March 26, 1896] 



NATURE 



491 



gas in them. The insignificant action of steam in Kilauea 

 is declared by the author to be the most remarkable 

 fact about it ; for he says tjiat it works " practically with- 

 out steam, but with colossal quantities of highly fluid 

 lava." Hence explosive action is very exceptional, though 

 such an eruption did once occur in that year of violent 

 upheavals 1789. It is owing to Kilauea having been 

 built by the slow, quiet, piling up of lavas without ex- 

 plosions, that its crater is so very different from that of 

 the Italian volcanoes. Instead of a narrow, deep, gullet, 

 it is a broad, open, cauldron-shaped depression. The 

 accompanying view illustrates the nature of the crater ; 

 it is from a photograph taken from the north-western 

 corner, and looks due southward. In the foreground are 

 some blocks of lava, on the margin of the plateau in 

 which the crater lies ; beyond this is the flat floor of the 

 primary or major crater, at the foot of a vertical lava 

 wall, 140 metres in height. The greatest diameter of the 

 major crater is 47 kilometres; but the width to the 

 opposite wall, seen in the figure as a long, low line in the 

 far distance, is at this point only a little over 3 kilometres. 

 In the centre of the view is seen the famous lava lake, 

 250 metres in diameter; this occurs in a raised tertiary 

 crater in the centre of the depressed secondary crater. 

 This latter extends across the view from side to side, but 

 it is small in comparison with the primary crater ; its 

 average diameter is only 700 metres, so that its area is 

 only about half a square kilometre, whereas the major 

 crater occupies io-6 square kilometres. The depth of the 

 secondary crater is about 20 metres. 



Dr. Friedlaender remarks that in addition to the sub- 

 jective difficulty in the description of a volcano, there is, 

 also with Kilauea, the objective difficulty of the rapid 

 changes that take place there. These render necessary 

 frequent periodical re-descriptions. One such change is 

 now in progress, for after a pause of fifteen months the 

 mountain is again in active eruption. 



NOTES. 



The British Section of the International Memorial to Pasteur 

 has now assumed definite shape, and the Provisional Committee, 

 which already includes the names of the Dukes of Devonshire 

 and Westminster, and many distinguished men of science from 

 all parts of the United Kingdom, held its first meeting last 

 Friday, at the rooms of the Royal Society, Burlington House, 

 under the presidency of Sir Joseph Lister. It was unanimously 

 decided to apply for subscriptions towards the erection of a 

 monument to Pasteur in Paris, from persons in the United 

 Kingdom, India and the Colonies, interested in science and the 

 various industries which have been benefited by Pasteur's 

 lalwurs. An Executive Committee was formed, consisting of Sir 

 Joseph Lister, Sir John Evans, Sir Henry Roscoe, Dr. Thorne 

 Thome, and Prof. Percy Frankland (Hon. Secretary). Sub- 

 scriptions may be sent to Sir John Evans, who will act as Hon. 

 Treasurer, at the Royal Society, Burlington House, W. 



At the stated meeting of the Royal Irish Academy, held on 

 -March 16, the Earl of Rosse, K.P., F.R.S., was elected 

 President, in succession to Dr. J. Kells Ingram, whose term 

 of office had expired. The President nominated as Vice- 

 1 'residents— The Rev. Dr. Haughton, F. R.S., the Most Rev. 

 Bishop Donnelly, D.D., Dr. J. Kells Ingram, and Dr. Ben. 

 Williamson, F.R.S. The following were elected Honorary 

 Members in the Department of Science— Sir Joseph Lister, 

 Bart., P.R.S., Sir W. H. Flower, K.C.B., Rev. T, G. Bonney, 

 F.R.S., and Prof. Wm. Ramsay, F.R.S. 



In the Japanese Imperial Budget for the current year, we 



observe that a sum of 21,639 dols. has been set aside for earth- 



juake investigation. This is a grant over and above the usual 



xpenditure of the Central Observator}- controlling the seismic 



>urvey of the country. 



NO. 1378, VOL. 53] 



The monument to Lobachevsky will be unveiled this autumn 

 at Kazan. It consists of a bronze bust of the late geometer, one 

 metre high, placed on a column of black pwlished granite, about 

 50 centimetres in diameter and i '4 metres high, standing upon 

 two steps of grey unpolished granite. The total height of the 

 monument is 3-6 metres, and its cost about 3,300 roubles (^^330). 

 We learn from the British Medical Journal that Prof. 

 Behring has given the half of the Alberto Levi prize of the 

 Paris Academy of Sciences, recently awarded to him (amount- 

 ing to ;i^iooo) to the Prussian Government Fund for the 

 Furtherance of Research on Serum Treatment. The moneys 

 received by the official control stations, where the diphtheria 

 antitoxin is tested before it is allowed to be sold, will also be 

 paid into this fund. 



The National Academy of Sciences, acting on the request of 

 the Secretary of the Interior of the United States, has reported a 

 Commission to investigate the forestry problem, consisting of 

 Charles S. Sargeant, Alexander Agassiz, Henry L. Abbot, 

 William H. Brener, Arnold Hague, and Gifford Purchot. The 

 Secretary will recommend to Congress an appropriation of 25,000 

 dols. to cover the expenses of the Commission. 



General John B. Woodward, under whose able adminis- 

 tration the Brooklyn Institute developed into the largest local 

 scientific society in the world, with a memliership of 3700, died 

 on March 7, of pneumonia, after a short illness. General Wood- 

 ward was for many years President of the Brooklyn Institute, 

 but declined re-election last spring. He held many other pro- 

 minent stations, having been a general in the army during the 

 war of the rebellion, a bank president, candidate for mayor of 

 the city, and President of the Society of Titans, none of whom 

 were less than six feet two inches high. He was sixty years old. 

 The Brooklyn Institute has completed negotiations for the 

 purchase of the collection of Lepidoptera made by the late Ber- 

 thold Neumoegen, comprising 40,000 to 45,000 specimens com- 

 prising 13,000 to 14,000 species, upwards of 1 000 being type- 

 specimens. This is the finest collection in America. As much 

 as 100 dols. was paid by Mr. Neumoegen for a single specimen 

 in several instances. The Institute will also secure the collection 

 of Jacob Doll, of over 55,000 specimens, and will employ Mr. 

 Doll as curator. Edward L. (iraef will present his collection of 

 about 20,000 specimens. The Institute already owns the 

 Calverley collection ; and the aggregate of all will give it the 

 most complete collection of Lepidoptera in the world. 



The opening of the bicycle season shows the importance of 

 that vehicle as a means of locomotion, and its potency as a 

 factor in promoting good roads. The New York and Brooklyn 

 Bridge has just been made free to bicycles, a change which 

 required an Act of the Legislature to secure it. The grant 

 for paving in New York City this year includes 1,000,000 

 dols. for asphalt pavement in a total amount of 1,250,000 dols. 

 The pneumatic tire has been applied to ambulances in Brooklyn 

 with great success. The ingenuity of inventors is taxed to 

 devise improvements in all parts and appliances of the machine ; 

 and while the New York Cycle Exhibition last January was the 

 largest exhibition of any special machinery that has been held 

 in America, the exhibition now in progress in Brooklyn adds 

 several apparently useful novelties not shown heretofore. 



The Governor of New Jersey has signed the Bill ceding the 

 palisades of the Hudson to the United States Government for a 

 national park. 



The General Electric Company and the Westinghouse Electric 

 Company have combined, and each will be allowed to use the 

 patents of the other. 



In connection with the Hungarian Millennial Exhibition, which 

 will be opened on May 2, a Congress of Mining and Geology 

 will be held at Budapest on September 25 and 26. 



