APRIL 22, 1897 | 
NATURE 
587 
and telegrams received by Dr. Dohrn. Amongst others, 
I noticed addresses coming from Munich, Frankfort, St. 
Petersburg, Moscow, Danzig, Turin, the Société Hel- 
vetiques, and the Society of Naturalists in Naples. 
England was represented by a_beautifully-illuminated 
address from the Royal Society, and also by addresses 
from the Marine Biological Association, Plymouth, the 
Cambridge Philosophical Society, and the Board of 
Biology and Geology at Cambridge. 
The speeches themselves, though» very interesting, 
were somewhat lengthy withal. As the audience con- 
sisted mostly of Germans and Italians, the speeches were 
arranged so as to be spoken more or less alternately in 
either language. The proceedings were opened by Prof. 
Todaro, of Rome, who referred at some length to Spal- 
lanzani, who had engaged in marine biological work on 
these very shores. He was followed by Prof. His, who 
gave some account of the history of the Station since its 
foundation. He also read an address signed by nearly 
two thousand naturalists, from almost every country in 
Europe. The next to speak was Prof. Waldeyer, of 
Berlin, who brought an address from the Berlin 
Academy, and who mentioned the fact that he was the 
first student to work at the Station, at a time when the 
resources and equipment were very different from those 
of the present day. He also dilated on the manifold uses, 
in many departments of science, to which a Marine Zoo- 
logical Station can be put. Next came the Syndic of 
Naples, who presented Dr. Dohrn with the freedom of 
the city ; and then Admiral Palumbo, the Under-Secre- 
tary of State, made a short speech. The Minister of 
Public Instruction, who followed, presented Dr. Dohrn 
with an order, the “ Grand ufficiale della corona d’Italia,” 
and brought the congratulations of King Humbert. 
Thus far the proceedings had been very stiff and formal, 
and even solemn in their nature, so the German Am- 
bassador from Rome endeavoured to instil a little humour 
into his speech. In this there was frequent reference to 
the Kaiser, who sent his best wishes, and mentioned his 
interest in science. The Ambassador remarked, also, that 
Italy and Germany, closely connected by political ties, 
had an additional bond of friendship in the Stazione 
Zoologica. 
Then came the speech of the day, from Dr. Dohrn him- 
self. This was, of course, spoken in German, but copies 
of it, printed in Italian, were circulated amongst the 
Italian members of the audience. This admirable and 
highly-interesting speech was of somewhat more than 
half-an-hour’s duration. Dr. Dohrn said that he had him- 
self intended to make this day merely an occasion for 
recalling the memories of persons connected with the 
Station, and also the scope of the Institute ; but his friends 
had desired to celebrate it with more ceremony, and for 
this he begged them to accept his most profound grati- 
tude. He referred in very feeling terms to his father, but 
for whose liberality it would have been impossible to bring 
his enterprise to a successful issue. Biologists, he re- 
marked, continually speak of protoplasm, the basis of all 
things living, the substratum of all animal and vegetable 
life. But there is in man, also, a psychical protoplasm. 
It was this psychical protoplasm in which was originated 
the first idea of the Stazione Zoologica, and this he owed 
to his father. Next to his native forests in Pomerania, 
the strongest passion of his father was for Italy, with its 
ancient culture, with the splendour of its renaissance, 
and its ancient music. 
Dr. Dohrn then offered his grateful thanks to the people 
of Naples for allowing him to found his Station there, his 
especial thanks being due to the late Profs. Paolo Pan- 
ceri and Salvatore Trinchese, of the Naples University. 
It was owing to Panceri’s influence with the municipal 
authorities and the Government that a site for the Station 
was obtained in the v7//a nazionale. His thanks were no 
less due to the Italian Government for their moral and 
NO. 1434, VOL. 55] 
material assistance. Fortunately, also, the Station was 
able to rely upon the tower of strength expressed in the 
words “ Kaiser und Reich.” Thus the Emperor William I. 
presented a considerable gift to the Station ; whilst in the 
early days of its foundation, the time of difficulties, not a 
year passed but that the unfortunate Emperor Frederick 
wished to be informed as to its progress. Similarly, also, 
had the Kaiser William II. shown his sympathies. Also, 
King Victor Emanuel and King Humbert have extended 
their protection to the station. 
Great, also, are the thanks due to the Imperial Govern- 
ment and the German Parliament. In accordance with 
an ancient custom, which comes from England, the 
mother of Parliamentary 7égéze, proposals regarding 
demands on the exchequer may be initiated by the 
Government. On the strength of a petition signed by 
Helmholtz, Virchow and Dubois-Reymond, the German 
Parliament granted a large annual subsidy, which they 
gradually increased to 2000/, a year. 
No less was his gratitude due to his English friends, 
for their help in the grave crisis which attended the Sta- 
tion at its origin. It will be to the lasting glory of the 
Station that it was largely subscribed to by Darwin. 
How great, also, were his (Dr. Dohrn’s) thanks to his 
father for his liberality, and likewise to his father-in-law, 
who allowed him to use his wife’s do¢, which had been 
destined for furnishing their house, to pay debts on the 
Station. But the Station was always provided with 
everything necessary for research, and this appealed 
much more to his wife’s heart than the furnishing of her 
own house. 
It was impossible to thank every one to whom thanks 
were due, but to three corporations—the Academy of 
Sciences of Berlin, the British Association for the Ad- 
vancement of Science, and the Smithsonian Institution of 
Washington—the prosperity of the Station was largely 
due, for their subsidising “tables” at the Station. 
Finally, in the name of the Stazione Zoologica, were 
especial personal thanks due to his collaborators, 
particularly to Dr. Hugo Eisig, the first collaborator with 
him at the Station, and one who threw in his lot with him 
when the actual foundation of the Station was yet but a 
chance. And lastly, to all those who by their presence 
had set a sanction on these festivities, Dr. Dohrn wished 
to offer his most profound thanks for the great honour 
they had done him. : 
This brought the meeting to a close. In the evening 
the guests and members of the staff of the Zoological 
Station were entertained by Dr. Dohrn at dinner, at 
which in allsome sixty people sat down. The speeches 
were again many in number, but were shorter and more 
humorous in nature. H. M. VERNON. 
EDWARD DRINKER COPE. 
HE death of Prof. Cope, of Philadelphia, which took 
place on April 12, has removed the man who, since 
Louis Agassiz, has been the greatest influence in 
American biology. 
Born in Philadelphia on July 28, 1840, he passed from 
the University of Pennsylvania to Heidelberg, where he 
took the degree of Ph.D. in 1864. In that year he was 
appointed Professor of Natural Science in Haverford 
College in his native city, but resigned the post three 
years later, partly by reason of ill-health. During the 
years 1871 to 1873 he joined many geological exploring 
expeditions to Kansas, Wyoming) and Colorado, and 
from 1873 to 1878 he was engaged in field-work with the 
Wheeler Survey of the United States Government. Th 
Hayden Survey also had his services as vertebrate 
palzontologist. The results of his work in connection 
with these Surveys were published by the Government 
in many fine volumes—e.g. “The Vertebrata of the 
