June i6, 1904] 



NATURE 



157 



in bronze and faience, broken blue vases with repre- 

 sentations of the holy cow emblazoned with stars, &c. 

 These votive offerings, which nearly all date to the 

 eighteenth dynasty, were undoubtedly originally de- 

 voted in the Hathor shrine of the great temple, and 

 when the shrine became too full were thrown down by 

 the sacristans into the space between the two temples, 

 which thus became a dust-heap. And from this dust- 

 heap many interesting objects have been recovered, in- 

 cluding a copper chisel with hardened edge, which 

 should be of special interest to metallurgists, and speci- 

 mens of palm-fruit, nuts, reeds, and shells, dating to 

 about 1500 B.C. One of the most remarkable objects 

 found is a perfect three-cornered loaf of unleavened 

 bread, of the same date. .All these smaller objects, to- 

 gether with a number of specimens of the eleventh 

 dynasty reliefs already described, will, we understand, 

 be exhibited at the annual exhibition of the Egypt Ex- 

 ploration Fund at University College, Gower Street, in 

 Julv next. 



Subscriptions for the work of the Egypt Exploration 

 Fund are much needed, and should be sent to the 

 Secretary, 37 Great Russell Street, W.C. We are in- 

 debted to Mr. Hall for the photographs here published. 



NOTES. 



The achievements of the Japanese in the war are causing 

 increased attention to be given to the influence of brain- 

 power on history. National enlightenment, and the 

 scientific spirit which welcomes every increase of 

 knowledge, are the two chief factors of progress in these 

 days, and the Japanese successes have shown the power of 

 both these attributes. An important article in the Neuc 

 Freie Presse of Vienna lays emphasis upon the use which 

 Japan has made of its brain-power; and the following 

 extract from a summary published in Monday's Times shows 

 how the prediction made by Sir Norman Lockyer in his 

 address to the British -•Association last year is being 

 fulfilled : — " Japan has adopted modern civilisation with 

 soul and body. She has not merely copied those externals 

 of modernity which rob an uncivilised people of originalitv 

 without giving any real value in exchange, but she has 

 assimilated eag-erly the ideas of modern culture. Modern 

 are her schools, in which the children of all creeds are 

 taught morals, but not religion, in order to avoid all 

 ecclesiastical intolerance. Modern is her view that priests 

 should refrain from political struggles, and should reserve 

 themselves for the leading place in pious exercises. Modern 

 is her wish, despite many a hard rub during the time of 

 transition, to respect without prejudice all free-minded 

 criticism of public affairs and not to crush opposition bv 

 brute force, or, worse still, to intimidate it by a system of 

 crafty calumny. Modern also are her sincere respect for 

 freedom of research, her joy in a conception of the universe 

 which makes intelligence, not superstition, the regulating 

 power of human acts, and greets with gladness every new 

 discovery and every new thought ; and modern is a policy 

 which incites minds to development instead of fettering 

 them, which favours instead of suppressing the sheer delight 

 in material production." 



-A. CONVERS.42IONE of the Institution of Electrical Engineers 

 will be held at the Natural History Museum on the evening 

 of Tuesdav June 28. 



The death is announced of Dr. Max Kaech, officer in 

 charge of the geological collections of the national museum 

 of natural history and ethnography— the .Museu Goeldi— at 

 Tara, Brazil. 



NO. 1807, ^'Ot. 70] 



.\ MEETING of members of council of the South African 

 .Association for the Advancement of Science was held at 

 Johannesburg on May 19, Mr. T. Reunert presiding. The 

 chairman reported that he had been in communication with 

 the German, French, Austrian, and Italian Consuls, and 

 was hopeful of the cooperation of these gentlemen in con- 

 nection with the visit of Continental delegates to South 

 Africa with the British Association next year. Dr. Pakes, 

 referring to the impending departure of Mr. Reunert for 

 England, mentioned that he would represent the South 

 African .Association at the forthcoming Cambridge meeting 

 of the British .Association. 



The .Antarctic ships Discovery and Morning have sailed 

 from Lyttelton for Plymouth. 



The Institution of Electrical Engineers visited Colchester 

 on Saturday on the occasion of the formal reception and 

 unveiling of an historical picture presented by the institution 

 to the town of Colchester in commemoration of the 

 tercentenary of Dr. William Gilbert, the " father of 

 electrical science," who was born in Colchester. 



In connection with the St. Louis Exposition, an Inter- 

 national Electrical Congress has been arranged from 

 September 12 to 17. It will be divided into eight sections, 

 for which the following have been appointed chairmen and 

 secretaries respectively : — A, general theory, Prof. E. L. 

 Nichols, Prof. H. T. Barnes; B, general applications. Prof. 

 C. P. Steinmetz, Prof. Samuel Sheldon ; C, electro- 

 chemistry. Prof. H. S. Carhart, Mr. Carl Hering ; D, electric 

 power transmission, Mr. C. P. Scott, Dr. Louis Bell ; 

 E, electric light and distribution, Mr. J. W. Lieb, jun., Mr. 

 Gano S. Dunn ; F, electric transportation. Dr. Louis 

 Duncan, Mr. .A. H. .Armstrong ; G, electric communication, 

 Mr. F. W. Jones, Mr. B. Gherardi ; H, electrotherapeutics, 

 Dr. W. J. Morton, Mr. W. J. Jenks. It is at present in- 

 tended to limit the number of papers to 150, and the trans- 

 actions are expected to fill three octavo volumes. Mr. 

 Elihu Thomson is president, and Dr. A. E. Kennelly, of 

 Harvard University, general secretary of the congress. 



The annual general meeting of the Ray Society was held 

 on June g. Lord Avebury, president, being in the chair. 

 The report announced the attainment of the society's sixtieth 

 vear ; the death of two vice-presidents. Dr. C. H. Gatty, 

 F.R.S., and Mr. R. McLachlan, F.R.S. ; the completion of 

 Newstead's " British Coccidse " and of Michael's " British 

 Tyroglyphidse." The volumes to be issued during this 

 year and next were stated to be : — Vol. i. of the " British 

 Desmidiaceae," by Mr. W. West and Prof. G. S. West; 

 vol. i. of the " British Tunicata," by the. late Joshua Alder 

 and the late .Albany Hancock; vol. i. of the " British Fresh- 

 water Rhizopoda and Heliozoa," by James Cash; and vol. 

 ii. of the " DesmidiacesE." The officers and council elected 

 for the ensuing year were : — President, Lord Avebury, 

 F.R.S. ; vice-presidents. Dr. R. Braithwaite, Mr. A. ^. 

 Michael, and Lord Walsingham, F.R.S. ; treasurer. Dr. 

 DuCane Godman, F.R.S. ; and secretary, Mr. John 

 Hopkinson. 



The use that is being made of wireless telegraphy in 

 connection with the war is shown by the following extract 

 from a private letter received from the Times' operator at 

 Wei-hai-wei, and published in Wednesday's issue : — " All 

 the British warships, from the third-class cruisers up, are 

 equipped with Marconi, about twenty-four in all ; nearly all 

 the Japs have wireless equipment ; the Russian ships are 

 equipped, and several German vessels. One or another of 

 them can be heard any time, day or night. The Japs are 



