90 
NAT ORE 
[Marcu 28, 1912 
The vegetable matter has darkened, but shows no 
other resemblance to coal, the statements in the daily 
Press on this, as on other points, being erroneous. 
Much is soft and pulpy, but some is still hard and 
flexible. In some overlying beach-sand of the same 
general age, part of the skull of a whale, probably 
the common rorqual, has been found, together with a 
great quantity of drift-wood in the same condition as 
the wood in situ. This beach-sand is now partly 
cemented with pyrites. 
Tue council of the Iron and Steel Institute has 
decided to award the Andrew Carnegie gold medal of 
the institute to Dr. Paul Goerens, of Aachen. Dr. 
Goerens has made many contributions to scientific 
metallurgy, and in r910 he was awarded one of the 
Carnegie scholarships of the Iron and Steel Institute, 
to enable him to pursue his investigations on the 
influence of cold-working on the properties of iron and 
steel. The gold medal is now awarded to him in 
recognition of the highly meritorious character of his 
research work on this subject. 
We regret to see the announcement of the death 
of Prof. A. Pacinotti, professor of technical physics 
at the University of Pisa, at seventy-one years of 
age. 
Dr. J. C. Wrus has retired from the post of 
director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, 
Ceylon, and has accepted the appointment of director 
of the Botanic Gardens (Jardim Botanico) at Rio 
de Janeiro. He will sail by the Orcoma from Liver- 
pool on April 4. 
Tur death is announced, at the age of seventy-six 
years, of Prof. Auguste Tépler, who from 1876 to 
1900 was head of the physics department of the 
Technical High School of Dresden, and was the in- 
ventor of the well-known mercury pump bearing his 
name. We also notice the announcement of the 
death, at sixty-nine years of age, of Prof. Wilhelm 
Miinch, professor of pedagogics at the University of 
Berlin. 
Tue death is reported, in his fifty-fifth year, of Dr. 
John Bernhardt Smith, a well-known American writer 
on entomology. He was educated for the Bar, and 
practised as a lawyer for several years. His first 
scientific appointment was as assistant curator of 
insects in the United States National Museum in 1886. 
In 1889 he became professor of entomology at Rutgers 
College, and in 1894 State entomologist of New 
Jersey. In the latter capacity he did much to get rid 
of the mosquito pest in that State. 
Dr. Wititam TRELEASE has resigned his post as 
the director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 
familiarly known in the United States as Shaw’s 
Garden. Dr. Trelease was appointed director of the 
garden by the late Mr. Henry Shaw, its founder, on 
the recommendation of Prof. Asa Gray, and has held 
the position since 1889. The garden is exceeded in 
size only by Kew Gardens. The director’s report for 
1909 shows that at the end of that year the garden 
contained 11,764 species, representing 1777 genera | 
NO, 2213, VOL. 169)| 
‘belonging to 197 families. The number of visitors — 
during the same year was 120,748, a number exceeded 
only in 1907, when the total reached 135,497. 
Tue tenth annual session of the South African 
Association for the Advancement of Science will be 
held in Port Elizabeth from Monday, July 1, to 
Saturday, July 6, inclusive, under the presidency of 
Dr. A. Theiler, C.M.G. The sections and their presi- 
dents are as follows:—A, astronomy, mathematics, 
physics, meteorology, geodesy, surveying, engineer- 
ing, architecture, and irrigation, Mr. H. J. Holder; 
B, chemistry, geology, metallurgy, mineralogy, and 
geography, Prof. B. de St. J. 
bacteriology, botany, zoology, agriculture, forestry, 
physiology, hygiene, and sanitary science, Mr. F. W. 
FitzSimons; D, anthropology, ethnology, education, 
history, mental science, philology, political economy, 
sociology, and statistics, Mr. W. A. Way. 
Tue annual general meeting of the Ray Society 
was held on March 14; Dr. B. Daydon Jackson, vice- 
president, occupied the chair. The report of the 
council announced a small increase in the member- 
ship of the society; the issue of two volumes for 
the year tro11, ‘British Desmidiacez,” vol. iv., 
and ‘British Tunicata,’” vol. iii., completing that 
worl; and that the volumes for 1912 would be a 
“Bibliography of the Tunicata,” by the secretary, and 
the first volume of ‘British Parasitic Copepoda,” 
by Dr. Thomas Scott and Mr. Andrew Scott, treating 
of the copepoda parasitic on fishes, which division of 
the subject would be completed by the issue for 1913 
of an atlas of seventy plates, mostly coloured. The ~ 
balance-sheet showed the finances of the society to be 
in a satisfactory condition. The Right Hon. Lord 
Avebury was re-elected president, Dr. F. DuCane 
Godman treasurer, and Mr. John Hopkinson secre- 
tary. 
Tue report of the Departmental Committee on 
Forestry in Scotland has been issued as a Blue-book 
(Cd. 6085). 
reference to the committee were, among other 
matters, to report as to the selection of a suitable 
location for a demonstration forest area in Scotland, 
the uses to which such an area could be put, and the 
probable cost. The committee thinks the area should 
contain at least 4000 acres, including, if possible, 
2000 acres already under wood. The plantable land 
might with advantage amount to 10,000 acres, but, 
says the report, such an extent, combined with the 
necessary growing woods, may be difficult to secure. 
Recommendations are made as to the staff required 
and to equipment, and so on. No estimate is given 
of the probable capital expenditure, though the esti- 
mate of capital outlay for establishment is placed at 
15,5001., and the estimate of initial annual expendi- 
ture at 2400l. Three steps are recommended follow- 
ing on the establishment of a demonstration area for 
the promotion of sylviculture in Scotland: a flying 
survey to ascertain the best forest and their 
approximate extent; the appointment of an advising 
forest officer, with at least one assistant; and the 
establishment of a limited number of State trial- 
forests. 
sites 
van der Riet; C) 
It will be remembered that the terms of i 
