Fkbkuaky I, 1900J 



NATURE 



121 



opportunities for doing which may offer themselves, and 

 leave it to the leader of the Expedition to decide on the 

 spot and at the time what work will be done. 



I have already pointed out that the basis of inter- 

 national co-operation has been laid in the choice of 

 routes and the consequent division of districts within 

 which the land stations are to be established. The 

 German Expedition takes the Indian Ocean and Atlantic 

 side, and the British the Pacific side of the Antarctic 

 area. An expedition from a third side would find a wide 

 and important field of activity to the south of South 

 America. As regards physico-geographical, geological, 

 biological and gravity observations, scarcely any further 

 co-operation is required than the simultaneous carrying 

 out of observations in the different areas. Should the 

 British Expedition include a second ship, it would be 

 possible to carry on biological deep-sea research round 

 the Antarctic area over a much wider circle than we can 

 attempt with one vessel. 



A clearer understanding is still required, in my opinion, 

 for co-operalion in meteorological and magnetic research, 

 to decide, in the first place, the scope and the methods 

 of research to be pursued during the voyage and during 

 the year's sojourn at the land station ; and in the second 

 place, what additional work beyond that undertaken by 

 the two expeditions it may be possible to arrange. My 

 scheme for the first of these plans is already sketched 

 out as far as regards the meteorological work ; the 

 magnetic programme requires still further consideration. 

 The understanding with the British Expedition on this 

 question is now under discussion. For both branches of 

 science the choice of routes and of districts in which the 

 stations will be placed is very appropriate, as observa- 

 tions will be made in the vicinity of the south magnetic 

 pole on two sides, and both stations lie in the probable 

 position of the .\ntarctic anti-cyclone, which appears 

 to extend furthest north on the Indian Ocean side. 

 The second point, which concerns the organisation 

 of simultaneous observations outside the Antarctic 

 area, is still unsettled. The Biitish Antarctic Expe- 

 dition has already in view the establishment of a 

 scientific station in New Zealand, while Germany is 

 planning a branch station on Kerguelen. These would 

 furnish valuable data for comparison with the results 

 obtained by the expeditions themselves. Yet, we must 

 go further, but not so far, I think, as M. Argtowski sug- 

 gested in his Paper to the British Association at Dover. 

 It is greatly to be wished that during our expeditions 

 the Observatories of Melbourne and Cape Town would 

 undertake similar observations, and it would also be a 

 good thing if a station could be placed near Cape Horn 

 or in South Georgia, as well as one in the North Polar 

 region, say at Bossekop. Thus the problems of the 

 Antarctic regions could be attacked simultaneously from 

 without and from within. 



A resolution of the St. Petersburg Meteorological 

 Congress, in .August last, in favour of such co-operation 

 was received with pleasure. The International Geo- 

 graphical Congress at Berlin went further, and unani- 

 mously approved the appointment of a committee charged 

 with (i) Laying down the scope and the means of in- 

 vestigation for the magnetic and meeorological work of 

 the expeditions ; (2) The organisation of similar series 

 of observations on the expeditions, and perhaps also 

 exerting influence for the establishment of observations 

 at other places. 



On the (ierman side, the members of this joint com- 

 mittee are Profs. Hellmann, v. Drygalski, Eschenhagen 

 and A. Schmidt ; and on the British side, Dr. R. H. Scott, 

 Dr. Buchan, Prof. Schuster and Capt. Creak. The 

 programme prepared on the (German side for the meteor- 

 ological and magnetic work has already been sent to 

 the British members of the Committee to be considered 

 by them, and afterwards discussed and definitely settled 



NO. 1579. VOF., 61] 



by the whole committee. We may expect in this, as in 

 all other points, a complete and useful co-operation 

 between the two expeditions. 



Erich von Drygal.ski. 



THE VAN 'T HOFF CELEBRATION AT 

 ROTTERDAM. 



ALLUSION has already been made in the columns 

 of Nature (No. 1575, vol. Ixi.) to the celebration 

 of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the doctorate of Prof, 

 van 't Hoff, which took place at Rotterdam on the 22nd 

 of last December. The following further particulars may 

 perhaps be of interest to English readers. 



Some eighteen months ago it was decided by a com- 

 mittee of old students that the event should be celebrated 

 in a suitable manner. To this end, in the first place, 

 invitations were sent out to all former students of van 't 

 Hoff, requesting them, if possible, to contribute a paper 

 to a volume to be presented to the savant on his jubilee 

 day. The invitation was responded to most cordially, 

 and before the end of last September some twenty-six 

 papers had been received by the committee. The original 

 intention was to publish these in book form, but, as the 

 result of a later suggestion and the kindness of Prof. 

 Ostwald, the publication took the form of a jubilee 

 volume of the Zeitschrift fUr physikalische Chemie. 



The jubilee ceremony itself was held on the date 

 above-mentioned in Rotterdam, the birthplace of van 't 



Prof. J. H. van't Hoff. 



Hoff, where by reason of family ties he is usually to be 

 found during the last days of each year. The " Bataavsche 

 (lenootschap voor Natuurwetenschappen ' had invited a 

 considerable number of Dutch and foreign men of science, 

 as well as all old students of the professor, to a special 

 meeting of the society at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. At 

 the appointed time the hall was crowded with enthusiastic 

 admirers of Holland's great physical chemist, many of 

 whom had travelled far to pay their tribute. Not a few 

 had come from (^lermany, and in addition Belgium, 

 Switzerland, Austria, Japan and England were repre- 

 sented. Amongst the number present were Profs. 

 Ostwald, Spring, Lobry de Bruyn, Roozeboom, -Abegg, 

 Goldschmidt, Hamburger, Hollemann, Lorenz, and Drs. 

 Bredig, E. Cohen, Meyerhoffer, Reicher. Presently, 

 amidst the cheers of the audience, van 't Hoff, supporting 



