November 17, 1898] 



NA TURE 



59 



which exists in any country." The season of the year 

 prevented many foreign chemists from attending, but a great 

 number of letters and telegrams were received, .\mongst 

 the men of science present were Prof. Armstrong, .Sir J. 

 Wolfe Barry, Sir G. Birdwood, Sir J. Crichton Browne, 

 Dr. Biiltinger, Major-General Sir Owen Tudor Burne, Dr. T. 

 Lauder Brunton, the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, 

 Sir Ernest Clarke, Sir W. Crookes, Major- General Sir J. 

 Donnelly, I'rof. Wyndham Dunstan, Dr. Dupre, Dr. Dyer, Mr. 

 T. H. Elliott, .Mr. H. M. Elder, Sir John Evans, Major- 

 General Kesting, Prof. Michael Foster, Prof. P. Frankland, 

 Sir Archibald Geikie, Mr. W. Gowland, Mr. C. E. Groves, Mr. 

 W. Hills, Sir W. Huggins, Prof. Judd, Dr. W. Kellner, Lord 

 Lister, Major P. A. MacMahon, the President of Magdalen, 

 Prof. Herbert McLeod, Prof. Raphael Meldola, Dr. Rudolph 

 Messel, Prof. H. A. Miers, Prof. G. M. Minchin, Dr. Ludwig 

 Mond, Mr. J. Fletcher Moulton, Q.C., M.P., Dr. Hugo 

 Midler, Sir A. Noble, Prof. W. Ostwald, Dr. W. H. Perkin 

 and Prof. W. H. Perkin, the Master of Peterhouse, Dr. 

 Pye-Smith, Mr. Boverton Redwood, Prof. Ramsay, Lord 

 Rayleigh, Lord Reay, Prof. Roberts-.\usten, Prof. Riicker, Dr. 

 Russell, Prof. Smithells, Prof. Sprengel, Sir G. Gabriel Stokes, 

 Mr. J. \V. Swan, Prof. J. M. Thomson. Dr. Thorpe, Prof. 

 Tilden, Mr Tyrer, and Sir H. Trueman Wood. We hope to 

 give in .another issue a full report of the speeches made on the 

 occasion of this highly successful gathering. 



At the opening meeting of the new .session of the Royal 

 Geographical Society on Monday, the President, Sir Clements 

 Markham, referred to the exploration of the Antarctic regions as 

 the most important geographical svork of our time. He re- 

 marked that the Antarctic agitation had spread over Europe, 

 and was no longer confined to Great Britain. The Germans 

 would certainly despatch an Antarctic expedition in 1900. Dr. 

 Neumayer, the great authority on terrestrial magnetism, had 

 been working with this end in view for years. A steam-vessel, 

 specially designed and equipped for Antarctic service, would be 

 built at Bremerhaven. The German Government would help 

 with funds and in other ways, and would lend officers, even al- 

 though they might have to go some distance from the end of a 

 telegraph wire. Dr. Erich von Drygalski, the distinguished 

 Greenland explorer, would lead the scientific staff'. Dr. 

 Neumayer looked to us for co-operation. They would under- 

 stand now why they could not wait for .\dmiralty changes of 

 policy. It ought to be a Government expedition under naval 

 discipline. But if our navy was to be deprived of her right, the 

 next best thing must be done ; they must appeal to the country. 

 The Council of the Society h.ad resolved to head the list of 

 subscriptions, even if its name should stand alone. There were 

 numerous calls upon their funds, but they had resolved to strain 

 them to the uttermost for that great national work. The Council 

 would head the list with the sum of 5000/. 



I'ROi-". Michael Foster and I'rof. Riicker, Secretaries of the 

 Royal Society, were present at the opening meeting of the 

 Royal Geographical Society, and expressed the sympathy of the 

 Royal Society in the movement for Antarctic exploration re- 

 ferred to by the President. Prof. Foster remarked that the 

 Government granted the sum of 4000/. a year for the cultivation 

 of all branches of science, and it had been determined to make 

 an application to the Committee which administered that 4000/. 

 for a sum which should indicate how that Committee, repre- 

 senting not only the Royal Society, but all the scientific societies 

 of this country, held in scientific esteem the proposed expedi- 

 tion. It was not so much the sum of money that would be 

 obtained as a clear indication that that Antarctic expedition was 

 NO. 15 16, VOL. 59] 



an expedition of undoubted and great scientifrc value. He did/ 

 trust, speaking on behalf of the Society, that the api>eal which> 

 had been made by the President of the Royal Geographical 

 Society might be responded to liberally. Prof. Riicker said he 

 did not think too much stress could be laid on the fact that any 

 connection with Germany was in this case of the very greatest 

 importance ; that observations which were taken simultaneously 

 in different parts of the Antarctic regions would be worth far 

 more than two sets of observations taken several years apart. 

 It was a matter of the greatest importance that the two expedi- 

 tions should go out at the same time and co operate with one 

 another in the sense that their observations should \x carried 

 out with a common object. Sir Joseph Hooker. Sir Erasmus- 

 Ommanney, and Sir Leopold McClintock also spoke in favour 

 of the proposed expedition. Admiral Sir W. Wharton thought 

 such an expedition would be best carried out under the auspices- 

 of the Admiralty, because it would be an expedition of great 

 difficulty and would need strict discipline. But the Government 

 had for the time being declined to afford iheir aid, .and be was- 

 very much of opinion that a small expedition, which, he hoped,, 

 might be sent out by private aid, would be able to act as the- 

 pioneer of a larger expedition afterwards. 



The International Congress of Mathematicians will meet in. 

 Paris on August 6-12, 1900. The Mathematical Society of 

 France has appointed committees of organisation, M. Poincare- 

 being president of that concerned with scientific papers, and 

 M. Darboux of that concerned with the other arrangements. 



The fiftieth anniversary of the death of Berzelius was cele- 

 brated at Stockholm, on October 7, by a memorial service, at 

 which the King was present. In commemoration of this event 

 a small volume, containing twenty letters exchar>ged between- 

 Berzelius and C. F. Schonbein in the years 1856-1847, edited* 

 by Prof. G. W. A. Kahlbauni, has been published by Benno 

 Schwabe, Basel. 



Dr. Calmette, director of the Pasteur Institute at Lille, has 

 been made an Officer of the Legion of Honour. 



The death is announced, at Rome, of Count Micl«le Stefano 

 de Rossi, distinguished for his seismological work. 



Letters recently received from Prof. A. C. Haddon, who 

 it will be remembered left England in March last with at> 

 exploring party, to continue his researches in the Torres Straits^ 

 report favourable progress of the work. The islanders are said 

 to have been everywhere delighted with the phonograph ; but 

 misfortune early befell the party, in the miscarriage of a case- 

 containing their cinematograph films and Joly's colour-photo- 

 graphy apjiaratus. We regret to add that Vk. Iladdon has- 

 been the victim of two or three very mild attacks of fever, and 

 that one of his companions has been more severely affected. 

 The latest intelligence reports an improved state of health, and 

 that they will be by now leaving for Bornea, with the e.\.ceptiotv 

 of Dr. Rivers and Mr. Wilkin, who are expected to return to 

 England before Christmas. 



We regret to see the announcement of the death, at the age of 

 sixty-five, of the French electrical engineer, M. de Meritens,. 

 under di-stressing circumstances. The best-known invention 

 made by M. de Meritens (remarks the Engineer) is his dynamo, 

 and though one of the very first, if not the first dyn.uiv) of any 

 piactical value, it is still used at the present time, llumgh only — 

 to any extent, at least— for electric lighthouses. The dynamo 

 is an alternating-current machine, and its field consists of per- 

 manent magnets. In efficiency it may fall short of machines of 



