6 4 



NATURE 



[May 17, 1883 



was Sunday, between the hours of two and ten more than 3000 

 working men and women visited the collection, and we are in- 

 formed that when the rooms were most crowded, there was 

 always not only absolute order and good temper, but a reverence 

 for the spirit of the place. This, we think, is a sufficient reply 

 t) those who say that if picture galleries and museums were 

 opened on Sunday, they would not be visited. Seeing that a love 

 of science and nature must be at the bottom of all true love for 

 art, we feel ourselves bound to thank Mr. Barnett and those 

 who have helped him in this humanising work ; and as it is knjwn 

 with what sympathy artists and possessors of pictures placed them 

 at the disposal of the committee, we think it a pity that the 

 Whitechapel example is not more generally followed. It is not 

 necessary to give the numbers for 18S2, but we may just say 

 that very nearly 10,000 more people visited the exhibition this 

 year, which clearly shows that the interest taken in it is not a 

 transient one, but one which increases from year to year. And 

 the figures do not do justice to the success of the exhibition, for 

 they mean something more than they would at an exhibition in 

 the West End ; the Whitechapel people went to see, and they 

 made a business of seeing. The attendances were as follows : — 



Total for 13 days ... 34,644 



At the first meeting of the Sociological Section of the Bir- 

 mingham Natur.il History and Microscopical Society for the 

 study of Mr. Herbert Spencer's " System of Philosophy " held 

 last week at the Mason College, the President (Mr. W. R. 

 Hughes) explained that the new Section had originated in a wish 

 to unite, for the purposes of mutual help, those who were already 

 students of Mr. Herbert Spencer's system, but were unknown to 

 each other; and to introduce to the synthetic philosophy those 

 already engaged in some special biological study, but as yet un- 

 familiar with the principles common to all departments of natural 

 history. He read a letter from Mr. Herbert Spencer expressing 

 cordial sympathy with the objects of the Section, and adding 

 same valuable suggestions as to the course of work to be under- 

 taken by the Section. Whether we admitted or rejected Mr. 

 Spencer's principles, the President said, there was no doubt of the 

 wonderful influence they were exercising in this country, on the 

 Continent, and in America. He enumerated many reasons why 

 Birmingham was peculiarly adapted for the study of sociology, 

 saying it was central, healthy, industrious, and earnest in all it 

 undertook, active in reform, versatile in its trades, and therefore 

 free from commercial panics, many-sided in religion, untiring in 

 political activity. During the present century no town had ex- 

 hibited a more remarkable social development, and therefore 

 there was no town more fit for the study of sociology. Its deve- 

 lopment was of a type peculiar to a large industrial organisation, 

 and was in marked contrast to that kind of development which 

 would obtain under a military or ecclesiastical or agricultural 

 organisation. Sociological generalisations made there might there- 

 fore be regarded as typical and unique. The President's address 

 was followed by a discussion upon the first two chapters of the 

 "Essay on Education." 



Mr. Clement L. Wragge has undertaken to reorganise 

 he meteorological work at the Ben Nevis Observatory, 



which he first commenced about two. years ago, under the 

 auspices of the Scottish Meteorological Society, and hopes to 

 have the observing system reopened and in order by June I. 

 Mr. William Whyte, of I'ort William (formerly assistant), will 

 then receive further instruction from Mr. Wragge, and will take 

 charge, having been appointed by the Society to carry on the 

 work during the summer of the present year, in consequence of 

 Mr. Wragge's intention to resume his travels in the course of a 

 few months, and to revisit Australia. The voyage will be made 

 a scientific one, and Mr. Wragge hopes to add largely to his 

 natural history and ethnographical collections now at Stafford. 

 He is arranging to carry on ocean meteorological observations 

 on a large scale, following mainly the plan adopted by the 

 Challenger expediti >n. Negretti and Zambra's new deep-sea 

 thermometers are to be employed. 



The German gunboat Hyane visited Easter Island last autumn, 

 and determined its exact position, which was found to be 27 10' S. 

 lat., and 109° 26' W. long. The commander of the Hyane, Capt. 

 Geiseler, has reported minutely to the German Admiralty Office 

 on the ethnology of the island, and this report is accompanied by 

 numerous drawings of old colossal statues, stone houses, monu- 

 ments, tombs of chiefs, &c. At the same time Capt. Geiseler 

 made a collection of ethnological specimens which has been 

 forwarded to Germany by way of Apia. The report is now 

 printed and published by Mittler and Sohn (Berlin). 



Prof. Bastian has been nominated honorary president ot 

 the Berlin Geographical Society. The following gentlemen 

 have been elected as honorary members : Prof, von Richthofen, 

 Dr. Gu-tav Nachtigal, Prof. Neumayer, Dr. Pogge, Dr. Buchner, 

 and Lieut. Wissmann. The latter has also received the 

 Society's Silver Knights-Medal. 



At Berlin an aurora borealis was observed on April 29 at 

 9 p. m. The phenomenon brightened up the whole sky, across 

 which numerous bright red cloud-streaks seemed to shoot. 



Mr. Ernest Giles, the explorer, contemplates organising a 

 grand final expedition to traverse the remaining unexplored 

 portions of the Australian continent, and to endeavour to dis- 

 cover some more trustworthy traces of Leichhardt. 



In the " Publications of the Massachusetts Society for the 

 Promotion of Agriculture," Mr. S. H. Scudder has given an 

 interesting account of the habits of a small moth (Retinia 

 frustrana), and of the ravages caused by it on the pitch pine of 

 Nantucket Island (Pinus rigida). Of late it has become so 

 abundant as to threaten the total destruction of the pines. Like 

 its European congeners its larva: bore into the interior of the 

 healthy young shoots and destroy them. The remedy recom- 

 mended is the radical one of taking off from every tree those 

 shoots that show themselves to be infected, but the author is fully 

 alive to the difficulties attendant upon such a recommendation, 

 e-pecially those of expense. The insect has not yet made its 

 appearance on the adjoining mainland, but it seems to have 

 been observed in other more distant parts of the Eastern States. 

 In Europe (and indeed in Britain) much damage is done to 

 conifers (especially Scotch fir) by allied species, and they more 

 especially infest quite young trees. Some of them principally 

 affect the lateral shoots, and these, if not too numerous, cause no 

 lasting injury to healthy young trees ; but one especially (R. 

 turiondld) attacks the leading shoot, and is far more serious ; in 

 this case, if the tree be strong and healthy, a lateral shoot takes 

 the place of the destroyed "leader," and recovery is effected by 

 this means. 



News has at last been received from Dr. Pogge, the com- 

 panion of Lieut. Wissmann, on his journey across Africa, and 

 who remained in Africa after Wissmann left. It appears that 



