July 17, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



85 



The Eoyal medals and other awards given 

 annually by the Eoyal Geographical Society 

 for the encouragement of geographical science 

 and discovery have, as we learn from Nature, 

 been distributed as follows: The founder's 

 medal was presented to Lieutenant Boyd Alex- 

 ander, for his African explorations and careful 

 trigonometrical survey of the region between 

 the Benue and Lake Chad. Lieutenant Boyd 

 Alexander devoted a considerable time to the 

 exploration of Lake Chad, and added ma- 

 terially to our knowledge of that constantly 

 shifting lake. A careful study was made of 

 the hydrography of the various river systems, 

 the Niger, the Congo and the Nile, through 

 which the expedition has passed. Detailed 

 maps were made of the more unknown parts 

 of the region, such as the Bamingi, Kibali 

 and the Yei rivers. Much information was 

 gathered concerning the physical features of 

 the region passed through; careful studies 

 were made of several of the types of natives, 

 and important additions were made to our 

 knowledge of the natural history of the ex- 

 tensive region. The patron's medal was 

 awarded to H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco, 

 for his work in oceanography. Among the 

 notable additions to scientific knowledge made 

 on board the Princess Alice are: (1) the re- 

 sults of using the deep-sea traps invented by 

 the Prince, which threw a new light on the 

 life on the floor of the deepest parts of the 

 ocean; (2) successive seasons' exploration on 

 the coast of Spitzbergen and in the adjacent 

 seas; and (3) studies of the conditions of the 

 upper air by means of meteorological kites in 

 mid-Atlantic. Other awards were as follows: 

 Murchison award to Colonel Delme-Radcliffe, 

 for his work when as resident in the Nile 

 province of Uganda he mapped the whole 

 province, and for the work which he did after- 

 wards when in charge of the English section 

 of the Anglo-German Boundary Commission, 

 between Victoria Nyanza and Mount Euwen- 

 zori. The Gill memorial to Dr. T. G. Long- 

 stafi, for his exploring work in the western 

 Himalayas and Tibet, and especially on his 

 last expedition in the Garhwal Himalayas, 

 when he ascended the summit of Trisul. The 

 Back bequest to Lieutenant George Mulock, 



for his long-continued work, mostly during 

 his own time, in preparing the six sheets of 

 the Antarctic charts, showing the results of 

 the Discovery expedition. The Cuthbert Peek 

 gi'ant to Eai Sahib Eam Singh, a native 

 Indian surveyor, who has done excellent sur- 

 veying work on the expeditions of Captain 

 Deasy, Dr. Stein, Captain Eawling and Major 

 Eyder. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS 



The Drapers' Company has undertaken to 

 give Oxford University £22,000 for a new 

 electrical laboratory and £1,000 toward its 

 equipment. 



Queen's University, Ontario, has received 

 from Dr. J. P. Thomson, Brisbane, a valuable 

 collection of specimens for its museum. 



The graduating class of the Forest School 

 of Tale University disbands on June 13, at 

 the conclusion of their work in Alabama. 

 Twenty-eight men out of a class of thirty-two 

 will take the federal civil service examina- 

 tions in forestry and nearly all of them will 

 enter the government service. 



Dr. Wallace Craig, of the University of 

 Chicago, has been appointed to the chair of 

 philosophy and psychology in tho University 

 of Maine. 



Dr. Fred W. Thyng, teaching fellow at 

 Harvard University and in charge of the 

 courses in biology at Tufts College the past 

 year, is to be assistant in anatomy at the 

 Northwestern University Medical School. 



At Cornell University appointments have 

 been made as follows: Mr. David A. Molitor, 

 who is now working on designs of the locks 

 of the Panama Canal, professor of topographic 

 and geodetic engineering; Dr. Sutherland 

 Simpson, of the University of Edinburgh, 

 professor of physiology; Dr. Andrew Hunter, 

 of Leeds University, assistant professor of 

 biochemistry; Dr. Dennie Hammond Udall, 

 professor of veterinary medicine in Ohio State 

 University, acting professor of the principles 

 and practise of veterinary medicine, to suc- 

 ceed Dr. James Law; H. N. Ogden and V. 

 Karapetoff, promoted to professorships of san- 

 itary engineering and electrical engineering. 



