JANUARY 11, 1901.] 
Sir Joun Conroy, F.R.S., formerly lecturer 
in physics and chemistry in Keble College, 
Oxford, died at Rome on December 15th. 
THE Honorable David Carnegie, assistant 
resident commissioner for the British Govern- 
ment in West Africa, known for his explora- 
tions in Central Australia, has died from a 
wound made by a poisoned arrow. 
THE death is announced of the Portuguese 
explorer, Major Serpa Pinto, at Lisbon, at the 
age of fifty-four years. Beginning in 1877, he 
crossed Africa from Benguella to Durban and 
published a book on his expedition. 
WE regret also to record the following deaths 
among men of science abroad: Dr. 8S. J. Kor- 
schinski, the botanist, of St. Petersburg; Dr. 
Richard Altmann, assistant professor of histol- 
ogy in the University of Leipzig; Dr. E. Ket- 
telér, professor of physics in the Munster 
Academy; Dr. Walter von Funke, formerly 
professor of agriculture in the University at 
Breslau, and Dr. Hermann Stechmanns, direc- 
tor of the zoological gardens in Breslau. 
THE meeting of naturalists at Chicago dur- 
ing the Christmas holidays was very successful. 
Besides the discussion on ‘State Natural His- 
tory Surveys: Methods, Results, Cooperation,’ 
in which Professors Birge, Nachtrieb, Smith, 
Higenmann, Conway MacMillan, Cowles and 
others took part, about forty papers were read. 
A zoological and a botanical section were 
formed to receive the papers of more special 
interest. Over one hundred persons were in 
attendance. There were forty-one at the din- 
ner. No permanent organization was effected. 
The following were appointed a committee on 
a meeting for next year: Professor 8. A. 
Forbes, University of Illinois, President; Pro- 
fessors D. M. Mottier, University of Indiana; 
W. A. Locy, Northwestern University ; Con- 
way MacMillan, University of Minnesota, and 
C. B. Davenport, Secretary. 
THE Association of American College Phys- 
ical Directors held its annual meeting at Colum- 
bia University, New York, on December 29th 
and 30th. A number of papers relating to 
physical training and anthropometry were 
presented and discussed. Dr. R. Tait Mc- 
SCIENCE. 79 
Kenzie, of McGill University, was elected 
president for the ensuing year. 
THE Duke of the Abruzzi proposes to start 
from Buenos Ayres in 1902 on a voyage to ex- 
plore the South Polar Seas. A ship is to be 
built in Italy for the purpose. ¢ 
Dr. F. A. Coox, who, it will be remembered, 
was a member of the Belgian South Polar ex- 
pedition, has sailed for EKurope to cooperate in 
the preparation of the account of the expedition 
which will be published in ten volumes. 
Mr. HE. B. BALDWIN has purchased for his 
proposed Arctic expedition the Esquimaux, said 
to be the largest and staunchest of the British 
whaling fleet. 
THE collection of minerals and meteorites, 
made by Mr. Clarence S. Bement of Philadel- 
phia, has been acquired by the American Mu- 
seum of Natural History, New York. This is 
a collection of much importance and will be 
described in a subsequent issue of this JOURNAL. 
Dr. EDpwARD EVERETT HALE has recently 
given the Semitic Museum at Harvard Uni- 
versity a collection of Hgyptian antiquities, 
consisting of bronze, stone and terra cotta 
statuettes, vases and lamps, collected by Dr. 
Hale’s brother, Charles Hale, while a United 
States Consul in Egypt. 
Mr. THEODORE MARBURG, of Baltimore, a, 
well-known art collector, has presented to 
Johns Hopkins University a collection of an- 
tiques from the Island of Cyprus. 
We learn from Nature that the Botanical De- 
partment of the British Museum has recently 
acquired M. Bescherelle’s herbarium of exotic 
Musci and Hepatic, consisting of 14,800 speci- 
mens of the former and 3,500 of the latter fam- 
ily. It contains a very large number of type- 
specimens. 
THE sum of 10,000 crowns has been given by 
the King of Sweden and Norway to assist the 
archeological researches of Dr. lL. Kjellberg in 
Asia Minor and the island of Lesbos. 
SENATOR HANSBROUGH introduced on Janu- 
ary 4th a bill creating a department of educa- — 
tion, the head of which is to have a place in the 
cabinet. 
THE daily papers report that Goyernor-Gen- 
