404 
NATURE 
[Sepz. 18, 1873 
It is evident that the decision upon these new propo- 
sitions must be left entirely to the governments interested. 
At any rate, the discussion of the Austrian propositions 
appear to be quite beyond the powers of either the French 
Section or the Permanent Committee, who are in no way 
authorised to re-open questions which, so far as the action 
of the Commission is concerned, have already been una- 
nimously decided at the full meeting of the Commission. 
Meanwhile, the specific work of the Commission must be 
proceeded with, and the approaching meeting at Paris 
will enable the final decisions to be made, which alone are 
now required for beginning the construction of the new 
Standards, H. W. CHISHOLM 
NOTES 
Aw election will be held on Thursday, October 30, to two 
fellowships in connection with Merton College, Oxford. The 
examination for one of these fellowships will be in mathematics, 
for the other in physical science. The election to the physical 
science fellowship will be decided with respect to proficiency in 
physics, but candidates will have an opportunity of showing a 
knowledge of chemistry as supplementary to physics. The ex- 
amination in both these subjects will be partly practical, partly 
by papers, and will be held in common with Magdalen College. 
A lectureship in physics, tenable for three years, in Trinity 
College, of 200/. per annum, will be offered to the Fellow to be 
elected. The examination for the two fellowships will commence 
on Tuesday, October 7, at 9 A.M., in the Merton College Hall. 
Candidates are required to call on the Warden on Tuesday, 
October 7, between 4 and 5 P.M, 
Tue Openiug Address of this session of the St. Thomas 
Charterhouse Teachers’ Science Classes will be delivered by Mr. 
F. C, Buckmaster on Saturday morning, the 2oth inst., at 10.30. 
The chair will be taken by Sir J. Bennett, and a deputation from 
the Science Department of South Kensington will attend. 
Last year this undertaking met with signal success: above 200 
teachers of primary schools availed themselves of the privi- 
leges offered by the institution. Many of the late students are 
now qualified to give instruction in elementary science. The 
movement is likely to do an immense amount of good in the way 
of making the teaching of elementary science common amongst 
the masses. During the recess about 250/. has been expended 
in fitting up a chemical laboratory and purchasing scientific 
apparatus ; this, together with the engagement of an additional 
number of lecturers, it is thought will again secure a large number 
students, 
WE understand that the bryological books and exceedingly 
rich and important collections and preparations of mosses left 
hy the late Prof. Sullivant, whose death we recorded last week, 
are consigned to the Grey Herbarium of Harvard University, 
with a view to their preservation and long continued usefulness, 
The remainder of his botanical library, his choice microscopes, 
and other collections are bequeathed to the State Scientific and 
Agricultural College just established at Columbus. 
THE American Naturalist for August records the death of 
four contributors to that journal, all more or less known as work- 
ing naturalists :—Prof, John Lewis Russell, of Salem, one of 
the founders, and for many years president of the Essex County 
(Massachusetts) Natural History Society, which afterwards be- 
came part of the Essex Institute, an active worker in botany ; 
Mr. George Gibbs, of New Haven, the distinguished American 
ethnologist and philologist, whose special work had been in the 
language and history of the North American Indians ; Col. John 
W. Foster, president of the Chicago Academy of Science, a 
constant contributor of papers and memoirs on geological and 
archeological subjects, and joint author with Prof. Whitney of 
the Government Report on the Mineral Lands of Lake Superior, 
published in 1850; and Prof. Henry James Clark, of Amherst, 
one of the most thorough histologists and best microscopists in 
the country, and a large contributor to Prof. Agassiz’s volumes 
on the Natural History of the United States. Of these losses 
to science, Prof. Clark was under 50, and only Prof. Lewis 
over 60. 
THE first meeting of the Agassiz Natural History Club, recently 
organised by the'students of the Anderson School of Natural History 
on Penikese Island, was held on July 24, and showed signs of. great 
energy and activity. Although the school had only been opena 
fortnight, lectures on surface geology, the embryology of verte- 
brates and articulates, on physiology, physical geography, on the 
microscope and its construction, with practical lessons on its use = 
free hand drawing on the blackboard, zoological and landscape 
drawing, and daily dredging excursions in the yacht Sprite, 
together with instructions in collecting and preserving animals, 
have been given. The amount of laboratory work done is stated 
to be most satisfactory. Large aquaria are being set up in the 
temporary laboratory. 
Tue Council of the Pharmaceutical Society are desirous of 
forming a complete herbarium of medical plants from every 
quarter of the globe, whether officinal or not. Mr. Holmes, the 
Curator of the Society’s Museum, 17, Bloomsbury Square, will 
be glad to enter into communication with any foreign botanists 
and pharmaceutists willing to co-operate in the work. 
IN a telegram from St. Petersburg, September 11, it is stated 
that General Kaufmann reports that the Amoo Daria river is not 
navigable by steamboats. The scientific expedition sent out by 
General Kaufmann to explore the old bed of the Amoo Daria 
river as far as the lake of Lara Kamish, returned on July 
23 to the camp at Kunurgentsch. The expedition explored the 
river to a distance of 450 versts, and succeeded in collecting 
much valuable information and scientific materials, 
IN a telegram from St. John’s, Newfoundland, of September 
IT, it is stated that the Ywmia/a had arrived there and reported 
that the camp of the crew of the Polaris was discovered by the 
Tigress on August 14 at Littleton Island, where the ship was 
deserted, Manuscript records of the expedition up to a period 
of six weeks before the discovery were secured. The Tigress is 
still in search of the Buddington party, who are believed to be 
safe. 
A PAPER in Petermann’s ALiitheilungen upon the driftwood 
found in Nova Zembla has at present a special interest in con- 
nection with the discovery of fragments of a similar character by 
the crew of the o/aris in Polaris and Newman Bays. The 
Nova Zembla specimens consisted mainly of willow of various 
thicknesses. There were also, however, pieces of beech nearly 
a foot in diameter, several species of pine, among these P. sylves- 
tris, an Abies, &c, It is thought that a large portion of this 
material must have been derived from the Petschora, Ob, and 
Yenesei rivers, and that none of it could have been derived fron. 
the current of the Gulf Stream, 
THE past winter was very mild in the southern portion of 
Iceland, but quite severe in the northern. In the middle of 
January an eruption of the volcanoes in the great Yokul Moun- 
tains, in the south-east corner of the island, took place, which 
continued with unusual violence for about a week, and then 
suddenly ceased. Since then no fire has been noticed. Large 
quantities of ashes have fallen on different localities, but it is 
believed that the deep bed of snow protected the pasture lands 
from destruction. Volcanic eruptions took place at the same 
time in Chili, 
