•November 20, 1902] 



NATURE 



63 



record their sincere regret at the retirement of their secretary, 

 Dr. Philip Lutley Sclater, after a service of, nearly forty-three 

 years. They wish to tender him their hearty thanks for his 

 most valuable services to the Society during this long period, not 

 only in the management of the Zoological Gardens, but also 

 in the conduct of the publications of the Society and the 

 general direction of its affairs. These affairs have prospered 

 to a remarkable degree during his long term of office. The 

 income of the Society has doubled, the Society's library has 

 been entirely created, the membership has increased from 1500 

 to 3200. Dr. Sclater's own work as a zoologist is held in 

 universal repute, and it is no exaggeration to say that the very 

 high position occupied at the present day by the Zoological 

 Society in the world of science is largely due to the exertions 

 and the personal character of its retiring secretary." 



In the St. James's Gazette of November 17, " C. S." dis- 

 cusses the question as to the kind of winter we are to have, 

 basing his arguments on a statement made by Bacon three cen- 

 turies ago, that "a moist and cool summer portends a hard 

 winter," and on the fact that severe winters have certainly 

 occasionally followed wet or cool summers during the last cen- 

 tury. The years particularly instanced are 187S, 1879 and 1880, 

 which were followed by severe winters. The last severe winter 

 was that of 1894-5, following a rather bad summer. The past 

 summer bears considerable resemblance to that of 1S79. We 

 have occasionally referred to this subject, our remarks being 

 chiefly based on Dr. v. Hellmann's discussion of the long series 

 of Berlin observations. The results arrived at by Dr. Hellmann 

 in a paper laid before the Berlin Academy in March, 1SS5, do 

 not clearly support the views of "C. S.," so far as Berlin is 

 concerned. Dr. Hellmann found that after a moderately warm 

 summer a mild winter was probable, and, on the contrary, that a 

 cold winter followed a warm summer. 



Owing to illness, Mr. James Swinburne, president of the 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, was unable to be present at 

 the opening meeting of the new session of the Institution, held 

 on Thursday last. His inaugural address was therefore post- 

 poned. It was announced that Prof. Ayrton had, from ill- 

 health and pressure of other business, resigned the honorary 

 treasurership of the Institution, and that Mr. Robert Hammond 

 had consented to fill his place. The council has had under 

 consideration the continuance of the useful and pleasant visits of 

 the members of the Institution to foreign countries, and has 

 arranged the preliminaries for a visit to Italy in the spring of 

 next year. The Institution has received a cordial invitation 

 from the American Institute of Electrical Engineers to visit the 

 United States and hold a joint meeting there or in Canada. 

 The communication suggested that such a meeting might be 

 arranged for Montreal next year, or at some spot in the eastern 

 part of the United States in 1904, to include a subsequent 

 visit to the St. Louis Exhibition, where an eleclrical congress 

 will be held. The council has decided that as a meeting for 

 next year could not be arranged, owing to the projected visit to 

 Italy, the invitation for 1904 should be accepted. It was 

 suggested at the same time that the joint meeting might be 

 held in Canada, where the Institution might hope to receive 

 the cooperation of the McGill University. 



A Reuter message states that the Morning, which has been 

 sent out as a relief ship to the Discovery, has arrived a 

 Lyttelton, New Zealand. 



Prof, J, Willard Gibbs, professor of mathematical physicst 

 at Yale University, New Hiven, has been elected a corre- 

 sponding member of the Academy of Sciences at Munich. 

 NO. 1725, VOL. 67] 



A MEMORIAL tablet in memory of Richard Jefferies was un- 

 veiled at Swindon on Saturday by Lord Avebury. The tablet 

 has been erected at the house where Jefferies lived for two years 

 before his death. 



Prof. J. Millar Thomson, president of the Institute of 

 Chemistry, and Miss 'Thomson, have issued invitations to a 

 private soiree to be held at the Galleries of the Royal Society of 

 British Artists on Wednesday, December 10. 



The Paris correspondent of the Chemist and Druggist states 

 that the Paris Academy of Sciences has awarded the Lavoisier 

 medal this year to Prof. Cannizzaro, of Rome, in recognition 

 of his contributions to the advancement of chemistry. 



The new building of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities at 

 Cairo was opened by the Khedive on November 15 in the presence 

 of Lord Cromer and Lord Kitchener, the Ministers, the Sirdar, 

 and many European and native officials. The whole collection 

 has been arranged in the new building under the supervision of 

 the director, M. Maspero, and the curator, Emil Brugsch Bey. 



A few particulars of the eruption of the Soufriere of St. 

 Vincent which occurred on October 15 and 16 are given in 

 extracts from despatches received by the Colonial Office. Sir 

 R. B. Llewelyn, the Governor of the Windward Islands, remarks 

 that there has been a largely increased area of land damaged by 

 this last outburst, and the prospects are now much blacker than 

 they were. It is suggested as a matter for serious consideration 

 whether Georgetown, at present deserted, may not have to be 

 abandoned ; indeed, it is considered doubtful whether any part 

 of the island can confidently be said to be without the range of 

 danger from the volcano, and the possibility of abandoning the 

 whole island has therefore to be faced. 



Reports from Samoa published in the Times state that the 

 volcano on the Island of Savaii is in active eruption. Several 

 craters are emitting dust and vapour, and one village is two 

 inches deep in ashes. Reports from Honolulu, dated Novem- 

 ber II, state that, according to a wireless message from Hawaii, 

 the volcano of Kilauea in that island has been in a state of 

 the most violent eruption known for the last twenty years. 

 A Reuter message from Catania states that a fresh eruption 

 of Stromboli took place on November 16, and that incandescent 

 stones, smoke and dust were thrown out. There was an 

 explosion, followed by other silent eruptions, and a flow of 

 lava. A shock of earthquake, accompanied by a loud rumbling 

 noise and lasting five or six seconds, occurred at Oran, Algeria, 

 on November 17, about 9.30 p.m. 



At Seville Cathedral on November 17, the ceremony of 

 depositing the ashes of Christopher Columbus in a special 

 mausoleum was carried out with impressive solemnity. The 

 remains of Columbus rested for two centuries at Santo 

 Domingo, and in 1796 were transferred to the Cathedral at 

 Havana. After the Spanish-American war, they were taken to 

 Spain, where, by desire of a descendant of Columbus, the Duke 

 of Veragua, they have been interred in Seville Cathedral. 



A Reuter message from Mantes, France, states that the 

 navigable balloon constructed by the brothers Lebaudy made 

 its first free ascent on November 3. Several ascents were made, 

 the balloon returning to a given spot each time. It moved in 

 all directions above the fields and woods which border the 

 Seine. The report states that in every instance the airship was 

 brought back to its starting-point at a speed of 25 miles an 

 hour, the turn being made against the wind. 



Largely with the idea of broadening the demand for 

 German wares, Germany will take part in the Universal Expo- 

 sition to be held in St. Louis in 1904. This decision has now 



