NA TURE 



[Nov. 25, 1886 



would be acceded to at Monday's sitting. A subscription is 

 being raised among the brewers in England. M. Pasteur then 

 goes on in his communication to describe the results of his 

 operations much in the same terms as in his paper to the Paris 

 Academy epitomised in a recent number of Nature. 



The following are .imong the lectures to be given at the 

 London Institution, during 1886-87 :— Sir R. S. Ball, F.R..S., 

 Astronomer Royal of Ireland, two lectures on " The Astronomical 

 Theory of the Great Ice Age," one given last Monday, the 

 other for November 29; Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S., six 

 lectures on " The Elements of Biology," Thursdays, November 

 25, December 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 ; Prof. T. W. Rhys Davids, 

 Ph.D., "Buddhism," Monday, December 13 ; Henry Seebohm, 

 "Birds' Nests and Eggs," Monday, December 20; Eric S. 

 Bruce, " War and Ballooning," Monday, December 27 ; Dr. 

 C. MeymottTidy, F. C.S., three lectures (juvenile) on "Chemical 

 Action," Thursdays, January 6, 13, 20 ; Prof. W. H. Flower, 

 F.R.S., Director of the Natural History Department, British 

 Museum, "Fins, Wings, and Hands," Monday, January 17; 

 Prof. Silvanus Thompson, Ph.D., two lectures on "Electric 

 Bells," Thursdays, February 10, 17 ; Harold B. Di.\on, F.R.S., 

 "The Lighthouse Experiments at the South Foreland," Thurs- 

 day, February 24. The Thursday lectures will be given at 6 

 o'clock, excepting on January 27, February 3, March 3, and 

 March 10, when they will be given at 7 o'clock. The Monday 

 lectures are at 5 p.m. 



General J. F. Tennant sends us the following additional 

 information on the late Major-General John Theophilus 

 Boileau, whose death we announced last week: — "Gene- 

 ral Boileau was selected to superintend one of the mag- 

 netic observatories established by the Honourable East India 

 Company in 1843 in connection with the general scheme 

 of magnetic observatories, and had charge of the Simla 

 Observatory. Long after it was closed for observing purposes 

 he was employed in reducing and publishing the results. He 

 also published a collection of astronomical, magnetical, and 

 meteorological tables, and a set of traverse tables ; and possibly 

 some special tables, which, being published in India, have 

 never come into much use, and have practically been superseded 

 by others more recent. General Boileau has long been annually 

 appointed one of the Scrutators at the anniversary meeting of 

 the Royal Society on St. Andrew's Day, and we shall miss 

 there on Tuesday a familiar face and name. His energies 

 and time have long been absorbed in institutions for helping 

 those in want, especially the daughters of officers of the army 

 and soldiers. And now his, in turn, want aid, which an influen- 

 tial Committee-is endeavouring to raise for them. Will you lend 

 the aid of your circulation to make known the want among those 

 who can spare ? " 



With reference to the above note we heartily commend to our 

 readers the proposal to raise by public subscription a testimonial 

 in recognition of the devotion displayed by General Boileau 

 over a long period of years in philanthropic works, especially 

 those so ably and successfully carried out by him on behalf of 

 the Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army at Bath, 

 and the Soldiers' Daughters' Home at Hampstead. An influential 

 Committee has been formed for giving effect to the proposal, with 

 Field-Marshal the Lord Napier of Magdala, G.C.B., G.C.S.I., 

 R. E., as Chairman, and Major-General Philip Ravenhill, C. B., 

 as Honorary Secretary. It is contemplated that the amount 

 collected will best be expended in purchasing annuities for certain 

 members of General Boileau's family, who are at his death left 

 in very straitened circumstances. The Committee appeal not 

 only to those who are, or have been, connected with either of 

 the two institutions above named, but also to General Boileau's 

 numerous friends and acquaintances, to aid them in attaining the 



object they have in view. Subscriptions will ^be received by 

 Messrs. Cox and Co., Craig's Court, London, S.W. , by the 

 Honorary .Secretary, 50, Holland Road, Kensington, W., or they 

 may be paid to any member of the Committee. 



The Methodist Times announces the formation of a " Wesley 

 Scientific Society " for the purpose of promoting intercourse 

 among Wesleyan students of science. It will aim at the 

 encouragement of practical scientific work among amateurs, the 

 guidance of beginners in the study of natural history, the inter- 

 change of opinions upon scientific questions, and the collection 

 and circulation of useful facts and observations bearing upon the 

 sciences in general. If sufficient support is promised, the first 

 number of a monthly journal will be issued by next March. The 

 President is the Rev. W. H. D.allinger, F.R.S., and the Secre- 

 tary is the Rev. W. Spiers, M..\., F.G.S. The Vice-Presidents 

 are Rev. G. Bowden, Rev. N. Curnock, A. C. Gr.aham, M.A., 

 C. W. Kimmins, D.Sc, J. Potts, F.G.S., and Rev. G. S. Rowe. 

 The Rev. Dr. Dallinger, liev. W. Spiers, and Rev. Hilderic 

 Friend, F.L S., will edit the Society's journal. 



The great refracting telescope of the Bischoffsheim Observa- 

 tory is in full operation at Nice. It is second only to the 

 Pulkowa instrument. Observations with it have been conducted 

 most successfully. 



Admiral Mouchez, Director of the Paris Observatory, 

 has issued circulars in the name of the Committee for erecting 

 to Fran9ois Arago a statue on the southern part of the meridian 

 line which passes through that establishment. Subscriptions are 

 received at the Observatory by M. Mouchez. A sura of about 

 400/., which had been collected for a similar purpose when 

 Arago died thirty-two years ago, is in the hands of the Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, and will be placed at the disposal of the 

 Committee. 



It is stated that a subscription will be started at Auxerre, the 

 native place of M. Paul Bert, for erecting a memorial on his 

 behalf. 



Last week a boat containing fourteen persons was successfully 

 worked on the Seine with artificial wings acting on the air, and 

 propelled by a rotating wheel. 



Dr. Forel informs us that earthquakes occurred in Switzer- 

 land on the following dates : — At Cernetz, Grisons, November 6, 

 I7h. 44m., and at igh. 59m. ; November 7, at ih. 28m. ; over 

 Switzerland, with centre in the Lake of Lucerne, on November 

 16, 2h. 15m. (all Greenwich times). 



We have received from Mr. J. White, photographer, of 

 Littlehampton, a copy of the last portrait (cabinet) taken of the 

 late Prof Guthrie. It is a very good one. 



De. R. Mui.lineu.x Walmsley, D.Sc, Senior Demonstrator 

 at the Finsbury Technical College, in the department of Applied 

 Physics and Electrical Engineering, has been appointed Principal 

 of the Technical College about to be established at Kurrachee. 



The decline of the Indian silk industry is a subject which has 

 lately attracted some attention. Various causes have been 

 assigned, such as rack-renting by the Zemindars, while the 

 existence of any specific disease among the silkworms has 

 been strenuously denied. The question seems at last to have 

 been settled by the investigations of a skilled entomologist, Mr. 

 Wood Mason, Curator of the Indian Museum, who, on examining 

 a large number of living cocoons, received from various parts of 

 the country, found over 60 per cent, so diseased that no moths 

 emerged, while such moths as emerged were nearly all sickly 

 and crippled, and only 6 per cent. lived to couple and lay eggs. 

 A further examination showed that the cells of the silk glands, 

 and all other tissues, including even the blood, were in the last 

 stage of disease, and literally crammed with minute corpuscles. 



