OcrToBER 12, 1899] 
in various parts of India, and the appointment of health officers 
to the charge of them. The present laboratory at Muktesar 
will, it is understood, be further developed, and the staff in- 
creased, the establishment becoming the central research labor- 
atory for India, and health officers will be appointed to the 
charge of laboratories at Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Agra and 
Lahore, the new department of bacteriology being ordinarily 
manned by officers of the Indian Medical Service. 
Dr. Cart PETERS has, it is stated by Reuter, left Portuguese 
territory and crossed into Mashonaland. Part of his expedition 
has, however, been left in the neighbourhood of the ancient 
ruins re-discovered by him near the Zambesi. Dr. Peters’ 
intention is reported to be the establishment of a permanent 
station on the Inyanga Highlands, and to explore from that 
point the whole of Mashonaland from north to south. The 
explorer claims to have discovered mica, saltpetre and diamonds 
ina district practically uninhabited, at an altitude of 8000 feet, 
and, he believes, easily capable of cultivation, As the rainy 
season is now setting in Dr. Peters will, after exploring some 
districts on the Pungwe River, proceed to Beira 22 route for 
England. 
WE regret to have to record'the death, at the age of fifty- 
eight, of Mr. John Donaldson, a partner of the engineering firm 
of Thornycroft, which took place last week. Mr. Donaldson 
had much to do with the introduction of fast torpedo boats into 
the British Navy, and was a great believer in his firm’s water- 
tube boiler. He was a member of the Institution of Civil 
Engineers, the Institution of Naval Architects and the Institu- 
tion of Mechanical Engineers. 
Science announces the death, at*the age of eighty-four, of Chief 
Justice C. P. Daly, who for many years took a deep interest in 
scientific matters, particularly in the branches of geography and 
botany. Mr. Daly was for thirty-six years president of the 
American Geographical Society, and was largely instrumental in 
founding the Society’s extensive library, and in securing the 
endowment of its new building. He also rendered good service 
to the Botanical Garden of New York, and:was one of its 
managers. 
MONUMENTS in memory of Siemens and Krupp will be un- 
veiled at Charlottenburg on the 19th inst,, the occasion being 
the centenary of the Technical Institute of that town. 
Ir having been decided by a number of friends and pupils of 
the late Dr. Friedel to place a bust and enlarged photograph of 
him in the hall of the Sorbonne, a circular asking for subscrip- 
tions has been distributed. The bust will be the work of M. 
Uitain, who executed that of Schutzenberger, and is estimated 
to cost 3000 francs. Subscriptions should be sent to M. Chason, 
at the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, 
the Sorbonne. 
THE highest observatory in Germany is now completed. It 
is situated on the Schnee Koppe, the highest summit of the 
Silesian Mountains, at an elevation of 5216 feet. It will be 
managed as an institution of the Prussian State. 
Mr. W. D. Hunter, special agent of the Division of 
Entomology, Department of Agriculture, has, says Sczence, 
returned to Washington, after having studied the Turtle Moun- 
tain region in North Dakota and Manitoba, supposed to be a 
permanent breeding-ground of the Rocky Mountain locust. 
This, it is reported, he found not to be the case, and he thinks 
that the probable breeding-ground is the Assiniboine River, 
north and east of Regina, a region that will be investigated 
next season, 
ACCORDING to Mature Notes, a circular has just been issued 
to all Catholic missionaries by the Sacred Congregation of the 
NO. 1563, VOL. 60] 
NATURE 
575 
Propagation of the Faith, urging them to use such opportunities 
as the locality of their mission work affords for the collection of 
natural history specimens, to be given to scientific societies and 
institutions. The intention, it is asserted, is not only to interest 
and encourage such missionaries as are keen naturalists, but also 
to remove the reproach so commonly held that the Church does 
not look with favour upon science, and especially biological 
science, 
THERE being much difference of opinion as to the kind of 
ration best adapted for soldiers and sailors in tropical climates, 
a prize of 100 dollars, or a medal of that value, as the 
successful competitor may select, has, says the New York cor- 
respondent of the Zavce/, been offered by Dr. Louis L. Seaman 
for the best thesis on the subject, viz. ‘‘ The Ideal Ration for an 
Army in the Tropics.” The competition is open to all com- 
missioned medical officers of the U.S. army and navy, regular 
and volunteer. The prize is offered through the ‘* Military 
Service Institution of the United States.” The executive 
council of that body has decided that all papers should be sub- 
mitted by March 1, 1900. 
THE joint committee of the Glamorgan County Council and 
Cardiff Corporation invite applications for the post of bacterio- 
logist and lecturer, to work under the direction of the medical 
officers of health of the borough and county. Full particulars 
as to the duties and emoluments of the office will be found in 
our advertisement columns. 
Tue American Mathematical Society, which was established 
on its present basis so recently as 1894, appears to be in a 
flourishing condition. Its membership is now over three 
hundred, and at its recent summer meeting, held at Columbus, 
Ohio, simultaneously with that of the American Association, 
no fewer than twenty-four papers were read. 
In the address delivered at the opening of the winter session 
of the Jenner Institute of Preventive Medicine, on Monday last, 
Dr. Macfadyen gave an account of the institute and its work. 
In the course of his remarks he said the Anti-toxin Department 
was engaged in preparing various therapeutic serums, notably 
the anti-diphtheritic serum, as well as in research in sthis im- 
portant field of work. The primary object of the institute was 
research, but facilities were afforded for post-graduate instruc- 
tion in preventive medicine and bacteriology. The students 
had come from all parts of the world, and a considerable 
amount of original work had been done by those trained in the 
laboratories. Investigations were at present being made at the 
institute with reference to the possible cure or prevention of 
typhoid fever, tuberculosis and other diseases. The diagnosis 
of infectious diseases was constantly being carried out for the 
main parishes of London, as well as the investigation of ques- 
tions affecting the public health on behalf of sanitary authorities. 
The chemical and State medicine laboratories would find much 
to do in connection with water, sewage, food, poisons, &c. A 
notable addition had been made to the resources of the institute 
in the Hansen Laboratory for the study of the practical applica- 
tion of bacteriology to industrial and technical processes, and 
the most important results might be anticipated in the future 
from this branch of investigation. 
Tue New York Zéectrical Review gives particulars of a 
recently invented electrical and chemical fire-alarm apparatus, 
which gives its indications when the atmosphere becomes so 
vitiated with smoke that it will not support the combustion 
of a gas flame. In the interior of the apparatus a small gas 
flame constantly warms a thermostatic bar, the electric circuit 
through the apparatus being normally open as long as the 
flame holds out to burn. If the air in the apartment in which 
the apparatus is installed becomes vitiated with smoke, the little 
