Oct. 6, 1881] 



NATURE 



539 



sales or exchanges amongst the members. Some of these 

 old societies still flourish in undiminished vigour, unaf- 

 fected by the changes which have passed over the 

 country and altered all around them. Amongst these are 

 the Ko-biitsii-slta, or Antiquarian Society, the Numismatic 

 Society, the Association of tr^-players, and many of the 

 old assemblies for literary and poetical contests. But the 

 new era has been productive of societies of a more scien- 

 tific kind, based on the models of learned associations in 

 Europe and America. Founded by students fresh from 

 abroad, they have received the support of men of wealth 

 and eminence, and, judging from the experience of the 

 past few years, they seem in a fair way to attain perma- 

 nent success. 



The most important of these associations is the Geo- 

 graphical Society of Tokio, which now numbers about 

 200 members. The subscriptions, which are very small, 

 are largely increased by donations from the wealthy mem- 

 bers. It is under the patronage of several of the imperial 

 princes, and among its members are the chief personages 

 of the Empire. The Transactions are neatly printed in 

 small pamphlets of about 100 pages each, and contain 

 much matter which would be valuable even to European 

 geographers. With the exception of China, Japan is the 

 only foreign country having intercourse with Corea. Our 

 information respecting this peninsular kingdom is limited 

 to the imperfect accounts of the Jesuit priests ; but the 

 Japanese Geographical Society has already had several 

 interesting and important papers on the subject from its 

 members. The difficulties of the language seriously re- 

 strict the circulation of these and other papers, but we 

 believe the Committee are contemplating the publication 

 of translations of their Tratisactions. 



During his too brief stay in Japan as occupant of the 

 Chair of Zoology in the University of Tokio, Prof. Morse 

 of Salem, Massachusetts, was instrumental in establish- 

 ing a Biological Society which attracted much attention. 

 It is now being conducted successfully by Prof. Vatabe, a 

 Japanese gentleman educated in the United States. 



Another association, which is, we believe, unique among 

 the societies of the world, is the Kojunsha, or Society 

 for the Circulation of Knowledge. Its head-quarters are 

 at Tokio, but there are branches in every town of impor- 

 tance in the Empire. It possesses a secretary and staff 

 of clerks, and a member desiring to obtain information on 

 any subject applies to the secretary. The latter has on 

 his books the names of all the members likely to be able 

 to satisfy the applicant, and immediately transmits the 

 question to them. The answers are forwarded in due 

 course to the inquirer, and should the subject be deemed 

 by the Committee of sufficient general importance, the 

 whole is printed in the weekly Joiivnal of the Society. 

 The pains which are taken to obtain satisfactory replies 

 to queries are, we can vouch from personal experience, 

 almost incredible. It is not surprising to learn that this 

 Society has nearly 3000 members scattered throughout 

 the Empire, and even in Europe and America. As a 

 device for bringing together the active and inquiring 

 minds of the country, it is almost unecjualled. The sub- 

 scription, which includes the use of reading-rooms and 

 the numbers of the Journal, is about half-a-crown per 

 month. 



The Numismatic Society, to which we have already 

 referred, is also very active. It publishes a periodical 

 describing new and strange coins that have been exhi- 

 bited at its meetings, and supplies other information 

 interesting to collectors. 



We need not refer here to the English and German 

 Asiatic Societies founded in Yokohama and Tokio. They 

 are under the control of foreign residents, their papers 

 are in a foreign tongue, and, although their work has 

 been most valuable, they are outside the scope of the 

 present article. Nor need we give more than a passing 

 reference to the innumerable political societies which have 



sprung up like mushrooms in all parts of the country 

 during the past few years. If the objects of the pro- 

 moters of these organisations were less palpably selfish, 

 and more in accordance with their high-sounding titles, 

 they would be very important instruments in the educa- 

 tion of the people. 



But we cannot pass over the latest scientific association 

 of Japan. The Seismological Society, as its name indi- 

 cates, is founded for the purpose of investigating vol- 

 canic and earthquake phenomena of all kinds. Japan is 

 particularly well situated for this object. There are 

 numerous active and extinct volcanoes throughout the 

 island. Mild earthquakes are of very frequent occurrence, 

 so that the student has not, on the one hand, to wait 

 months for his subject, as in most parts of Europe, or, 

 on the other, to run for his life when it does come, as in 

 South America, This society was founded chictly through 

 the energy of its vice-president, i\Ir. Milne, professor of 

 geology in the Engineering College at Tokio, who has 

 long made seismic phenomena a special study. A Japa- 

 nese, Mr. Hattori, himself a student of the subject, is 

 President of the Association, which numbers many 

 foreigners amongst its members. The Central Govern- 

 ment have throughout taken a warm interest in the 

 success of the Society, and have, we believe, placed 

 the telegraph lines at its disposal, and ordered the local 

 officials all over the country to report all occurrences 

 connected with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in 

 their districts. A few months since, under the auspices 

 of the Society, an exhibition of seismological instruments 

 of various kinds — one of them as ancient as A.D. 126 — 

 took place in Tokio. The number of visitors in one day to 

 the rooms was over 2000, a fact which attests the interest 

 taken in this study by the Japanese. The Transactions 

 of the Society are published in English in the Japan 

 Gazette newspaper of Yokohama. 



The army, navy, and other professions have their own 

 societies and newspapers, very much as in England. 

 One of the most curious of these class or trade journals 

 is the dancing-girls' paper, containing portraits and 

 biographies of the chief danseuscs. We have not advanced 

 so far yet in England as to have an organ-grinders' 

 gazette ! 



On the whole it must be pronounced that the outlook 

 for the propagation of scientific knowledge in Japan is 

 hopeful ; and there seems no-reason to fear that science 

 will sufl'er greatly after the approaching and inevitable 

 departure of all foreign instructors in the country. They 

 will leave behind men who, although possibly not such 

 efficient teachers, are animated by all the thirst for 

 knowledge that animates the bulk of scientific men in 

 western lands. 



NOTES 

 Dr. C. W. Siemens has received from the French Govern- 

 ment a frmal document nominating him "Officierde I'lnstruction 

 Publique," the nomination being accompanied by the insignia of 

 the order, v\hich corresponds, we believe, to the Prussian order 

 "Pour le Merite." 



It is proposed to open an International Electrical Exhibition 

 at the Ci-ystal Palace in December. 



The anatomical depai tment of Edinburgh University has lost 

 a valuable servant in the death, at the age of seventy, of Mr. A. 

 B. Stirling, the assistant conservator of the Anatomical Museum. 

 He was born in 1811 at Milngavie, Stirlingshire, where his fathej- 

 was a shoemaker. Stirling early evinced a decided liking for 

 natural history studies ; he was a born natm■ali^t. His love of 

 natural histoiy brought him into contact with the late Prof. John 

 Reid and Dr. Adamson of St. Andrews, -who employed him to 



