August 2S, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



271 



and Joharmes Franz Hartmann, of the Astro- 

 physical Observatory at Potsdam. 



The Alvarenga prize of the College of Phy- 

 sicians, Philadelphia, for 1908 has been 

 awarded to Dr. William T. Shoemaker for an 

 essay entitled "Eetinitis Pigmentosa." 



The Denny gold medal, provided for by the 

 late Peter Denny, LL.D., and granted each 

 session for the best paper read before the 

 Institute of Marine Engineers, London, has 

 been awarded to Mr. Eobert Elliott, B.Sc, for 

 his paper on " Repairs to Ships," read during 

 the session 1907-8. 



Dr. Wm. T. Glazebrook is acting president 

 of the second Optical Convention, which will 

 meet in London in May of next year. 



Dr. Kurt Wegener has been appointed 

 director of the Observatory of Samoa. 



Dr. Franz Lincke, of Gottingen, has been 

 appointed director of the aeronautic depart- 

 ment of the Physical Society at Frankfort. 



Professor Simon Newcomb, U. S. N. (re- 

 tired), was received in audience by Emperor 

 William, on August 17, at Wilhelmshohe, 

 after which he was invited to luncheon. Pro- 

 fessor Newcomb thanked the emperor for the 

 order Pour le Merite for Science and Arts 

 bestowed upon him three years ago. 



Dr. Adolf Wullner, professor of physics 

 in the Aachen Technical Institute, has cele- 

 brated the fiftieth anniversary of his doc- 

 torate. 



Dr. N. L. Britton, director of the New 

 York Botanical Garden, and Mrs. Britton left 

 New York for Jamaica on August 22, expect- 

 ing to return at the end of September. 



Dr. William W. K-EEN, who has been abroad 

 for more than a year and a half, has returned 

 to Philadelphia. 



The president of the British Board of Trade 

 has appointed Lord Rayleigh, O.M., Professor 

 J. J. Thomson, F.E.S., Dr. E. T. Glazebrook, 

 F.E.S., Sir John Gavey, C.B., and Mr. A. P. 

 Trotter, to be the British delegates to the In- 

 ternational Conference on Electrical Units, 

 which is to assemble in London on October 12. 

 Mr. W. Duddell, F.E.S., and Mr. M. J. Col- 

 lins, of the Board of Trade, will act as secre- 

 taries to the British delegates. 



EJNG Edward has made the following ap- 

 pointments : David W. Finlay, M.D., F.E.C.P., 

 London, professor of the practise of medicine 

 in the University of Aberdeen, to be one of 

 the honorary physicians to the king in Scot- 

 land, in the room of Sir Thomas McCall 

 Anderson, M.D., deceased. Sir William 

 Macewen, F.E.S., M.D., regius professor of 

 surgery in the University of Glasgow, to be 

 one of the honorary surgeons in Scotland, in 

 the room of Sir Patrick Heron Watson, M.D., 

 deceased. James Little, M.D., regius pro- 

 fessor of physic in the University of Dublin, 

 to be one of the honorary physicians in Ire- 

 land, in the room of Sir John Thomas Banks, 

 K.C.B., M.D., deceased. 



Dr. Friedrich Paulsen, professor of phi- 

 losophy, at Berlin, died on August 14, from 

 cancer, aged sixty-two years. 



The death is also announced of Dr. K. 

 Zoeppritz, observer in the Geophysical Insti- 

 tute at Gottingen, and known for his work on 

 atmospheric electricity. 



The ninth International Congress of Geog- 

 raphy was held in Geneva from July 27 to 

 August 6, and was preceded and followed by 

 interesting excursions conducted by local 

 geographers. The occasion was also notable 

 as the jubilee celebration of the founding of 

 the vigorous Geographical Society of Geneva. 

 The division of the assembly into numerous 

 sections, including a mmiber of new divisions 

 of science not admitted to previous geograph- 

 ical congresses, much increased the interest 

 in the papers, though it disposed of the pro- 

 gram . long before the congress adjourned. 

 American geographers were represented by 

 Professors Davis and Johnson, of Harvard; 

 Brigham, of Colgate; Cleveland, of WiUiams; 

 Fenneman, of Cincinnati; Leverett, Hobbs 

 and Scott, of Michigan; and Professor Simon 

 Newcomb and Dr. D. T. Day, of Washington. 



The French Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, which has been meeting at 

 Clermont-Ferrand under the presidency of 

 M. Paul Appell, professor of mathematics at 

 the Sorbonne, adjourned to meet next year at 

 Lille. The meeting of 1910 will be held at 

 Toulouse. One of the addresses at the recent 



