738 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. 72 



been recently made by Piccini and are de- 

 scribed in the Gazetta CMmica. By tlie reduc- 

 tion of a sulfuric acid solution of vanadium 

 dioxid in the electrolytic cell in the presence of 

 an alkali-sulfate an alum is formed. The am- 

 monium vanadium alum is very soluble, those 

 of rubidium and cesium much less so. By a 

 similar reaction Piccini has obtained the cesium 

 titanium alum, the first of the titanium sulfates 

 to be formed. These salts are the first rejire- 

 sentatives of the alums among the elements of 

 the fourth and fifth groups of the periodic sys- 

 tem. 



The question as to the fusibility of platinum 

 in a carbon heated furnace seems at least to 

 have been definitely settled by Victor Meyer. 

 A sheet of platinum completely enclosed in a 

 mass of fire clay was fused to a globule in a 

 blast furnace heated with gas carbon. In this 

 case action of carbon or of furnace gases on the 

 platinum was absolutely excluded. Under sim- 

 ilar conditions an alloy of platinum with 25 J^ 

 iridium was unchanged. 



In the Contemporary Review for May, Dr. 

 Alfred B. Wallace describes M. Elisee Reclus' 

 proposed gigantic model of the earth, already 

 noticed in this Journal and argues that the 

 construction of such a globe would be feasibile 

 and desirable. But he thinks that the scale 

 proposed by ]\I. Reclus, xWuou should be re- 

 duced by one-half. This would give an inter- 

 nal diameter of 167 feet, and a scale of almost 

 exactly a quarter of an inch to a mile. The 

 chief point made by Dr. Wallace is, however, 

 that the model should be placed on the inner 

 surface of the sphere. 



According to Nature, on July 2d the Second 

 International Congress of Applied Chemistry 

 will open in Paris. In addition to strictly tech- 

 nical questions, the Congress will discuss the an- 

 alytical processes needed for the guidance of 

 manufacturers and the benefit of the consumer. 

 The proceedings will be conducted in ten sec- 

 tions, and, judging from the number and inter- 

 est of the questions which will be brought up in 

 each, there will be no lack of work. The sec- 

 tions represent such diverse subjects as chemical 

 products, electro-chemistry, coloring matters, 

 and dyeing, pharmaceutical products, metal- 



lurgy and mining, surgar-refining, vintnery, 

 brewing, distilling, agricultural chemistry, pho- 

 tography, alimentation and milk supply. The 

 'Association des Chemistes de Sucerie et de Dis- 

 tillerie,' which is organizing the Congress, has 

 formed a committee, comprising several mem- 

 bers of the French Government, a large number 

 of members of the Institute, and many of the 

 foremost men in science and industry in France. 

 Further information with reference to the Con- 

 gress can be obtained from M. Dupont, 156 

 boulevard Magenta, Paris. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 



Mrs. Stanford has transferred to the trustees 

 of Stanford University S2, 500,000, the amount 

 of the bequest left by the late Senator Stanford. 



Mr. John D. Rockefeller has agreed to give 

 Vassar College .$100,000 toward the erection of 

 a new dormitory or a recitation hall. 



At a meeting of the trustees of Columbia Uni- 

 versity, on May 4th, Mr. E. A. MacDowell was 

 appointed Professor of Music, and Dr. Franz 

 Boas lecturer on physical anthropology. The 

 name of the present faculty of the School of 

 Mines was changed to that of the Faculty of 

 Applied Science, which will be intrusted with 

 the care of the School of Mines, the School of 

 Chemistry, the School of Engineering and the 

 School of Architecture. The building for the 

 Department of Chemistry, to be erected as a 

 memorial to the late Frederick Christian Have- 

 meyer at a cost of about $450,000, by his sons 

 and daughters, F. C, Theodore A., Thomas J., 

 and Henry O. Havemeyer, Mrs. Katherine B. 

 Belloni and Mrs. L. J. Louisa Jackson, and by 

 his nephew, Charles H. SenfT, was formally ac- 

 cepted by the trustees. 



The sum of 1100,000 has been given by 

 friends of Barnard College to pay the mortgage 

 on the grounds, and secure the gift of $100,000 

 for building purposes pledged on condition that 

 the mortgage should be paid by May 9th. 



The summer school of Union College will hold 

 a session of six weeks at Saratoga, from July 

 6th to August 14th. Thirty courses are offered. 

 The ninth annual session of the Wisconsin 

 summer school will be held at the University 

 for six weeks, from July 6th to August 14th, 



