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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 171. 



and six questionsfor 1899. Prizes of the value 

 of 600 fr. (in one case 800 fr.) are offered for 

 the solution of each of these questions. Fur- 

 ther details may be obtained from the Secretary, 

 Palais des Academies, Bruxelles. 



The Schnyder von Wartensee foundation in 

 Zurich will award, in 1900, a first prize of 3,000 

 fr. and other prizes amounting to 1,500 fr. for 

 monographs on the peat moors of Switzerland. 



The botanical department of the University 

 of Pennsylvania has received a gift of a collec- 

 tion of dried plants and seeds from the Biltmore 

 estate and specimens of fungi from Dr. J. T. 

 Eothrock. 



About sixty original drawings by the late W. 

 Hamilton Gibson, largely of entomological sub- 

 jects, have been purchased for the departments 

 of science and art of the Teachers' College, N. Y. 



The Massachusetts Senate has concurred with 

 the House in voting an appropriation of $180,000 

 to continue the war on the gypsy moth. 



The Chairman of the House Committee on 

 Military Affairs has introduced a bill increasing 

 the number of medical officers in the navy by 

 fifteen additional assistant surgeons, and au- 

 thorizing the Surgeon-General of the Army, in 

 emergencies, to appoint, with the approval of 

 the Secretary of War, as many contract sur- 

 geons as may be necessary, at not exceeding 

 $150 per month. The fifteen new men are to 

 be appointed with the rank of First Lieutenant, 

 after examination by an army medical examin- 

 ing board. 



M. AuDlB'FRED, member of the French 

 Chamber of Deputies, has asked the French 

 government to create French medical stations 

 in China, in order to increase French influence 

 in that country. 



Peofessoe Frederic Staer, of the Univer- 

 sity of Chicago, has returned from a trip through 

 Mexico, having made important investigations 

 on the Otomi Indians. 



It is stated in Natural Science that Mr. C. W. 

 Andrews, whose stay in Christmas Island, S. 

 Java, is extended for the requirements of his re- 

 searches, has forwarded five more cases of speci- 

 mens of natural objects to the British Museum. 



The most serious earthquake shock from 



which the Pacific coast has suffered for twelve 

 years occurred just before midnight on March 

 30th. Many buildings were seriously damaged. 



A preliminary meeting of the British com- 

 mittee formed to assist in the celebration, in 

 May next at Lisbon, of the fourth centenary of 

 the discovery of the Cape route to India by 

 Vasco da Gama was held on March 21st at the 

 rooms of the Koyal Geographical Society. Sir 

 Clements Markham presided and in a speech 

 referred to the great geographical interest of 

 the event which would be celebrated at Lisbon 

 on May 17th to 20th, and said that a dinner 

 and also a meeting would be held in connection 

 with the celebration in May at the rooms of the 

 Eoyal Geographial Society. Sir A. Rollit said 

 it had been arranged to hold a meeting in May 

 at the India Ofiice, over which the Secretary of 

 State had promised to preside, and the Depart- 

 ment had also sent charts and plans to the ex- 

 hibition at Lisbon. Eesolutions of congratula- 

 tion to the King and people of Portugal upon 

 the occasion were passed and were cordially 

 acknowledged by Sir Luiz de Several, and a 

 sub-committee was appointed to carry out the 

 arrangements. 



The British government does not seem in- 

 clined to assist greatly in an Antarctic expedi- 

 tion. In the House of Commons it has been 

 stated that the Admiralty have been in com- 

 munication with the Royal Society with refer- 

 ence to Antarctic exploration. The Board has 

 been uaable to promise cooperation either by 

 the loan of ships or of oSicers, as ofiicers cannot 

 be spared at present for expeditions which may 

 keep them away from their ordinary duties for 

 long periods of time, but they have informed 

 the Society that if they can render any assist- 

 ance by the loan of instruments, or by any in- 

 formation which their experience enables them 

 to give, they will be very glad to do so. 



The St. Petersburg correspondent of the Lon- 

 don limes reports that on March 19th Drs. 

 Jeaffreson and Lowry left St. Petersburg for 

 Hango with 70 northern dogs bought from the 

 Samoyeds and destined for the forthcoming 

 English expedition to the South Pole which is 

 being fitted out by Sir George Newnes. These 

 sledge dogs will be shipped from Hango, the 



