918 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 730 



year. Eeferring to the institution's part in 

 the International Congress on Tuberculosis, 

 held in the new National Museum building, 

 September and October last, it was stated 

 that the institution, in conjunction with the 

 Indian bureau, exhibited the results of an 

 expedition by Dr. Ales Hrdlicka, of the IJ. S. 

 National Museum, among the Menominee, 

 Sioux, Quinault, Mohave and Hopa Indian 

 tribes, for the purpose of showing the extent 

 of tuberculosis among the Indians. The con- 

 gress awarded the institution a gold medal for 

 this exhibit. Of the appropriation of $40,000 

 made for the purpose, $25,000 was used and 

 $15,000 went back to the U. S. Treasury. 



The board was informed of the removal of 

 the Greenough statue of Washington from its 

 long-accustomed position east of the capitol to 

 the Smithsonian Institution. The statue is 

 now on the lawn south of the west wing of the 

 building, whence it will be removed into the 

 building as soon as the necessary foundation 

 can be provided. 



There was submitted a brief statement of 

 the art objects in the collection of Mr. Charles 

 L. Freer, of Detroit, the title to which has 

 already passed to the institution. These com- 

 prise 2,873 objects in all branches of art. A 

 number of valuable recent additions have been 

 made which with the original donation repre- 

 sent a cost to the donor of nearly a million 

 dollars. 



The secretary read a letter from President 

 Eoosevelt, dated June 20, 1908, stating his 

 intention of visiting Africa after the expira- 

 tion of his term, and offering to give to the 

 Smithsonian Institution for the National Mu- 

 seum the results of his expedition, provided 

 the Smithsonian should send the necessary 

 naturalists to prepare and ship the materials. 

 The offer was accepted by the secretary, and 

 arrangements were at once made by the secre- 

 tary to provide funds for the expenses of the 

 Smithsonian representatives, without using 

 the Smithson fund or money derived from any 

 government appropriation. Upon motion of 

 the Vice-President, a resolution was adopted 

 conveying the thanks of the board to the 

 President for his very generous offer, and the 



acceptance of the offer. A further resolution 

 was adopted thanking the donors of the funds 

 for the expedition. 



Progress on the new building for the Na- 

 tional Museum was reported and it was 

 thought that the building would be occupied 

 in the summer of 1909. In keeping with the 

 improvements projected for this locality, the 

 board adopted a resolution expressing its sense 

 that the further use of B Street, Northwest, 

 just north of the new building between 9th 

 and 12th Streets, for market purposes, be pro- 

 hibited. 



It was reported that Mr. C. G. Abbot, di- 

 rector of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Ob- 

 servatory, had established a station on Mt. 

 Wilson, California, through courtesies ex- 

 tended by the Carnegie Institution of Wash- 

 ington, where measurements of the sun's radi- 

 ation may be conducted as free as possible 

 from earth tremors and cloud interference. 

 A shelter will also be erected by the institu- 

 tion on Mt. Whitney, California, at an eleva.- 

 tion of over 15,000 feet above sea level for the 

 study of the atmosphere under the peculiarly 

 favorable conditions there prevailing. 



A resolution was adopted establishing a 

 medal to be known as the Langley medal, as 

 a tribute to the late Samuel Pierpont Langley, 

 third secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 to be awarded for specially meritorious inves- 

 tigations in connection with the science of 

 aerodromics and its application to aviation. 



TBE BALTIMORE MEETING 

 A PRELIMINARY announcement of the ar- 

 rangements for the convocation week meet- 

 ing of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science and the affiliated socie- 

 ties, which begins at the Johns Hopkins Uni- 

 versity, Baltimore, on Monday, December 28, 

 will be found in the issue of Science for No- 

 vember 27. In the present issue of Science 

 will be found a list of the sections of the 

 association and of some twenty-five national 

 scientific societies which meet in affiliation 

 with it. These and other issues of Science 

 contain various notes concerning features of 

 interest to men of science, which will form 



