After pursuing scientific studies 
NovEMBER 13, 1913] 
' gentleman, Lawrence Edward Grace Oates, Captain 
in the Inniskilling Dragoons. Born March 17, 1880. 
Died March 17, 1912. On the return journey from 
the South Pole of the Scott Antarctic Expedition, 
when all were beset by hardship, he, being gravely 
injured, went out into the blizzard to die, in the hope 
that by so doing he might enable his comrades to 
reach safety. This tablet is placed here in affectionate 
remembrance by his brother officers. A.D, 1913.”" 
Tue death is announced, at the age of seventy- 
seven, of Dr. J. P. Kimball, of Cody, Wyoming. 
in America and 
Germany, he was appointed geologist on the Wis- 
consin and Illinois State Surveys. He was occupy- 
ing the chair of chemistry and economic geology in 
the New York Agricultural College when the Civil 
War broke out. He took part in that conflict as 
captain and assistant adjutant-general, and at the 
end of the war was breveted major for ‘‘ gallant and 
meritorious services’? in the Wilderness campaign. 
He then engaged in mining practice for several years. 
From 1874 to 1885 he was honorary professor of 
geology at Lehigh University, and from 1885 to 1888 
he was director of the Mint at Washington. His later 
years were spent in the west, where he did consider- 
able pioneer work upon the glaciers and mining fields, 
and contributed largely to American and foreign 
technical journals. 
Ir is announced that the Postmaster-General has 
appointed a committee to consider how far and by 
what methods the State should make provision for 
research work in the science of wireless telegraphy, 
and whether any organisation which may be estab- 
lished should include problems connected with 
ordinary telegraphy and telephony. The names of 
the members of the committee are as follows :—The 
Right Hon. C. E. H. Hobhouse, M.P. (chairman), 
the Right Hor. Lord Parker of Waddington, Sir 
Joseph Larmor, M.P., F.R.S., Sir Henry Norman, 
M.P., Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, F.R.S., Mr. W. Dud- 
dell, F.R.S., Mr. R. Wilkins, C.B., Rear-Admiral 
E. F. B. Charlton, R.N., Sir Alexander King, K.C.B., 
Mr. W. Slingo, Commander F. Loring, R.N., Major 
the Hon. H. C. Guest, M.P., and Commander J. K. 
Im Thurn, R.N. 
TueE Royal Society of Arts will commence its 160th 
session on November 19 with an address by the chair- 
man of the council, Col. Sir Thomas H. Holdich. 
Before Christmas there will be four meetings, besides 
the opening meeting. The first of these will be 
devoted to a paper by Dr. Chalmers Mitchell, on 
zoological gardens; the second to a paper by Mr. 
John Umney, on perfumery. At the third, Mr. 
Thorne Baker will read a paper on applications of 
electricity to agriculture, and at the last meeting 
before Christmas, the question of the Channel Tunnel 
will be brought forward by Mr. Arthur Fell, M.P. 
There will be five courses of Cantor lectures. The 
first, by Prof. Coker, on the measurement of strains 
in materials and structure, will comprise, amongst 
other matters, the results of his own investigations 
into the application of polarised light to the measure- 
ment of stresses. The second course will be by Sir 
NO. 2298, VOL. 92] 
NATURE 
325 
| Charles Waldstein, who will deal generally with the 
subject of industrial art; the third by Mr. Joseph 
Pennell on artistic lithography. The subject of the 
fourth course will be announced later. The last will 
be by Mr. William Burton on recent developments 
in the ceramic industry. A course of juvenile lectures 
to be delivered as usual during the Christmas holi- 
days will be given by Mr. Howgrave Graham, and 
will deal in a popular way with the subject of wire- 
less telegraphy. 
At the meeting ci the Royal Geographical Society 
the medals awarded by the society and by the Italian 
Geographical Society to officers and men who took 
part in Capt. Scott’s Antarctic Expedition of 1910-13 
and to relations of those who lost their lives in the 
expedition were presented. The Italian Ambassador 
presented to Lady Scott the gold Humbert medal 
which bore the inscription:—‘‘Alla memoria di 
Robert F. Scott, R.N, Giunto Secundo al Polo 
Australe Suggella Colla Morte La Veritd della 
Scoperta, 1913." The replicas in silver bore an in- 
scription in Italian to the memory of Capt. Scott’s 
“companions in glory and martyrdom,’ and were 
presented to Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Oates, and Mrs. 
Bowers. The widow of Petty Officer Evans was not 
present, and the medal is to be sent to her. Lord 
Curzon, president of the society, presented the society’s 
special Antarctic medal to the ladies and to Com- 
mander Pennell, R.N., Commander Bruce, R.N.R., 
Staff-Paymaster Drake, R.N., Lieut. Renwick, R.N., 
Surgeon L, Atkinson, R.N., Surgeon Levick, and to 
the following members of the scientific staff :—Mr. 
Griffith Taylor, Mr. Frank Debenham, Mr. Charles 
Wright, Mr. Raymond Priestley, and Mr. Apsley 
Cherry-Garrard. Commander V. Campbell was not 
present, and the medal is to be sent to him. The 
medal has on the obverse the inscription :—‘ British 
Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13. Captain R. F. Scott, 
C.V.O., R.N., Commander,” and on the reverse :— 
‘Presented by the Royal Geographical Society for the 
Antarctic Discovery, 1913.” 
AN interesting paper was read at the Royal Geo- 
graphical Society on Monday, November 10, by Mr. 
Raymond Priestley, on the experiences of the northern 
party during Capt. Scott’s last Antarctic Expedition. 
This party had been organised under the command 
of Lieut. Campbell in order to explore King Edward’s 
Land, which it was unfortunately unable to reach 
owing to the heavy pack-ice. It accordingly adopted 
the alternative mission entrusted to it by Capt. Scott, 
and landed at Cape Adare. It thus became the 
northern party. As its supply of mutton was con- 
demned immediately after landing at Cape Adare, the 
party was compelled to rely for meat on seals and 
penguins—an experience which possibly saved them 
the following winter. The hope of a long sledge 
journey to the west was frustrated by the bad condi- 
tion of the sea ice, and the party therefore undertook 
a detailed survey of Robertson Bay. In January, 
1912, the Terra Nova returned from New Zealand 
and transferred the party to the neighbourhood of 
the. Drygalski glacier, and there the six. members 
were landed with only stores for the summer. This 
