156 



NA TURE 



\June 14, 1883 



It will gratify our readers to learn that Her Majesty has 

 subscribed 50/. and the Prince of Wales 26/. 5*. to the fund now 

 being raised by the Scottish Meteorological Society for the 

 establishment of a Meteorological Observa'ory on the top of 

 Ben Nevis. At a meeting of the Council of the Society on 

 Saturday last, we understand that plans and specifications and 

 offers from several contractors for making a road from Fort 

 William to the top of Ben Nevis were submitted, and it was 

 resolved to commence the making of the road at once ; Mr. 

 Sydney Mitchell, architec, was instructed to make arrangements 

 for the completion of the work within two months. 



Prof. Morris has presented to University College, London, 

 his valuable geological library. 



The following subjects have been settled for conferences at 

 the Fisheries Exhibition ; the authors whose names are given have 

 consented to read papers. Many gentlemen have consented to 

 act in this capacity, but the complete list is not yet ready : — 

 British Fisheries and Fishermen, by H.R. H. the Duke of 

 Edinburgh; the Fisheries of the United States, by Prof. Brown 

 Goode ; the Fisheries of the Dominion ; the Fisheries of other 

 Countries (Commissioners for Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, 

 China, &c, have promised to take part in these conferences) ; 

 Herring Fisheries, by Mr. K. W. Duff, M.P. ; Pilchard and 

 Mackerel Fisheries, by Mr. J. Cornish ; Salmon and Salmon 

 Fisheries ; Fresh Water Fisheries (including Trout), by Mr. 

 Francis Francis ; Seal Fisheries, by Capt. Temple ; Oyster Cul- 

 ture and Fisheries, by Prof. Hubrecht ; Mollusks, Mussels, 

 Whelk;, &c, used for Food or Bait, by Mr. Chas. Harding; 

 Line Fishing, by Mr. C. M. Murdahl ; Trawling ; the Applica- 

 tion of Steam Power to the Fishing Industry ; Principles of 

 Fishery Legislation, by the Right Hon. G. Shaw Lefevre, 

 M.P. ; Fish Culture and Acclimatisation of Fishes, by Sir James 

 Maitland ; Fish as Food, by Sir Henry Thompson ; Fish Trans- 

 port and Fish Markets, by His Excellency Spencer Walpole; 

 Food of Fishes, by Dr. F. Day ; Storm Warnings, by Mr. R. 

 H. Scott ; Fish Diseases, by Prof. Huxley ; Economic Condi- 

 tion of Fishermen, by Prof. Leone Levi ; Protection of Life of 

 Fishermen ; Scientific Results of the Exhibition, by Prof. Ray 

 Lankester. 



The Committee appointed by the French Parliament to con- 

 sider the pension to M. Pasteur, have agreed to recimmend its 

 increase from 12,000 francs to 25,000, with reversion to the 

 widow and children . 



Prof. Lenz is about to organise, with the aid of the Russian 

 Geographical Society, a series of observations on terrestrial cur- 

 rents along four line; of Russian telegraphs — Moscow to Kazan 

 and to Kharkoff, and Tiflis to Rostoff and Baku. The neces- 

 sary instruments are ordered, and the observations will begin as 

 soon as these are ready. These observations were highly re- 

 commended, as is known, by the International Polar Committee 

 at its Hamburg meeting, in connection with the magnetic obser- 

 vations of the circumpolar stations, as well a-; by the Electrical 

 Congress at Paris. Germany has already begun these observa- 

 tions, whilst Austria, Sweden, and Finland are about to start 

 them. 



As the Russian Meteorological stations on Novaya Zemlya 

 and at the mouth of the Lena were unable to begin regular mag- 

 netic observations on September 1, 1882, and their observations 

 during the first months probably will not have the desired degree 

 of accuracy, the Meteorological Committee of the Russian Geo- 

 graphical Society has applied for grants of money to continue 

 these observations for one year more. Two new meteorological 

 stations have been opene 1 at Obiorsk and at Mezen, in order to 

 connect the Novaya Zemlya observations with those of Central 

 Rus-ia. 



On the 5th inst. the Emperor of Austria inaugurated the new 

 Vienna Observatory, on the Turken Schnnze, in the northern 

 outskirts of the town. The new building took nine years to 

 construct, and during that time the present director went all over 

 Europe and America in order to study the fitting-up of the best 

 observatories. The result is that the Vienna Observatory is 

 probably one of the most complete in existence. For an account 

 of the great telescope, constructed by Grubb of Dublin, see 

 Nature, vol. xxiv. p. 11. 



A competition has been opened by the Genevan Society of 

 Physics and Natural History for the best unpublished monograph 

 on a genus or family of plants. The MSS. may be in Latin, 

 French, German (in Roman writing), English, or Italian, and 

 should be sent to Prof. Alph. de Candolle, Cour St. Pierre, 31 

 Geneva, before October 1, 1884. Members of the Society are 

 not admitted to the competition. The prize is 500 francs. 



M. Marcel DErREZ, the author of the experiments on the 

 transmission of force to a distance, has offered himself as a can- 

 didate for the place in the Academy of Sciences vacated by the 

 death of M. Bresse, in the section of Mechanics. 



There was an interesting gathering at Newnham, Cambridge, 

 011 Saturday, to celebrate the success of the College for Women, 

 started ihere some years ago, and to honour its first and as yet 

 only Principal, Miss Clough, by presenting her portrait to the 

 institution. The progress which has been made in the higher 

 education of women since Newnham was founded is striking. 

 Though only a few years ago the attempt was barely tolerated 

 by the University authorities, now the students are all but 

 nominally attached to the University, and there can be no doubt 

 that ere very long they will obtain all that the friends of these 

 institutions desire. Miss Clough deserved all the honour paid 

 her on Saturday, for mainly to her courage, intelligence, and 

 tact has the wonderful success of Newnham been due. 



Apropos of the education of women and of the callings for 

 which they are suited, it is a remarkable fact that the recently 

 opened Brooklyn Bridge, of which we have heard so mnch as 

 one of the greatest triumphs of engineering, owes its existence 

 partly to the genius of a woman. Mrs. Washington Roebling, 

 the wife of the great engineer who was intrusted with the con- 

 struction of the Brooklyn Bridge, has been chief of the engineer- 

 ing staff ever since her husband first fell ill. When he was 

 disabled and could not proceed with his great work, Mrs. 

 Roebling began to study engineering, and her success was such 

 that in a short time she was able to take her husband's place, 

 and the enormous structure which Americans not incorrectly call 

 "one of the most conspicuous marvels of the nineteenth cen- 

 tury " was completed under her direction. The honour of being 

 the first to drive across the new bridge was well earned by Mrs. 

 Roebling, and the peculiar share which she had taken in its 

 construction was rightly held to justify a disregard of the old 

 superstition which dooms to ill luck the structure over which a 

 woman has been the first to cross. 



Prof. A. H. Keane has been elected a Corresponding 

 Member of the Anthropological Society of Washington. 



The fifth International Congress of Americanists will be held 

 at Copenhagen, August 21-24. King Christian will be " Pro- 

 tector" of the Congre.-s, while Prince Frederick Christian will 

 be Honorary President. Prof. Worsaae is President of the 

 Committee of Organisation. The subjects to be di-cussed cover 

 a wide field, including history and geology, archreology, anthro- 

 pology and ethnography, linguistics and palaeography. 



The Duke of Westminster has intimated to the Council ot 

 the National Smoke Abatement Institution that he purposes to 

 contribute 500/. to the Smoke Abatement Fund recently opened. 



