462 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 221. 



$90,000 to $130,000. Professor Albert S. Bick- 

 more, representing the Museum, and Senator 

 Plunkitt, the introducer of the bill, declared 

 that, on account of recent additions to the 

 building, more money was required for its 

 maintenance, the present allowance being in- 

 adequate. The Mayor did not publicly declare 

 his intentions towards the bill, but it is believed 

 that he will sign it. 



The Joint Committee of the Koyal Society 

 and the Royal Geographical Society, appointed 

 to promote a National Antarctic Expedition, 

 made application some time ago to the Council 

 of the Royal Society and the Council of the 

 British Association for grants of money in aid 

 of the proposed expedition. The Treasurer of 

 the Royal Society has applied, on behalf of the 

 Council, to the Government Grant Committee 

 for a grant of £1,000, and the Council of the 

 British Association will recommend to the next 

 meeting of the General Committee that a like 

 sum be contributed by the Association. The 

 scientific societies in Australia are moving in 

 the matter with a view to influencing the Prem- 

 iers of the diflfereut colonies. 



The Navy Department expects to make a 

 hydrographic survey of the Philippines. The 

 Vixen, now on its way to Manila, will begin the 

 work as soon as it can be spared, and it is ex- 

 pected that the Yosemite, after making surveys 

 about Guam, will proceed to the Philippines for 

 this purpose. 



De. W. H. Furness and Dr. H. M. Miller 

 have returned from an expedition to Florida, 

 where they have been collecting fossils for the 

 Wistar Institute of Anatomy, University of 

 Pennsylvania. They have made collections 

 from the limestone quarries and phosphate 

 mines, where Dr. Leidy secured many valuable 

 specimens. 



The will of the late Herbert Stewart gives 

 $2,000 to the American Society of Engineers 

 for a library fund and $500 to the Engineers' 

 Club of New York City towards its building 

 fund. The residue of the estate, subject to life 

 annuities, is left to the Sheffield Scientific School 

 of Yale University for Scholarships. The 

 amount is estimated at $40,000. 



A Civil Service Commission examination 



will be held on April 11 and 12, 1899, for the po- 

 sition of Soil Chemist, Division of Soils, Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, at a salary of $1,400 per 

 annum. The subjects and weights are as follows: 



Physical chemistry 20 



Inorganic chemistry 20 



Organic chemistry 20 



Analytical methods 20 



Literature of soils 10 



French and German 10 



Total 100 



On the same days an examination will be 

 held for the position of Special Crop Culturist 

 (Department of Agriculture). The subjects 

 will be weighted as follows : 



Basis examination (first grade) 10 



English composition and general training and 



experience 10 



Agriculture and horticulture (general prin- 

 ciples and practice of agriculture and horti- 

 culture, including crop rotation, selection 

 and breeding of variety, agricultural Chem- 

 istry, fertilizers, treatment of plant diseases 



and insect pests) 20 



French (translation into English of a selec- 

 tion relating to the cultivation of field 



crops) 10 



Field crops (treatment of miscellaneous and 

 little known field crops, including import 



statistics) 30 



Proof reading 10 



Typewriting (tabulating, copying and spac- 

 ing, and writing from dictation) 10 



Total 100 



We have already called attention to the 

 Volta commemoration to be held at Como dur- 

 ing May of the present year. Como has ap- 

 propriated $100,000 for the preliminary ex- 

 penses. An electrical exhibition will be opened 

 on May 14th. A congress of electricians will 

 also be held. 



The eleventh annual meeting of the Botanical 

 Society of the University of Pennsylvania was 

 held this week, and the following officers were 

 elected : President, ex- officio, Provost C. C. 

 Harrison ; acting President, Dr. Adolph Miller; 

 First Vice-President, Mrs. L. R. Fox ; Secre- 

 tary, Professor J. MacFarland ; Treasurer, R. 

 C. Beane. 



We learn from the British Medical Journal 

 that the French Medical Press Association held 



