626 



NATURE 



[October 27, 1S98 



numerous cases causes lifelong deafness, obstructs nasal respir- 

 ation, and greatly retards the mental development of the 

 patients, who are generally young. He succeeded in removing 

 these growths by operation. Shortly [before his death his dis- 

 covery was universally recognised as being of the utmost 

 importance. The monument has been erected by international 

 subscriptions, committees having been formed in almost every 

 civilised country, and not only members of the medical pro- 

 fession but also grateful patients contributing. The memorial is 

 a bronze bust of more than life-size, resting upon a granite base. 

 In front stands a figure of Hygeia, beneath which is inscribed 

 the name " Hans Wilhelm Meyer." On the other side may be 

 read the' names of all the countries which have contributed to 

 the memorial. The monument is the work of the Danish artists 

 Bissen and Runeberg. 



The death is announced of Dr. Eugenio Bettoni, director of 

 the Fisheries Station at Brescia, at the age of fifty-three years. 



Sir John Murray, F.R.S., has resigned the post of 

 scientific member of the Fishery Board for Scotland, to which 

 he was appointed by the Crown in January 1896. 



The opening meeting of the new session of the Institution of 

 Electrical Engineers will be held on Thursday, November 10, 

 when a paper will be read by Prof. Silvanus P. Thompson on 

 "Rotatory Transformers." The annual dinner will take place 

 in the Grand Hall of the Hotel Cecil on Wednesday, December 7. 



A DISPATCH describing a series of attempts to climb Mount 

 Sorata, or Illampu, in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes of 

 Bolivia, has been sent to the Daily Chronicle by Sir Martin 

 Conway. The highest point attained was well over 23,000 feet, 

 and probably as much as 24,000 feet, but the summit was not 

 reached. 



We learn from Science that the U.S. Fish Commissioner has 

 presented to Cornell University a collection of fresh-water and 

 salt- water fishes, numbering between four and five hundred 

 thousand specimens. The collection, in so far as it consists of 

 living fishes, will be of great value not only to the zoological 

 department, but also to the College of Forestry, in which a course 

 in pisciculture and venery is to be introduced. It is understood 

 that duplicates of this collection are to be presented to other 

 institutions. 



The existence of a number of species of silk-spinning worms 

 in the Sewaliks and Plimalayas, and the extensive use of silk 

 as a material for dress, make the question of sericulture in India 

 a matter of great interest. The Pioneer Mail of October 7 

 prints an account of three different sets of experiments in pro- 

 gress during the current year in the North-Western Provinces 

 to establish silkworm rearing — one in the plains, another in the 

 Dun Valley, and the third on the Himalayas. All were carried 

 out under different conditions of temperature, and all achieved 

 a degree of success that is encouraging. 



The AthencEuin announces that Don Francisco Coello de 

 Portugal, who occupied in Spain the foremost rank as a geo- 

 grapher, has just died at Madrid at an advanced age. He had 

 originally embraced the military career, and after having quitted 

 the army in 1865 with the rank of colonel, he devoted himself 

 chiefly to the science of geography, and published an excellent 

 " Atlas of Spain and its Colonies," which will now, of course, 

 be out of date. He was president of the Geographical Society 

 of Madrid, and frequently represented Spain as delegate at 

 scientific congresses. 



\ A correspondent sends us a letter he has received from Bally- 

 arthur, in the Vale of Ovoca, County Wicklow, with reference 

 NO. 15 I 3, VOL. 58] 



to a curious object observed in the sky on Wednesday evening, 

 October 19, about six o'clock. The object was visible in the 

 south-west, and looked like a three-quarter moon. It was 

 moving gradually from south-east to north-west, and appeared 

 to the observer to go down behind the Croghan Kinsella 

 mountain. It was of a golden colour, and was seen for four 

 or five minutes. The suggestion is made that the object was a 

 meteor, but it may have been merely an escaped balloon. 

 Perhaps it was seen by other observers in Wicklow or 

 Wexford, who could give further particulars concerning it. 



We learn from the British Medical Jotirnal that it has been 

 determined to appoint a special commission, to consist of five 

 members, to conduct investigations regarding plague in India. 

 The specific duty of the commission will be to inquire into the 

 origin of the various outbreaks of plague, and the manner in 

 which the disease is spread. An official statement also is 

 required as to the efficacy of the serum treatment and the pre- 

 vention of plague by means of inoculation. So far as the nomin- 

 ations to serve on this commission have been made public 

 two Indian civilians, Messrs. J. R. Sewwett and A. Cumine, 

 have already been appointed ; but it is understood that three 

 other members will be nominated by the Secretary of State for 

 India, to proceed from this country, of whom one will act as 

 chairman, while two will be experts. 



Particulars concerning the expedition which will leave 

 England in the course of the next few days for the purpose of 

 visiting the almost unexplored island of Sokotra, situated about 

 150 miles east-north-east of Cape Guardafui, are given in 

 Tuesday's Times. The party will consist of Mr. W. R. Ogilvie 

 Grant, of the department of zoology in the British Museum ; Dr. 

 H. O. Forbes, the director of the Liverpool Museums ; and Mr. 

 Cutmore, taxidermist attached to the latter institution. The 

 Royal Society, the Royal Geographical Society, and the British 

 Association have provided part of the funds for the undertaking. 

 The expedition will sail for Aden, proceeding thence to Sokotra 

 by the Indian Marine guardship Elphinslone, which, in com- 

 pliance with a request made by the authorities of the British 

 Museum, has been kindly placed at the disposal of Mr. Grant 

 and Dr. Forbes for the purpose of conveying them to the island 

 and back to Aden on the termination of their stay. The main 

 object of the expedition is to investigate thoroughly the fauna of 

 the place and make large and complete collections in eveiy 

 branch of zoology. 



The space to be devoted to the various sections of the Paris 

 Exposition of 1900 has been arranged by the Commissioner- 

 General as follows : — 



Sq. ft. 



Agricultural and food products 20,000 



Army and navy ... ... ... ... ... 3,300 



Chemical industries 5, 160 



Education, instruments, practical sciences, and 



arts 11,470 



Fine arts ... ... ... ... (not yet known) 



Forestry, hunting and fisheries ... ... ... 3,300 



Heating apparatus 4,500 



Horticulture (not yet known) 



Machinery and electricity 50,000 



Manufactures ... ... ... ... ... 25,000 



Mines and mining 7)70O 



Textiles 13,000 



Transportation and civil engineering ... ... 20,000 



Total 



[63,430 



It is of great importance that those who are engaged in 

 archaeological research should be properly trained ; therefore the 

 British School at Athens by supplying the needful training is 

 doing very valuable work. This was the text of the remarks 

 made by the Bishop of London at the annual meeting of the 



