196 
organization, that of being governed by a head 
who is not an astronomer and who has no 
thread of law to guide him in his administra- 
tion. Another unique feature, without parallel 
in the history of astronomical observatories, is 
the misfortunes with its instruments which we 
pointed out in our first issue of this year. Here 
our information was based wholly on the official 
reports, no weight being given to the possibility 
that the actual condition of the instruments 
may be a little worse than made known in the 
public statement. Is it possible to dissociate 
in the mind of the scientific public these two 
unique features ? 
We commend the reading of what Mr. Bige- 
low has said on the subject, though he is silent 
on its main points, and the grounds he takes are 
not at all clear to us. On one point he labors 
If he will re-read 
our article he will see that we made no charge 
under a misapprehension. 
against the administration in connection with 
the Magnetic Observatory, but only inquired 
how it happened that one of the finest mag- 
netic observatories in existence was set-up in 
the immediate neighborhood of a trolley line, 
the electric current of which would necessarily 
be destructive to the results. Mr. Bigelow in- 
forms us, as a ‘ well-known’ fact, that this was 
done by the united counsel of the astronomical 
director and a prominent visiting English as- 
tronomer and against the arguments of the pro- 
fessor in charge of the work, and all others in 
Washington interested in magnetic observa- 
tions. He intimates that other interests than 
those of science prompted the proceedings. 
We are thankful for this statement, which, if 
correct and complete, will enable the reader to 
draw his own conclusions, but we do not know 
on what ground he says that the fact is ‘ well 
known.’ It may be well known to those con- 
cerned, or to people in Washington generally, 
but we never before heard or read of it. We 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. XIII. No. 318. 
may remind Mr. Bigelow that an unnamed 
‘visiting astronomer’ cannot bear a heavy 
weight of responsibility, and we hope that he 
will allow this unfortunate counsellor to state 
his side of the case. 
This summary of views, reasons and argu- 
ments, seems to exhaust the case in its present as- 
pects, though we may need toreturn to it when 
Senator Morgan’s bill and the naval appropria- 
tion bill are taken up by the Senate. The ques- 
tion is not of concern to astronomers only, but 
is probably the most important subject at pres- 
ent before American men of science. 
SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 
M. FouguE, professor of mineralogy in the 
Collége de France, assumed the presidency of 
the Paris Academy of Sciences at the first meet- 
ing of the year on January 7th, succeeding M. 
Michel Lévy. M. Bouquet de la Grye was 
elected vice-president, and will consequently 
assume the presidency next year. 
Dr. GRABOWSKY, of the Natural History 
Museum at Brunswick, has been appointed 
director of the Zoological Gardens at Breslau. 
Mr. E. J. BUTLER, M.B., has been appointed 
by the Secretary of State for India, on the rec- 
ommendation of the director of the Royal 
Gardens, Kew, to the post of official botanist to 
the Indian Government at a salary commenc- 
ing at £600 per annum. 
Mr. WILLIAM WALLACE has resigned the 
position of superintendent of the building of the 
American Museum of Natural History. 
Terrestrial Magnetism reports that Mr. James 
B. Baylor has now completed the magnetic 
survey of North Carolina, which has been 
carried out at the joint expense of the U.S. 
Coast and Geodetic Survey and the North Caro- 
lina Geological Survey. The first report upon 
this work, prepared by Messrs. Baylor and 
Hazard, is ready for distribution. 
THE British Institution of Mechanical Engi- 
neers has presented the first Willan’s pre- 
mium to Captain H. Riall Sankey. 
