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NATURE 



[March 22, 1900 



was more simple than the Gregorian, and that there was 

 no object in keeping the date of the month and day of 

 any year corresponding exactly to the season in years 

 several centuries apart ; and no doubt Julius Caesar was 

 aware that the tropical year (as we call that on which 

 the seasons depend) was several minutes short of three 

 hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter in length. No 

 doubt also the omission of several days on the greatest 

 part of the continent in the sixteenth century, and in Eng- 

 land in the middle of the eighteenth century, owing to 

 the supposed necessity of making the seasonal dates 

 correspond to what they were at the epoch of the Council 

 of Niciea, must have caused much confusion. But all 

 that has long been a thing of the past ; and it would 

 seem best now to have, if possible, a general usage keep- 

 ing the year in accordance with its true length. 



W. T. Lynn. 



THE MELBOURNE MEETING OF THE 

 A US TRALASIAN ASSOCIA TION. 



THE eighth annual meeting of the Australasian 

 Association for the Advancement of Science 

 was opened in Melbourne on January 9, in the Uni- 

 versity buildings, which were placed at the disposal 

 of the Association. At the inaugural meeting, the 

 President of the last session. Prof. Livefsidge, F.R.S., 

 vacated the chair in favour of the President-elect, Mr. 

 R. L. J. Ellery, C.M.G., F.R.S., the late Government 

 Astronomer of Victoria, who delivered an address on 

 "The beginnings and growth of astronomy in Australia," 

 in which he sketched the progress of astronomical science 

 from the days of Captain Cook up to the foundation of 

 well-equipped observatories in Melbourne, Sydney, Ade- 

 laide, and, more recently, in Perth, concluding with a 

 reference to the co-operation, at the present time, of the 

 three first observatories in the international survey of 

 the heavens by means of photography, for the purpose 

 of forming a chart of all stars down to the fourteenth 

 magnitude. 



The following Presidential addresses were delivered in 

 the various sections : Astronomy, Mathematics and 

 Physics, by Mr. G. H. Knibbs, on " The development of 

 the atomic theory of matter " ; Chemistry, by Mr. F. B. 

 Guthrie, on " Some landmarks in the progress of 

 chemical science " ; Geology, by Prof. R. Tate, on " An 

 attempt at a refutation of the doctrine of homotaxy " ; 

 Biology, by Mr. J. J. Fletcher, on " The rise and early 

 progress of our knowledge of the Australian fauna " ; 

 Geography, by Mr. W. H. Tietkins, on " A review of 

 geographical research during the past two years " ; 

 Ethnology, by Mr. F. J. Gillen, on " Magic amongst the 

 Central Australian natives"; Economic Science, by Prof. 

 Jethro Brown, on " Loyalty, liberty, brotherhood : a study 

 in the political ideal"; Agriculture, by Prof. Lowrie, 

 " That in our practice of agriculture the determining 

 influence of climatic conditions is not sufficiently recog- 

 nised" ; Engineering, by Mr. H. Deane, on '*The George 

 Street tramway, Sydney"; Sanitary Science, by Dr. 

 Jamieson, on "The advance of sanitary science"; 

 Mental Science, by Dr. Cleland, on "The anatomy of 

 mind as bearinof upon education." In the various 

 sections 160 papers were read. Public lectures were 

 delivered by Prof. Morris, on " Early men of science in 

 Australia "' ; by Dr. George Brown, on " An anthro- 

 pologist in the South Seas" ; and by Mr. H. W. Jenvey 

 (to working men), on " The Marconi system of wireless 

 telegraphy." 



Reports were received upon the magnetic survey of 

 New Zealand, and also from the seismological com- 

 mittee, the photographic geological survey committee, 

 and the glacial committee. Amongst others, com- 

 mittees were formed to investigate and report upon the 



NO. ! 5J<6. VOL. 6r J 



following subjects : the best method of utilising diamond 

 drill bores for the determination of underground tem- 

 peratures ; the drawing up of a catalogue of recent 

 Australian and Tasmanian marine shells ; the collecting 

 and cataloguing of geological photographs of interest in 

 Australia and Tasmania ; the need of separate State 

 education for defective children. It was determined to 

 urge the various Colonial Governments to adopt a uniform 

 system of spelling native names of places in accordance 

 with that adopted by the Admiralty and the Royal 

 Geographical Society, and to approach the Governments 

 of the several colonies with the object of trying to 

 induce them to provide for the appointment of a properly 

 qualified philological expert to make researches into the 

 Australian and Papuan languages. 



It was decided to hold the next session in Hobart, in 

 January 1902, Captain Hutton being nominated as 

 President. Prof. Liversidge was reappointed Permanent 

 Secretary, and Mr. H. C. Russell, Treasurer. The 

 arrangements for the meeting was made by Prof. 

 Baldwin Spencer, the organising secretary for Victoria. 



An instructive " Handbook of Melbourne," edited by 

 Prof. Baldwin Spencer, was published for the use of 

 members of the Association. Mr. A. Sutherland con- 

 tributes the opening chapter, on the history of Victoria, 

 and he concludes it with the following remarks, which 

 show that there has always been enthusiasm for scientific 

 work in the colony. "When the colony was but a couple 

 of years old, a mechanics' institute was formed with its 

 courses of scientific lectures and its little museum. A 

 botanic garden was laid out when Melbourne was 

 three years old, and when the goldfields had brought 

 to its shores crowds of energetic and intelligent 

 men, the fervour for knowledge increased. A National 

 Museum, a University, a great Public Library, on a plan 

 to cost eventually a million of money, and to form a vast 

 national repository of all that science, literature and art 

 could provide, were the notable features of that period ; 

 but amongst them must also be reckoned the Royal 

 Society, the result of the amalgamation of two rival 

 efforts in the cause of science. The Society has com- 

 pleted some forty years of existence, with a volume of 

 papers for nearly every year." 



The geology, biology in its various branches, ethnology, 

 climate, commerce and manufactures of the colony form 

 the subject of different chapters in the volume, and much 

 valuable information is given in a concise form. 



THE BI-CENTENARY OF THE BERLIN 

 ACADEMY. 



LAST week we referred to the history of the Berlin 

 Academy during the present century. The cele- 

 bration of the bi-centenary was commenced on Monday. 

 From the telegraphic account which appears in the 

 Times, we gather that the Emperor opened the cele- 

 bration by receiving in state the members of the 

 Academy as well as the foreign deputations which have 

 come to Berlin. The reception took place in the White 

 Hall of the Royal Castle in the presence of the German 

 Crown Prince, many princes of the Prussian and other 

 German Royal Houses, the foreign Ambassadors, the 

 Imperial Chancellor, and the Ministers and Secretaries 

 of State. His Majesty, who wore the white uniform of 

 the Gardes du Corps, with the eagle-crested helmet, sat 

 on the throne surrounded by the insignia of Empire, 

 the crown, sceptre, sword, orb and seal, which had been 

 brought in on cushions of gold and silver cloth by the 

 Minister of War and other generals. On a table near 

 the throne were a pile of books, globes, and scientific 

 instruments " picturesquely arranged " and surmounted 

 by an eagle carrying a twig of laurel. Before the pro- 



