September 14, 1905] 



NA TURE 



491 



become possible by the influence of steam. He could not 

 refrain from quoting the remarkable forecast written by 

 his great grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, in 1785 : — 



Soon shall they arm unconquered steam afar. 



Urge the slow barge and draw the flying car. 

 How little could the writer of these lines have foreseen 

 that his great grandson would have the honour of declaring 

 a railway bridge open in the heart of Equatorial Africa. 

 Yet another interesting point was that this enterprise had 

 rendered possible a purely scientific enterprise. He referred 

 to the great survey of an arc of meridian which was due 

 to the insight of Sir David Gill. 



It is announced that the Emperor of Austria has made 

 Dr. Karl Toldt, professor of anatomy in the University of 

 Vienna, a life member of the Austrian House of Lords. 



The Harben lectures will be delivered in the lecture 

 room of the Royal Institute of Public Health on October 

 10, 12, and 17 bv Prof. T. Oliver. The subject of the 

 lectures will be some of the maladies caused by the air 

 breathed in the home, the factory, and the mine, in- 

 cluding a description of caisson disease or compressed air 

 illness. 



A TELEGRAM to the N exa Yorh Sun from Honolulu states 

 that the steamship Sierra, which arrived at New York on 

 September 6 from Australia, reports that a volcanic erup- 

 tion has occurred on the island of Savaii, the largest of 

 the Samoan group. 



The Arctic expedition of the Due d 'Orleans arrived at 

 Ostend on September 12 on board the Belgica. M. de 

 Gerlache, the commander of the expedition, said that the 

 duke and himself were delighted with the results attained. 

 They had been able to follow the pack ice the whole way 

 from Spitsbergen to Greenland. The expedition has 

 brought back a number of cases containing collections of 

 scientific value. 



We regret to have to record the death of Mr. H. R. 

 Noble, a past student in physics at University College, 

 London. Mr. Noble had shown the possession of great 

 experimental ability in connection with various investi- 

 gations published by the Royal Society, especially by his 

 work on the question of the relative movement of ether 

 and matter. He had gained an 185 1 scholarship, and had 

 gone to Giessen to work under Dr, Drude when failing 

 health compelled him to relinquish this work. Mr. Noble 

 was very popular amongst his fellow-students and teachers 

 at University College, and the news of his early death 

 will be received with great regret. 



It was stated recently by the British Medical Journal 

 that a member of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies had 

 proposed that a prize of 400,000!. should be offered for 

 the discovery of a certain method of stamping out con- 

 sumption. It is now understood by our contemporary that 

 the offer, which has been approved by the Brazilian Parlia- 

 ment, is larger in scope than was supposed, for it appears 

 that the prize will be given to anyone, native or foreign, 

 who shall discover a certain means of prevention or cure 

 of syphilis, tuberculosis, or cancer. The Brazilian 

 Minister of the Interior will, it is said, refer the proposal 

 to a committee composed of a representative of the 

 National Academy of Medicine, and four other members 

 of kindred bodies in France, England, Germany, and Italy. 

 The Brazilian Government will regulate the meetings of 

 the committee. 



The Paris correspondent of the Times states that one | 

 of the most interesting features of the International j 

 Congress on Tuberculosis, to be held at the Grand Palais | 

 NO. 1872, VOL. 72] 



on October 2-7, will be a museum and international 

 exhibition of tuberculosis. The Paris Municipal Council 

 has agreed to retain a considerable part of the scientific 

 objects in the exhibition for a permanent free museum 

 similar to that established by the Berlin Municipality at 

 Charlottenburg. The opening meeting of the congress will 

 be presided over by the President of the Republic, and 

 attended by numerous French and foreign delegates, in- 

 cluding leading men of science. The congress will be 

 divided into four sections, that of medical pathology being 

 presided over by Prof. Bouchard, that of surgical pathology 

 by Prof. Lannelongue, that of the preservation and 

 assistance of infant life by Prof. Grancher, while that 

 of the preservation and assistance of adult life and social 

 hygiene will be under the joint presidency of Prof. 

 Landouzy and Senator Paul Strauss. The acting president 

 and vice-presidents of the congress are Dr. H^rard, of the 

 Academy of Medicine, and Profs. Chauveau and Brouardel, 

 of the Institut de France. Dr. C. Theodore Williams and 

 Dr. H. T. Bulstrode have been appointed by the Govern- 

 ment the British delegates to the congress. 



A SEVERE earthquake disturbed a large part of Italy 

 and Sicily on September 8, causing much damage and the 

 loss of hundreds of lives. The region most affected was 

 in the vicinity of Monteleone, Calabria. The shock caused 

 damage so far as Sant Agata di Saro, Roggiano, and 

 Gravigna (province of Cosenza) and Sicily in the south, 

 and there was a sensible seismic movement in the north 

 so far as the province of Palermo, Saserno, Basilicata, 

 Puglia, Bari, and Lecce, and in the south over the whole 

 eastern coast of Sicily. The following summary of 

 Reuter's messages contains the essential facts relating to 

 the disturbance : — Reggio, Calabria, September 8. — Very 

 severe earthquake at 2.44 a.m. September 9. — Two un- 

 dulating earthquake shocks of short duration felt at 

 2.8 p.m. Catanzaro, Calabria, Septetnber 8. — Violent 

 shock of earthquake, lasting eighteen seconds, felt at 

 2.55 a.m. Several walls collapsed and cracks appeared in 

 others. Messina, September 8. — Very severe shock 

 occurred at 2.43 a.m., the direction of movement being 

 from north to south. Rome, September 8. — Shock felt 

 about 2.45 a.m., followed by other shocks during the day. 

 Public clocks stopped. September 9, 2 p.m. — Slight shock 

 registered by the instruments of the observatory at Rocca 

 di Pappa. Martirano. — Many killed and injured. All the 

 buildings collapsed. Stefanaconi. — Many houses destroyed, 

 and about 100 people killed. Piscopio. — Every house in 

 the village in ruins, and the dead number 50. Monteleone. 

 — Many houses destroyed, and about 600 lives lost in the 

 district. Triparni. — Totally destroyed, and 60 people killed. 

 San Gregorio. — Sixty-five deaths. Zammaro. — Houses de- 

 stroyed. Zungri. — Nearly every house wrecked, and inany 

 persons killed. Cessaniti. — Practically all the houses de- 

 stroyed. Bratico, Sanleo, St. Costantino, and Conidini 

 totally destroyed. Catanzaro. — All the villages in this 

 province seriously damaged. Several entirely destroyed. 

 About 450 killed and 1000 injured. San Flora. — Houses 

 seriously damaged. Daffina, Daffinillo, and Lousione. in 

 the district of Tropea. — Much damage done to houses. 

 Fesenza. — Shock very severe, and extensive damage done. 

 Syracuse and Catania. — Severe shocks felt. Castellam- 

 mare, Naples, and Florence. — Slight shocks. 



An article in the Hong Kong Daily Press by Mr. W, 

 Kingsmill discusses the position of Ophir. He argues 

 that the situation of Ophir and the provenance of the 

 gold of Ophir are two distinct questions, holding with 

 Prof. Keane that the latter came from South Afric.i the 



