2l6 



NA TURE 



[ytily 12, 1877 



The German Astronomical Society, as it is generally called, 

 but really the International Astronomical Society, meets this 

 year at Stockholm, from August 30 to September i. 



Now that the British Association meeting is again at hand, 

 perhaps we may be permitted to urge upon the authorities the 

 necessity for introducing some improvement in the daily pro- 

 gramme published during the session. Last year (vol. xiv., 

 p. 463) we noticed the handsome, full, carefully-arranged 

 programme daily published by the American Association, and 

 we have before us the Tageblatt of last year's meeting at 

 Hamburg of the German Naturalists and Physicians. This is a 

 quarto publication, each day's issue averaging twenty pages, and 

 containing such important and detailed information that it is 

 well worth binding and preserving. The rules of the Asso- 

 ciation are given in the first issue, a list of members with 

 their addresses is given daily until complete, the arrange- 

 ments for the meetings of sections and general meetings are 

 clearly tabulated, a well-arranged general programme and list of 

 all papers to be read each day are given,' all information as to 

 excursions, places to be visited, entertainments (including 

 theatres), advertisements likely to appeal to members, summaries 

 of each day's proceedings in the various sections, general meetings, 

 dinners, &c. ; in short every kind of information^ likely to make 

 the proceedings be carried on with perfect smoothness and give 

 the members the minimum of trouble and worry. Appended is 

 a supplement of 180 pages containing reports of lectures given 

 at general meetings and in connection with the various sections. 

 All this contrasts strongly with the shabby tract-like programme 

 issued during the meetings of the British Association ; if the 

 expense is an obstacle we are quite sure no member would object 

 to a small charge if he could only be assured of obtaining each 

 morning a well-printed journal on a scale similar to that of either 

 the American or the German Association. 



At the Congress on Domestic Economy to be held at 

 Birmingham on the 17th, i8th, and 19th instant, under the 

 presidency of Lord Leigh, Prof. Huxley will read a paper on 

 tlementary Instruction to Children in Physiology, Mr. W. S. 

 Mitchell one on the Practical Use of the Food Collection of the 

 Science and Art Department, and Captain Gallon on Warming 

 and Ventilation. Many other papers bearing on the subject of 

 the Congress will be read, and an exhibition will be organised. 



Many of our biological readers will be glad to know that Dr. 

 George Bennett, F.Z.S., of Sydney, has arrived in this country, 

 and that any communications directed to the office of the 

 Zoological Society, i l.jHanover Square, will be forwarded to him. 



The Portuguese African Exploring Expedition left Lisbon for 

 Loanda on the 7th inst. 



Mr. Richard S. Floyu, one of the trustees of the Lick 

 Califorman estate, has been for a year past iu Europe, investi- 

 gating the comparative merits of reflectors and refracting lenses, 

 for the great telescope. We are told by the Nciv York Tribune, 

 for various reasons, which he gives in detail, he decides against 

 a large reliector, one point being that even if the extreme nicety 

 of adjustment which tie reflector requires could be attained in 

 the new observatory, it would be liable to derangement in the 

 high winds of a mountainous position. If a refractor is decided 

 upon, estimates should be asked, Mr. Floyd says, from 

 Cooke and Sons, of York, from Alvan Clark and Sons, and 

 from Howard Giubb. He reports that the reputation of Clark's 

 refractors and (irubb's, from all he can learn abioad, is about 

 equal. The story of Mr. Lick's millions had preceded Mr. 

 r'loyd, and he has found it dfticult to bring down the estimates 

 of European opticians to the basis of ordinary business profit. 



In the debate on the education estimates, on Tuesday night. 

 Sir John Lubbock, speaking on the extra subjects which had been 

 made compulsory, said he doubted whether under any circum- 



stances it would be desirable thus to stereotype one form of 

 education for the whole of England ; but surely we ought not 

 to do so unless we were very clear as to what is the best system. 

 There was, however, very great difference of opinion on this 

 head. The first authority to which he would refer was that of 

 a committee of that House. It was presided over by his hon. 

 friend the member for Banbury, and after careful inquiry they 

 reported thai in their opinion "elementary instruction in the 

 phenomena of nature should be given in elementary schools." 

 The next authority which he would quote was the Royal Com- 

 mission, presided over by the Duke of Devonshire, which 

 unanimously recommended that more substantial encouragement 

 should be given to the teaching of the rudiments of science in 

 our elementary schools. In Scotland, too, great dissatisfaction 

 was felt with the present system. At the last conference of 

 elementary teachers, held in London, which was very nume- 

 rously attended, it was resolved that the system of payment 

 " embodied in the Code is unsound in principle and injurious 

 to the progress of true education." The inspectors of schools 

 differed greatly as to the most suitable subjects. Even in regard 

 to geography they were nut unanimous. It was said as a subject 

 to lend itself very much to " cram." One of the inspectors gave 

 in support some very amusing answers. For instance, in answer 

 to a question of "What are mountains and rivers?" one girl 

 replied that." Mountains in some parts of the world are very 

 useful. In Africa, for instance, they shoot out gold." Of rivers 

 she had not so favourable an opinion, though she thought " they 

 were all very well in some countries where there was very little 

 rain." He confessed, however, that he thought geography a 

 very good subject, though he was not convinced that it ought to 

 be continued during the whole course to the exclusion of other 

 subjects. The mere skeleton of history taught in our elementary 

 schools contained, little more than dates, wars, and murders ; 

 but dates and crimes no more constituted the history of a nation 

 than sinews and bones .made a man. Men of science must be 

 grateful to Sir John Lubbock for so constantly urging upon 

 Government the importance of scientific education. 



The first practical response to the proposal for the establish- 

 ment of a colonial museum in London has come from the Legis- 

 lalive Council of Ceylon, which has voted as its contribution a 

 sum of 15,000/., to be paid in three annual instalments. The 

 Council of the Colonial Institution is about to issue another 

 circular on the subject to the colonial Governments. 



At the last sitting of the French Geographical Society, 

 excellent news was received from M. de Brazza, the French 

 explorer of the Ogove. He reached a distance of 250 miles 

 beyond the place where M. de Compiegne was obliged to retreat 

 hastily to save his life. He finds that Ogove does not bend 

 towards the Zaire. If its course does not change further up, both 

 streams may belong to a single system. It was reported, also, 

 that M. Say, a French officer in the National Marine, had 

 reached the Hoggar, in Central Africa, but the news requires 

 confirmation. 



The Bulhiin of the Palis Geographical Society for April (just 

 issued) is mainly occupied with a long and elaborate review of 

 the geographical work of the year 1876, by M. Ch. Maunoir. 

 M. de Bizemont discusses some of the observations for latitude 

 obtained by M. de Brazza during his exploration of the Ogove. 

 Ill conntction therewith M. de Bizemont gives a list of the 

 instruments which he considers most useful to explorers in new 

 countries. 



Among the papers in this month's part of Petermann's 

 MUthiiluni>eii is one on the Cartography of the Philadelphia 

 Exhibition ; Dr. Giissfeldt contributes an important paper on the 

 exploration, by himself and Dr. Schweinfurth, of that part of 

 the Arabian desert between the Nile and the Gulf of Suez ; and 

 Dr. Kadde a paper on the plain of the Upper Euphrates. Dr. 



