May 8, 19 19] 



NATURE 



91 



was appointed assistant at the observatory in 1858, 

 and on the death of Karl von Littrow in 1878 he 

 succeeded to the directorship, which he held until 

 19 10. In his early years as an observer Dr. Weiss 

 took part in important geodetic work, and retained 

 an active interest in that branch of science, being a 

 prominent member of the International Geodetic 

 Organisation. In 1872 he visited England and North 

 America for the purpose of studying the methods of 

 observatories and optical works, and thereby gained 

 knowledge which was of great value to him ; for 

 though von Littrow had the satisfaction of seeing the 

 building of the new Vienna Observatory at Wiihring 

 begun as the result of his efforts, he did not live to 

 see its completion, and the planning of the equipment 

 was largely due to his successor. Dr. Weiss observed 

 the transit of Venus of 1874 from Jassy, and took 

 part in several eclipse expeditions. He made many 

 contributions to the literature of astronomy through 

 the usual channels on the subjects of comets, meteors, 

 and orbits, besides others of a popular kind. Also he 

 prepared a revised edition of Oeltzen's catalogue of 

 -Vrgelander's zones from 15° to 31° S. declination, 

 published in 1890. Dr. Weiss was elected a fellow 

 of the Vienna Academy in 1878, and an associate of 

 the Royal Astronomical Society in 1883. 



Dr. Paul Carus, the distinguished editor of the 

 yionist and the Open Court, died on February 11 at 

 his home in La Salle, Illinois, at the age of sixty- 

 seven. Dr. Carus was born and educated in Ger- 

 many, his father being the Superintendent-General of 

 the Prussian State Church. He studied first at Stras- 

 burg and afterwards at the Theological College of 

 Tubingen, where he obtained his doctorate in philo- 

 sophy in 1876. He went to Chicago in 1887 to 

 become managing editor for the Open Court Pub- 

 lishing Co., an institution founded and richly endowed 

 by his father-in-law, the late E. C. Hegeler. At the 

 outbreak of the war Dr. Carus was notorious for his 

 warni advocacy of the German view of the origin of 

 I the war. Yet he lived to rejoice in the defeat of 

 I Germany, the development of the conflict having 

 • served to enlighten him. His sons fought in the 

 American Army against Germany. Dr. Carus's own 

 writings show a wide and varied scholarship and 

 range over many topics, taking the form sometimes 

 of poetry, sometimes of philosophy. His chief interest 

 was Oriental philosophy and religion, and he pursued 

 it with the ardour of a propagandist. The Religion 

 of Science Library which he founded has made avail- 

 able at a low price a number of religious and scientific 

 books, and also many reprints of philosophical classics. 

 Particularly to be noted are his English translations 

 of Dedekind, Hilbert, Mach, and other distinguished 

 mathematicians and physicists. 



The current number of the Kew Bulletin gives par- 

 ticulars of the career of M. H. L^veill^, who died on 

 November 25 last in his fifty-sixth year. M. Leveill^ 

 was for a time professor of science at Pondicherry. 

 He was the founder and permanent secretary of the 

 Academic Internationale de Geographic Botanique, 

 and edited for it Le Monde des Plantes, since renamed 

 the Bulletin de Geographie Botanique. He was par- 

 ticularly interested in the flora of China, and pub- 

 lished, among other works, a "Catalogue des Plantes 

 du Yun-Nan." The same issue of the Bulletin also 

 records the death of Mr. C. K. Bancroft, until recently 

 .'\ssistant Director and Government Botanist, British 

 Guiana. Mr. Bancroft received his early scientific 

 education at Harrison College, Barbados, and was the 

 first to win a natural science scholarship in the West 

 Indies, being awarded the Barbados scholarship in 

 1905. After graduating at Cambridge he devoted his 

 attention to botany, especiallv mycology and plant 



NO. 2584, VOL. 103] 



pathology, and worked for a time at diseases of plants 

 in the Jodrell Laboratory. In 19 10 Mr. Bancroft was 

 appointed .Assistant Mycologist in the Federated Malay 

 States, and three years later was made Assistant 

 Director and Government Botanist, British Guiana, 

 which position he occupied until breakdown in health 

 brought about his resignation. 



The death of Sir Frank Crisp, Bart., on April 29, 

 in his seventy-seventh year, removes from public life 

 an eminent exponent of commercial law, and also a 

 real force in scientific circles. Early in his career Sir 

 Frank Crisp joined the Royal Microscopical Society, 

 and in 1878 became one of its secretaries. He speedily 

 improved the Journal of that body by enlisting the 

 help of experts and publishing abstracts of biological 

 articles, thus rendering a real service to science. He 

 was unsparing of pains or purse, and when in 1889 he 

 was compelled to end his secretarial labours he left 

 the Journal established on a firm basis. Not less note- 

 worthy was Sir Frank Crisp's influence on the conduct 

 of the Linnean Society. From 1879 to the day of his 

 death he served practically continuously on its council, 

 and from 1881 to 190^, a period of twenty-four years, 

 he was treasurer. His quick grasp of essentials, 

 strong common sense, and generous disposition were 

 of the greatest value during his long term of office, 

 and his memory, will be cherished as a large-hearted 

 and clear-sighted adviser. His alpine garden at Henley 

 is world-famous. 



The death, on April 30, of Dr. F. J. Smith, 

 honorary consulting physician to the London Hos- 

 pital, has removed from the medical profession in 

 London one of its best-known and most popular 

 members. Born at Castle Donington, Leicestershire, 

 on .\ugust 17, 1857, Dr. Smith was educated at the 

 University of Oxford, where he was a scholar of 

 Balliol, at the London Hospital, and at the Universi- 

 ties of Leipzig and Halle. He was RadclilTe fellow 

 during the years 1885-88. Dr. Smith's professional 

 work lay particularly in the direction of pathology 

 and of medical jurisprudence. In the former subject 

 he paid special attention to diseases of the heart, while 

 in the latter he attained a deservedly high reputation 

 as the editor of the last three editions of Taylor's 

 authoritative text-book. In 1904-6 he was president 

 of the Hunterian Society, and was the orator of the 

 societv in 1900. 



The death is announced, at eighty-eight years of 

 age, of Prof. E. Townsend, late professor of engineer- 

 ing and Registrar of LTniversity College, Gahvay. 



The Electrical Research Committee has appointed 

 Mr. E. B. W^edmore as director of research. 



Next Thursday, May 15, Prof. F. Keeble will 

 deliver the first of a course of two lectures at the 

 Royal Institution on intensive cultivation. The Friday 

 evening discourse on May 16 will be delivered by Dr. 

 S. F. Harmer on sub-.\ntarctic whales and whalings. 



At a recent meeting of the council of the Marine 

 Biological Association of the United Kingdom it was 

 announced that Dr. G. P. Bidder and Mr. E. T. 

 Browne had each undertaken to contribute a sum of 

 5ooi. towards a fund for the extension of the labora- 

 tory at Plymouth. The new building will be com- 

 menced at once, and the scheme, when completed, 

 will provide both a new and larger aquarium and 

 special laboratories for physiological work. 



The British Scientific Research .Association is about 

 to appoint an assistant director of research at a salary 

 of loooZ. per annum. The person appointed will be 

 mainly responsible, under the director of research. 



