494 



NA TURE 



[October 21, 1905 



or four days without landing. The pioneer expedition 

 may be expected to take place in two or three years' 

 time. Meanwhile, a ship will proceed next summer 

 to Spitsbergen to make preliminary investigations for 

 the purpose of discovering suitable airship anchorages. 

 During igii an airship will make long experimental 

 cruises over the sea from a port on the north coast of 

 Germany. In 1912 tw'o airships will proceed to Spitsbergen 

 and establish a central station, equipped with wireless tele- 

 graphy, in Cross Bay. The second airship will remain in 

 reserve. 



The Royal Scottish Museum has recently acquired by 

 purchase the well-known collection of Scottish Carbon- 

 iferous fossils formed by Mr. James Neilson, Glasgow. 

 This collection contains more than twenty thousand speci- 

 mens, among which are many type-specimens of lamelli- 

 branchs and brachiopods, which have been figured in the 

 publications of the Pala;ontographical Society and elsewhere. 

 These are remarkable for their wonderfully perfect state 

 of preservation, many of them showing delicate internal 

 structures, such as the spires of Spirifer. The collection 

 also contains Gyracanthus spines, of remarkable size, and 

 other valuable fish fossils, including the unique Cladodiis 

 neilsoni (Traquair). Some time must elapse before the 

 specimens can be arranged for exhibition, but, in the mean- 

 time, facilities will be given, so far as possible, to experts 

 who wish to study the collections. 



.\ Reuter message from Simla states that the Imperial 

 Malaria Conference, which has finished its sittings, has 

 drawn up a series of conclusions and recommendations 

 under the following heads, among others : — (i) The 

 appointment by the Government of India of a scientific 

 investigation committee, to be linked up with special 

 organisations for dealing with malaria in each province, 

 the investigations to be specially directed to (a) the dis- 

 tribution of malaria in India ; (b) the epidemiology and 

 endemiology of the disease ; and (c) the actions of quinine 

 and other remedies for malaria. (2) Practical measures, 

 including (n) the extirpation of anopheles, regarding which 

 further investigation is recommended in order to discover 

 how this can be done at a reasonable cost ; (b) minor 

 drainage operations, which are recom.mended when they 

 are certain to be effective ; (c) the restriction of wet culti- 

 vation near towns when the lands cultivated are known 

 to be a source of anopheles ; (d) the introduction of fish 

 into tanks and other collections of water ; and (e) the oil- 

 ing of small collections of water which cannot be filled up. 



(3) (a) On the suggestion of the president of the confer- 

 ence. Sir Herbert Risley, it is recommended that com- 

 mittees of officials and non-officials, directed by the elected 

 members of the new councils, be formed to spread among 

 the people knowledge regarding malaria and the_ measures 

 which it is possible to take against it ; (b) it is also re- 

 commended that the subject be taught in the schools. 



(4) Local Governments should be invited to make an 

 annual assignment of funds for malaria investigation and 

 prevention. 



The project of organising and bringing into existence in 

 1911 a "Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and 

 Industry " is rapidly taking shape. The object primarily 

 aimed at is to aid, and finally complete, the raising of 

 a fund for the endowment of a chair of Scottish history 

 and literature in Glasgow University; but, according to 

 the Engineer, the executive council is considering a 

 scheme of exhibits which takes account of the following : — 

 that there should be a collection of exhibits showing the 

 varied nature of Scotland's industries and of those carried 

 KG. 2CS6, VOL. 81] 



on by Scotsmen in the colonies and abroad, and that in 

 many industries a contrast should be made between the old 

 and the new ; that there should be an electricity exhibit, 

 dedicated to the memory of Lord Kelvin ; that there should 

 be a shipbuilding and marine engineering exhibit of a 

 historical nature, showing the development of steam naviga- 

 tion in its home on the Clyde ; that the river Kelvin should 

 be taken advantage of to represent historic episodes in 

 Scottish life and industry ; that the colonies, so largely 

 peopled from Scotland, be invited to tell of the progress of 

 the Scot abroad. 



Dr. L. a. Bauer informs us that the magnetic survey 

 vessel, the Carnegie, arrived at Falmouth on October 14, 

 twelve days after leaving St. John's, Newfoundland. 

 Magnetic observations were secured every day e.xcept one. 

 The Carnegie will remain at Falmouth until the end of 

 this month. Having completed the harbour observations 

 and the tests ashore of the instrumental constants, the 

 Carnegie, under the command of \V. J. Peters, who was j 

 in charge of the Pacific Ocean vessel, the Galilee, from 

 igo6-8, will go to Madeira, returning to New York, vid 

 Bermuda, about March i of next year. The September 

 number of Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric 

 Electricity contains an account of the launch of the 

 Carnegie at Brooklyn in June last, and her departure 

 on this — her first — cruise to Newfoundland, Hudson Straits, 

 and England. There is a further article, by Mr. J. 

 Craig, jun., on the non-magnetic gas engine with which 

 the vessel had to be provided to enable her to continue her 

 voyages when the wind was not strong enough for sailing. 

 It appears that the cheapest power plant would have been 

 a gasoline engine, but that the cost of maintenance would 

 have been greater than for a gas-producer plant, which was 

 finally selected as best. The material used in construction 

 was mainly manganese bronze, a few of the valves being 

 the only parts of steel or nickel-steel. The engine is of 

 the four-cylinder type, and resembles the regular Craig 

 air-starting engine. 



The second Model Engineer Exhibition is now being 

 held at the Royal Horticultural Hall, and will remain open 

 until October 23. The opening ceremony was performed 

 by Sir Hiram Maxim on October 15, and the appropriate- 

 ness of the selection of this distinguished experimenter in 

 aviation is evident from the very large number of model 

 aeroplanes exhibited. These constitute a special competi- 

 tion class, in which there are more than fifty entries. 

 Many of the designs are original, others are copies of 

 well-known successful types, and we noticed some in 

 which the workmanship was excellent. Considerable 

 variety is shown in the selection of the material for the 

 supporting surfaces ; generally fabric is employed, but 

 others having wooden, aluminium, and mica planes are to 

 be seen. There is also a very fine collection of steam and 

 other engines, model yachts, and electro motors. An 

 interesting feature of the exhibition is the completely 

 equipped model engineering workshop in operation. 

 Several firms also show their speciaUties in machine tools, 

 &c., for model-making. Perhaps the most noteworthy 

 advance in model work recently has been in connection 

 with model motor-boats. At the time of the first exhibi- 

 tion, in 1907, the speed record was 876 miles per hour; 

 the present record is above 15 miles per hour, a result 

 which is very creditable to the ability of amateur engineers. 



Prof. C. Lombroso, professor of criminal anthropology 

 and psychiatry in the University of Turin, died on 

 October 19 at seventy-three years of age. From an 

 interesting notice of his work and career in the Times of 



