520 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 223. 



M'hich proposes to establish universal formulas 

 for the examination of persons desiring to be 

 insured. 



On March 18th the Austrian Society of Engi- 

 neers celebrated its jubilee in the Municipal 

 Council Chamber, Vienna, under the presi- 

 dency of Mr. F. Berger. Nature says that 

 there was a large attendance of members, and 

 representatives of sixty six kindred societies 

 presented addresses. Congratulatory speeches 

 were delivered by the Austrian Minister of Rail- 

 ways; the Minister of Commerce; the Governor 

 of Lower Austria; the Secretary of the Iron 

 and Steel Institute, London; the Secretary of 

 the French Society of Civil Engineers, Paris, 

 and the Secretary of the Society of German 

 Engineers, Berlin. A paper was then read by 

 Mr. A. Riicker on the part taken by the 

 Austrian Society of Engineers in the technical 

 progress of the past fifty years. The Austrian 

 Society is a very influential one. At its founda- 

 tion in 1848 it numbered seventy-nine mem- 

 bers ; at the present time there are 2,388. 



The inaugural course of the Charles F. 

 Deems lectureship foundation will be given by 

 Professor James Iverach, D.D., of Aberdeen, 

 on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10;30 a. m., 

 beginning on April 3d at University Building, 

 Washington Square. The endowment of $15,- 

 000 given by the American Institute of Christian 

 Philosophy to the New York University pro- 

 vides for lectures on science and philosophy in 

 their relation to religion. 



Mr. Ritchie, President of the British Board 

 of Trade, received at the House of Commons ou 

 March 22d a deputation of representatives from 

 the Decimal Association, chambers of commerce, 

 educational institutions and trade unions, who 

 urged upon the government the compulsory 

 adoption of the metric system of weights and 

 measures on January 1, 1901. The importance 

 of this measure was urged by Sir Samuel Mon- 

 tague, Sir Henry Roscoe, Sir E. S. Hill and 

 others. Mr. Ritchie in reply said that the gov- 

 ernment had done much by making the metric 

 system legal and by introducing it in the schools, 

 but did not think that public opinion warranted 

 its compulsory adoption. The resolutions passed 

 by the associated chambers of commerce was as 



follows : " That, in view of the time wasted in 

 teaching a system of weights and measures 

 which, according to the First Lord of the 

 Treasury, is ' arbitrary, perverse and utterly 

 irrational,' and in the opinion of Her Majesty's 

 Consuls is responsible for great injury to British 

 trade, this associatiou urges Her Majesty's gov- 

 ernment to introduce into and endeavor to carry 

 through Parliament as speedily as possible a 

 bill providing that the use of the metric system 

 of weights and measures shall be compulsory 

 in this country within two years from the pass- 

 ing of the bill, and suggests that meanwhile the 

 system should be adopted in all specifications 

 for government contracts." 



The Eclipse Expedition to Japan under 

 Professor Todd, two years ago, founded at 

 Esashi a public library, in return for courtesies 

 shown the expedition. Professor Todd is now 

 sending to this library, through the legation at 

 Washington, a collection of books part of which 

 have been given by a number of rejjresentative 

 American publishei's. 



The original manuscripts of surveys of Van 

 Diemen's Land, made between 1821 and 1836, 

 were sold recently at the rooms of Messrs. 

 Hodgson, London, for $250. 



The Companie Geuerale Transatlantique is 

 establishing a service of carrier pigeons, which 

 it is believed will announce the arrival of steam- 

 ships twelve hours earlier than is at present 

 possible. 



Nature states that a dinner which took place 

 at the Fishmongers' Hall on March 14th pos- 

 sesses especial interest on account of tlie fact 

 that it was given in honor of science, and that 

 the guests included a great number of scientific 

 men, among them being the Presidents of the 

 following societies and scientific bodies : Royal, 

 Royal Horticultural, Royal College of Phy- 

 sicians, Royal Geographical, Dermatological, 

 Royal Microscopical, Victoria Institute, Royal 

 Statistical, Royal College of Surgeons, Royal 

 Astronomical, Zoological, Linnean, Chemical, 

 Entomological, Philological and Clinical. The 

 toast of the evening was 'Science,' and was 

 proposed in an eloquent speech by the Prime 

 Warden, Mr. J. A. Travers, who pointed out 

 the great advance science had made in the last 



