Oct. 21, 1886] 
NATURE 
605 
of the Cunos or Tule Indians of Darien, from the reports of a 
missionary sent to labour among them to Bishop Thiel, of Costa 
Rica, who has communicated them to Herr Polakowsky. 
THE current JA7/2tthei/ungen (Band xxix. Nos. 7 and 8) of the 
Geographical Society of Vienna contains letters from Dr. Lenz 
and Herr Baumann, from the Congo, and part of an account by 
Dr. Holub of his present journeyings in South Africa. Of 
special interest are two papers on the Hauslab cartographical 
collection. One describes the general extent and contents of 
the collection, which is in three parts: (1) books ; (2) engrav- 
ings; (3) maps. The last contains about 4500 sheets, and is 
especially rich in old specimens of cartography. Two of these 
form the subject of a second paper : they are a globe, the author 
of which is unknown, but which probably dates from soon after 
Columbus; the other is a chart of the Mediterranean dated 
1513. 
THE FIFTY-NINTH MEETING OF GERMAN 
NATURALISTS AND PHYSICIANS, BERLIN, 
SEPTEMBER 18-27 
[FRoM OUR BERLIN CORRESPONDENT] 
“THE present has in every respect been the most important of 
these annual meetings. Even in the number of visitors it far 
exceeds any similarreunion since the foundation of the Society, as 
many as 2224 members, and 1931 associates, or 4155 altogether, 
having entered their names, while no less than 1496 ladies took 
part in the general proceedings and social gatherings. It may 
here be remarked that the constitution of the German Naturalists’ 
Society differs essentially from that of the British Association, 
as it exists only so long as the meeting lasts, and consists of 
members—that is, of persons who have published treatises, other 
than dissertations for academical honours, on general scientific 
and medical subjects—and of ordinary associates. ‘Two or three 
sittings are devoted to the formal proceedings, such especially as 
the choice of the following year’s place of meeting, and of the 
two leaders, whose duty it is to summon the next assembly, and 
arrange the work on hand. The general sittings are occupied 
with matter of universal interest, and are attended in common 
by all members, associates, and ladies. The more strictly 
scientific work, however, is distributed amongst the several Sec- 
tions, thirty on this occasion, each of which is presided over by 
a freshly elected chairman, and set apart for the discussion of 
papers by specialists. After the last general sitting, at which the 
annual meeting is officially dissolved, it ceases for the time being 
to exist. Enjoyingno special source of income, and keeping no 
permanent records, it possesses in the officers appointed to 
arrange for the next gathering the only germ of a new and 
equally ephemeral existence. ‘To this temporary organisation 
corresponds the manner in which its proceedings are issued. An 
official journal, published only while the gatherings are held, 
contains the proceedings of the general sittings zz extensoe, those 
of the various Sections in shorter or more detailed reports. It 
may here be mentioned that, at the suggestion of the administra- 
tion, a Commission was on this occasion appointed for the 
purpose of reporting tc next year’s meeting any proposals for a 
modification of the statutes. Reference was made more espe- 
cially to such a change as would confer on the German Natur- 
alists’ Society a more stable existence ; in fact, an organisation 
somewhat similar to that of the British Association. 
Of the 4155 members and associates present, Berlin was 
represented by 1444, other places by 2711 (including 429 
foreigners), as under: Europe, 347; America, 54; Asia, 18; 
Africa, 6; Australia, 4. Most of the leading representatives of 
German science were present, although illness unfortunately 
prevented the attendance of Von Helmholtz, Kirchoff, and 
Wislicenus, the first and last of whom had undertaken to deal 
with some matters of general interest. 
Under the presidency of the two administrators, Prof. Rudolf 
Virchow and Prof. A. W. Hofmann, the first sitting was held 
on Saturday, September 18, when an audience filling the 
spacious Circus Renz was addressed by Herr Virchow on the 
development of the Society from modest beginnings, and its 
present importance for the mutual interdependence of the various 
branches of the natural and therapeutic sciences. He dwelt on 
the progress made since the first meeting in Berlin, in 1828, 
under the presidency of Alexander von Humboldt, which had 
been attended by Oerstedt, Berzelius, Gauss, Weber, Johannes 
Miiller, Mitscherlich, Rose, Magnus, Ehrenberg, but from 
which Goethe had absented himself. The importance of these 
illustrious savants for the development of the physico-chemical 
and biological sciences, and the continuity of their researches 
with the problems now under discussion, formed the conclusion 
of this highly instructive opening address. After receiving the 
felicitations of the representative of the Minister of Public In- 
struction, Von Gossler, of the Berlin Oberbiirgermeister, and the 
Rector of the University, and after the meeting had made choice 
of Wiesbaden for next year’s gathering under Prof. Fresenius 
and Dr. Pagenstecher, Dr. Werner Siemens discoursed on ‘‘ The 
Scientific Character of the Age.” The speaker dilated on the 
spread of the natural sciences through these periodical gatherings 
and through their introduction into the school-room, thus influenc- 
ing the ¢echnigue of the arts, which in their turn react powerfully 
on the social relations, so that, by his command of the forces of 
Nature, man is now enabled to produre the necessaries and the 
pleasures of life in grea‘cr abundance with less expenditure of 
time and labour. He is certainly not able to overcome all the 
evils inherent to the present period of transition ; but our scien- 
tific age promises to discover all the remedies calculated to 
alleviate and cure the ills from which we now suffer. 
At the second general sitting, held on September 22, Prof. 
Pohlmann, of Buffalo, conveyed the greetings of the American 
Association to the German Naturalists, together with a general 
invitation to the International Medical Congress to be held next 
year in Washington. Prof. Ferdinand Cohn, of Breslau, then 
spoke on ‘‘ Vital Questions,” dealing with the nature of life from 
the present scientific stand-point, in reference more especially to 
the simplest living beings, the lowest plants, whose vital func- 
tions he described in attractive language. He considered that 
we had already half solved the riddle of life, inasmuch as we 
had grasped its mechanism and the physical and chemical forces 
which set it in motion. But we have to face other phenomena 
and active forces, which must be clearly fathomed by the more 
fortunate efforts of future re earch, so that the full solution of 
the problem of life may perhaps be deferred to a remote period. 
The next speaker was Herr George Schweinfurth, from Cairo, 
who spoke on ‘‘Europe’s Mission and Prospects in Central 
Africa,” arguing energetically for the possibility and necessity of 
colonising that region. He described the wealth of this con- 
tinent, both in natural resources and available labour, which 
by colonisation alone could be properly utilised in order not 
only to insure a happy and worthy future for the natives of 
Africa, but also to open a wide field of fruitful activity for the 
already crowded populations of Europe. He warmly combated 
the assumptions that its tropical climate closed the door of Africa 
to most Europeans, and that acclimatisation was impossible. 
Under certain precautionary measures, and when Western culture 
has reclaimed Africa by railways, draining, disafforestation, 
tillage, and stock-breeding, just as Europe itself has been re- 
claimed by the hand of man, then the white race will find itself 
as much at home in Africa as the Negro. After the transaction 
of some formal business, Prof. His, of Leipzig, addressed the 
meeting on ‘‘The Development of the Zoological Station at 
Naples, and on the Growing Urgency of a Scientific Central Esta- 
blishment.”’ From the information gained by repeated personal 
visits, he gave a vivid description of the Neapolitan Station, and 
concluded by indicating the chief objects of such a central insti- 
tution as he considered should now be founded. Amongst these 
objects he mentioned the investigation of the anatomy of the 
brain, which could be best carried out in such a central station. 
At the third general sitting, held on September 24, Dr. Lud- 
wig Wolf, of Dresden, reported on his journey to Central 
Africa, describing his route from Leopoldville, on the Kassai, 
and its copious affluent, the Sankuru, through the domain of the 
Bakutu, the Bakuba, the Balula, and Lunda peoples. He gave 
an animated picture of his experiences on this journey, which he 
made as a member of the Wissmann Expedition. He was fel- 
lowed by Prof. Neumayer, of Hamburg, who urged the necessity 
of Antarctic exploration, dilating especially on its importance 
for geology and palzontology. From it he anticipated an 
answer to the question how, as he assumed, the South Pole had 
been a centre of dispersion for living organisms throughout the 
southern, as the North Pole is now generally supposed to have 
been for the northern hemisphere. He further dwelt upon the 
great value of terrestrial magnetic observations in high southern 
latitudes, since in the far north a whole chain of stations had 
recorded the extent of the fluctuations of the magnetic needle. 
Simultaneous observations in the north and south will alone 
enable us to arrive at definite conclusions on the nature of 
