NATURE 



[May 7, 1903 



^OTES. 

 The annual conversazione of the Royal Society will be 

 held on Friday, May 15. 



The following fifteen candidates have been selected by 

 the council of the Royal Society to be recommended for 

 election into the Society : — Dr. W. M. Bayliss, Prof. T. W. 

 Bridge, Dr. S. Monckton Copeman, Mr. Horace Darwin, 

 Mr. W. P. Hiern, Mr. H. R. A. Mallock, Prof. D. Orme 

 Masson, Mr. Arthur G. Parkin, Prof. E. Rutherford, Prof. 

 R. A. Sampson, Mr. J. E. Stead, Mr. A. Strahan, Prof. J. 

 Symington, Prof. J. S. Townsend, and Mr. A. N. 

 Whitehead. 



At the annual general meeting of the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers, held on April 29, Sir William H. White, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S., was elected president for the sessional year 1903- 

 1904. 



Dr. P. Chalmers Mitchell has been elected secretary of 

 the Zoological Society in the place of Mr. W. L. Sclater, 

 who held the ofiice as acting secretary since the retire- 

 ment of his father. Dr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., last year. 



Further particulars of the work and position of the 

 National Antarctic Expedition have been brought by the 

 New Zealand mail, and are published in Wednesday's 

 Times. The chief scientific work accomplished by the ex- 

 pedition is summarised as follows : — (i) The discovery of 

 extensive land at the east extremity of the great ice barrier. 

 (2) The discovery that MacMurdo Bay is not a " bay," but 

 a strait, and that Mounts Erebus and Terror form part 

 of a comparatively small island. (3) The discovery of good 

 winter quarters in a high latitude — viz. 77° 50' S., 166° 42' 

 E. — with land close by suitable for the erection of the mag- 

 netic observatories, &c. The lowest temperature experienced 

 was 92° of frost Fahrenheit. (4) An immense amount of 

 scientific work over twelve months in winter quarters, 

 principally physical and biological. (5) Numerous and ex- 

 tensive sledge journeys in the spring and summer, covering 

 a good many thousand miles, of which the principal is 

 Captain Scott's journey, upon which a latitude of 82° 17' 

 south was attained, and an immense tract of new land dis- 

 covered and charted as far as 83° 30' south, with peaks and 

 ranges of mountains as high as 14,000 feet. (6) The great 

 continental inland ice reached westwards at a considerable 

 distance from the coast and at an altitude of 9000 feet. (7) 

 A considerable amount of magnetic work at sea, also sound- 

 ings, deep-sea dredging, &c. Commander Scott's narrative 

 of the expedition and statement of scientific observations, 

 telegraphed from Lyttelton, and given in our issue of April 2 

 (P- 516), is thus confirmed. It was not clear at the time 

 of the cable message why the Discovery could not get out 

 of the ice, though the relief vessel, the Morning, had done 

 so and returned to New Zealand. It is now known, how- 

 ever, that the Morning only got within about eight miles of 

 the Discovery, and the stores had to be transferred by 

 means of sledges. As the Discovery has not returned to 

 Lyttelton, there is little doubt that the expedition has been 

 forced to spend a third winter in the Antarctic. Much 

 additional expense will thus be incurred, and it is estimated 

 that from 12,000/. to 20,oooZ. more will be needed to meet it. 



The death is announced of Mr. C. Bartlett, late super- 

 intendent of the Zoological Society. 



A Universal Exposition of Sciences, Arts, and Industries 

 is to be held at Li^ge in the year 1905. 



The death is announced of M. de Bussy, member of the 

 Institute of France, and well known as a naval engineer. 

 NO. 1749, VOL. 68] 



An earthquake shock, lasting five seconds, was felt in 

 villaeres between Worksworth and Derby on Sunday, May 3, 

 at 9.20 p.m. 



According to a Central News message from San Fran- 

 cisco, dated May i, a report from San Juan states that the 

 Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala is in a state of active 

 eruption. 



The Louis Pillet prize of the Chemical Society of Paris 

 has been awarded to M. E. Theulier, director of the technical 

 staff and head of the research laboratory of Messrs. Lautier 

 fils, of Grasse. 



An international exhibition of agriculture and horti- 

 culture, which the Cercle grand-ducal d 'Agriculture et 

 d 'Horticulture du Grand-Duch^ de Luxemburg is organising 

 at Luxemburg on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of 

 its foundation, will be held from August 29 to September 7. 



It is announced in Science that the Donohoe comet-medals 

 of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific have been 

 awarded to M. Michel Giacobini, of Nice, for his discoveries 

 of unexpected comets on December 2, 1902, and January 15, 

 1903. 



The proposed electric railway to the summit of Mont 

 Blanc is to be commenced shortly. The municipal authori- 

 ties of Saint Gervais-les-Bains have accepted the scheme, 

 and have accorded the concession to the French engineers, 

 MM. Deruad and Duportal. 



A noteworthy point in connection with the illuminations 

 of Paris, organised by the reception committee in honour 

 of the King's visit, was the electric incandescent lamps of 

 different colours in the chief streets and avenues and on 

 many large buildings. The effect was very brilliant, and 

 the large crowd of sightseers admired it exceedingly. 



The council of the Society of Arts is prepared to award, 

 under the terms of the Benjamin Shaw Trust, a prize of a 

 gold medal, or twenty pounds, for the best dust-arresting 

 respirator for use in dusty processes and in dangerous 

 trades. Inventors intending to compete should send in 

 specimens of their inventions not later than December 31 

 to the secretary of the Society of Arts, John Street, Adelphi, 

 London, W.C. 



Invitation cards in the name of the president of the 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers are being issued to 

 members of the Institution for a concert to be given at the 

 Royal Albert Hall on the evening of Thursday, June 11, 

 on the occasion of the International Telegraph Conference. 

 The annual conversazione of the Institution will be held 

 at the Natural History Museum on the evening of Tuesday, 

 June 23. This date has been selected as one on which it 

 will be possible for the members of the International Tele- 

 graph Conference to be present. 



On Tuesday next, May 12, Prof. G. H. Darwin delivers 

 the first of two lectures at the Royal Institution on " The 

 Astronomical Influence of the Tides," and on Thursday, 

 May 14, Prof. S. H. Vines begins a course of two lectures 

 on " Proteid-Digestion in Plants." The Friday evening 

 discourse on May 15 will be delivered by Dr. D. H. Scott 

 on the " Origin of Seed Bearing Plants." 



The new Johnston Laboratory at University College, 

 Liverpool, is to be opened by Mr. Walter Long, M.P., Presi- 

 dent of the Local Government Board, on Saturday, May 9. 

 Many distinguished men of science have expressed their 

 intention to be present at the ceremony. On Monday, May 

 II, a conference on tropical sanitation will be held in the 

 college. 



