196 



NATURE 



[April 14, 1910 



was greatly appreciated. The continuous develop- 

 (ment of the work of that department, not only in the 

 United Kingdom, but also in the colonies, was largely 

 ■due to his clear judgment and full appreciation of 

 the value to artisans and others of the technical instruc- 

 tion which was thus encouraged. 



It is, however, in connection with efforts for the 

 improvement of girls' education generally that Sir 

 William's name will be best remembered. To the 

 work of the Girls' Public Day School Trust, over 

 which he presided, and which owed its success largely 

 to his efforts, Sir William devoted himself without 

 suflicient thought of the strain upon his health and 

 energies. All who have had the privilege of acting 

 with him recognise the extent to which his courtesy 

 of manner and wise counsel enabled them to overcome 

 difficulties arising frequently from conflicting in- 

 terests. Of his services to the cause of charity organi- 

 sation and social reform this is not the place to speak, 

 "but there can be no doubt that all those who are 

 now occupied in the promotion and improvement of 

 sound education in this country are the poorer for 

 "his loss. 



We announce, with deep regret, the death of Sir Robert 

 •Giffen, K.C.B., F.R.S., on April 12, at seventy-three 

 years of age. 



Prof. J. H. Poynting, F.R.S., has been elected a 

 member of the Athenaeum Club under the provisions of 

 the rule which empowers the annual election by the com- 

 mittee of nine persons " of distinguished eminence in 

 science, literature^ the arts, or for public services." 



The council of the Linnean Society at its last meeting 

 'decided to award the Linnean gold medal to Prof. Georg 

 Ossian Sars, professor of zoology in the University of 

 Christiania, in recognition of his eminent services to zoo- 

 logical science. Prof. Sars has been a foreign member of 

 the Linnean Society since 1899. 



Mr. C. Bird, headmaster of the Rochester Mathematical 

 School, and the author of text-books on geography and 

 geology, died on April 11 at sixty-seven years of age. 

 He was three times president of the Rochester Naturalists' 

 Club, and was a Kellow of the Geological Society. 



A JOINT meeting of the American Society of Mechanical 

 Engineers with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers 

 will be held this summer in Birmingham and London. 

 The meeting will open at Birmingham with a reception by 

 the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and the members of the 

 local committee on Tuesday, July 26. Following the 

 :meetings at Birmingham on July 26-28, the members of 

 the American Society of Mechanical Engineers will be 

 entertained in London, A conversazione will be held at 

 the institution on the evening of July 28, and the follow- 

 ing day will be devoted to the reading and discussion of 

 papers in the morning and a dinner in the evening. 



Columbia University, New York, is about to lose, by 

 his resignation, the services of Dr. Charles F. Chandler, 

 who has held a chair of chemistry in that institution since 

 1864. The completion of his academic career will be 

 signalised by a banquet to which he will be entertained 

 in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on April 30 by a number of 

 the leading American chemists. On that occasion Dr. 

 Chandler will be presented with a bronze bust of himself, 

 and there will be created, as a permanent memorial, a 

 Chandler testimonial fund in aid of the library of the 

 Chemists' Club. 



NO. 211 1, VOL. 83] 



A number of changes in the organisation of the mir 

 inspectorate and mines inspection districts have just be 

 approved by the Home Secretary, who has followed t 

 recommendations of the Royal Commission on Mines, 

 connection with these changes, the following appointmer 

 have been made :— Dr. W. N. Atkinson, division 

 inspector for the new South Wales district ; Mr. W. 1 

 Pickering, divisional inspector for the new Yorkshire ai 

 North Midland district ; Mr. H. Johnstone, division 

 inspector for the new Midland and southern district ; ai 

 Mr. W. Walker, divisional inspector for the new Scotlai 

 district. 



A general discussion on the constitution of water w 

 be held on Tuesday, April 26, at the Faraday Societ 

 Prof. James Walker, F.R.S., will preside. The discussi( 

 will be opened by Prof. Walden, of Riga, followed 1 

 the reading of short papers by Prof. P. Guye, Mr. W. 1 

 Bousfield, K.C., and Dr. T. M. Lowry, and of commur 

 cations sent by Prof. Nernst and Mr. W. Sutherland, 

 the University of Melbourne. In connection with the di 

 cussion, and particularly in honour of Prof. Walden, 

 dinner of the society will be held on the following evenin 

 Wednesday, April 27, at the' Trocadero Restaurar 

 London, W. The president of the society, Mr. Jam 

 Swinburne, F.R.S., will preside. 



The progress of the recent eruption of Etna is shov 

 in the following summary of Reuter telegrams fro 

 Catania : — A^ril 7. — The eruption of Mount Etna co 

 tinues. The stream of lava from Cisterna Regina 

 advancing slowly, while the stream from Monte Nocil 

 has considerably increased. It is now 300 metres in widtl 

 April 8. — One lava stream is increasing in speed, and h; 

 entered the Fusara district, travelling at about nine yar< 

 an hour. April 11.— Several of the Etna craters contini 

 in active eruption. The flow of lava from the Fusa 

 crater has ceased, but the streams from Monte Sona ai 

 in the Bottari plain are still advancing. 



In connection with the aviation week to be held 

 Verona in the first fortnight of May, it is proposed : 

 organise a first International Congress on Aerial Loc 

 motion. On the scientific side the movement has receivl 

 the support of Profs. Angelo Battelli (Pisa), Giovanj 

 Celoria (Brera Observatory), Giuseppe Colombo (Milaii 

 Count Almerigo di Schio, Dr. Enrico Forlanini, Pn 

 Luigi Palazzo, Prof. Righi (Bologna), Prof. Vito Volter 

 (Rome). Hitherto there have been few opportunities 

 interchange of ideas between those interested in 

 theoretical and practical aspects of aerial navigation, a 

 the proposed congress should afford a valuable opportun: 

 for effecting a closer rapprochement between workers w 

 are studying the problem from widely different points 

 view. 



The Sheffield meeting of the British Association v 

 open on the evening of Wednesday, August 31, wt 

 Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R.S., will assume the presider 

 in succession to Sir J. J. Thomson, F.R.S., and « 

 deliver an address. On Friday, September 2, the % 

 evening discourse will be delivered by Prof. W. StirB) 

 on "Types of Animal Movement." On Monday, S 

 tember 5, the second evening discourse will be delive 

 by Mr. D. G. Hogarth, on " New Discoveries about 

 Hittites." The concluding meeting will be held 

 Wednesday, September 7. A reception will be given at 

 Town Hall by the Lord Mayor (the Earl Fitzwillia 

 D.S.O.) on Thursday, September i, and a reception 1 

 be given at the University on Tuesday, September 6. 



