May 7, 1914| 
NATURE 247 
mountains near Milford, Pennsylvania, where he had 
collected what is believed to be one of the, most com- 
plete private reference libraries in the world on the 
subjects in which he was interested. He edited several 
of his father’s mathematical works, and was the 
author of ‘‘ Photometric Researches,’’ as well as of 
numerous papers on logic, the history of science, 
psychology, astronomy, optics, colour sense, map pro- 
jections, chemistry, engineering, early English pro- 
nunciation, library cataloguing,. etc. Mr. Peirce was 
one of the pioneers of symbolic logic, and was the 
first to formulate the philosophical principle which he 
named ‘“pragmatism.”’ He dissented, however, from 
Prof. William James’s development of this principle. 
WE regret to record the death, in Paris, of M. 
Wilfred de Fonvielle. Few men have done more to 
popularise the subject of aeronautics than M. de Fon- 
vielle, who not only wrote numerous books and 
articles, both popular and scientific, upon the sub- 
ject, but also did much practical work, especially in 
regard to balloons. Commencing life as a journalist, 
he joined the staff of a journal, La Presse Scientifique, 
edited by M. Barral. The latter had just been making 
his well-known balloon ascents for scientific observa- 
tion, which greatly interested the young enthusiast 
and started him writing articles on the subject. Since 
then, until recently, his pen had but little rest. His 
principal works are :—‘‘ La Science en Ballon ’’ (1869) ; 
‘Voyages Aériens”’ (with Glaisher and others) (1871), 
translated into English; ‘‘Les Ballons pendant le 
Siége” (1871);. ‘‘Traité Pratique de Navigation 
Aérienne”’’ (1872); ‘‘Aventures Aérienne’’ (1876), 
translated into English; ‘‘La Conquéte de 1’Air”’ 
(1882); ‘‘Notre Flotte Aérienne”’ (1908); and a vast 
number of articles in French and English papers and 
magazines, including many contributions to our 
columns. De Fonvielle’s first balloon ascent was 
made in the great Géant, with M. Nadar, in 1867. 
Numerous other journeys followed, until he became 
considered one of the leading aeronauts in France. 
During the siege of Paris he piloted one of the balloons 
which left that city, descending in Belgium, whence 
he crossed to England. In later years he paid fre- 
quent visits to this country, where he several times 
made balloon ascents. For some years he was presi- 
dent of the Société Francaise de Navigation Aérienne, 
Botanists will learn with regret of the death, at 
seventy-five years of age, of M. van Tieghem, mem- 
ber of the Institute of France, professor at the Natural 
History Museum, Paris, and one of the most eminent 
of modern workers in the field of botany. As a young 
man he worked under Pasteur, and he made 
valuable contributions to science in the domain of 
bacteriology. In 1873 he published, in conjunction 
with his pupil, G. Le Monnier, a monograph on the 
Mucorinez, in which the morphology ‘and physiology 
of the family were carefully studied, and a detailed 
systematic account was given for the first time. Two 
further contributions on the same subject appeared in 
1875 and 1876. But van Tieghem is best known for 
his work on the anatomy and morphology of the seed- 
plants. In 1866 appeared an important paper on the 
NO. 2323, VOL. 93] 
anatomical structure of the Aroidez, and his conclud- 
ing remarks supply the key to’ his work in this field. 
He says:—‘Nos observations semblent démontrer 
aussi par une preuve nouvelle qu’il est indispensable 
de joindre 1’étude anatomique comparée de |l’appareil 
végétatif aA-celle de la fleur, si l’on veut construire le 
systéme idéel a liaisons fixes qui est l’objet. de la 
méthode naturelle.’ The systems of classification 
which he proposed were, however, the least valuable 
part of his work; they indicated lack of appreciation 
of the relative value of characters, and were hampered 
by a cumbersome terminology. On the other hand, 
his work on the comparative anatomy of the female 
flower and fruit of the Gymnosperms was of funda- 
mental value. In 1882 he succeeded Decaisne as 
botanical editor of the Annales des Sciences Naturelles, 
a post which he held until his death, and the long 
series of memoirs in this journal by himself and his 
pupils on the morphology and anatomy of various 
families and genera of seed-plants will form a_ per- 
manent monument of his industry and botanical work. 
Tue Bruce medal of the Astronomical Society of 
the Pacific has been awarded to Dr. O. Backlund, 
director of the Pulkowa Observatory. 
Science announces the retirement, on July 1, after 
twenty-one years’ cornection with the Yerkes Observa- 
tory, of Prof. S. W. Burnham. 
Tue Wellcome Historical Medical Museum is to be 
reopened on May 28, at 54a Wigmore Street, as a 
permanent institution in London. Since the closing 
of the museum in October last the collections have 
been much augmented and entirely rearranged. 
Ir is announced in Science that the amount. sub- 
scribed in connection with the jubilee celebration of 
Dr. A. Auwers has been handed to the Berlin 
Academy for the foundation of a prize (to be known 
as the Bradley Prize) to be awarded once every five 
years. 
AccorDING to the Lancet, it has been decided by 
the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to estab- 
lish a permanent laboratory. in Sierra Leone for the 
purpose of carrying on research work. It is hoped 
that the laboratory will act as a base from which 
expeditions to other regions of tropical Africa may be 
dispatched from time to time. 
An International Conference of Telegraph Engineers 
is to be held. in Berne from September. 14 to 20 next. 
Among the subjects open. for discussion are the 
prospects of telephony over longer distances, the 
protection of telegraph and telephone wires from other 
electrical conductors, and how far automatic appa- 
ratus in telephone exchange working is desirable. 
THE summer meeting of the Institution of Naval 
Architects will be held in Newcastle-on-Tyne on July 
7-10, at the invitation of the institution by the presi- 
dent and council of the North-East Coast Institution 
of Engineers and Shipbuilders. Meetings for the 
reading of papers will be held, and arrangements will 
be made to visit some of the principal works in New- 
castle and its vicinity. . 
