October 11, 1912] 



SCIENCE 



475 



Amerio for physics, Professors A. Quartaroli 

 and E. Salvador! for chemistry, and Professors 

 Enrico Carrara, Donadoni Eugenic, Levi Ezio 

 and Eibezzo Francesco for the two philology 

 prizes. A prize founded by Santoro is 

 awarded to Professor Costantino Gorini for 

 his discoveries in the bacteriology of cheese, 

 while another most useful prize, founded by 

 the late AHonso Sella for assistant lecturers 

 in the department of physics, is awarded to 

 Dr. Paolo Rossi, of the University of Naples. 

 The Geographical Journal states that an 

 elaborate expedition is being organized in 

 Germany by Lieut. Schroder-Stranz, whose 

 original intention of carrying out a voyage of 

 research to ISTovaya Zemlya and the Taimur 

 peninsula has now given place to a proposed 

 complete circumnavigation of northern Europe 

 and Asia, repeating the classic achievement of 

 ISTordenskjold in the Vega. Lieut. Schroder- 

 Stranz is not, however, desirous of merely once 

 more achieving the passage after an interval 

 of thirty-four years, but hopes to carry out 

 extensive scientific researches during the voy- 

 age, which is expected to last from three to 

 four years. On the Russian side, it appears 

 that Mr. Eussanof, who has many times visited 

 the Novaya Zemlya region, is once more plan- 

 ning an expedition to that country, with a 

 view to further testing the possibilities of 

 navigation to Siberia round its northern end. 

 He will be accompanied by Mr. Kuchin as 

 hydrographer. On the other hand, it is said 

 that the opening of a sea-way to Siberia from 

 the west does not find favor with the Russian 

 authorities, who, however, are continuing their 

 efforts to open regular navigation from Bering 

 Sea to the Kolyma and Lena Rivers. The 

 mouth of the former river is to be surveyed by 

 Captain Griinfeld, who has already started 

 from Yakutsk for the purpose, while the 

 stretch of coast-water between the Kolyma and 

 Lena is to be investigated by the well-known 

 geologist, J. P. Tolmachef. A good deal has 

 been heard of a proposed Russian expedition 

 to the North Pole, under Lieut. Sedof, who 

 has already undertaken minor expeditions to 

 northern Siberia and Novaya Zemlya. Sedof's 

 plan appears to be to proceed to Eranz Josef 



Land, and thence make a sledge journey across 

 the pole to northern Greenland. It is re- 

 ported, however, that the hoped-for support of 

 the Russian government is not likely to be 

 afforded, and the venture must rely on private 

 assistance only. On the Greenland side the 

 explorer Rasmussen has prosecuted his plan, 

 abandoned last year from force of adverse cir- 

 cumstances, and found traces of the missing 

 Danish explorer, Einar Mikkelsen. 



The Italian Commission for the survey of 

 the frontier of Italian Somaliland with Abys- 

 sinia returned to Italy in January, and some 

 account of its operations is given in the Geo- 

 graphical Journal from Revista Geografica 

 Italiana. The leader was Captain Carlo 

 Citerni, one of the survivors of Bottego's last 

 expedition, who was supported by Dr. B. Col- 

 onna as medical officer, and by Signers Gru- 

 pelli and Venturi as topographers. The ex- 

 pedition set out towards the end of 1910, 

 traveling from Jibuti to Adis Ababa, whence 

 it was to strike southeast through an imper- 

 fectly known country to Dole on the upper 

 Jub, a little above Lugh. Here the survey of 

 the frontier was to begin. During the stay at 

 Adis Ababa a topographical survey of about 

 twelve square miles was carried out on the 

 scale of 1:25,000, embracing the city and its 

 environs. The march to Dolo led by the 

 Lagio pass from the basin of the Hawash into 

 that of the Web, across a mountain range with 

 summits reaching 13,000 feet and more. At 

 Dolo observations for latitude, longitude and 

 azimuth were taken and a base measured, 

 after which a triangulation was carried out 

 along the frontier zone to the northeast and a 

 survey plotted on the scale of 1 : 100,000. This 

 region had hitherto been almost a blank on the 

 map. The work does not seem to have been 

 continued beyond the Webi Shebeli, but on 

 reaching this the commission returned to the 

 coast at Brava. Besides the precise survey of 

 the frontier, a careful traverse of the whole 

 route from Dire Dawa (near Harrar) to Brava 

 was carried out, and numerous astronomical 

 determinations of latitude and longitude were 

 made. 



