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8CIENGM 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 735 



The Honorary Local Secretaries of the 

 British Association for the Advancement of 

 Science to be held in Winnipeg from August 

 25 to September 1 of this year, are C. N. 

 Bell, Esq., W. Sanford Evans, Esq. (Mayor), 

 Professor M. A. Parker, and Professor 

 Swale Vincent. Enquiries and communica- 

 tions on matters connected -with the meeting 

 should be addressed: To the Local Secretaries, 

 British Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, 

 Man. 



A cablegram: has been received at the Har- 

 vard College Observatory from Kiel, stating 

 that the eighth satellite of Jupiter was photo- 

 graphed at the Greenwich observatory on Jan- 

 uary le^.SSl, G. M. T. in 



R. A lO" 66"46».7 



Deo -f 7° 40' 46" 



Daily motion in R. A — l"" 0' 



Daily motion in Dec -t- 1' 



The satellite is visible in a large telescope. 



The American Geographical Society has 

 made a collection representing the finest 

 grades of wall maps, atlases and other appli- 

 ances used in teaching geography in European 

 schools. The collection has been made in the 

 expectation that it will be useful to teachers 

 of the subject and to those who are preparing 

 to teach it. A descriptive catalogue has 

 been prepared and the collection will be ex- 

 hibited at the house of this Society, 15 West 

 81st Street, New York, till February 27. 

 Later it will be loaned in whole or in part, to 

 normal and training schools and other educa- 

 tional centers throughout the country as long 

 as there is a demand for it. 



The board of consulting chemists appointed 

 by President Eoosevelt to pass on pure food 

 questions has announced a decision in regard 

 to the use of benzoate of soda. The report is 

 signed by President Ira Eemson, of Johns 

 Hopkins University, chairman; Eussell H. 

 Chittenden, director of the SheiEeld Scientific 

 School of Yale University; John H. Long, 

 professor of chemistry, Medical School, 

 Northwestern University, and C. H. Herter, 

 professor of physiological chemistry. College 

 of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. Dr. 



Alonzo B. Taylor, professor of pathology of 

 the University of California, is a member of 

 the boardj but he was absent in Europe dur- 

 ing the experiments. The most important of 

 the findings are : 



First — Sodium benzoate in small doses (imder 

 0.5 gram per day), mixed with the food, is with- 

 out deleterious or poisonous action, and is not 

 injurious to health. 



Second — Sodium benzoate in large doses (up tO' 

 4 grams per day), mixed with the food, has not 

 been found to exert any deleterious effect on the 

 general health nor to act as a poison in the gen- 

 eral acceptation of the term. In some directiona 

 there were slight modifications in certain physio- 

 logical processes, the exact significance of which 

 modifications is not known. 



Third — The admixture of sodium benzoate with 

 food in small or large doses has not been found 

 injuriously to affect or impair the quality or 

 nutritive value of such food. 



The application made to Congress by Sena- 

 tor Lodge for charters for the National Insti- 

 tute of Arts and Letters and for the Academy 

 of Arts and Letters having led to inquiries re- 

 garding the organizations, a statement has 

 been issued by the executive committee of 

 the academy. This institution, according to- 

 the statement, was organized in 1904 by the 

 National Institute of Arts and Letters, which,, 

 in turn, had been organized by the American 

 Social Science Association in 1898, with a 

 view to the advancement of art, music and 

 literature. The membership of the institute 

 is 250, including representatives from all sec- 

 tions of the country, while the membership of 

 the academy is limited to fifty and is chosen 

 from that of the institute. The first seven 

 members, chosen by ballot, were William 

 Dean Howells, Samuel L. Clemens, Edmund 

 Clarence Stedman and John Hay, represent- 

 ing literature; Augustus Saint-Gaudens and 

 John La Farge, representing art, and Edward 

 MacDowell, representing music. The acad- 

 emy has recently effected a permanent organ- 

 ization and has elected this executive com- 

 mittee: President^ William Dean Howells; 

 Cliancellor, William M. Sloane, and Perma- 

 nent Secretary, E. U. Johnson. The officers 

 of the institute are : President, William M. 



