NA TURE 



[May 2, 1907 



lowir ^'ulcon \'alley, and about freezing in the 

 vi. inity of Eagle (longitude 141° W.)- 



i he primary object of the present work was to 

 pnsent in a form for easy reference comparative 

 statistics for the different parts of the United States. 

 This object has been very successfully attained in 

 this volume so far as existing homogeneous observ- 

 ations allow, but the data for many stations will 

 have to be revised when means can be formed for a 

 greater number of years. Nevertheless, the volume 

 is a valuable contribution to the meteorology ftf the 

 portion of the world with which it deals, and will 

 serve probabl)- to stimulate the directors of some 

 other meteorological services to bring together masses 

 of existing material which are for the most part lying 

 dormant. 



DEDICATION OF THE CARNEGIE 

 INSTITUTE. 

 'yHE trustees of the Carnegie Institute had pcr- 

 ^ mitted their European guests to select the 

 steamers that suited them, and had taken quarters 

 for them in the new and luxurious Hotel Belmont, 

 42nd Street, New York. On Wednesday morning, 

 April 10, two special pulmans and a luncheon car 

 were provided to take the party to Pittsburg, and 

 one or two of the trustees were on board to welcome 

 the guests and to make them known to one another. 

 Amongst the party were Baron d'Estournelles de 

 Constant and M. Paul Doumer, representing the 

 Institut and various French universities; M. Leonce 

 Beneditc, director of the Luxembourg; and M. Camille 

 Enlart, director of the Trocadero Museum, Paris; 

 their Excellencies T. von Moeller, Minister of State, 

 and Lieut. -General von Loewenfeld, .Xdjutant- 

 General, represented the German Emperor; Privy 

 Councillor Dr. Koser, chief director of the Prussian 

 State Archives and member of the Academy of 

 Sciences, and F. S. Archenhold, director of the 

 Treptow Observatorv, represented scientific Germany ; 

 Sir Robert Ball, F.R.S., and Dr. Roberts, the Vice- 

 Chancellor, represented the University of Cambridge ; 

 Dr. John Rhys represented Oxford Llniversitv; whilst 

 there were also present Sir Edward Elgar, Sir 

 William Preece, F.R.S., and Dr. Chalmers Mitchell, 

 F.R.S. 



Continued snowstorms made it impossible to see 

 much of the wild scenery of the Alleghenies, and the 

 famous horse-shoe curve of the Pennsylvania Rail- 

 road was traversed in a regular blizzard. The party 

 reached Pittsburg about S p.m., and at the Hotel 

 Schenley, situated in the Schenley Park, a few yards 

 from the Carnegie Institute, found assembled a' very 

 large number of Americans representing nearly all 

 the scientific institutions and universities of the 

 United States and from Canada, Principal Peterson 

 and Dr. Bovey from the McGill University, Montreal, 

 and Dr. Galbraith from Toronto. 



The proceedings began on Thursday morning, 

 April II, with a reception of the guests in the 

 founder's room by Mr. Frew, president of the board 

 of trustees, who above all others has been responsible 

 for the translation of Mr. Carnegie's generosity into 

 the actual buildings. This was followed bv a recep- 

 tion in the grand foyer of the institute, at which 

 the guests were presented to Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie. 

 After luncheon there was a procession of the guests 

 in uniform or academic costume through lines of 

 cheering students, from the hotel to the institute. At 

 2 o'clock nominally, actually about 3.30 p.m., the 

 dedication took place. The Cambridge Vice-Chan- 

 cellor delivered an "invocation," modelled on the 

 university "bidding prayer"; Principal Rhys read a 

 NO. Tq57. VOT.. 76] 



scripture lesson (Proverbs, iii., 9-27), Mr. Carnegie 

 delivered a long address, and M. d'Estournelles de 

 Constant and Theodor von Moeller presented official 

 congratulations from France and Germany. 



It was notable, and somewhat humiliating to the 

 English visitors, how elaborately Germany had made 

 official arrangements for showing the sympathy of 

 its Government. At each function Germany was to 

 the fore ; there was a personal cable from the 

 Emperor, the Emperor's high representatives 

 appeared with tlicir staff in brilliant uniform, and a 

 special gift of German State records and Blue-books, 

 and the formal return gift from Mr. Carnegie of a 

 cast of Diplodocus, were only characteristic examples 

 of the German activity. The high position and 

 exquisite tact of Baron d'Estournelles de Constant, 

 together with the public announcement made by him 

 a few days later at New York, that the French 

 Government had commissioned him to bestow the 

 Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour on Mr. 

 Carnegie, supported the prestige of France, but 

 although the British subjects who were present ably 

 upheld the position of England in their individual 

 capacities, there was no one formally commissioned 

 to represent the English Government. 



On Friday, -April 12, there was an informal recep- 

 tion at the technical institute, and a jjresentation of 

 addresses in the large hall from the various uni- 

 versities and learned bodies throughout the world. 

 There were in addition a number of addresses de- 

 livered in whole or in part by the European guests; 

 Sir Robert Ball took as his subject " The .Solution 

 of a Great Scientific Difficulty," stating the difficulty 

 in the old supposition that the contraction of its 

 sphere could be the source of the energy radiated out 

 by the sun, and suggesting that the presence of 

 radium offered a solution. Sir \V. H. Preece spoke 

 on the connection between science and engineering, 

 tracing the extent to which the art of the engineer 

 had been indebted to the researches of pure science. 

 Dr. Chalmers Mitchell discussed international co- 

 operation in zoology, dealing speciallv with the 

 necessity for unity in nomenclature and with progress 

 in the international recording of zoological literature. 

 In the evening there was a large banquet, and the 

 proceedings ended on Saturday morning with the 

 ceremony of the conferring of honorarv degrees by 

 the ^^"estern L'niversity of Pennsylvania. The 

 English recipients were as follows: — LL.D., Sir 

 Robert Ball, Sir Robert Cranston, Sir Edward Elgar, 

 Dr. P. Chalmers Mitchell, Sir ^V. H. Preece, Dr. 

 lohn Rhvs, the Rev. Dr. E. S. Roberts, Dr. John 

 Ross; Litt.D., Mr. C. Moberlv Bell and Mr. W. T. 

 Stead. 



The Carnegie Institute, the area of which is nearly 

 four acres, and the adjacent technical schools, which 

 when completed will cover with their workshops and 

 yards nearly thirty-two acres, are the " gifts of 

 .\ndrew Carnegie to the people of Pittsburg," and 

 are dedicated to "literature, science, and art." The 

 total cost, together with a recent endowment for 

 maintenance of more than a million pounds, has been 

 about four million pounds. The management is 

 vested in a board of trustees consisting of local re- 

 presentative men, under whom Dr. \V. J. Holland is 

 director of the museum, Mr. John W. Beatty 

 director of the fine arts department, Mr. A. A. 

 Hanierschlag director of the technical schools, 

 whilst Mr. A. H. Hopkins is chief librarian. 

 The exterior of the institute proper is unpre- 

 tentious, the structure being of steel faced with 

 irrey sandstone in a simplified Corinthian style. The 

 interior is a series of gorgeous halls and corridors 

 in marble and gilding, decorated with a striking 

 series of mural paintings bv Mr. J. \V. .Alexander, a 



