74 



NATURE 



{May 28, 1874 



I,amond's splendid steam yacht Diana, and will proceed -iA 

 Nova Zembla, sailing from Dundee on June I. Capt. Brown, 

 Peterhead, will command the Diana. 



On the 20th inst. a large representative meeting of various 

 corporate towns was held at the Society of Arts, Adelphi, 

 under the presidency of Lord Hampton, in reference to 

 the national museums. The following resolutions were passed 

 unanimously: — I. "That all museums and galleries sup- 

 ported or subsidised by Parliament should be made con- 

 ducive to the advancement of education and technical 

 instruction to the fullest possible extent, and that special 

 Parliamentary funds should be granted to assist local and 

 provincial museums in the acquisition and loan of objects, and 

 with building grants, and thus extend their usefulness." 2. 

 " That in the opinion of this meeting all national museums and 

 galleries should be placed under the authority of a Minister of 

 the Crown, with direct responsibility to Parliament, thereby ren- 

 dering unnecessary for the purposes of executive administration 

 unpaid and irresponsiljle trustees except tliose who are trustees 

 under bequests or deeds, who might continue to have the full 

 powers of tiieir trust, but should not be charged with the ex- 

 penditure of money voted by Parliament." The chairman was 

 requested to submit to the Prime Minister the foregoing resolu- 

 tions, and press their importance on his attention. 



We cannot regret that Lord Hampton's motion fir the 

 appointment of a Minister of Education in the House of Lords 

 last Friday was lost. Lord Hampton does not seem to under- 

 stand what is really required, and the Duke of Richmond's reply 

 under the circumstances was perfectly appropriate and conclusive. 



It is known that several years ago the German Astronomical 

 Society undertook the systematic revision of star catalogues for 

 the boreal liemisphere up to the 9th magnitude. That heavy 

 tisk has been undertaken by fourteen oljservatories — Cambridge 

 (England), Cliristianii (>Jorway), Palermo (Italy), Neufchatel 

 (Switzerland), Leyden (Xetherlandi), Harvard College and 

 Chicago (U.S.). Pulkowa, Dorpat, Hclsingfors, Kazan (Rus- 

 sia), Berlin, Leipsig, Bonn (Germany). The boreal hemi- 

 sphere has been divided into zones, each of which ha; been 

 allotted to two different observatories. Pulkowa was entrusted 

 with the care of observing fundamental stars numbering 539. 

 The work is just half done, and will be finished by the end of 

 1S75, when every star marked by I.alande in his "Mistoire 

 celeste," and Argelander in his star catalogue, will have been 

 revised. 



A CHOLERA conference is to meet in Vienna in the course of 

 the autumn, to discuss th; best methods of preventing the pn- 

 pagation of the disease. Prof Pettenkofa-, who has carefully 

 watched the progress of cholera in Munich since i:s outbreak 

 nearly a year ago, will be present, and will no doubt have valu- 

 able inform.atim to contribute. The number of deaths, which 

 last winter amounted to 55 a-day in Munich (is a miximum), 

 had sunk last month to 2 per diem. 



The German Society of Anthropilog/ is industriously col- 

 lecting material for the Prehistoric map, which it was resolved, 

 at the meeting of April 1870, to prepare for publication. Among 

 other points to be indicated on this map will be the position of 

 the most notable Prehistoric settlements, fortifications, lake- 

 dwellings, cave-dwellings, barial mounds, and other places of 

 sepulture. By a judicious use of colours, the various periods — 

 Stone, Bronze, and Iron— will be indicated, and altogether the 

 map will be one of great value to the student of archceology and 

 ethnologj'. 



We have already referred to the treatment by the French Go' 

 vernment of M. Alglave, Professor in the Law Faculty of Douai, 

 and editor of La Revue scicntifiqiw. M. Alglave had been dele- 



gated temporarily to the faculty of Grenoble, but as he liad 

 undertaken to deliver a course of lectures at Lille, and had more- 

 over been designated secretary to the approaching session of the 

 French Association at that town, he petitioned the minister to 

 permit him to remain at Douai ; the reply was absolute dismissal 

 from his post without delay. Such is a specimen of how French 

 ministers use their "little brief authority. " 



L.\ST Thursday a handsome new aquarium, well stocked with 

 marine and fresh-water fish, was opened at Manchester. The 

 sea-water is brought by train in barrels fro.m Blackpool, a dis- 

 tance of about 40 miles, and a constant supply is maintained. 



Mr. J. W. Douglas, the well-known entomologist, has 

 become one of tire editors of the Entomologist's Monthly 

 Alagazint'. 



The first part of the third issue of Sowerby's " British Wild 

 Flowers" (Van Voorst) is now out; the description; with an Intro- 

 duction and a Key to the Natural Orders, being by C. Pierpoint 

 Johnson, Botanical Lecturer at Guy's Hospital. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 last week include a Wild Boar {Sus scrofa) from Algeria, pre- 

 sented by Mr. W. F. Tempest ; an Ourang-outang {Siniia 

 satyn/s) from Borneo, deposited ; a Racoon-like Dog {A'yctercuh's 

 vivtrrinus') from Amoorland, new to the collection ; a Great 

 Bustard {Otis tarda), European ; five Red-legged Falcons 

 [Erythropusvespertinns], European, purchased ; three Temminck's 

 Tragopans [Ccrioriiis temmincki) and three Peacock Pheasants 

 (PolyJ'kctron chinquis), hatched in the Gardens ; and two Hairy 

 Armadillos (Dasypus villosus), born in the Gardens. 



THE FLORENCE INTERNATIONAL 

 BOTANICAL CONGRESS 



'T'HE International Botanical Congress commenced its sittings 

 -*- at Florence on May 15, under fat presidency of Dr. Hooker, 

 Prof Parlatore being disaliled by illness from filling that post. 

 The vice-presidents elected were Mr. Benibam and Dr. Moore 

 for Great Britain, M. de Candolle for Switzerland, M. Fenzl 

 for Austria, MM. Planchon, Weddell, and Baillon for France, 

 MM. Reichenbach, Ilofmcister, WeniJand, and Karl Koch for 

 Germany, and MM. Regel, Bunge, Gelernoff, and Wolkenstein 

 for Russia. At the Congress England was represented by Pro- 

 fessors Bentham, AUman, and Masters, Drs. Hooker and Ball, 

 Messrs. Smee, Hiern, and Maw ; David Moore represented 

 Ireland, and Charles Moore Australia. 



On the first day a paper was read by Dr. Planchon on 

 Phylloxera vastatrix and the vine disease ; on vegetable palaeon- 

 tology by M. Camel ; on the development of Cynomoriiim coc- 

 cincum, by Dr. Planchon ; M. Famintzin on the spores of 

 At'thalium. 



At the second meeting. May 18, Prof, de Candolle, presided, 

 an.l among the papers read was one by Mr. W. P. Hiern, of 

 Cambridge, on thi determinations of the fossils that have been 

 referred ro Diospyros or allied genera. At the third meeting. 

 May 20, Dr. Baiige, a Russian botanist, presided, and the papers 

 included one by De Candolle on Alpine ]ilants. On the l6th 

 took ])lace the inauguration of the bust of Philip Barker Webb, 

 an English botanist, who left his valuable herbarium to Florence. 

 An oration was made by Dr. Bolt, of Berlin. 



The International Horticultural Exhibition, which took place 

 concurrently with the Congres--, was opened by the King on the 

 I5'b, and the following day 1,800 people were present. 



The show was held m a new iron budding in the middle of the 

 town, which is to be used as a market. The Italian A<-a'.f,pub- 

 lished in Rome May 19, says: "The Flor.al Exhibition has 

 proved a decided success, in spite of the bad weather which 

 accompanied its inauguration. There his been a large daily 

 attendance. The show was remirkably complete, and the 

 prizes have been awarded with such justice that no jealousies 

 have been allowed to mar the pleasure of the recipients." 



It is proposed that the conference for next year shall be held 

 in London. 



