April 29, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



597 



Dr. Magnus Macleau before the Philosophical 

 Society of Glasgow, taken out 47 patents be- 

 tween the years 1858 and 1896. Of these 

 patents 11 are for improvements in electric 

 telegraphic apparatus, 24 for improvements in 

 the control of electric currents, 10 for improve- 

 ments in instruments of navigation and two for 

 valves for fluids. 



The American Microscopical Association will 

 hold its next annual meeting at Syracuse, N. 

 Y., from the 30th of August to the first of Sep- 

 tember. 



The American Neurological Association will 

 hold its twenty-fourth annual meeting in New 

 York at the New York Academy of Medicine, 

 ■on May 26th, 27th and 28th. 



GovEENOE Black has signed the bill au- 

 thorizing The American Museum of Natural 

 History, New York, to purchase and lease prop- 

 erty. 



The appropriation of $25,000 made in recent 

 years by the Legislature of the State of New 

 York for the extension of agricultural teach- 

 ing, under the auspices of Cornell University, 

 has this year been increased to $35,000. 



A DECEEE has been published forbidding the 

 importation into Austria of American fresh 

 fruit, plants, fruit wrappers and fruit packings, 

 etc. , in cases where the examination at the port 

 of entry results in the discovery of traces of the 

 San Jose scale. 



A NEW museum was opened at Keswick, 

 England, on April 11th, being erected in mem- 

 ory of Thomas and Henry Hewitson, the 

 donors of the Fitz Park. In an opening ad- 

 dress Professor G. A. Smith, of Glasgow, spoke 

 of the educational value of museums, and con- 

 trasted ' the keenness of America in this matter 

 with the apparent backwardness of Great 

 Britain.' We fear the compliment to America 

 is scarcely deserved. 



In connection with the Trans-Mississippi Ex- 

 position in Omaha this summer, there is to be 

 an Educational Convention on June 28th-30th. 

 One of the features of this convention will be 

 the Conference of Science Teachers. Arrange- 

 ments have been made for papers on various 

 sciences and elements in the curricula of the 

 high schools, colleges and universities as fol- 



lows : Astronomy — Professor Howe, University 

 of Denver ; Botany — Professor MacMillan, Uni- 

 versity of Minnesota ; Chemistry — Professor 

 Palmer, University of Colorado ; Geography — 

 Professor Ha worth. University of Kansas ; 

 Physics — Professor Nipher, Washington Uni- 

 versity ; Zoology — Professor Ward, University 

 of Nebraska. Geology is still to be provided 

 for. It is hoped to bring together a consider- 

 able number of Western teachers of science in 

 this conference. 



The National Education Association meets 

 at Washington on the 5th to the 12th of July. 

 There is a Natural Science Section, of which 

 Professor P. C. Freer, of theUniversity of Michi- 

 gan, is President, and Mr. C. J. Ling, of Denver, 

 Colorado, is Secretary. On July 8th Professor 

 Freer will make an address on ' The Eelatiou 

 of Natural Science Instruction in the High 

 School to that in the University.' A standing 

 committee, of which Mr. A. Smith, Chicago, is 

 Chairman, will report on biological work in the 

 high schools, and the training of teachers for 

 work in science in the secondary schools will 

 be discussed. 



According to the London Times, English in- 

 terests were well represented at the recent 

 International Congress on Commercial Educa- 

 tion at Antwerp. The official delegates from 

 Great Britain included Mr. T. King, Senior 

 Chief Inspector of Schools, and Mr. R. L. 

 Morant, representing the Education Depart- 

 ment; Captain W. de W. Abney, C.B., F.R.S., 

 and Mr. Gilbert R. Redgrave, representing the 

 Science and Art Department ; Mr. Woodall, 

 M.P., and Mr. Swire Smith, members of the 

 Royal Commission on Technical Instruction, 

 and Mr. John Brigg, M.P., representing the 

 County Council of the West Riding of York- 

 shire. The London Chamber of Commerce was 

 represented by Sir Albert Rollit, M.P., Mr. 

 Frank Debenham and Mr. Montagu Barlow. 

 The technical committee of the London County 

 Council had also its representative, as likewise 

 several of the provincial county councils. Some 

 of the grammar schools, Bradford for instance, 

 keenly alive to the value of attentively watch- 

 ing the debates, sent delegates to Antwerp. 

 The Congress marked the 25th anniversary of 



