July 16, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



55 



birtlis, being' one per thousand above the rate 

 in the preceding year, but 10 per thousand 

 below the average of the 10 years 1908-17. It 

 is one of the four lowest rates hitherto re- 

 corded. The provisional figures for 1919 show 

 a rate of 89 per thousand births, or two per 

 thousand births below that of 1916, which at 

 91 per thousand was the lowest hitherto re- 

 turned. 



The estimate of the total civilian population 

 for the whole of England and Wales is given 

 as 13,777,100 civilian males and 19,697,600 fe- 

 males, making a total of 33,474,700 persons. 

 The marriages during the year numbered 287,- 

 163, and the marriage rates of 51.9 for males 

 and 41.0 for females represented a considerable 

 advance on the low records of the previous 

 year. 



The births registered during 1918 numbered 

 662,661, or 5,685 fewer than in the previous 

 year, during which 210,750 fewer births had 

 been registered than in 1914, while the deaths 

 of 611,861 were registered during the same 

 period. Of the deaths, 314,704 were of males 

 and 297,157 of females. The males included 

 24,033 non-civilians. 



THE WORLD'S PRODUCTION OF GOLD 



The Geological Survey has given out some 

 preliminary figures showing the promotion of 

 gold throughout the world in 1919. The pro- 

 duction in the United States was $58,285,196 ; 

 Canada is reported to have produced $14,- 

 687,000; India $10,028,000; Australia (not in- 

 cluding ISTew Zealand or the Islands), $29,- 

 268,000; the Transvaal, $171,640,123; Rhodesia 

 and West Africa, $18,631,070. There was a 

 probably large decrease in the production of 

 gold in Eussia and Siberia in 1919. Some in- 

 crease was probably made in the output of 

 Central America and South America, which 

 however, was doubtless offset by decreases in 

 the output of other countries. The incom- 

 plete returns now available indicate that the 

 world's production of gold in 1919 was be- 

 tween $345,000,000 and $350,000,000. The 

 world's production in 1918 amounted to $380,- 

 924,500. 



The survey further states that information 



received during the first six months of 1920 

 indicated a still further decrease in the pro- 

 duction of gold in the United States and that 

 the output for the year will probably be less 

 than $50,000,000. The production in Alaska, 

 Colorado, California, Oregon and Montana 

 will be much less in 1920 than it was in 1919, 

 because water is very short for placer mining 

 and many stamp mills are closed. Canada as 

 a whole may increase its output, although the 

 production of the Yukon districts will be 

 smaller than last year. The output of Russia 

 can not be estimated. That of Australia will 

 show a decrease. That of South Africa and 

 South America will probably show no radical 

 decrease. According to the survey the indi- 

 cations are that the decrease in the world's 

 production of gold in 1920 will not be so great 

 as it was in 1919. 



PROFESSOR VAN BENEDEN OF LIEGE 



A LIFE-SIZED bronze statue of Van Beneden, 

 professor of zoology in the University of Liege, 

 who died four years ago, was unveiled on May 

 24. The statue stands at the entrance to the 

 Zoological Institute where Van Beneden 

 worked and taught for over thirty years. We 

 learn from the British Medical Journal that 

 the ceremony was attended by a large num.ber 

 of his old colleagues, by representatives of 

 other Belgian universities and scientific so- 

 cieties, and by delegates from British univer- 

 sities. Both King Albert and the Belgian 

 Parliament were represented. The representa- 

 tives of the British universities were Professor 

 Sarolea (Edinburgh), Sir Leslie Mackenzie, 

 of the Local Government Board of Scotland 

 (Aberdeen), and Professor Sir Thomas Oliver 

 (Durham). Professor R. W. Hegner, repre- 

 sented the Johns Hopkins University, Balti- 

 more. When fully mustered the company 

 marched in procession to the class-room where 

 Van Beneden had taught and in which was 

 gathered a large niunber of old and present 

 students and his widow and relatives. The 

 Rector was in the chair. Dr. Nolf, professor 

 of pathology in the university, delivered a me- 

 morial address, during which a beautifully 

 executed bronze mural tablet, pronounced to 



