130 
therein, and also of negotiating arrangements to the same effect 
with the Native States.” The next conference will be held on 
Saturday, June 19, when Prof. T. Rupert Jones, F.R.S., will 
lecture on ‘*Th2 Mineral Resources of South Africa.” Sir 
Charles Mills will preside. 
THE late t news from Catania reports that the eruption of 
Mount Etna has almost entirely ceased. The lava-streams, 
stopping within 300 metres of Nicolosi, have become hard 
enough to walk on, but repeated shocks of earthquake of con- 
siderable violence continue throughout the region. A huge gulf 
has yawned at Acireale, but no disasters are reported. A 
correspondent of the Standard writing from Catania on May 
27 sends some valuable notes. ‘‘ The stream of lava i-suing from 
Monte Penitello (an eminence about 4980 feet hizh, and about 
7 kilometres distant from Nicolosi) has travelled a longitudinal 
course of about 6 kilometres, and has formed four basins, the 
last of which is behind Monte Nocella. The width of the stream 
is about 24} kilometres. The stream flows directly southward 
from the north-east. The western branch, which flows towards 
Dogola Arcino, has done but little damage, traversing in its 
course mostly gravelly soil. Prof. d’Amico, who is studying the 
phases of the eruption from the Observatory of Pennesi, in 
Acireale, has contributed to the archives of Catania a complete 
record of all the volcanic disturbances which he has noted up to 
date. The maximum number of 92 telluric convulsions was 
registered on the 19th inst. On the following day there were 
only 20, but subsequently the number rose from 25 to 30, 27, 
35, and finally to 52, on Tuesday the 25th.” 
SEVERAL shocks of earthquake were felt at Smyrna, in the 
Island of Chios, and in the Erythrian Pe insula on the night of 
June 5. 
PrRoF. MILNE recently made an attempt to sound the 
depth of the crater of Asamayama, the active volcano about 
seventy miles to the north-west of Tokio, and in the historic 
period one of the most destructive of all Japanese volcanoes. 
The attempt however failed owing to unfavourable weather. 
No details of the experiment or of the precise manner in which 
it was to be carried out have been received as yet. 
WE have already referred to the threatened abolition, of 
alteration, of the Imperial College of Engineering in Tokio, in 
consequence of administrative changes which have resulted in 
NATURE 
the abolition of the Department of Public Works, under which | 
the College was placed. As the names of several men well 
known in the English scientific world have been associated with 
this institution, we are glad to be able to say that the change 
has not been so great as was at first apprehended. Mr. Mori, 
the new Minister of Education, long the representative of Japan 
in this country, has established a new University, to which the 
Engineering College has become affiliated, as well as the former 
Medical College. Except in two important details, the organisa- 
tion remains the same. The College now comes under the 
exclusive control of Japanese, in other words, the post of Prin- 
cipal, hitherto held by Dr. Divers and his predecessor, is no 
longer to be occupied by a foreigner, and the whole University is 
to be governed by its professors, aid not by ordinary officials. 
The idea, says the Yafun Afai?, is ‘to emancipate learning and 
its professors from the too often ignorant and always hampering 
control of the ordinary official.” Everything novy is subject to 
the professorial body, Japan is not to lose the services of any 
of the foreign professors of the College. Dr, Divers continues 
as Professor of Chemistry, but in the Science instead of the 
Engineering College. Prof. Milne continues in the Chair of 
Mining Engineering, and there is a proba jility that he will also 
be invited to occupy a Chair of Seismolozy which it is proposed 
to found. It thus appear. that the change is not one which 
| Hwne 10, 1886 
interferes with the work of the College-; if anything its status as 
an educational institution is increased, because it now forms an 
integral portion of the highest teaching establishment in the 
country. It is not clear from the account from which we quote 
whether the College will remain in the fine buildings which were 
specially erected for it, or whether it will be removed to the 
University, which is some distance away. 
IN connection with this change, the professors and students of 
the College, meeting for the last time as members of the 
Engineering College, presented the Principal, Dr. Divers, with 
a handsome bronze vase, inlaid with gold. Prof. Milne, as the 
senior, in handing the present to Dr. Divers on behalf of the 
subscribers, made a short speech referring to the services of the 
Principal to Japan, his pupils, and colleagues ; and with this 
ceremony an institution in which English science has, or should 
have, a peculiar interest, came to an end, but only to rise again 
in another shape, let us hope for increased usefulness to Japan. 
Tue Chair of Seismology which has been founded in the 
Science College of the new University of Japan has been filled | 
by the appointment of Mr. K. Sekiya as professor. 
AT Cambridge to-day (Thursday) a vote of the Senate is to be 
taken in favour of appointing a syndicate to obtain plans and 
estimates for the erection of a Geological Museum, to confer 
with the Sedgwick Memorial Committee, and to report before 
the middle of the Michaelmas term. Thus it appears likely 
that at last the Sedgwick Museum will become an actual fact, 
after twelve years of incubation. 
THE current number of the Proceedings of the Bath Natural 
History and Antiquarian Field Club contains several papers of 
scientific interest. Mr. Broome continues his list of fungi found 
in the neighbourhood of Bath. Mr, Blomefield, writing on the 
firs of Bournemouth, argues that these trees are true natives of 
that part of the country, in opposition to the theory that the 
Scotch fir, though indigenous in Scotland, is not indigenous in 
England. Dr. Norman describ2s the fresh-water alge of the 
Bath thermal waters ; and Mr. McMurtrie the salt-springs found 
at great depths in the Coal-measures at Radstock. 
Funai! also occupy a considerable space in the Proceedings of 
the Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club, as in those of the Bath 
Society, for Mr. Lett gives a list of the funzi of the North of 
Ireland which fills more than 50 pages. Dr. Malcolmson 
describes some recent Os/vazoda of Belfast Lough, and appends 
an elaborate table of their distribution. Mr. Joseph Wright adds 
two lists—one of the Foraminifera of Down and Antrim, the 
other of the Cretaceous Foraminifera of Keady Hillin the county 
of Derry. The record of the meetings is very full, and contains 
much informati.n on various scientific subjects connected with 
the North of Ireland. 
ARRANGEMENTS have been made by the Colonial and Indian 
Aquarium authorities to bring over a consignment of some of 
the principal species of fish in the waters of Java for purposes 
of exhibition. The British India Steamship Company have 
j undertaken to transmit them in specially made glass carriers, 
which have been forwarded to Java for that purpose. Fourteen 
specimens of the Chelone midas, or green turtle, have lately 
arrived at the Aquarium from West India ; also a collection of 
land crabs from the same quarter. 
THROUGH the instrumentality of the National Fish-Culture 
Association the River Lea was last week enriched with a quan- 
tity of salmon fry, which were turned into those /oca/es most 
suitable to their requirements.. Although the Lea is in a very 
polluted condition, there are portions free from contamination 
where fish thrive well. The Severn Fishery Board have turned 
into their river a large number of salmon fry. The ova from 
