of such conferences, the publica- 

 tion of one really good natural history journal for the whole 

 of the "East Anglian" societies. Prof. Meldola, Mr. J. 

 Southwell (Norfolk), Mr. H. Miller (Suff"olk), Mr. W. Whitaker, 

 Dr. Vincent (Suffolk), Prof. Boulger (Essex), Mr. J. C. 

 Shenstone (Essex), and the Chairman, strongly supported the 

 proposal. A resolution was unanimously passed that, in the 

 opinion of the meeting, the establishment of an annual con- 

 gress of the East Anglian societies was much to be desired, and 

 that steps be taken to form a Committee to promote such a 

 congress next year. The large meeting subsequently visited, 

 under the leadership of Prof. Boulger and the Rev. A. Shears, 

 Black Notley, Ray's birth-place and burial-place, and his home at 

 " Dewlands " for twenty years preceding his death. The party 

 was afterwards entertained by the Mayor of Colchester at his 

 beautiful seat at Stisted. 



The report of Dr. T. Oliver, of Newcastle, on a visit of 

 inspection made by him to three French match manufactories, 

 has just been issued as a Parliamentary paper. The report 

 gives particulars as to the works themselves, the number of 

 workpeople employed, the kinds of matches made, an account 



