650 

Maitland (chairman), Sir G. Fiddes, Sir F. Lugard, 
Sir Hugh Clifford, Sir Owen Philipps, Mr. G. A. 
Moore, Mr. T. Wallxden, Sir W. G. Watson, Bt., 
Mr. L. Couper, Prof. W. R. Dunstan, Mr. T. Middleton, 
Mr. T. Worthington, and Mr. T. Wiles. The secre- 
tary is Mr. J. E. W. Flood, of the Colonial Office. 
Tue death is announced of Dr. B. Fischer, Pro- 
fessor of Hygiene and Bacteriology in the University 
of Kiel, who recently succumbed to heart-failure near 
Ypres. In the early days of bacteriology he studied 
the action of antiseptics and disinfectants upon bac- 
teria, and afterwards made important contributions 
on the phosphorescent and chromogenic bacteria and 
on bacterial structure and classification. The latter 
formed the subject of a series of lectures, an English 
translation of which appeared under the title of ‘‘ The 
Structure and Functions of the Bacteria,’’ which has 
passed through two or three editions and forms an 
admirable introduction to the more botanical side of 
bacteriology. 
Tue death is announced of Madame Osterberg, the 
head of the Swedish physical training movement in 
England. In 1880 she was appointed superintendent 
of the physical training department of the London 
School Board. In 1885 she started at Hampstead the 
first college in this country for teaching Swedish drill, 
which in 1895 was moved to Dartford Heath. The 
college was enlarged several times, the curriculum 
becoming more scientific, and a laboratory was added 
some years ago for research and experiment. Some 
eighteen months ago Madame Osterberg desired to 
relinquish the active direction of the work of the 
college. In so doing she wished, in the national in- 
terest, to secure the continuation of the worl: which 
had been so successfully developed. With this purpose 
in view she offered to transfer the college to the 
Government. For reasons in no way connected with 
the college it was found impracticable to accept the 
offer, and Madame Osterberg was advised to create a 
trust. Almost her last act before her death was to 
sign the trust deed, vesting her property in a trust 
with the object of carrying on the college in the 
national interest on its existing lines. 
WE regret to note the death of Major A. M. Downie, 
of the 5th Highland Light Infantry. Major Downie 
was wounded on July 12 during operations in the 
Gallipoli Peninsula, and died on July 23. He was 
well known in engineering circles in Glasgow; he 
was educated at Allan Glen’s School and at Glasgow 
University, where he took the degree of B.Sc. in 
engineering. At a comparatively early age he was 
appointed managing director of Messrs. D. Stewart 
and Co., Ltd., where his attainments proved of great 
service in developing the specialities of the firm— 
sugar machinery. 
AccORDING to a German wireless message, the death 
has just occurred, at Lichterfelde, Berlin, at the age 
of sixty-nine years, of Dr. Richard Kiepert, the carto- 
grapher. 
WE regret to record the death of Rear-Admiral 
Benjamin Franklin Isherwood, who was engineer-in- 
NATURE 

[AUGUST 12, 1915 

Civil War. A short account of his career is given in 
Engineering. He was trained at the Albany Academy, 
and his early practical work was connected with rail- 
way construction. He was one of the first members 
of the Engineer Corps of the United States Navy, and 
saw service in the Mexican War in 1846 in the Prince- 
ton, the first screw-propelled vessel of the United 
States Navy. He was appointed engineer-in-chief of 
the navy in 1861. On his retirement he took up his 
residence in New York and devoted his energies to 
scientific research and literary work. 
THE annual congress of the British Archzological 
Association will be held in the Isle of Wight from 
August 18-21 inclusive. On the evening of the open- 
ing day the president, Mr. C. E. Keyser, will deliver 
his presidential address at.Ryde. On August 19 a 
joint meeting will be held with the Hampshire Field 
Club and Archzological Society, and arrangements 
have been made for visits to various places of interest 
on that day and onthe concluding days of the 
meeting. 
THE autumn meeting of the Institute of Metals will 
be held in the rooms of the Chemical Society on Sep- 
tember 17. The following papers may be expected to 
be communicated :—The corrosion of gun-metal, Dr. 
C. H. Desch; metallic crystal twinning by direct 
mechanical strain, Prof. C. A. Edwards; notes on the 
copper-rich kalchoids, Profs. Brinton and S. L. Hoyt; 
the constitution of brasses containing small percent- 
ages of tin, Dr. O. F. Hudson and R. H. Jones; 
(a) structural changes in industrial brasses, (b) hard- 
ness of copper-zinc alloys, Dr. D. Meneghini; speci- 
fications for alloys for high-speed superheat steam 
turbine blading, W. B. Parker; the physical proper- 
ties of metals as functions of each other, Dr. A. H. 
Stuart; detection of internal blow-holes in metal cast- 
ings by means of X-rays, C. H. Tonamy; a thermo- 
stat for moderate and high temperatures, J. L. 
Haughton and D. Hanson. 
Ir is intended to celebrate the twentieth anniversary 
of the New York Botanical Garden in Bronx Park 
during the week beginning on September 6 next. 
In addition to meetings in the garden itself, there are 
to be visits to Staten Island for the study of the coastal 
flora, to the pine barrens of New Jersey, and to the 
Brooklyn Botanical Garden. 
THE general programme of the ninety-seventh annual 
meeting of the Société Helvétique des Sciences natur- 
elles to be held at Geneva on September 12-15 has now 
been issued. It will be remembered that this year is 
also the centenary of the foundation of the society. 
On September 13 the president, Prof. Amé Pictet, will 
deliver the opening address, and a lecture will be 
given by Prof. A. Heim, of Zurich, on new light in 
the investigation of the Jura Mountains. On Sep- 
tember 14 the sectional meetings will take place, and 
on the concluding day the following lectures have been 
arranged :—Prof. P. L. Mercanton, of Lausanne, on 
the results of forty years’ measurements of the Rhone 
glacier; Dr. Fritz Garasin, of Bale, on an archipelago 
in the Pacific Ocean: the Loyalty Islands; and Dr. 
E. Ribel, of Zurich, on the international plant geo- 
chief of the United States Navy during the American | graphy excursion through North America. The presi- 
NO. 2389, VOL. 95] 
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