258 



NATURE 



[July i6, 1891 



The Government has appointed the Council of the Society of 

 Arts as a Royal Commission to direct the formation of the 

 British Section at the Chicago Exhibition. If we may judge 

 from the preparations which are being made in America, the 

 Exhibition is likely to be one of great splendour. One of its 

 attractions will be a collection of objects relating to ethnology 

 and archaeology. This is being organized by Prof. Putnam. 



A Committee, as we recently stated, has been appointed for 

 the reorganization of the Natural History Museum in Paris. By 

 some who interest themselves in the question it is proposed that 

 the Museum should be made the only institution in Paris for 

 the study of natural history. According to this scheme, all 

 natural history chairs in the Sorbonne and elsewhere would be 

 suppressed, while all chairs in the Museum which do not belong 

 to natural history proper would also disappear. The professors 

 would have to examine all candidates in natural science. 



A Committee appointed by the Photographic Society of 

 Great Britain has presented a report on the proposal that the 

 photographic societies of the United Kingdom should unite 

 more closely for the better promotion of their common interests. 

 The Committee advises that it should be open to photographic 

 societies to affiliate themselves to the Photographic Society of 

 Great Britain ; and suggestions are made as to the way in which 

 affiliation should be effected. 



The fifth session of the Edinburgh Vacation Courses will 

 begin on August 3. M. Espinas, Professor of Philosophy and 

 Dean of the Faculty of Letters in the University of Bordeaux, 

 has been charged by his Government to report upon the educa- 

 tional scheme and methods of these courses, and also desires to 

 inquire into Scottish higher education generally. Dr. H. de 

 Varigny, who will deliver a series of lectures on general biology, 

 is also to report to the French Government on the University 

 Extension movement. The expected presence of these and other 

 foreigners has suggested the idea that it might be well to hold, 

 at Edinburgh, a small informal Congress, or rather a short series 

 of meetings, for the discussion of curricula, higher educational 

 methods, and other questions of immediate interest. Particulars 

 on this subject will shortly be announced. 



The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland hold their 

 general meeting in the Town Hall, Killarney, on August il. 

 Excursions are planned for every day, except Sunday, from 

 August II to 20. 



The Royal Archaeological Institute will hold its annual meet- 

 ing at Edinburgh from August il to 18. Sir Herbert Maxwell 

 will preside. 



The German Anthropological Society will hold its twenty- 

 second annual meeting at Danzig, from August 3 to 5. 



Her Majesty's Commissioners for the Exhibition of 185 1, 

 assisted by a committee of gentlemen experienced in scientific 

 education, have made the following appointments to Science 

 Scholarships for the year 1891. The scholars have been bond- 

 fide students of science for at least three years, and were nomin- 

 ated for the Scholarships by the authorities of their respective 

 Universities or Colleges. The Scholarships are of the value of 

 ^150 a year, and are tenable for two years (subject to a satis- 

 factory report at the end of the first year) in any University at 

 home or abroad, or in some other institution to be approved of 

 by the Commissioners. The scholars are to devote themselves 

 exclusively to study and research in some branch of science the 

 extension of which is important to the industries of the country. 

 A Scholarship was offered to the University of Sydney, but the 

 Council found themselves unable to nominate a suitable can- 

 didate. Nominating institution — University of Edinburgh, 

 scholar — ^John Shields, institution to which scholar pro- 

 poses to attach himself — University of Edinburgh and 

 NO. 11^3, VOL. 44] 



a Continental University, probably Leipzig ; University 

 of Glasgow, James H. Gray (a). University of Glas- 

 gow; University of St. Andrews, William Frew, Univer- 

 sity of Munich ; Mason Science College, Birmingham, John 

 Joseph Sudborough, University of Heidelberg ; University 

 College, Bristol, Frederick Benjamin Fawcett {a), University 

 College, Bristol ; Durham College of Science, Newcastle-on- 

 Tyne, William M'Connell, jun. {a), Durham College of Science ; 

 Yorkshire College, Leeds, Harry Ingle, a German University, 

 probably Wurzburg ; University College, Liverpool, Robert 

 Holt {a), University College, Liverpool ; Owens College, Man- 

 chester, Thomas Ewan, Owens College, first year ; University 

 College, Nottingham, Edwin H. Barton {b). South Ken- 

 sington ; Firth College, Sheffield, Annie J. Hoyles (a), 

 Firth College, Sheffield ; University College of South Wales 

 and Monmouthshire, Franke Herbert Parker, first year same 

 College, second year a German University ; Queen's Col- 

 lege, Belfast, Benjamin Moore, University of Leipzig ; Royal 

 College of Science for Ireland, Frederick William Dunn, first 

 year University of Glasgow, second year Berlin ; M'Gill Uni- 

 versity, Montreal, Percy Norton Evans, University of Berlin, 

 and probably other German Universities ; University of Mel- 

 bourne, William Huey Steele {a), University of Melbourne. 

 {a) These scholars have been recommended to spend part of the 

 term of scholarship at some other institution, {b) This appoint- 

 ment is conditional on the candidate passing examination for 

 B.Sc. London. 



Those who require power for electric lighting may be 

 interested to know that Messrs. Priestman Brothers have a good 

 account to give of the success of their oil-engine. Many orders 

 have been received for engines varying in size from i to 25 actual 

 h.p. for electric lighting, and Messrs. Priestman, in order to 

 meet the growing demand, have largely extended their works. 



According to a telegram sent through Renter's Agency from 

 San Francisco, July 11, an enormous cavern in Josephine County, 

 Oregon, at a point twelve miles north of California and forty 

 from the coast, has been discovered. It has two openings, and 

 contains many passages of great beauty. There are numbers of 

 semi-transparent stalactites, several giant milk-white pillars, and 

 a number of pools and streams of clear, cool water. A week 

 was spent in exploring the cavern, and innumerable passages 

 and chambers were discovered. On penetrating one of these 

 passages for a distance of several miles, the exploring party 

 came across a lake of clear water and a waterfall thirty feet 

 high. All kinds of grotesque figures were found in the various 

 chambers ; but the only signs of animal life were dis covered a 

 short distance from the entrance, where a few bones were found, 

 indicating that bears had carried their prey there. The cavern 

 appears to be fully as large as the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. 



Dr. D. Prain, Curator of the Calcutta Herbarium, has pub- 

 lished in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, and 

 separately, a memoir on new Indian Labiatce. Nearly fifty 

 species, belonging to upwards of twenty genera, are added to 

 those described in the " Flora of British India." They are 

 mostly from frontier extensions of the Empire, some from the 

 east, some from the west ; and nearly half of the species are 

 new to science. Specially interesting among these is Prain's 

 new genus Mia-otcena, founded upon the Plectranthus Patchouli, 

 Clarke — a plant cultivated in Assam ; and a second species, 

 collected by Griffith, probably in Assam. The first has since 

 been found wild in Muneypore, Burma, Tonkin, and South- 

 Eastern China. Two very distinct species of the same genus 

 have also been recently discovered by Dr. A. Henry, in Central 

 China. 



The new "Flora of France," which is being prepared by 

 Prof. G. Bonnier, with the assistance of a number of botanists, 



