Febkuabt 9, 18S;3.] 



SCIENCE. 



27 



though, a young man, he has been for several years 

 a Fellow of the Royal society, and has attained a 

 world-wide reputation for his investigations in celes- 

 tial mechanics. 



Professor Darwin's more important papers are: On 

 the influence of geological changes in the earth's axis 

 of rotation ; — On the bodily tides of viscous and semi- 

 elastic spheroids, etc. ; — On the precession of a viscous 

 spheroid, etc. ; — Problems connected with the tides of 

 a viscous sjiheroid; — On the tidal friction of a planet 

 attended by several satellites, etc.; — On the secular 

 changes in the elements of the orbit of a satellite, 

 etc.; — On the stresses caused in the interior of the 

 earth by the weight of continents and mountains. 

 These papers are all contained in the Philosophical 

 transactions' of the Royal society between the years 

 1876-82. Professor Darwin has also published many 

 other papers on the above and cognate subjects, which 

 are to be found in various scientific publications. 

 One of his latest papers is the Report of the British 

 association committee appointed for the measurement 

 of the lunar disturbance of gravity; and on another 

 page of this issue will be found a full analysis of a 

 still more recent essay. 



Professor Darwin's friends, both in America and 

 England, must feel that the University of Cambridge 

 has honored itself as much as it has honored him in 

 appointing him to this high ijosition, as his scientific 

 ability and acquirements in the particular line of 

 work to which he has chosen to devote himself rank 

 second to those of no one living. American students 

 who have had the pleasure of meeting Professor 

 Darwin in Cambridge cannot help feeling a decided 

 pleasure in hearing of his elevation when they recall 

 his uniform kindness and generous hospitality. 



— We regret to announce the death of the Rev. 

 Titus Coan, whose contributions to om- knowledge of 

 the volcanic outbreaks of Mauna Loa are well known. 

 Born at Killingworth, Conn., in ISOl, he was sent in 

 1833 by the American board of commissioners for 

 foreign missions to explore Patagonia, and, in the 

 next year, as a missionary to the Hawaiian Islands, 

 where for nearly half a century he has been a faith- 

 ful and beloved pastor. ■ In his mission district on 

 ■Hawaii is the largest active volcano in the world; and 

 its two craters, Mokuaweoweo and Kilauea, were 

 ■carefully watched and studied by him. The wild 

 path of his quarterly tours led along the brink of Kil- 

 auea, and no man knew more of its condition than 

 he. From the flanks of Mauna Loa came many im- 

 portant lava-flows ; the latest, in 1881, after a course 

 of more than thirty miles, came within a mile of his 

 doorway; earthquakes rocked his house in Hilo; sea- 

 quake waves swept his shores; landslides destroyed 

 his people and their cattle. In the midst of these 

 phenomena he carefully observed and recorded ; and 

 his reports published in various scientific periodicals 

 (especially in the American journal of science), as 



well as in the Missionary herald, contain most vivid 

 and accurate accounts of Hawaiian volcanic action. 

 Every explorer of these islands has been welcomed 

 to his beautiful home, and greatly assisted; and all 

 have parted from him as from a wise and good friend 

 they hoped again to meet. Healthful all his life, he 

 died of old age on the 1st of last December. His 

 Adventures in Patagonia, published a few years since, 

 and his Life in Hawaii, 1835-1831, contain the mod- 

 est story of his life, at once wise, useful, philan- 

 thropic, and religious. A memorial meeting was to 

 be held at Hilo, on his birthday, Feb. 1. 



— The annual election of the Academy of natural 

 sciences of Philadelphia was held on Dec. 26 last, 

 and resulted as follows : President, Jos. Leidy, M.D. ; 

 Vice-Presidents, Thomas Meehan and Rev. Henry 

 C. McCook; Recording Secretary and Librarian, 

 Edw. J. Nolan, M.D. ; Corresponding Secretary, 

 George H. Horn, M.D. ; Treasurer, William C. Hens- 

 zey; Curators, Jos. Leidy, M.D., Charles P. Parker, 

 Jacob Binder, and W. S. W. Ruschenberger, M.D. ; 

 Councillors to serve three years, Thomas A. Robin- 

 son, Edw. Potts, Isaac C. Martindale, Theo. D. Rand. 



The annual reports of the ofiicers and sections, 

 which were read, indicated that the society, during 

 the past year, has been in a condition of unusual 

 prosperity. 



— The Anthropological society of Washington held 

 itsf annual election Jan. 16, with the following result: 

 President, Col. Garrick Mallery, U.S.A. ; Vice-presi- 

 dents, Dr. Robert Fletcher, President J. C. Welling, 

 Major J. W. Powell, and Professor Otis T. Mason; 

 General Secretary, Dr. W. J. Hoiiman ; Correspond- 

 ing Secretary, Col. F. A. Seely ; Treasurer, Professor 

 J. Howard Gore ; Curator, Col. C. C. Royce ; Council 

 at large. Professor L. F. Ward, Mr. G. K. Gilbert, 

 Dr. A. F. A. King, Professor E. A. Fay, Mr. H. W. 

 Henshaw, and Mr. David Hutcheson. Major Powell 

 retires from the presidency after four years service. 



— At its general meeting, Jan. 6, the Brooklyn 

 entomological society elected the Rev. G. D. Hulst, 

 president ; F. G. Schaupp, secretary ; Charles Fuchs, 

 treasurer ; and J. B. Smith, curator. 



— The young folks' course of four scientific lec- 

 tures, given in Washington at the National museum, 

 under the auspices of the biological and anthropo- 

 logical societies, was successfully brought to a con- 

 clusion on .Jan. 6. The attendance throughout was 

 good. It was the first course of the kind attempted 

 in Washington for many years. 



The second course of free Saturday lectures, in- 

 augurated last year under the same auspices, was 

 opened on the 13th inst. Twelve lectures will be 

 given. The schedule for the first half of the course 

 is as follows : — 



Jan. 13, Capt. Clarence E. Dutton U. S. A., On 

 rivers; Jan. 20, Professor Otis T. Mason, The races 

 of men; Jan. 27, Mr. George Kennan, Mountains 



