SCIENCE. 



FN. S. Vol. IX. No. 230. 



two large volumes, with one large map and sev- 

 eral smaller maps and sections and numerous 

 valuable illustrations, which form the chief au- 

 thority on the geography of the region with 

 which they deal. The patron's medal has been 

 awarded to M. Foureau for his explorations in 

 the Sahara during the last twelve years. In 

 his journey to Insalah in 1890 he travelled over 

 1,500 miles and fixed the latitudes and longi- 

 tudes of 35 places ; in 1891 he penetrated far- 

 ther into the Sahara than any other explorer 

 since the Flatters mission, and determined the 

 positions of 41 places ; in 1893 he penetrated as 

 far as the Tassili plateau ; in 1894-95 he again 

 covered much new ground and made numerous 

 astronomical observations to fix positions, be- 

 sides making researches in physical geography, 

 geology and botany ; in 1896 and in his present 

 journey he contributed still further to geograph- 

 ical knowledge. The whole comprises an 

 amount of continuous scientific work under 

 great difficulties which places M. Foureau in 

 the first rank of African explorers. Few men 

 have done so much to elucidate the topography 

 and the physical geography of the Sahara. The 

 Murchisou award has been given to Mr. Albert 

 Armitage for his valuable scientific observations 

 and for his sledge journeys with Mr. Jackson 

 in Franz Josef Land ; the Gill memorial to the 

 Hon. David Carnegie for his journey across the 

 Western Australian desert from Coolgardie to 

 Hall's Creek and back by a different route, 

 thus traversing the desert twice ; the Cuthbert 

 Peek grant to Dr. Nathorst for his important 

 scientific exploration of the Spitzbergen Islands 

 and the seas between Spitzbergen and Green- 

 land ; the Back grant to Captain Sykes for his 

 three journeys through Persia, during which he 

 has made important corrections and additions 

 to the map of that country and done much to 

 clear up the geography of Marco Polo. These 

 honors will be awarded at the anniversary 

 meeting of the Society on June 5th, and at the 

 same time the American Ambassador will pre- 

 sent to Sir John Murray the gold medal of the 

 American Geographical Society for his valuable 

 contributions to scientific geography. 



The 30th annual meeting of the Iron and 

 Steel Institute of Great Britain was opened on 

 May 4th in the hall of the Institution of Civil 



Engineers, Westminster. The chair was oc- 

 cupied in the first instance by the retiring 

 President, Mr. Edward P. Martin, who intro- 

 duced his successor, Sir William Roberts- Aus- 

 ten, who delivered the inaugural address. The 

 report of the Council for the past year was read 

 by the Secretary, Mr. Bennett H. Brough, and 

 showed that during 1898 the number of mem- 

 bers was increased by 98, the total uvimber on 

 the roll at the end of the year being 1,522. 

 With 57 members elected at the present meeting 

 the total numerical strength of the Institute 

 was brought up to 1,579. To the list of honor- 

 ary members the names of King Oscar II. of 

 Sweden and Norway and Baron Gustav Tamm, 

 Governor-General of Stockholm and President 

 of the Association of Swedish Ironmasters, were 

 added during the past year. The annual din- 

 ner was held on the evening of May 4th, at 

 which speeches were made by the Chairman, Sir 

 William Roberts- Austen ; Mr. Horace Seymour, 

 Deputy-Master of the Mint ; Sir William White, 

 Directorof Naval Construction ; SirH. Bracken- 

 bury, Director-General of Ordnance ; Professor 

 Riicker, Lord Lister, Lord Strathcona, Mr. 

 Preece and others. 



The Sixth International Congress on Com- 

 mercial Education opened at Venice on May 

 4th, under the presidency of Signer Pascolata. 

 It will next meet at Paris on August 26, 1900. 



The report of the Council presented at the 

 seventieth anniversary meeting of the Zoolog- 

 ical Society of London stated that the number 

 of Fellows on December 31, 1898, was 3,185, 

 showing an increase of 27 during the past year, 

 and the number of Fellows on the roll was in 

 excess of what it had been in any year since 

 1885. The total income during the past year 

 had been £29,208, being £495 more than that of 

 1897, and £3,357 in excess of the average dur- 

 ing the preceding ten years. The increase in 

 the income was attributable to the larger 

 amounts received for admission fees, composi- 

 tions and subscriptions, and also to the aug- 

 mentation of the miscellaneous receipts caused 

 by a contribution of Mr. Walter Rothschild, 

 M.P., towards the outlay on the new tortoise 

 house, built in 1898. The ordinary expendi- 

 ture of the Society for 1898 had amounted to 



