128 



NA TURE 



[June 9, 1904 



Thursday, May 26. — Section of science. Secretaries were 

 appointed as follows : — German, Dr. A. Rieclie ; French, 

 M. A. de Lapparent ; English, Dr. A. D. Waller. 



Prof. Waldeyer presented, on behalf of the commission 

 for investig-ating- the anatomy of the brain, the report of 

 the sitting of the committee of May 24. 



Prof. Waldeyer moved the following resolution : — 



" The several academies and societies represented in the 

 association are recommended to bring before their respective 

 Governments, or other appropriate authorities, in the name 

 of the association, a proposal to establish a special institu- 

 tion or department of institutions for the investigation of 

 the central nervous system, where such organisations are 

 not already in existence, or cannot be created otherwise." 

 The resolution was carried. 



The following resolution, giving the committee power of 

 cooption, was also carried : — 



" That the Brain Commission have the power of cooption, 

 as recommended in the report just received." 



Prof, von Bezold moved " That a committee be appointed 

 to consider the best means of bringing existing organisa- 

 tions into accord with the views of the International 

 Association of Academies." This resolution was carried. 



Sir A. Geikie, on behalf of the International Geological 

 Congress, moved the following resolution :—" The Inter- 

 national Association having received and considered a 

 reference made to it by the International Geological 

 Congress held at Vienna,' 1903, resolves to ask the Inter- 

 national Geodetic Association to take into consideration 

 whether, and (or) in what way, it can undertake or promote 

 international cooperation in the investigation of the follow- 

 ing subjects : — 



"Precise determination of levels in mountain chains 

 subject to earthquakes, with the view of ascertaining 

 whether such chains are stable or are undergoing move- 

 ments of elevation or depression. 



" Measurements of the value of gravity, with the object, 

 so far as geological questions are concerned, of throwing 

 light on the internal distribution of masses in the earth, 

 and on the rigidity or isostasy of the terrestrial crust." 

 The motion was carried unanimously. 



Prof. Credner proposed that the committee on seismo- 

 logical investigations, appointed on the proposition of Prof, 

 von Bezold, consist of the following members : — Prof. 

 Schuster (chairman). Prof. Helmert, Prof, de Lapparent, 

 Prof. .Mojsisovics, Prof. Agamennone, Prof. A. P. 

 Karpinski, Prof. W. C. Mendenhall. That the committee 

 have power to coopt further members without votes. If a 

 vacancy arise among the members of the committee, it 

 shall have the power to fill up such vacancy subject to con- 

 firmation by the International Association. 



Prof. Riecke moved the following resolution of the 

 -Academies of Gottingen, Leipzig, Munich, and Vienna : — 



" Ihat the International Association be requested to place 

 the investigation of atmospheric electrical phenomena upon 

 the list of its undertakings, and to arrange for carrying 

 out observations upon atmospheric electricitv for the period 

 of two years at a large number of stations suitably dis- 

 tributed over the surface of the earth." 



Prof. Schuster considered the matter to be in an experi- 

 mental stage and hardly ready to be taken up by the 

 than as an experimental undertaking 

 by a committee, and proposed 

 which was accepted by Prof. 



association other 

 suitable for consideration 

 the following resolution, 

 Riecke : — 



" That a committee be 



nated to prepare a plan for 

 cooperation in investigations of atmospheric electricity, and 

 to organise, if possible, such international cooperation for 

 a period of two years." 



Prof, von Bezold introduced the propositions of the Berlin 

 Academy of Sciences relating to terrestrial magnetism, and 

 moved " That the association nominate a special committee 

 to consider as to the best methods of making accurate 

 magnetic observations at sea with a view to carrying out 

 a rnagnelic survey around a parallel of latitude." The 

 motion was carried unanimously. 



Sir David Gill presented the report of the Roval Society 

 upon the undertaking for the measurement of the African 

 arc of the 30th meridian, and moved " That the report of 

 the Royal Society be adopted, with the following amend- 

 ments, viz. : — 



NO. 1806, VOL. '/o] 



" That after the concluding words there be added : — 

 (i) That the association notes with much satisfaction 

 the sympathetic communication of the Imperial Academy 

 of Sciences, St. Petersburg, on the subject of the arc of 

 meridian, and recommends that diplomatic action be taken 

 with a view to the extension of Struve's arc to Egypt. 



(2) The association expresses the hope that steps will 

 be taken by the German Government under the advice of 

 the Berlin Academy of Sciences to extend the arc along 

 Lake Tanganyika, either by triangles extending across the 

 lake or along its eastern coast as may be found the more 

 desirable." The report was adopted with the additions 

 proposed. 



Prof. Fredericq presented the report of the late Prof. 

 Marey on the work of the Institut Marey, and moved the 

 following resolution : — 



" The International .Association of Academies approves the 

 nomination of MM. Lippmann, Amagat, Charles Richet, 

 Blix, Einthoven, Griitzner, Langendorff, Schenck. .'\thanasiu 

 as new members of the ' Association Internationale de 

 I 'Institut Marey.' " 



" After having considered the report of the late Prof. 

 Marey, dated May 5, 1904, on the work of the institute, the 

 association congratulates the committee of the Marey 

 Institute in having obtained in France recognition as being 

 of public utility, and thus secured the permanence of this 

 international scientific organisation. The association ex- 

 presses its best wishes for the success of the scientific work 

 undertaken at the institute." The resolution was adopted 

 unanimouslv. 



Other standing committees were appointed as follows : — 

 For the investigation of terrestrial magnetism. Prof, von 

 Bezold (chairman). Prof. Mascart, Prof. Palazzo, Sir .Arthur 

 Riicker, Lord Kelvin, Dr. Bauer, Prof. Liznar, General 

 Rykacev, Prof. Wieckert, Dr. Paulsen. 



For the investigation of atmospheric electricity. Prof. 

 Exner (chairman). Prof. Arrhenius, Prof. Mascart, Prof. 

 Schuster, Prof. Righi, Prof. Ebert, Prof. Riecke. 



For both these committees resolutions were passed giving 

 powers of cooption and for filling vacancies, similar to that 

 passed in the case of the committee on seismology. 



PROF. ADOLFO CANCANI. 

 A MONG the various sciences, the one which during 

 "'^ the last few years has lost the greatest propor- 

 tion of its workers is probably seismology. Von Rebeur- 

 Paschwitz, M. S. di Rossi, Ehlert, Pacher, and 

 Contarini have followed each other in quick succession, 

 and to this death roll, with feelings of sorrow, we are 

 called upon to add the name of the distinguished in- 

 vestigator Adolfo Cancani. .Although connected with 

 the University of Modena, Prof. Cancani 's work was 

 chiefly carried out wliile working with di Rossi at the 

 observatory of Rocca di Papa, and later whilst engaged 

 as an assistant at the Central Meteorological Oliserv- 

 atorv in Rome. .At the former institution he intro- 

 duced into seismometry the use of large and heavy 

 horizontal pendulums the movements of which were 

 recorded mechanically. 



The first of these, which are probably the largest 

 in the world, were 17 feet in height. The booms, made 

 of T iron, were 10 feet in length, which at their 

 outer ends carried in one case a block of marble and in 

 the other a piece of pig iron. Beyond these heavy 

 masses glass fibres recorded movements on a surface 

 rotating at the rate of 60 cm. per hour. With this 

 apparatus, all of which was home made, and cost but 

 a few pounds sterling, Cancani obtained some striking 

 seismograms. 



In addition to talcing this new step in seismometry, 

 Cancani devised a photo-chronograph, various seismo- 

 scopes, and other instruments. 



Although his investigations extended to several de- 

 partments of earth physics, his chief works are those 

 relating to seismology. 



In July, 1903, at the Seismological Conference in 



