OcTOBER 13, 1899. ] 
round to the satisfaction of all concerned 
inits organization. All who heard Admiral 
Makaroff’s paper on the wonderful work 
accomplished by his ice-breaker would 
wish, if it were possible, to send such a 
ship to the Antarctic, and with an available 
fund of £150,000 this might be possible. 
Naturally, with Sir John Murray in the 
chair, oceanography and limnology were 
prominent, though Sir John, seemed to 
think that Dr. Mill’s attempt to formulate 
a nomenclature of the bed of the ocean 
was somewhat premature. 
ing the criticism of Mr. Crook, Sir John 
Farquharson’s account of the last twelve 
years’ work of the Ordnance Survey proved 
that the British Survey maps will stand 
comparison with those produced in other 
countries. Sir John Farquharson was un- 
able to exhibit the magnificent series of 
maps which he had brought with him ow- 
ing to lack of space. The papers by Mr. 
and Mrs. Rickmers on their journey in 
Central Asia and by Captain Wellby, on his 
remarkable journey to Southern Abyssinia 
and Lake Rudolf, and thence northwest to 
Khartum, were excellent; while Dr. Had- 
don’s notes on his expedition to New Guinea 
and Borneo were a good illustration of what 
is meant by ‘Anthropogeography.’ 
In the section of Economies and Statistics, 
the president, Mr. Henry Higgs, abstained 
from reviewing the progress of economic 
theory, and his thoughful plea for a detailed 
study of the actual consumption of wealth 
and a consideration of the ways in which 
it may be improved has excited consider- 
able attention. Whether his advice will be 
taken remains to be seen, but, if the pro- 
ceedings of the Section afford material for 
judging, professed economists have ceased 
to interest themselves in economic theory. 
They were strongly represented at the 
meeting by Professors Edgeworth, Smart, 
and Flux, Messrs. Cannan and Bowley, Dr. 
J. H. Hollander, and others, but not one 
SCIENCE. 
Notwithstand-_ 
511 
contribution to economic theory was offered 
by any of them. The subject which now 
seems to draw the largest audience and the 
most animated discussion is what may be 
called municipal economics; and in the 
annual discussion of subjects which come 
under this head the Section is probably 
doing its most useful work. The subject of 
the measurement of wages and retail prices 
was dealt with in several papers. 
Meeting under the presidency of Sir Wil- 
liam White, chief constructor to the British 
Navy, it was natural that marine engineer- 
ing should be the most prominent feature 
of the work of Section G, at Dover. In his 
address, the president, after dealing with 
the great progress of the past 60 years, not 
only in size of ships, but in speed and in- 
creased engine power, discussed the prob- 
able lines of advance in future, and by the 
help of some convincing figures showed how 
serious and practically insuperable were 
the difficulties abead of us in the matter of 
greatly increased speeds for big liners and 
cruisers, and, in fact, for large ships gen- 
erally. A paper by the Hon. C. A. Parsons, 
F.R.S., on the application of his now well- 
known steam turbines to the driving of fast 
passenger steamers, both for cross-Channel 
and for the Atlantic service, came as a con- 
vincing supplement to this portion of the 
president’s address. In the discussion the 
author was able to state that the prelimi- 
nary trials had thoroughly confirmed his 
anticipations of success. In view of the 
wild statements and of the misleading de- 
ductions so often made from the high speeds 
now attained in destroyers, it seems well 
to point out that Mr. Parsons, in his pro- 
posed liner of 600 feet length and 18,000 
tons displacement, does not propose a 
greater speed than 26 knots, and to obtain 
this he would need, even with all the ad- 
vantages he claims for his steam turbines in 
reduction of weight, etc., no less than 388,- 
000-horse power, or over two-horse power 
