tu 



NA TURF. 



[ynne ii, 1874 



The annual converzazionc of the Society of Arts will l^e lield 

 on the 19th inst. at the South Kensington Museum. 



Mr. Willet t, the hon. secretary to the Sub-WeaUen ex- 

 ploration, repoits that up to the end of the week before last a 

 total depth of 967 ft. 8 in. had been attained, so that the present 

 contract to bore 1,000 ft. may be taken as virtually complete. A 

 continuation of the work will require an immediate expenditure 

 of 500/. for lining tubes, and every additional foot bored to 

 1,500 ft. or 2,000 ft. will cost at least 2/. Thus, to enaljle 

 another 500 ft. to be bored, subscriptions to the amount of 

 1,500/. must he forthcoming. The boring continues in the 

 Kimmeridge clay. At a depth of 883 ft. the core contained 

 a shell of the Area species, which is entirely new to 

 Science. At a meeting of the cenlral committee it was 

 moved and carried unanimously: — "Tliat, as such important 

 economic and scientific questions are awaiting their solution by 

 the completion of this under:aking, it is most desirable that the 

 work should be continued, and that a sub-committee be appointed 

 to draw up a statement and an appeal for pecuniary support, and 

 that such sub-committee consist of Trof. Ramsay, F. R.S., Di- 

 rect or-General of the Geological Survey of England ; Mr. John 

 p;vans, F.R.S., Tresident of the Geological Society ; and Mr. J. 

 Trestwich, F.R.S., ex-President of the Geological Society." 

 These gentlemen having consented to act, the hon. secretary 

 solicits subscriptions, that the desired result may be attained. 



Lcs MomUs announces the death ol Mme. Liais, the wife of the 

 director of the Oliservatory of Rio de Janeiro, who acted as the 

 secretary of and co-worker with her husband in all his labours. 

 She accompanied him in his dangerous expeditions into the 

 centre of Brazil, and died in consequence of the sufferings she 

 endured during her travels with her husband. 



M. A. L. A. FliF,, the well-known French bot.anist, died on 

 the 2I5t ult., in his 86th year. 



M. ForTin, who recently died, has left all his fortune, amount- 

 ing to 36,000/., to the city of Paris, on condition that it will be 

 employed in building schools for children of both sexes. 



Alkti's Indian Mail learns from Calcutta that the Indian 

 Government proposes before long to resume tlie surveys of the 

 Indian coast line on an extensive scale. The work will be taken 

 in hand next cold season under the supervision of Capt. 

 A. D. Taylor, late of the Indian Navy. The operations will be 

 generally directed by Col. Thuillier, Surveyor-General. 



At a Cambridge congregation held on June 4, an additional 

 grant of 300/. was voted for the maintenance of the new 

 Museums and Lecture rooms. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. 

 Power, Dr. Phear, Dr. Humphry, Professors Stokes, Liveing, 

 and Hughes, Mr. Bonney, St. John's, and Mr. Hart, Emmanuel, 

 were appointed a syndicate to collect information as to the 

 space and accommodation required for a new Geological Museum, 

 and were ordered to report before the end of next Michaelmas 

 Term. The seal of the University was affixed to a letter of 

 thanks to the Chancellor, the Duke of Devonshire, for his 

 munificent gift of the Cavendish laboratory of Experimental 

 Physics. 



In the last article on The Coming Transit, it was mentioned 

 thit tlie Royal .Society had appointed three naturalists to 

 accompany tlic Tr.insit Expedition to Rodriguez. Tliis Natural 

 Science Staff will consist of Mr. Henry Slater, B.A., as 

 geologist, Mr. Balfour, son of Prof. Balfour of Edinburgh, as 

 botanist, and Mr. George Gulliver, B. A., as zoologist. 



Prei'ARATIons are being made for holding a national festival 

 to commemorate the discovery and colonisation of Iceland by the 

 Norsemen 1,00 years ago. 



One of the principal points to note in Dr. Acland's Report to 

 the Radcliff; Trustees for 1873, is thegr.ant made 1)y the trustees 

 of 100/. to be expended in the promotion of higher medical 

 science in connection with Oxford University. Of this twenty- 

 five guineas were granted to Messrs. C. C. Pode and E. Ray 

 Lankester to aid them in their researches concerning Bacteria. 

 Mr. I'ode unfortunately died, but the research is being carried 

 en by o hers. 



We take the following extract from an article in the New York 

 A'aZ/oM, entitled, "Who shall direct the National Surveys?": — 

 " It is little short of absurd that scientific work should be vo'ed 

 a military matter, to be carried on only under the oversight of 

 men who have military education. Unless, indeed, experience 

 had already shown, or should show hereafter, that scientific men 

 are not to be found who are capable of directing surveys as well 

 as of doing the work required upon them ; or tliat the methods 

 of military topography are the best basis for the complete geo- 

 graphical and geological exploration of a region ; or that civilians 

 work more happily and effectively under the government of 

 military men — and there are facts in abundance to disprove each 

 and every one of these hypotheses. It would seem a li.tle less 

 unnatural that the Navy Department should claim to undertake 

 the management of the foreign diplomatic service because it has 

 well-educated ofticers lying idle and ships to carry them to their 

 destinations. Army and navy are often good initiators ; hut 

 there comes a time when, in all the proper arts of peace, anna 

 cedtint iogir. And if the country has more educated military 

 talent than it needs for military purposes, profitable occupation 

 can surely be found for it without putting it in authority over 

 scientific men engaged in carrying on the work for which they 

 have been trained and to which they have devoted their lives." 



We are glad to see that a British Bee-keepers' Association 

 has been formed "for the encouragement, improvement, and 

 advancement of bee-culture in the United Kingdom." Its first 

 exhibition will be held at the Crystal Palace on Sept. 8, 9, and 

 10, when a lar^je number of prizes will be offered. The hon. 

 .secretary is Mr. John Hunter, Eaton Rise, Filing. 



The /.injiii'/, aiij Eiincati.'nal R,Tii-u\ "a cheerful, instructive, 

 and interesting periodical on languages, anthropology, anti- 

 quarian research, literature, education, science, and the fine arts," 

 is the name of a new monthly journal to be published on July I, 

 by Thomas Cook and Son and Hodder and Stoughton. 



Symons' British Rainfall {qx 1S73 has come to hand, and for 

 the immense amount of labour involved in sifting and arranging 

 the vast mass of material, all meteorologists ought to be grateful 

 to Mr. Symons. He has many difficulties to struggle with, in- 

 cluding 200 lazy correspondents, who are usually months behind 

 in sending in their statistics. We regret to see that Jlr. Symons' 

 request, that one or two gentlemen in each county would have 

 the kindness to volunteer to assist in seeing that their county is 

 not neglected, has been acted on in only a very few cases. It is 

 possible that many who would be willing to comply with the 

 request are ignorant of it ; we hope Mr. Symons will have a 

 better report to give in this respect next year. Mr. Stow'j piper. 

 On Sotch mist, is worthy of attention. 



A SUPPLEMENTARY part of Petermann's Miitheilunrtn con- 

 tains four lectures On the Caucasus, by Dr. G. Radde. Lec- 

 ture I. treats of the configura'ion of the Caucasus ; 1 1. Of the 

 organic world of the region ; III. Of the inorganic world in its 

 relation to the wants of man ; and IV. Of the present inhabitants 

 of the Caucasus, their condition, industries and prospects. Three 

 good maps accompany the lectures ; one a general map of the 

 country, another showing the extent of forest, and a third the 

 density of population. 



Count Wii.c^ek, the Austrian traveller, the Ceoi^rafhitil 



