DECEMBER 31, 1903] 
NATURE 
205 
German flora might have been almost non-existent, so wide 
is the field covered nowadays by German investigators. 
Nor is this outlook due simply to the desire to know more 
of the economic value of their colonial floras. The more 
complete our knowledge the surer will the foundation be 
laid for that natural system of classification which so far 
has been most nearly reached in Engler’s ‘‘ Pflanzen- 
familien.’’ These two objects, increase of knowledge of 
the economic value of particular floras, and the reduction 
of the imperfection of record of the world’s flora, in time 
and space, were kept prominently before the conference. 
It was refreshing to an Englishman to hear the various 
readers of papers acknowledge the work of the Hookers, 
Bentham, and others. A third object in starting the 
society was well carried out—to bring together the 
systematists in Germany, &c., for semi-scientific and semi- 
social intercourse. 
Each evening members, accompanied in some cases by 
ladies, met in a restaurant for dinner, the most enjoyable 
of these functions being the one in Potsdam, ending a long 
day’s excursion in the forest on the banks of the Wann. 
See. After an explanation of the plans for the new 
herbarium, Q&c., to replace the overcrowded botanical 
museum and the old gardens in the city, a visit was paid 
to the new gardens in the suburb of Dahlen. Here, as in 
the old museum, it was interesting to notice not only the 
grasp the director, Dr. Engler, had of everything, but also 
“the way in which he brought forward the officers of the 
various departments, and left them to tell their story. 
Appreciation of the importance of the protection and pre- 
servation of special plant habitats or of special individual 
plants, and also of beautiful scenery, was illustrated by a 
paper by Dr. Conwentz, who for three years past has de- 
voted his time, «at the Government’s request, to the study 
of the question, and is now engaged in the preparation of 
an illustrated elaborate report. The next meeting of the 
Society will be held in Stuttgart on August 4-7, 1904, and 
should be borne in mind by British botanists; the subscrip- 
tion for membership is only three shillings. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
Mr. R. H. Yarp, of Cambridge, has been appointed pro- 
fessor of botany in the University College of Aberystwyth 
in succession to Prof. J. H. Salter. 
Mr. Hucu Davies has been appointed head of the build- 
ing trades department of the Northern Polytechnic Insti- 
tute in succession to Mr. H. W. Richards, who was recently 
made principal of the London.County Council School of 
Building at Brixton. 
THE debt of s5o0ol. in connection with the University 
College, Bristol, has now been entirely liquidated. Sir 
William H. Wills, Bart., and Sir Frederick Wills, Bart., 
M.P., each contributed 1o0ol. towards the amount required, 
and a further sum of 5ool. has been given by the managers 
a oc Exhibition of Welsh Industries recently held in 
ristol. 
THE governing body of the South-western Polytechnic, 
Chelsea, has accepted with very great regret the resignation 
of the principal, Mr. Herbert Tomlinson; F.R.S. At a 
meeting held on December 16, the following resolution was 
passed :—‘‘ That the governing body hereby desire to record 
their cordial appreciation of the admirable work that Mr. 
Tomlinson as the first. principal has accomplished in 
organising and developing the institute in all its branches.” 
At the Royal United Service Institution Mr. C. E. 
Stromeyer read a paper on short service training for reserve 
officers. It contained a sketch of the German ‘ Einjahrig 
Freiwilliger ’’ system, which, according to the author’s 
views, supplements the ordinary school and university studies 
by a good insight into the human nature of the German 
workman by bringing him and the one year volunteer into 
close contact while serving together in the ranks. German 
technical students are therefore fit at an early age for the 
NO. 1783, VOL. 69] 
posts of submanagers in industrial undertakings, whereas 
English lads fresh from technical colleges are not trusted 
to deal with workmen. The author suggests that the War 
Office should encourage young men from public schools and 
from universities to join the army for a short period. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, December 21.—M. Albert Gaudry 
in the chair.—After the delivery of the annual presidential 
address, the prizes offered for the year 1903 were awarded. 
In geometry, the Francceur prize to M. Emile Lemoine for 
the whole of his work in geometry; the Poncelet prize to 
Prof. M. Hilbert, University of Géttingen, for his works 
on the principles of geometry. In mechanics, the extra- 
ordinary prize of 6000 francs was divided as follows :—one- 
half to M. Maugas, chief engineer in the navy, for his 
researches on the stability of battleships and his works on 
submarine navigation; the other half was divided in equal 
parts between Lieutenants Jehenne, Gaillard, and 
Germain, the first for his work in the application of wire- 
less telegraphy to the navy, the other two for the improve- 
ments they have carried out in apparatus intended for the 
transmission of orders or signals during a battle. The 
Montyon prize was awarded to Prof. Bedin for designing 
and executing a new system of cantilever at the Viaur 
viaduct; the Plumey prize to Prof. Marchis for the free 
courses of instruction in applied mechanics organised by 
him, and more especially for his lessons on steam and heat 
engines. The Fourneyron prize was not awarded. In 
astronomy, the Pierre Guzman prize was not awarded; the 
Lalande prize was awarded to Prof. Campbell, of the Lick 
Observatory, for his investigations in stellar spectroscopy 
and astronomical physics; the Valz prize to M. Borrelly for 
his discoveries of comets; and the G. de Pontécoulant prize, 
intended to encourage researches in celestial mechanics, to 
M. H. Andoyer for his memoirs on the theory of the moon 
and that of the small planets. In physics, the Hébert prize 
was awarded to Dr. E. Goldstein, of the Berlin Observ- 
atory, for his investigations, during thirty years, of electric 
discharges through rarefied gases and the discovery of a 
particular kind of radiation; the Hughes prize fell to M. 
Pierre Picard for the improvements effected in telegraphy, 
improvements which have increased the rapidity of trans- 
mission in submarine cables; the Gaston Planté prize to 
M. Hospitalier for his ondograph. In statistics, the 
Montyon prize was. not awarded, though MM. Loneq, 
de Montessus de Ballore, and Razous each received an 
honourable mention. In chemistry, the Jecker prize was 
given to M. L. Bouveault for his numerous researches in 
organic chemistry during the last seventeen years. | The 
La Caze prize fell to M. A. Guntz for his thermochemical 
investigations on the compounds of fluorine with metalloids 
and with metals. In mineralogy and geology the Delesse 
prize is awarded to M. Emmanuel de Margerie, joint 
author with General de la Noé of ‘‘ Les Formes du Terrain,’’ 
and translator into French of ‘‘ La Face de la Terre,’’ by 
Prof. Suess, of Vienna. In physical geography, M. R. P. 
Colin received the Gay prize for the determination of 
numerous geographical positions in Madagascar. In 
botany, the grand prize of the physical sciences was not 
awarded, nor were the Bordin and Desmaziéres prizes. 
M. Maire was accorded the Montagne prize for his delicate 
researches in connection with the Basidiomycetes. The 
Thore prize was awarded to M. de Istvanff for his work 
upon the diseases of the vine known as ~ white ”’ or ‘‘ red’ 
rot. In rural economy the Bigot de Morogues prize fell to 
M. Eugéne Rister for his well-known ‘‘ Géologie agricole.” 
In anatomy and zoology, M. R. Fourtau is accorded the 
Savigny prize for his memoirs on Egyptian stratigraphy 
and other palzontological subjects, and M. Krempf re- 
ceives an honourable mention. The Countess Maria von 
Linden gained the Da Gama Machado prize for two 
memoirs on the development of the colours in the wings 
of butterflies. In medicine and surgery, Montyon prizes are 
awarded to M. Dominici for his memoirs on the normal 
condition of certain organs, and also when infected; to 
