of Sess es will be preferred to a less Beers omen 
h a greater number. | 
he eves 
THe Janssen: Lockyer medal was presented by the French 
07 ernment to the Academy at its sitting on Monday last week. 
y we hope that some time our Government may have attained 
to that degree of civilisation at which it will be possible for it to 
take official cognizance of additions to our scientific know- 
Pigs? - 
- On Saturday last, Prof. Huxley and the Marquis of Huntly 
were formally nominated for the Lord Rectorship of Aberdeen 
University. The election takes place on Saturday next. 
AT a meeting of the faculty of the College of William and 
Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, held on the 4th November last, 
was unanimously resolved that the degree of Doctor of Laws 
conferred upon Robert Potts, M.A. of Trinity College, Cam- 
dge, England, in recognition of his successful labours as an 
cator and his valuable contributions to geometrical science. 
Tur Ricardo Scholarship in Political Economy has been 
awarded by Professors Cairnes and Courtney to Mr. Sereill. 
They also report that Miss Eliza Orme obtained a sufficient 
‘number of marks to qualify her for the scholarship had she not 
had so powerful a competitor. 
Dr. C. Meymorr Tipy, Professor of Chemistry at the 
London Hospital, has been eiected Medical Officer of Health 
- for Islington, 
WE have received the Prospectus of the Royal Institution, and 
> glad to see that, in its new form, it places first among the 
ef objects for which it is established the promotion of scientific 
literary research, and the teaching of the principles of in- 
“Aig and experimental science. It informs the public of some 
great results which have followed from the experiments 
inal investigations which have been made in its labora- 
such men as Davy, Faraday, Tyndall, and Frankland. 
emical and physical laboratories have been this year re- 
and the liberal and permanent endowment of the professor- 
is now the chief thing wanting to ensure the promotion of 
ientific research. We hope this want may be short-lived. 
‘Tue Christmas lectures at the Royal Institution, intended 
pecially for a juvenile auditory, will be by Prof. Odling, on 
irand Gas. They will be six in number, and will be delivered 
i Dec 28 and 31, and Jan. 2, 4, 7, and 9, 1873. 
Ar the meeting of the National Academy of Science held at 
noridge, Mass., Nov. 22, Prof. Agassiz gave a very interest- 
account of his researches in the /Ziss/er expedition, and espe- 
ally of his discovery of the great South American glacier. He 
nded his rejection of the Darwinian theory of evolution on 
é ground that “his opponents are presenting views on scientific 
inciples which are not even based on real observation ; that 
hey have not shown evolution, or the power of eialiions in 
he present day, and hence are not entitled to assume it in the 
ast.” He further characterised the theory as ‘*a mire of mere 
ssertion.” 
interesting event in the history of American science took 
on Oct. 30, in Philadelphia, on the occasion of laying the 
ner-stone of the new building of the Philadelphia Aca- 
y of Natural Sciences. This institution was founded in 
$12, and has for many years occupied the foremost rank among 
na tural history establishments in America. The Academy since 
it establishment has been the recipient of many benefactions. 
A mong those who have been most conspicuous in this connec- 
1 may be mentioned William M‘Clure and Thomas B. 
ilson. To the latter gentleman is due very much of the 
esent extent of its library and museum. The expense of the 
w building, it is pexected, will amount to $500,000, and it is 
hoped that sufficient funds will be contributed by the liberal- 
minded citizens of Philadelphia to complete the entire structure 
in a comparatively short space of time. The present building 
has long been inadequate to the accommodation of the collections 
of the Academy. According to statements made on the occasion 
referred to, the Academy now possesses more than 6,000 mine- 
rals, 700 rocks, 65,000 fossils, 70,000 species of plants, 1,000 
species of zoophytes, 2,000 species of crustaceans, 5c species 
of myriapods and arachnidians, 25,000 species of insects, 
20,000 species of shell-bearing molluscs, 2,000 species of fishes, 
800 species of reptiles, 21,000 birds, with the nests of 200 and 
the eggs of 1,500 species, 1,000 mammals, and nearly 900 
skeletons and pieces of osteology. Most of the species are are 
presented by four or five specimens, so that, including the 
archeological and ethnological cabinets, space is required now 
for the arrangement of not less than 400,000 objects, as well as 
for the accommodation of a library of more than 22,500 volumes, 
WE are glad to see that the French Government, in its present 
trying circumstances, is not neglecting the interests of Science, 
By a decree of Nov. 25 last an Astronomical Commission has 
been charged with the preparation of a scheme for the organisa- 
tion of the French observatories. The members of the commis- 
sion are MM. Belgrand, Faye, Fizeau, Guillot, Janssen, 
Lespiaut, Le Verrier, Lowy, Puiseux, Rayet, Roche, Charles 
Sainte-Claire Deville, Stéphan, Wolf, Yvon-Villarceau. 
Mr. G. DEVYLDER writes from Ghent to the Photographic 
News in reference to the appointment by the Prussian Govern- 
ment of Dr. Vogel as Professor of Photography at Berlin, which 
we noticed last week, that Dr. Vogel’s appointment is not the 
first in this department. Mr. Devylder has been Professor 
“official” of Photography at ‘‘ L’Ecole Industrielle” of Ghent 
for more than ten years. 
THE session of the Royal Society of Edinburgh was opened 
on December 2, by an address from the President, Sir Robert 
Christison, consisting mainly of the sketches of the lives of 
members of the Society who have- died during the year. The 
Brisbane prize has been awarded by the council to Prof. 
Allman. 
WE learn from the British Medical Fournal that the chair of 
Practice of Medicine, in the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, 
vacant by the resignation of Dr. Benson, has just been filled 
by the election of Dr. James Little, the editor of the Dudlin 
Fournal of Medical Science. The election for the Professorship 
of Surgery, in the room of Dr. William Hargrave, will 
take place on the 24th of this month; Mr. Croly and Mr. 
Stokes are the only candidates at present in the field. It is no 
yet known who will be likely to be Mr. Hargrave’s successor as 
representative of the College of Surgeons on the General 
Medical Council. 
THE Paris correspondent of the same journal writes that the 
medical courses there are now open, and that three or four ladies 
are attending the c/inigwes :—“ they are modest, well-informed, 
and intelligent ladies, and are much respected and kindly re- 
ceived? by the professors ; and our students, turbulent as they 
are, know how to respect those who come among them as 
strangers appealing to their gentlemanly souls, and show a 
better example than your riotous students of Edinburgh.” 
A Meptcat Society for the West Riding of Yorkshire has 
been organised at Leeds, with Dr. Chadwick as president. 
Its’ object is to promote the study of Medicine and Surgery 
among Practitioners by the communication of clinical and 
therapeutical facts, and by the application of pathological 
specimens, and discussions thereon. 
NUMEROUSLY attended meetings have been held at Totnes, 
Newton, Dartmouth, and Yeovil, for the purpose of establishing 
cience and art classes for the instruction of young men. 
