II4 
NATURE 
[Vov. 25, 1869 
We have received the following from our Dublin Corre- 
“spondent :—The newly-appointed Professor of Geology at Trinity 
College, Dublin—Dr. Macalister—commenced a course of lec- 
tures on the Inyertebrates last week. Referring in his introduc- 
tory lecture to the researches of Pouchet, Pasteur, Massalongo, 
and others, on spontaneous generation, he seemed to regard the 
proofs of its existence as now fully established. The exami- 
nation for the Natural and Experimental Moderatorship has 
just been concluded: the gold medals were awarded to Lloyd, 
West, and Wilson, and the silver medals to Colles, Tweedy, 
Hart, Rainsford, Abridge, and Maclvor. The subjects selected 
by the first gold medallist were chemistry, botany, zoology, 
and paleontology. The librarianship vacant by the death of 
the Rey. Dr. Todd has not yet been filled. The candidates are 
the Rey. Dr. Dickson, F.T.C.D., and the Rey. Dr.=Reeves. 
The former is perhaps the more popular candidate, as, in spite 
of the high position held by Dr. Reeves as an archeologist, 
it is felt desirable that the librarian of so important a library 
should take as great if not a greater interest in modern than 
The University of Dublin has established 
Examinations for Women. Two examinations will be held 
annually, one for senior, the other for junior candidates. The 
examination for junior candidates will be open to all who are 
above 15 and under 18 years of age ; the examination, for senior 
candidates to all who are above 18 years of age. A committee, 
nominated by the board of Trinity College, will appoint examiners, 
determine the times, places, and subjects of examination, and 
make an annual report to the board. The senior lecturer of 
Trinity College will exercise a general supervision oyer the 
conduct of all the examinations, Examinations will be held at 
any place where a ladies’ superintending committee shall be 
constituted, and at least twenty candidates guaranteed to present 
themselves. An examiner will be sent to each place, who, in 
conjunction with the Ladies’ Committee, will arrange the details 
of the examination, Every candidate presenting herself for exami- 
nation will be required to pay a fee of twenty shillings, together 
with the local fee, the amount of which is to be determined by 
the local committee. No class lists will be published ; but, after 
each examination, notice of the result will be sent to the home of 
each candidate. Special excellence in any subject will be notified 
on the certificate. For a certificate of honour, superior answering 
in the compulsory and two optional subjects will be required. 
The first examination will be held at some time between the 25th 
of March and the 15th of April, 1870. Further information can 
be obtained by application to the senior lecturer, Trinity College, 
or to the secretaries of the ladies’ local committees. No head of 
any educational establishment is to be a member of a Ladies’ 
Committee, 
in ancient books. 
Tue Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadelphia have sent 
out the third part of Vol. VI. of their ‘‘ Journal,” a handsome 
imperial quarto which affords dimensions for ample illustrations. 
The part contains two papers—on the Distribution of Freshwater 
Fishes in the Alleghany Region of South Western Virginia, by 
Mr. E. D, Cope ; and onshells, Unionidee, Melinde, &c., by the 
veteran Isaac Lea. The plates, numerous and well-executed, 
particularly the coloured representations of the fishes, exemplify 
at once the interest taken by the Academy in Natural History, 
and the painstaking of American artists. This large book is 
accompanied by the volume of ‘* Proceedings” for 1868, in which 
we find papers and notices on more than fifty different subjects ; 
and we gather from the annual report at the end of the volume, 
that the citizens of Philadelphia as well as the naturalists ap- 
preciate natural history, for during the year they visited the 
Academy’s Museum to the number of 65,769 persons,”and they 
have contributed 100,000 dollars towards the cost of a new 
building for the accommodation of the Academy and their collec- 
tions. The library contains nearly 22,000 yolumes, and, in 
common with the natural history collections, is continually in- 
creased by donations. Among those recently acquired were the 
large collections made by the Orton expedition to Equador and 
the Upper Amazon. We may fitly close this paragraph with a 
notice published by the Academy, that ‘‘ the children of the late 
Augustus E, Jessup, wishing to carry out the intention of their 
father, pay to the Academy the sum of 48o dollars per annum, to 
be used for the support of one or more deserving poor young man 
or men, who may desire to devote the whole of his or their time 
and energies to the study of any of the Natural Sciences.” 
M. Evig pE BeEAuMonT has been elected vice-president of 
the Collége Frangais for the year 1869-70. M. Bastien has been 
appointed assistant naturalist to the chair of Pharmacy in the 
same institution in place of M. Pouchet. 
THE chair of Geology and Mineralogy of the Faculty of Sciences 
at Lyons is vacant; also that of Chemical Toxicology at the Ecole 
Supérieure of Paris. 
Our American friends intend holding an International 
Exhibition at New York in 1871. 
ANOTHER edition of Hirt’s Atlas of the three kingdoms of 
nature has been issued in commemoration of the Humboldt 
centenary. 
Baron Claus von der Decken’s Travels in East Africa has 
reached the third volume, The entire work, most exhaustive as 
it is in every particular, is expected to be complete in a year, 
WE are promised shortly ‘“‘the Scientific Results of a Journey 
in Brazil,” which contain Professor L. Agassiz’s observations on 
the natural history, and an account of Mr. F. Hart’s examina- 
tions of the physical geography and geology, of the region 
traversed by the well-known recent exploring expedition. 
A GEOGRAPHICAL congress is to be held at Anyers, in August, 
1870, 
WE believe that Mr. Charles Hamilton, well-known as the 
author of a work on Hunting in Southern Africa, and by his 
travels in Brazil, is about to undertake a scientific exploration of 
the Red River, and some of the Hudson Bay settlements, with a 
view to promote our knowledge of the zoology of the district. 
WE have received from Mr. Browning four stereograms of the 
planet Mars ; achart of Mars on Mercator’s projection ; and de- 
scriptive remarks on the stereograms by Mr. Proctor—and very 
interesting they all are. We are glad that Mr. Proctor, who seems 
determined to become the chartographer of astronomy, has taken 
Mars under his wing, and with Mr. Browning’s aid, has brought 
a discussion of all the observations of modern astronomers—the 
lamented Dawes being first and foremost among them—to such a 
beautiful and practical ending. 
Tue third fasciculus of the second volume of the “‘Archives du 
Musée Teyler” has just been published at Haarlem, in the same 
handsome style as the former parts. It contains papers, all by 
Dr. Van der Willigen, on subjects of much importance at present 
in optical and chemical science, as may be seen in the following 
list :—Sur la réfraction du quartz et du spath d’Islande; Sur la 
réfraction et la dispersion du flint-glass et du crown-glass; Les 
indices de réfraction des mélanges d’alcool et d’eau, et des mé- 
langes de plycérine et d’eau; Les indices de réfraction de la ben- 
zine; Les indices de réfraction des dissolutions des chlorures de 
calcium, de sodium, d@’ammonium, et de zinc, &c. Many of the 
results are given in a tabulated form which facilitates reference. 
WE understand that Mr. B. Loewy, well known from his 
connection with the Kew sun-observations, is engaged in pub- 
lishing a collection of problems in physical science, with their 
solutions, which will embrace all branches generally required for 
the various public examinations of our Universities. 
