>.q6 



NATURE 



{August 9, 1877 



Importance in the History nf Evolution," and by Prof. Hackel, 

 of Jena, on "The Present Theory of Evolution in its Relations 

 to General Science." 19: Sessions of the sections. 20: 

 General session ; addresses by Prof. Tschermak, of Vienna, on 

 ' ' The Early History of the Earth ; " by Prof. Klebs, of Prague, on 

 " The Changes in Medical Theories during the Last Decade ; " 

 and by Dr. Neumayer, of Hamburg, on "The Relations of 

 Meteorology to Every-day Life." Afternoon : Visits to the 

 scientific collections. Evening;: " Kellerfest." 21 ; Sessions 

 of the sections. Z2 : Addresses by Dr. Ave Lallemant, of 

 Liibeck, on " Animal Life on the Amazon ; " by Prof. Giinther, 

 of Ansbach, on " The Latest Researches in the Mathematico- 

 Historical Department;" and by Prof. Virchow, of Berlin. 

 Expedition to the Stornbiirger See. 



The forty-fifth annual meeting of the British Medical Associa- 

 tionwas opened on Tuesdayat Manchester. A general meetingwas 

 held in the concert-hall, when the president. Dr. de Bartolome, 

 of Sheffield, delivered an address. Dr. Wilkinson, of Man- 

 chester, was elected president for the ensuing year. In the 

 evening a reception by the president of the Association and 

 the Senate and Council of Owens College took place at that 

 institution. 



The annual congress of the Royal Archceological Society of 

 Great Britain and Ireland was opened at Hereford on Tuesday. 

 After a public reception in the library and the presentation of a 

 congratulatory address, the Bishop of Hereford, the local presi- 

 dent, formally opened the proceedings. Sir Gilbert Scott deli- 

 vered a lecture on the cathedral, and afterwards, in the ca'hedral 

 itself, a historical and architectural description of the fabric. 

 On the same day the annual meeting of the Cambrian Archaeo- 

 logical Association w.is opened at Carnarvon, under the prssi- 

 dency of Lord Clarence Paget. The inaugural address was 

 delivered Ijy Prof. Babbington, who dwelt on the great advance 

 of archaeological science in North and South Wales. The 

 Bishop of St. Asaph was elected president for the ensuing year, 

 and the Hon. J. G. Wynn, hon. secretary for North Wales. 



As we announced some weeks ago, the fifth periodical inter- 

 national Congress of the Medical Sciences takes place in Geneva 

 on the 9th to the 15th September proximo. Among other sub- 

 jects to be treated, we note : — Influence of alcohol on mental 

 disease, influence of immigration from the country to towns, 

 tuberculosis on the mountains and the Mediterranean coast, 

 physical characters of the electric discharge of the torpedo, 

 cerebral localisations, cause of sleep, functions of the spleen, , 

 physiological antagonism. 



' The German Anthropological Society holds its eighth annual 

 congress at Constance on September 26. 



The death is announced of Mr. Robert Were Fox, F.R.S., 

 of Falmouth, in his eighty-eighth year. Mr. Fox is known as 

 the author of various observations, especially in connection with 

 geology and mining. Early in the century he made important 

 observations on the ratio of the decrease of temperature in the 

 earth, and at a later period published various papers in con- 

 nection with magnetism and electricity. Mr. Fox was widely 

 known among men of science, and universally respected. 



The honour of knighthood is to be conferred on Vice-Admiral 

 Erasmus Ommanney, C.B., F.R.S., Vice-Admiral Edward 

 Augustus Inglefield, C.B., F.R.S., and Rear-Admiral George 

 Henry Richards, C.B., F.K.S., the late Hydrographer to the 

 Admiralty. 



A NUMBER of German scientific men have united to form a 

 committee for the purpose of collecting a sufiicient sura to erect 

 a statue qf the lately deceased botailist, Alexander Broun. 



In the House of Commons, on Tuesday, Mr. A. Egerton 

 stated that the papers relating to the transit of Venus were in 

 the hands of the printers, and he hoped that it would not be 

 very long before they were in the hands of members. 



In connection with Capt. Howgate's proposed polar colony, a 

 preliminary expedition in the U.S. schooner Florence was to 

 start from New London on July 25, under the command of Capt. 

 Tyson, of the Polaris. The object of the expedition is to engage 

 a dozen Esquimaux families to be conveyed to Robeson Straits 

 by the colonial expedition, to purchase dogs, native sledges, and 

 a supply of clothing. The place of meeting appointed is Disco, 

 where the colonists from America, it is hoped, will arrive early 

 next spring. 



A LETTER has been received by Dr. G. Bennett (now in 

 London) from Signor D'Albertis, dated Somerset, Northern 

 Australia, May, 2, 1 877, in which he says, " I am ready to start 

 for the Fly River, New Guinea, and intend to leave in the steam 

 launch Neiia to-morrow morning, if the weather is fine. My 

 crew consists of five Chinese, three South Sea Islanders, and an 

 engineer. I shall write to you whenever I have an opportunity." 



F'rom July I to July 14 a Dutch pilot schooner, which was 

 fitted out for the purpose, made a short cruise through the 

 North Sea, having on board five gentlemen, all members of 

 the Netherlands Zoological Society, who completed a series 01 

 about forty dredgings in different localities. Heligoland was 

 the farthest point reached in a northern and eastern direction. 

 There seems to be good reason to be satisfied with the results 

 which at this moment are being worked out at the Zoological 

 Summer Station erected at Flushing for the season of 1S77. 

 That youthful establishment was represented on board by three 

 of its committee members, Drs. Horst, Hoek, and Hubrecht. 

 The vessel had been put at their disposal by government. 



There will be arranged at Havre on the occasion of the 

 forthcoming session of the French Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, an Archajological and Geological Exhibition 

 of Normandy. It will be divided into six'sections, one of them 

 relating exclusively to prehistoric ages. 



Dr. Sachs, who was sent to Venezuela by the Berlin Academy 

 of Sciences, for the purpose of studying the electric eel in its 

 native haunts, and whose progress we have already chronicled, 

 has now returned, after an absence of ten months, with a rich 

 store of valuable observations, which will shortly be laid before 

 the academy. 



Prof. Fredrick Wahlgren, who has occupied the chair of 

 zoology for twenty years in the University of Lund, died during 

 the past month in his fifty-eighth year. 



The Dutch Geographical Society has received a report from 

 the expedition recently sent out to explore Sumattra. One 

 division left Padary in the middle of May for the mountainous 

 centre of the island. They have successfully penetrated into 

 these hitherto unknown regions, and describe them as of sur- 

 jiassing grandeur. The mountain sides are clothed to tlie very 

 top with a most luxuriant forest growth, almost impenetrable to 

 the sun's rays. The inhabitants consist of a few utterly degraded 

 Malays gathered together in wretched villages. The health of 

 the expedition is excellent. 



Petermann's Mitiheilungen for August, contains an im- 

 portant article, with map, by Dr. .Schunke, on the navigable 

 water-ways of Germany, with special reference to the canals. 

 Dr. Polakowsky's paper on the vegetation of Costa Rica is 

 continued, and accompanying a large-scale chart is an account 

 of the examination of the mouth of the Congo by Commander 

 Medlicott and Lieut. Flood in 1S75. Nearly one half of the 

 number is occupied with Behm's monthly rcsuinl of Geographical 



