EE Ee 
SEPTEMBER 15, 1899. ] 
States of Columbia; the Constable expedition 
to the Northwest for large mammals; an ex- 
pedition to New Mexico to study the cliff 
dwellings and the Pueblos; an expedition for 
the study of North American Indians in Cali- 
fornia and Arizona; a paleontological expedi- 
tion to Wyoming; an expedition to Peru and 
Bolivia under Dr. Bandelier, and lastly local 
archeological work. 
Ir is reported that the explorer, Professor 
Wilhelm Joest, who died some time ago during 
an expedition among the South Sea islands, has 
left $75,000 to the Ethnological Museum in 
Berlin. The interest of that sum is to be used 
for getting new collections and assisting scien- 
tific expeditions. 
News has been received from the steamship, 
Windward, which has arrived at Newfoundland 
from North Greenland, and from the steamship 
Diana, which arrived at Cape Breton on the 
12th. The two steamships met at Etah on 
August 12th, and under Lieutenant Peary’s di- 
rection made arrangements for the winter and 
for the explorations in the spring. The Wind- 
ward was ice-bound in Allman Bay about fifty 
miles north of Cape Sabine, from August 18, 
1898, to August 2, 1899. During this period 
Lieutenant Peary made sledging journeys 
aggregating more than 1,500 miles, including a 
visit to Fort Conger, headquarters of the 
Greely expedition. The Fram was also at 
Etah at the same time as the other two steam- 
ships. 
THERE will be a U. 8. Civil Service examina- 
tion on October 4th to fill the position of assist- 
ant physician in the Government Hospital for 
the insane. One man is wanted ata salary of 
$900, and one woman at a salary of $600. 
THE new white star steamship Oceanic sailed 
from Liverpool for New York on the 6th inst., 
with 1,400 passengers. The steamship is the 
largest afloat, its tonnage being 17,000 and its 
length 704 feet. 
EXPERIMENTS in wireless telegraphy are be- 
ing made between the Blue Hill Observatory 
and Cambridge, the wires at the Blue Hill Ob- 
servatory being attached to kites. 
A COMPETITION has been held in Liverpool 
for motor vehicles invented for heavy traffic. 
SCIENCE. 383 
Distances from ¢? to 40 miles were traversed 
on two successive days, and six motors, all 
using steam, took part. The Steam Carriage 
and Wagon Company was given gold medals, 
both for vehicles having a minimum load of two 
tons, and for those having a minimum load of 
six and one-half tons. 
It is reported that an International Sanitary 
Commission will meet at Brussels during the 
present month to discuss measures for prevent- 
ing the spreading of the plague in Europe. 
WE learn from the Botanical Gazette that Mr. 
J. N. Rose, who was accompanied by Dr. 
Walter Hough, has just returned from a three 
months’ trip through Mexico, bringing about 
nine hundred species of dried plants, many 
living plants and plant photographs. Be- 
sides rediscovering Hchmocactus Parryi, he col- 
lected several other species lost or hitherto un- 
known to American herbaria. About 200 
species were collected at type localities. Mr. 
Rose made a thorough study of the species of 
agave, especially those used in the manufac- 
ture of pulque and mescal. 
THE special committee on Weights and Meas- 
ures at the recent meeting of the American 
Pharmaceutical Association, submitted the fol- 
lowing report : 
No action has been taken during the past year, by 
the legislative branch of our Government in regard to 
the adoption of the Metric System of Weights and 
Measures. 
The bill formerly before Congress, making the 
Metric System the legal system of weights and meas- 
ures in the United States, is still in the hands of the 
Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures. 
Notwithstanding the inactivity of Congress on this 
question, we are pleased to report a healthy growth 
in the sentiment favoring the use of the Metric System 
both in medicine and for general usage. 
In many of the reports made to the President by 
United States Consuls, the importance of the adoption 
of the Metric System by the United States for com- 
mercial purposes, is dwelt upon and strongly recom- 
mended. In a, number of recent medical journals, 
editorials have been published advocating its adoption 
by the medical colleges. 
While no definite statement can be made as to the 
probable action by the next Congress of the United 
States, or by the new Committee on Coinage, 
Weights and Measures yet to be appointed, it is hoped 
