Jmy 29, 1S80] 



NATURE 



299 



With such a healthy, vigorous motive power, supervised and 

 directed with so much intelligence, any defects [in the driving 

 gear of the machinery will soon be detected and corrected, until 

 the object which all have equally at heart is fully attained, and 

 New Zealand is placed in the front rank amongst the educated 

 communities of the world." 



The Trustees of the British Museum appear to be determined 

 to earn the reputation of hopeless incapacity for appreciating 

 science. Everybody knows how completely successful has been 

 the experiment of furnishing the reading-room of the British 

 Museum with the electric light, and what an impetus this has 

 given to the use of the British Museum Library. A few days 

 ago a question was asked in the House of Commons by Mr. D, 

 Grant, whether the Trustees were prepared to make arrange- 

 ments for lighting the building so that the scientific collec- 

 tions and other portions of it might remain open to the public 

 until 10 p.m. The answer returned by Mr. Walpole on behalf 

 of the Trustees was unsatisfactory enough. The use of gas 

 would be deleterious to sculptures and books ; and experience 

 would not "justify "a more extended use "of the electric light 

 in the exhibition-rooms and long galleries. The body of 

 Trustees, though they may be admirable custodians of the 

 national library, appear to have the most limited and provincial 

 notions with respect to the scientific collections which are 

 committed to their charge. 



The ways of official French science are somewhat inscrutable. 

 Some months ago we notified our readers that the /r/x Volta, 

 instituted by Napoleon, had been awarded to Graham Bell for 

 the articulating telephone. It appears that this award was made 

 in accordance with the report of a commission appointed in 

 1S76, of which M. Dumas was president and M. Becquerel 

 secretary, the Commission being unanimous in their award. In 

 their report they also mentioned with high approval the names 

 of M. Gramme, the inventor of the Gramme machines, M. 

 Gaston Plante, whose researches on secondary batteries, &c., 

 are now so well known, and Dr. Onimus, who has done much 

 to advance our knowledge of electro-physiolog)'. But in passing 

 through the hands of the Minister of Public Instruction this 

 report was manipulated in order to please the national vanity by 

 lifting up the claims of M. Gramme above those of MM. Plante 

 and Onimus, and eventually a grant of 70,000 francs was voted 

 by the Chamber, 50,000 francs being the prize awarded to Prof. 

 Bell, and 20,000 francs to M. Gramme. No one will grudge 

 M. Gramme his prize, though we cannot help thinking that 

 this secondary award will give rise to invidious comparisons 

 of claims, for M. Gramme is not the first nor yet the last in 

 the field amongst electrical engineers and inventors. 



The fund established by the Birmingham Philosophical Society 

 for the endowment of scientific research now amounts to 820/., 

 which will be invested, the interest only to be used. The sub- 

 scription list amounts to over So/, a year. A donation of 25/. 

 has been received from Mr. Charles Darwin, who, in a letter 

 received from him by Mr. Lawson Tait, a member of the council 

 of the Society, says: — "I saw something in the newspapers 

 about the fund, and admire greatly the noble spirit of 

 Birmingham." 



We have often referred to the enterprise of the Midland Union 

 of Natural History Societies, and now they have gone in for the 

 encouragement, if not the endowment, of original research. The 

 Council, at the last annual meeting at Northampton, submitted 

 for consideration a proposal to the effect that an annual prize 

 should be provided for the purpose of recognising and encourag- 

 ing original research by members of the societies in the Union. 

 After careful consideration by the committee at a meeting held at 

 Birmingham on July 15, the following scheme was adopted : — 1. 



That a prize (by permission of Mr. Ch. Darwin, F. R.S., to be called 

 " The Darwin Prize") of the value of 10/., to include a gold or 

 bronze " Darwin Medal," at the option of the successful candi- 

 date, be given annually for a paper indicating original research 

 upon a subject within the scope of the societies in the Union, 

 contributed by a member for publication in the journal of the 

 Union. 2. That the subjects for "The Darwin Prize" for the 

 three years ensuing be limited as under : — In 1881 to Geology, 

 in 1SS2 to Biology, in 1SS3 to Archteology. 3. That a com- 

 mittee of five, annually elected for the purpose by the Committee 

 of Management, adjudicate the prize to such paper, of sufficient 

 merit, on the subject of the year, contributed as aforesaid to the 

 journal of the Union (the Midland Naturalist), either actually 

 published or sent in for publication during the twelve months 

 preceding March 31 of that year, and declare the adjudication at 

 the annual meeting. 4. That right be reserved for the adjudi- 

 cators to withhold the prize if ia their opinion no contribution 

 has been sent in of sufficient merit. The scheme is a happy one, 

 and might with great advantage be adopted by other groups of 

 societies all over the kingdom. Mr. Darv.in, in giving permis- 

 sion for the use of his name in connection with the medal, says : 

 " It is particularly pleasing to me to have my name connected, 

 in however indirect a manner, with a scheme for advancing 

 science — the study of which has been my chief source of happi- 

 ness throughout life." 



The death is announced of M. Lissajous, the discoverer of 

 the well-known Lissajous figures, and author of a number of 

 elegant and valuable scientific memoirs. M. Lissajous, who was 

 Professor of Physics at Toulouse, was one of the founders of the 

 Sociele Francaise de Physique. 



A COMMITTEE has been formed to erect a statue to the late 

 Dr. Broca by public subscription. 



We have received the following details with reference to 

 the career of the late Mr. W. A. Lloyd -.—Born in Wales, he 

 early developed a taste for study, and in his early years went 

 deeply into such subjects as archeology, numismatics, and 

 heraldry. In 1852 he turned his mind to natural history, 

 especially as regards marine life. The first really successful 

 marine aquarium was that at Hamburg, which was wholly 

 devised by him, and in which the circulating principle was the 

 great element of success. In 1870 he was engaged by the 

 Crystal Palace Company to construct and superintend the fine 

 aquarium there, which, although not large, is probably one of the 

 best existing. His reputation spread, and he was consulted for 

 almost every new aquarium that was projected. Besides his 

 practical knowledge of the aquarium, he was a man of very 

 considerable culture, and contributed largely to the literature of 

 the subject. At the time of his death he was engaged on a 

 work comprising all his life-long experience, \\ hich unfortunately 

 he has not completed. His death, at the age of fifty-six (July 13), 

 was the result of effusion of blood on the brain, and took place 

 at his study table, where he was at work. Mr. Lloyd was con- 

 nected with aquaria at Paris, Vienna, Dresden, Frankfort, 

 Naples, New York, San Francisco, Melbourne, Adelaide, 

 Calcutta, Rhyl, Yarmouth, Tynemoutb, Nottingham, More- 

 cambe, Edinburgh, Westminster, Southport, Rothesay, Aston, 

 and possessed the only medals (gold, silver, and bronze) ever 

 a\N arded for aquaria. 



The Committee of Council of the British Medical Association 

 have awarded the gold medal of the Association to William 

 Farr, C.B., M.D., F.R.S,, D.C.L., "as an expression of their 

 high appreciation of his long, unwearied, and successful labours 

 in^behalf of statistical and sanitary science ; as a recognition of 

 the light he has thrown upon many physiological and patho- 

 logical problems ; and on account of the extraordinary services 



