August 27, 1896J 



NATURE 



401 



under the leadership of Commodore Wandel, undertaken for the 

 purpose iif exploring the navigable waters round Iceland. The 

 expedition, which lasted two years, was highly successful. In 

 the .southern part of Davis Strait the explorers discovered a 

 .submarine mountain range. The scientific results, especially 

 from a hydrographical and zoological point of view, are said to 

 be exceedingly valuable. 



We regret to announce that Prof. .A. H. Green, F.R.S., Pro- 

 fessor of Geology in the University of Oxford, died on Wednes- 

 day, August 19, at the age of sixty-four. We also notice with 

 regret the death of Dr. Riidinger, Professor of Anatomy at 

 .Munich Observatory ; Mr. Frederick Brodie, whose name will be 

 remembered by many astronomers in connection with drawings 

 of Donati's comet of 1858; and Miss G. E. Ormerod, the 

 sister of the well-known entomologist. Miss Ormerod took an 

 active share in her sister's useful work. 



H.4RVAR1) University, and geology, have lost a distinguished 

 worker by the death of Prof. Josiah Dwight Whitney. From 

 a notice in the Times, we gather that Prof. Whitney was born 

 at Northampton, Massachusetts, on November 23, 1819. He 

 graduated at Vale in 1839, and in the following year he joined 

 the survey of New Hampshire as assistant geologist under Mr. 

 C. T. Jackson. Two years later he went to Europe, and 

 pursued his studies in chemistry, geology, and mineralogy. On 

 his return to America in 1847 he investigated the geology of the 

 Lake Superior region, being appointed with Mr. J. W. Foster to 

 assist in making a geological survey of the district. In 1855 he was 

 appointed State chemist and professor in the Iowa University, 

 and wa-s associated with Mr. James Hall in the geological survey 

 of that State, of which he published an account. From 1S58 

 to i860 Prof. WTiitney was engaged on a geological survey of 

 the lead region of the Upper Missouri in connection with the 

 official surveys of Wisconsin and Illinois. He was appointed 

 State geologist of California in 1S60, and conducted a topo- 

 graphical, geological, and natural history survey of that State 

 till 1S74, when the State Legislature discontinued the work. 

 Besides numerous pamphlets and annual reports, Prof. Whitney 

 issued " Geological Survey of California" (six vols. , Cambridge, 

 1864-70). In 1S65 he was appointed Professor of Geology at 

 Harvard University, and retained the chair till his death. The 

 honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Vale in 

 1S70. Prof. Whitney was one of the original members of the 

 National Academy of Sciences named by Act of Congress in 

 1863, but he subsequently withdrew from that body. He was a 

 member of a large number of scientific bodies, both at home and 

 abroad. He translated Berzelius's "Use of the Blowpipe" 

 (Boston, 1845), 2"d lifi wrote a guide-book to the Vosemite 

 (S.in Francisco, 1869). It is a significant testimony to his 

 scientific eminence that Mount Whitney, the highest mountain 

 in the United States, is named after hiin. 



-An International Exhibition of Gardening will be opened at 

 Hamburg at the beginning of May next, and close at the end of 

 .September. The Exhibition is intended to comprise all branches 

 of gardening and the cultivation of all kinds of plants. 



The fourth International Congress of Criminal Anthropology 

 was opened at Geneva on Monday, and is to last till Saturday. 

 Great Britain is ofiicially represented, and Mr. Francis Galton, 

 F. R.S., is among those who are down to read papers at the 

 Congress. 



The I'aris correspondent of the Clumist and Druggist %<l?,Xz% 

 that the crypt made under the principal entrance of the Rue 

 Dutot Institute, which is to contain P.isteur's tomb, is rapidly 

 approaching completion. At the entrance of the vault is the 

 following inscription in French : — " Happy is he who carries 

 within himself a God, an ideal of Beauty, and obeys it ; an ideal 

 NO. 1400, VOL. 54] 



of Science, an ideal of the virtues of the Gospel.'' In the in- 

 terior the arches are decorated with groups of animals, surrounded 

 by frameworks of vines, mulberries and hops. Symbolical 

 winged figures, representing Faith, Hope, Charity, and Science, 

 appear in the centre of the cupola, forming a highly artistic 

 group, and one which is identified with the illustrious savant's 

 character. It is probable that the remains of the great chemist 

 will be transferred to the Institute from Notre Dame on 

 December 27, the anniversary of his birth. 



The International Exhibition to be held in Brussels next year 

 promises to be of a very important character. Though com- 

 menced as a private enterprise, it is now a national undertaking, 

 assisted by the State, and having as its patron King Leopold, 

 while the Count of Flanders has accepted the honorary presi- 

 dency. The French Government has made a grant of ^35,000 ; 

 Germany has so far voted no money, but has formed a powerful 

 commission, under the presidency of Prince Charles of Hohen- 

 zollern ; the United States has made a grant ; the South 

 American Republics will, in nearly all cases, be represented, and 

 it is expected that there will be Italian, Russian, Austrian, and 

 Scandinavian Courts. As for this country, the Government is 

 taking an interest in the success of the undertaking, and at 

 its request a British Commission has been formed under the 

 presidency of Sir .Albert Rollit, and with Mr. James Dredge, 

 one of the editors of Engineering, as executive commissioner. 

 It is hoped that British science, art, and industry will be 

 worthily represented at the Exhibition. 



With reference to the period of extremely hot weather in the 

 United States, a correspondent writes : — "The hot weather began 

 on August 4, and for eight days succeeding was felt over the 

 greater part of the United States. The deaths on Tuesday, 

 August II, both in New York and in Brooklyn, surpassed all 

 previous records, but were again exceeded on the following day. 

 In the twenty-four hours ended at noon, .August 13, 374 death 

 certificates were filed at the Bureau of Vital Statistics in New York 

 City. Of these the cause of death given in 158 cases was sun- 

 stroke. The total number of fatal sunstrokes in eight days was 

 6 1 7. Coroners and undertakers have been unable to dispose of the 

 dead with sufficient speed to protect the health of the living. 

 Lower animals, horses, dogs and cats, have died by thousands. 

 Over one thousand horses perished in New V'ork City, and 

 facilities for removing the bodies were so inadequate that many 

 remained for days where they fell. Some of the busy thorough- 

 fares of the city were strewn with dead horses like a field of 

 battle. In one instance, eighteen were said to be lying in one 

 street within a short distance of each other. Brooklyn fared 

 somewhat better on account of its proximity to the ocean ; but 

 Chicago was stricken almost like New A'ork City. In many 

 smaller cities similar effects were produced, and it will be 

 impossible ever to make an accurate statement of the total 

 fatality. In the Central Western States, the temperature rose to 

 1 10° and 1 15° in structures exposed to the sun at many points, and 

 even 125° was reported from portions of Illinois, not, of course, 

 in .shaded observation stations, but in inhabited buildings." 



The seventh annual meeting of the Museums Association, 

 held at the latter part of July in Glasgow, was a most successful 

 one from every point of view, and in some of its importan 

 features it exceeded any of the previous conferences. The 

 whole of the arrangements for the meeting were carried out by 

 the Corporation of Glasgow, who gave a very cordial welcome 

 to the Association, and ofi"ered them every facility for inspecting 

 the museum .schemes, some developed and others developing, 

 which mark Glasgow out as probably one of the most advanced 

 in the kingdom in its recognition of the important value of 

 museums and art galleries to the people of a great community. 

 In Kelvingrove Park the Corporation are erecting a science 



