November 30, 1899] 



NATURE 



IM 



chemistry ; how at the present time only two of the largest 

 Universities and one Hochschule have independent professors 

 of the subject. He urges the cultivation of inorganic chemistry 

 not only in the interests of technology, but from the conviction 

 that the study, especially in relation to electro-chemistry, will 

 give a deeper knowledge of the nature of chemical combination^ 

 and so strengthen the foundations of the whole science. He 

 would not in the least deprecate the study of organic chemistry, 

 but maintains that at present inorganic chemistry is in the 

 position of a Cinderella. 



A NUMEROUS and influential deputation waited upon the 

 Town Council of Edinburgh last week to urge the Corporation 

 to give their influence towards the promotion of the movement 

 for the establishment of a zoological garden in Edinburgh. Prof. 

 Cossar Ewart described the advantages of zoological gardens, 

 and pointed to what was being done to establish and carry on 

 such institutions in the British Isles and elsewhere. Such an 

 establishment in Edinburgh would be very valuable for the ad- 

 vancement of biological science, besides being a constant source 

 of recreation and instruction to the public. Prof. Ewart re- 

 marked that though the climate of Edinburgh might not equal 

 that of Dublin, it is better than that of Amsterdam, where there 

 is a flourishing if not a very large zoological garden. The ex- 

 penditure in Dublin is 3000/., while the income, including a 

 Government grant, is just over 3000/. When it is borne in 

 mind that some 10,000/. or 12,000/. was raised in four days in 

 connection with the recent show of the Highland Society in 

 Edinburgh, the raising of 3000/. annually should not prove in- 

 superable. Among other advantages, a zoological garden would 

 prove a very valuable addition to the educational institutions of 

 Edinburgh. The chairman of the School Board of the city, who 

 was a member of the deputation, supported Prof. Ewart in this 

 view, and pointed out that a zoological garden would be parti- 

 cularly valuable in connection with object lessons in natural 

 history. In replying to the deputation, the Lord «Provost said 

 that the Corporation could not embark at the present time upon 

 any large capital expenditure, but asked the deputation to con- 

 sider what the Corporation should do in support of the 

 movement. 



In connection with the subject of the foregoing note, the 

 account of the New York Zoological Park given in Forest and 

 Stream is of interest. This establishment was opened on Novem- 

 ber 8, at South Bronx Park, New York, and is the largest zoologi- 

 cal garden in the world. The well-known Zoo of London has 

 an area of 30 J acres ; that at Amsterdam of only 25 ; that of the 

 Societe d'Acclimitation at Paris of 50 acres ; that at Berlin of 

 60. In the United States the Philadelphia Zoo occupies 33 

 acres, the Cincinnati Zoo 36, while the National Zoological 

 Park at Washington, maintained by the U.S. Government, and 

 with an area of 168 acres, has until now been the largest zoo- 

 logical garden in the world. The New York Zoological Park, 

 however, is more than one-half larger, covering 261 acres. The 

 new park belongs to the New York Zoological Society, which 

 was incorporated by a special act of the Legislature with pur- 

 poses to establish and maintain a zoological garden in the city 

 of New York, to encourage the study of roology, and to furnish 

 instruction and recreation to the people. As a condition of the 

 grant of South Bronx Park and the maintenance of the collec- 

 tions and the park by the city, the Zoological Society was 

 required to raise 250,000 dollars, of which amount 100,000 

 dollars was to be in hand before the society entered into occu- 

 pation of the park. This fund was to be expended in the 

 erection of the necessary buildings and inclosures, and in the 

 purchase of collections, as well as for the general purposes of 

 the society, but as stated, the city was to prepare the ground of 

 the park, to maintain it in good order and to bear the expense 

 NO. 1570, VOL. 61] 



of caring for the collections. The 100,000 dollars were raised 

 by the New York Zoological Society, and in July, 1898, ground 

 was broken. Recently the last touches were put on the more 

 important buildings that have been erected. The animals began 

 to arrive a few weeks ago, and the number already received is 

 very large, although, of course, as yet only a beginning has been 

 made. 



The Berlin correspondent of the British Medical Journal 

 states that on the occasion of Prof. Rudolph Virchow's jubilee — 

 the fiftieth anniversary of his tenure of office as professor ordin- 

 arius— the Senate of the University, with its rector, Prof. Fuchs, 

 at their head, assembled to greet their revered and honoured 

 colleague, and to present an illuminated and illustrated address, 

 the text of which had been written by Prof VValdeyer. In it 

 Virchow's wonderful many-sidedness, and his achievements as 

 investigator, archaeologist, and politician were recounted in 

 glowing terms. Prof. Virchow, who was surrounded by his 

 family and many personal friends, in his reply gave expression 

 to his thanks for the support which he had always met with on 

 the part of the university, and said it was true that his chief 

 feeling had ever been that of " the professor." In cases of con- 

 flicting interests he had always chosen the course of "professor." 

 In the evening the Berlin Medical Society did homage to its 

 president (Prof. Virchow) by a graceful little spontaneous cere- 

 mony. The presidential chair was wreathed and decorated 

 with flowers and garlands, and the vice-president, Prof. v. 

 Bergmann, greeted Prof. Virchow with a speech full of hearty 

 good feeling, respect and admiration. 



In a letter to the Times, Captain G. Neville, R.N., describes 

 what was apparently the fall of a meteorite, witnessed by him 

 on November 19 from H M.S. Dido, off the Greek coast. 

 He remarks that during a thunderstorm which had lasted all 

 the' day " we passed between the islands of Zante and Cepha- 

 lonia and were about to anchor under the shelter of Cape 

 Clarenza for the night, when there was a sudden flash, a splash 

 in the water about ico yards from the ship, a report as of a 

 12 pounder gun being fired, and a little cloud of blue smoke 

 over the spot where the splash had been. It looked exactly as 

 if a shell had struck and exploded, except that there were no 

 fragments flying about." The description suggests that a large 

 meteorite fell in the water, and it would be worth while to 

 attempt to find some of its parts by dredging, and to bring them 

 to the surface. 



The following announcements are made in Science : — Dr. 

 Samuel W. Stratton, associate professor of physics in the Uni- 

 versity of Chicago, has been appointed director of the Bureau of 

 Weights and Measures, United States Coast and Geodetic Sur- 

 vey.— The Rumford Committee of the American Academy of 

 Arts and Sciences has made a grant of five hundred dollars to 

 Prof. E. B. Frost of the Yerkes Observatory, to assist in the 

 construction of a spectrograph especially designed for the 

 measurement of stellar velocities in the line of sight. 



The Pioneer Mail states that the Commission appointed to 

 consider the advisability or otherwise of forming an Agricultural 

 Department for Ceylon has reported favourably upon the forma- 

 tion of an agricultural department. It is recommended that the 

 department should be combined with the irrigation department. 

 Further, the Commission has recommended the appointment 

 of four experts to be attached to the department— an entomo- 

 logist, a cryptogamist, a chemist and a veterinary surgeon. The 

 connection of the Botanical Gardens with the proposed depart- 

 ment is not very clear ; but it is understood that it will also 

 come under the department, as will the Agricultural School. 



Referring to the subject of standard time. Prof. Cleveland 

 Abbe remarks in the U.S. Monthly Weather Revi«w:—"^Om 



