NATURE 
large, and there were but few instances, as compared 
with previous years, of the pernicious practice of reading 
papers by title only—a practice which, if pushed to its 
logical conclusion, would result in the destruction of the 
_ Meetings. 
- The discussions were kept well in hand, wandering 
but little from the subject, and being, though frequently 
brilliant, notably brief. There was in them almost an 
entire absence of any display of feeling, except an occa- 
sional expression of kindly regards between opponents 
whose differences did not extend beyond the debate ; in 
fact, the cordiality of the meeting was one ofits prominent 
features. ; 
The newspaper press sent correspondents from distant 
cities—New York, Boston, and Chicago being well repre- 
sented. The New York Tribune announced that its 
reports would be re-published in an extra, and deter- 
mined to make that extra cover, with at least a fair 
extract, every communication read and accepted at the 
meeting, and the discussions elicited. The practical 
difficulties in the way of such an undertaking are con- 
siderable. All the sub-sections of the Association carry 
on their proceedings in separate rooms simultaneously. 
Many of the communications are technical, abstruse, and 
difficult to report, and have not been reduced to writing ; 
it being the custom of some authors to delay preparation 
of MSS. for the official report till some months after the 
close of the meeting. Notwithstanding these obstacles 
and the expense involved in overcoming them, the extra 
was brought out with all the completeness proposed ; thus 
anticipating the usual official publication by almost a 
year. It is a sheet of eight pages, and gives also 
an illustrated series of letters upon Deep Sea Dredging, 
as practised by the United States Commission of Fish 
and Fisheries, the whole containing as much reading- 
matter as would make a large duodecimo volume. The 
extra is sold for ten cents, this price including postage. 
NOTES 
Srr SAMUEL and Lady Baker arrived in London on Thursday 
evening last. The young African, a lad of about fifteen or six- 
teen years of age, in whom Lady Baker is said to take much in- 
terest, accompanied the party. Both Sir Samuel and Lady 
Baker looked well, and seemed in excellent spirits. é 
For the Biological Fellowship examination at Magdalen Col- 
lege, Oxford, there are five candidates, of which we are sur- 
prised to hear that three are graduates of the University of 
Cambridge. The election takes place on Saturday next. 
Mr. Epwarp BacGNnatt Poutton, from Mr. Watson’s 
School, Reading, has been elected to an open Physical Science 
Scholarship of So/. per annum, in Jesus College, Oxford. 
Miss Pocson, daughter of the Government Astronomer at 
Madras, has been appointed Assistant Astronomer. 
THE American aéronaut,? Mr. Samuel A. King, intends 
during September to make an extended balloon voyage from 
Buffalo, New York. For this purpose he is building a large 
balloon to replace the ‘‘ Mammoth,” which was destroyed by the 
recent great fire in Boston. It is Mr. King’s purpose to make 
the longest overland voyage, if circumstances favour, ever yet 
accomplished. It is no part of his plan to go out over the ocean, 
nor to explore the sea, but he expects to be able to settle some- 
thing about the upper currents when he comes down. His voy- 
age is undertaken wholly in the interest of science, and, in view 
of the extraordinary degree of attention now being drawn to 
the subject of meteorology, the results will be regarded as of 
much more than ordinary importance. From a communication 
made by Mr, King in 1871 to the Washington Philosophical 
Society, it appeared that out of 170 aérial voyages made by him 
during the past twenty-five years, about twenty-five per cent. 
showed that the currents of the atmosphere were moving to the 
north-eastward ; a second twenty-five per cent. gave westerly 
currents ; and a third gave north-westerly currents. The re- 
maining forty voyages were about equally distributed among 
northerly, southerly, and easterly currents. Mr. King’s expe- 
rience, therefore, agrees with that of most European aéronauts, 
who have repeatedly testified that there is no constant westerly 
current of air prevailing at any altitude above the earth’s surface 
which they have been able to reach in their balloons. 
CANADA is doing its part toward the exploration of the Great 
West. Besides the surveying parties out on the route of the 
Pacific Railroad, it has special parties in the field in connection 
with the Geological Survey and the Boundary Commission. 
Mr. Selwyn, F.G.S., Director of the Survey, and Mr. R. Bell, 
F.G.S., are at work on the great regions watered by the North 
Saskatchewan, and Mr. Richardson on the other side of the 
Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. Mr. G. M. Dawson, 
Associate of the School of Mines, Geologist of the Boundary 
Commission, has just completed a survey of the Lake of the 
Woods and its neighbourhood, and is now exploring the plains 
westward of Pembina. All these parties are provided with the 
means of making collections in the botany and zoology of the 
regions explored. 
Mr. J. A. HARVIE BROWN has sent us a reprint of an article 
by him which appeared in the Scotlish Naturalist for July, advo- 
cating the establishment of a British Naturalist’s Agency, on the 
model of the ‘‘ American Naturalist’s Agency,” established 
at Salem, Mass. U.S. The American Agency has flourished 
and brought forth abundant and good fruit, and in an incredibly 
short space of time has become the acknowledged medium for 
the sale of the proceedings of all the leamed societies in 
America, and through which advertisers on all natural history 
subjects make known their wants. The main purpose of the 
Agency is to facilitate the circulation of papers and pamphlets on 
Natural History, which, from the want of such an Agency, many 
who wish to possess them find it difficult to obtain, and which 
are often not even known beyond a narrow local circle. The 
Agency also undertake to publish new and republish old 
standard works in Natural History, and perferm several other 
eminently useful offices which can only be sufficiently per- 
formed by some such central organisation. The very exist- 
ence of such an Agency would create a demand for scientific 
knowledge. Such an Agency in this country would un- 
doubtedly prove a great boon to naturalists, provided it were 
ably conducted, and fully acknowledged and supported by the 
leading scientific societies. Scientific circles in time, we believe, 
would be enlarged, and not be confined to the metropolis, or nearly 
so. There are plenty of good men out of London, Edinburgh, 
Glasgow, and the large towns who have no opportunities of 
reading, being removed from the principal scientific libraries. 
Not one individual, nor indeed any one society, could set such an 
undertaking afloat, but if all the leading societies would jointly 
discuss its merits and demerits, and at length bring it carefully 
and repeatedly before the notice of the British Association, there 
is every likelihood that it would become a complete success. 
To arrive at this first step it is necessary to ventilate the sugges- 
tion, and this cannot be better done than by bringing it before the 
notice of the local societies, and asking each to assist in bringing 
it finally before a higher court. Parties interested and desirous 
of seeing such a scheme successful may communicate with Dr, 
F, Buchanan White, editor of Scottish Naturalist, Perth, or 
with John Harvie Brown, Dunipace House, Falkirk. 
ON Monday last a meeting was held at the Mansion House 
with the view of promoting technical education in the City. The 
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