164 



NATURE 



[April 7, 1910 



NOTES. 



The Oceanographical Museum at Monaco was in- 

 augurated last week by the Prince of Monaco in the 

 presence of a gathering of more than two hundred repre- 

 sentatives of Governments, of scientific institutions, and of 

 oceanographical research. Among many others present 

 were : — M. Loubet, ex-President of the French Republic ; 

 M. Pichon, French Minister of Foreign Affairs ; Admirals 

 of the Fleet von Koester from Germany and Grenet from 

 Italy ; Vice-Admiral de Jonqui^res, commanding the French 

 Mediterranean Squadron ; and distinguished representatives 

 of the Governments of Spain and Portugal. The Institute 

 of France sent a large body of members representing the 

 Academies of Sciences and of Fine Arts. The Academy of 

 the Lincei at Rome, the Academies of Sciences at Berlin, 

 Vienna, and St. Petersburg, the Royal Societies of London 

 and Edinburgh, the Geographical Societies of Paris, Berlin, 

 Vienna, and St. Petersburg, the Challenger Society, and 

 many other societies and institutions were amongst the 

 societies sending delegates. The British Government was 

 not represented officially, owing to some blunder, but Mr. 

 W. E. Archer, of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, 

 Mr. J. Y. Buchanan, F.R.S., Dr. G. H. Fowler, Prof. 

 W. A. Herdman, F.R.S., Dr. J. Scott Keltic, and Dr. 

 H. R. Mill represented British marine studies. Among the 

 leading men connected with oceanography, marine biology, 

 and kindred sciences in other countries there were Mr. 

 Bendall, of Bordeaux ; Prof. Drygalski, of Munich ; Prof. 

 Forel, of Lausanne ; Senator Grassi, of Rome ; Prof. 

 Haeckel, of Jena ; Dr. P. P. C. Hoek, of Haarlem ; Prof. 

 Hensen, of Kiel ; Prof. Hergesell, of Strassburg ; Dr. 

 Knipovitch, of St. Petersburg ; Prof. Kriimmel, of Kiel ; 

 M. de Margerie, of Paris ; Prof. Otto Nordenskjold, of 

 Gothenburg ; Prof. Penck, of Berlin ; Prof. Perrier, of 

 Paris ; Prof. Pettersson, of Stockholm ; Dr. Schmidt, of 

 Copenhagen; Dr. Schott, of Hamburg; Prof. Supan, of 

 Breslau ; Prof. Thoulet, of Nancy ; Prof. Max Weber, of 

 Amsterdam ; and Dr. Richard, director of the new museum, 

 with Profs. Berget, Joubin, and Portier, of the Oceano- 

 graphical Institute in Paris. The museum was inaugurated 

 by the Prince of Monaco at a grand function on Tuesday, 

 March 29 ; on the following day there was a banquet to 

 three hundred guests, and the evenings were occupied by 

 a special performance at the famous Opera House in 

 Monte Carlo, a display of fireworks of extraordinary 

 brilliance in the harbour, and finally by a magnificent State 

 reception in the gorgeous apartments of the ancient palace 

 of the Grimaldis. Meetings of four commissions, on the 

 Atlantic, on the Mediterranean, on the perfecting of the 

 Oceanographical Institute, and on the bathymetrical chart 

 of the world, were held under the presidency of the Prince, 

 and a summary of the proceedings will appear in another 

 issue of Nature. The Prince conferred the Order of St. 

 Charles in four classes on a number of persons, amongst 

 whom may be mentioned as receiving that of the second 

 class, or commander, Mr. J. Y. Buchanan, Senator Grassi, 

 Prof. Penck, and Dr. Richard. The princely hospitality 

 displayed on the occasions extended to the provision of free 

 hotel accommodation for all the visitors invited to the 

 jetes, while the representatives of States were entertained 

 at the Palace as personal guests of the Prince. 



Sir William Ramsay, K.C.B., F.R.S., has been 

 nominated president of the British Association for the 

 meeting to be held at Portsmouth next year. 



Sir Harry Johnston, G.C.M.G., has been elected a 

 corresponding member of the Italian Geographical Society, 

 in recognition of his work in Africa. 

 NO. 2IIO, VOL. 83] 



We regret to see the announcement of the death, at 

 eighty years of age, of Prof. E. Pfliiger, professor of 

 physiology at the University of Bonn, and director of the 

 Physiological Institute there. 



The council of the Institute of Metals has decided to 

 initiate what is hoped will be an annual series of May 

 lectures. The first of these will be given in London on 

 Tuesday, May 24, when Prof. W. Gowland, F.R.S., will 

 deliver a lecture on " The Art of Working Metals in 

 Japan." 



A report from Berlin states that Prof. Abegg, of the 

 University of Breslau; was killed as the result of a balloon 

 accident on April 3. Prof. Abegg was president of the 

 Silesian Aeronautic Society, and a prominent figure in the 

 German aeronautic world. 



We learn from the Chemist and Druggist that M. Henry 

 Giffard, who died at Paris in 1882, made the State his 

 residuary legatee. By a recent decree the Minister of 

 Public Instruction placed a sum of 4000Z., being part of 

 the legacy, at the disposal of the University of Paris for 

 the foundation of an Institute of Radio-activity. 



At to-morrow's meeting of the Royal Astronomical 

 Society, Prof. P. Lowell is expected to be present, and 

 will speak upon his work. Major-General H. P. Babbage 

 will exhibit and describe a calculating machine which he 

 has recently completed, corresponding to the portion of 

 the analytical engine which his father, the late Charles 

 Babbage, named " The Mill." 



A Reuter telegram from Berlin states that an expedi- 

 tion will leave Bremerhaven on July i on board the North 

 German-Lloyd steamer Mainz for Spitsbergen in order to 

 investigate the possibilities of an airship flight to the 

 North Pole, which is planned for the summer of 1912. 

 The party will include Prince Henry of Prussia, Count 

 Zeppelin, and Profs. Hergesell and Dr3'galski, and will 

 number altogether twenty-four members. 



The valuable collection of shells formed by the late Mr. 

 Thomas Gray, a well-known Glasgow conchologist, who 

 died recently at the advanced age of eighty-nine, has been 

 left by him to Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow. More than 

 7000 species of shells are represented in the collection, 

 including both British and foreign, land, fresh-water, and 

 marine forms. It is said to be the finest collection of its 

 kind in Scotland, and its possession places the Kelvin- 

 grove Museum vi^ell abreast of the leading museums in 

 this country. 



An Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition will be held 

 at Odessa from May 15 to October i of this year. During 

 the exhibition there will be lectures on technical and 

 scientific subjects, and arrangements are being made for 

 some congresses. The cooperation of scientific men is 

 invited by the committee of the exhibition (Odessa, 

 Novoselskaja 4, Technische Gesellschaft). 



The Civil Service Commissioners announce that, in 

 addition to the open competitive examination for situa- 

 tions as cartographer in the Hydrographic Department of 

 the Admiralty, which is to be held in July next, another 

 open competitive examination for similar situations will be 

 held in December. Forms of application for admission to 

 the December examination will be ready for issue about 

 the middle of July, and will then be obtainable on request, I 

 by letter, addressed to the Secretary of the Civil Service^ 

 Commission, London, W. 



