396 



NA TURE 



[Febuuarv 27, 1Q02 



has contributed one large volume to the beautiful series of quarto 

 volumes edited by the Society and devoted to this part of Asia. 

 The Semenoft" medal has been awarded to Prof. IMu ird Suess 

 for his new classical work, "Das Antlitz der Erde," and the 

 Prjevalsky medal to the zoologist, Prof. Zarudnyi, the author of 

 several most valuable works on the birds and also the geo- 

 graphy of the Transcaspian region, and the author of a work, 

 "Journey to East Persia," just published by the Society. The 

 great gold medal of the Section of Statistics has been awarded 

 to N. \'. Slyiinin, for his researches into the economical con- 

 ditions of the inhabitants of the Okhotsk and Kamchatka 

 coasts. Three small gold medals have been awarded to Messrs. 

 N. P. Petrovsky, D. K. Zelenin and M. N. Kositch for ethno- 

 graphical works published in the excellent ethnographical 

 periodical of the Society, Zhivaya Starina^I.iving Antiquitiei). 

 Prof. Gordyaghin, of Kazan, has been awarded the Prjevalsky 

 silver medal for his botanical work in East Russia, and the 

 Semenotl' silver medal has been awarded to A. K. Bulatovich 

 for his journey to Lake Rudolph. A number of small silver 

 medals have also been awarded, chiefly for meteorological work 

 in connection with the Society's meteorological committee, or 

 for expeditions. 



The Elizabeth Thompson Science Fund, "for the advance- 

 ment and prosecution of scientific research in its broadest sense," 

 now amounts to 52(X)/. , and grants will be made in November from 

 the income derived from this sum. This endowment is not for the 

 benefit of any one department of science, but preference will be 

 given to those investigations which cannot otherwise be provided 

 for, which have for their object the advancement of human know- 

 ledge or the benefit of mankind in general, rather than to 

 researches directed to the solution of questions of merely local 

 importance. Applications for assistance from this fund, in 

 order to receive consideration, must be accompanied by full 

 information, especially in regard to the precise amount required ; 

 exact nature of the investigation proposed ; conditions under 

 which the research is to be prosecuted ; and manner in which 

 the grant asked for is to be expended. All applications should 

 reach the secretary of the Bjard of Trustees, Dr. C. S. Minot, 

 Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., U.S.A., before April i. 

 During the past twelve months, the following grants have been 

 made : — 30/. to Prof E. W. Scripture, New Haven, Conn., for 

 work in experimental phonetics ; 60/. to Prof. W. Valentiner, 

 Heidelberg, for observations on variable stars ; 10/. to Mr. 

 A. M. Reese, Baltimore, Md., for investigation of the embryo- 

 logy of the alligator ; 25/. to Dr. F. T. Lewis, Cambridge, 

 Mass., for investigation of the development of the vena cava 

 inferior. 



On March 5, the Hon. Alan de Tatton Egerton, M.P., will 

 read a paper to the Cold Storage and Ice Association, of which 

 he is president, at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, on 

 the cold stores and ice factory at Knutsford. 



It is reported that Prof. \Nrchow continues to make satis- 

 factory progress towards recovery. He is now permitted to 

 make some attempts to walk, and it is hoped that he will in 

 time regain the full use of the injured limb. 



Want of knowledge of the principles and results of vaccina- 

 tion and of antitoxin treatment is responsible for many incorrect 

 opinions and for opposition to medical research. The Vaccina- 

 tion League has been formed with the object of extending the 

 knowledge of the subject of vaccination, and thus, to some 

 extent*, counter.ict the erroneous impressions received from 

 pamphlets prepared by anti-vaccinationists. Among the influ- 

 ential names recently added to the long list of vice-presidents of the 

 League are those of the Bishop of London, Archdeacon Sinclair 

 and Lord Newton. It will be remembered that Lord Newton re- 

 cently introduced a Bill into the House of Lords on the ques- 

 NO. 1687, VOL. 65] 



lion of vaccination. Those who are desirous of obtaining free 

 literature dealing with the advantages of vaccination, or of 

 organising popular illustrated lectures on the subject in their 

 respective districts, should apply to the secretary of the Vaccina- 

 tion League, no Strand, W.C. 



The anniversary meeting of the Geological Society was held 

 at Burlington House on Friday last (February 21). The ofticers 

 were appointed as follows: — President, Prof. C Lapworth, 

 F.R.S. ; vice-presidents, Sir Archibald Gcikie, F.R.S., Mr. 

 J. E. Marr, F.R.S., Prof. H. A. Miers. F.R.S..and Prof. H. G. 

 Seeley, F.R.S. ; secretaries, Mr. R. S. Merries and Prof. 

 W. VV. Watts; foreign secretary, Sir John Evans, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S. ; and treasurer, Dr. \V. T. lilanford, F.RS. The 

 following awards of medals and funds were made. The 

 Wollaston medal to M. F. Schmidt, of St. Petersburg ; the 

 Murchison medal to Mr. F. W. Harmer ; the Lyell medals to 

 Prof. Anton Fritsch and Mr. R. Lydckker, F.R.S. ; the 

 Wollaston fund to .Mr. L.J.Spencer; the Murchison fund to 

 Mr. T. H. Holland ; the Lyell geological fund to Dr. 

 Wheelton Hind ; and the BirlowJameson fund to Mr. W. 

 Hutchings. The president delivered his anniversary address, 

 which dealt chiefly with the evolution of ideas during the 

 nineteenth century as to the genesis and classification of 

 sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. 



The annual meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engi- 

 neers was held on Friday list. The report of the council 

 records that the work of preparing the sixth report of the Alloys 

 Research Committee — dealing mainly with the effect of anneal- 

 ing and tempering on the properties of steel —was continued in 

 ! the laboratories of Sir W. C. Roberts. -Vusten at the Royal Mint 

 and at the Royal College of Science until October 31 ; and a full 

 report, which is now partly written, is expected to be ready 

 during the present year. The second report of the Gas-Engine 

 Research Committee was read and discussed at the October 

 meeting, and the Institution has agreed to provide during the 

 present year instruments for trials with a large experimental gas- 

 engine which Prof. Burstall is designing to form part of the 

 power and lighting plant in connection with the new Birming- 

 ham University Buildings. The experiments at University 

 College, London, on the value of the steam jacket were con- 

 tinued during the early part of last ye.ir with the old apparatus, 

 but were interrupted by the appointment of Prof. T. Hudson 

 Beare to a chair in the University of Edinburgh. The apparatus 

 has been removed from London to Edinburgh, and Prof. Beare 

 is now designing several improvements in the valves for the 

 admission and exhaust of the steam into the hot pots of the appar- 

 atus. As soon as these new valves are made, the experiments 

 will be resumed, and it is hoped more satisfactory results will 

 be obtained with this new apparatus. The series of experiments 

 at King's College on the compound steam-jacketed engine has 

 been completed, and Prof. David S. Capper has promised his 

 report early this year. \ second series of tests with unjacketed 

 cylinders has been commenced, and is being carried through at 

 the same speeds and steam pressures as the first jacketed series. 

 Direct comparisons can then be made both with and without 

 steam jackets. The council has joined with the councils of the 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, the Iron and Steel Institute and 

 the Institution of Naval Architects in forming a committee, to be 

 called "The Engineering Standards Committee," for the pur- 

 pose of recommending standard sizes for rolled sections, and 

 other matters. The question of standardising pipe flanges, being 

 of great importance at the present time, will be dealt with in a 

 paper to be read before the Institution at an early meeting. 



The death is announced, at Vienna, of Dr. Emil Holub, 

 the famous African explorer. From an obituary notice in 

 the Times, we learn that Dr. Holub, who was a native of 



