Febkuary 3, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



189 



in Edinburgh which have to do with Zoology, 

 and auy attempt to insinuate another would 

 simply alienate the sympathies of those who 

 would be glad to see a well-considered Zoolog- 

 ical Garden instituted. A committee, includ- 

 ing Professor Cossar Ewart, Dr. Ramsay Tra- 

 quair. Professor A. E. Mettam, Mr. Fairgrieve, 

 Mr. W. S. Bruce, Mr. Hope Findlay and oth- 

 ers, was appointed, and we wish them success. 

 We venture to predict that a successful site is 

 to be found in the direction where holidayers 

 do most resort. Proximity to the sea would 

 also be a great advantage. We hope the enthu- 

 siasts and the capitalists may come to terms, 

 and that more may soon be heard of this excel- 

 lent scheme." 



At the recent annual meeting of the New 

 York Academy of Medicine both the retiring 

 President, Dr. E. G. Janeway, and the incom- 

 ing President, Dr. William H. Thomson, advo- 

 cated the establishment of a research laboratory 

 in connection with the Academy. The library 

 of the Academy now contains 70,360 books, 

 being one of the most extensive medical li- 

 braries in the world. 



The Chelsea Physics Garden, established in 

 1721 by Sir Hans Sloan, at present forms the 

 site of the garden and buildings of the Society 

 of Apothecaries, occupied by them at a nominal 

 vent of £5, on condition that the garden be 

 maintained for the purpose of botanical and 

 medicinal study, and supply the Eoyal Society 

 with specimens of fresh plants every year. The 

 Society wishing to be relieved of the trust, the 

 London County Council has drawn up a plan 

 for its further maintenance. The scheme pro- 

 vides that the City Parochial Foundation, which 

 is prepared to made a grant of a capital sum and 

 a maximum yearly amount of £800 for main- 

 tenance, shall be the trustees. It is proposed 

 to provide a museum, a lecture theatre, a bo- 

 tanical laboratory and a biological laboratory, 

 partly in the existing buildings and partly in 

 new buildings, which, it is anticipated, will en- 

 croach on the garden to the extent of only one- 

 eighth of an acre. The trust is to be adminis- 

 tered by the trustees and by a committee of 

 management that will include representatives 

 from the Royal Society, the Royal College of 



Physicians and other institutions. Provision is 

 made for the appointment of a Curator and other 

 officers. 



The New England Association of Chemistry 

 Teachers held their first annual meeting at 

 Boston on January 28th. The following officers 

 were elected: President, Dr. Lyman C. Newell; 

 Vice-President, Rufus P. Williams, of Boston ; 

 Secretary, M. A. Stone, Watertown ; Treasurer, 

 E. F. Plolden, Charlestown ; Executive Com- 

 mittee, William H. Snyder, Worcester, Miss 

 Delia M. Stickney, Cambridge, and Charles R. 

 Allen, of New Bedford. The Association now 

 numbers 49 members. 



The centennial anniversary of the Medical 

 and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland will be cele- 

 brated in Baltimore, April 25th, 26th and 27th. 



A NUMBER of cases of bubonic plague have 

 occurred on the Island of Mauritius. 



Dr. Carl Peters has left London with a 

 well-equipped expedition to explore the Afri- 

 can territory south of the Zambesi River with 

 a special view to the discovery of gold. 



Natural Science states that Sven Hedin is 

 classifying his geological specimens, which he 

 will present to the High School of Stockholm, 

 and is preparing a detailed account of his jour- 

 ney from Kathgar to Khotam for Petermann's 

 Mittheilimgen. His archaeological collection and 

 manuscripts will be arranged by Professor 

 Grunwedel and exhibited in the Berlin Museum, 

 whilst Dr. Ekholm is dealing with the meteoro- 

 logical notes. The maps and charts, covering 

 .552 sheets, have been confided for enlargement 

 and reproduction to Justus Perthes, of Gotha. 

 Dr. Hediu proposes to start on his next journey 

 of Asian exploration about the middle of 1899. 

 He intends to cross the Taklamakan desert 

 twice, thoroughly explore one of the largest 

 rivers of Turkestan, and again study the inter- 

 esting Lob Nor problem. The most important 

 part of the work will, however, be exploita- 

 tions in the north and interior parts of Tibet. 

 Dr. Hedin hopes to be able to spend a winter in 

 some of the highest alpine regions of Tibet 

 at a height of about 15,000 feet. Then he will 

 pay a visit to the new Viceroy of India, and 

 will return over Himalaya, Karakoram and 

 Kashgar. Dr. Hedin will again go alone, and 



