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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 308. 



Instruction, who welcomed the meteorolo- 

 gists assembled from all parts of the globe 

 as engaged in a science that benefits hu- 

 manity and is independent of nationality. 

 Coincident with the Congress, the In- 

 ternational Meteorological Committee held 

 a meeting and filled the vacancies exist- 

 ing in it, caused by the retirement of Dr. 

 Scott, of England, and Professor Tacchini, 

 of Italy, by electing to membership Dr. 

 Shaw and Professor Palazzo, their success- 

 ors as heads of the meteorological bureaus 

 in their respective countries. Professor 

 Hildebrandsson becomes secretary of the 

 committee, a position long and faithfully 

 filled by Dr. Scott. 



The Aeronautical Congress convened on 

 September 17th, the day that the Meteoro- 

 logical Congress adjourned. The general 

 sessions were held at the Astro-physical 

 Observatory at Meudon, but the sections 

 met at the Institute of France in Paris. 

 The committee of organization continued 

 in ofRce, namely M. Janssen as president 

 and M. Triboulet as general secretary. 

 Among the honorary vice-presidents was 

 Professor Langley, who, with the writer, 

 was a delegate of the United States. JSTo 

 other Americans attended the meeting, and 

 the diflSculty of getting to Meudon, no 

 doubt, was one reason why so few persons 

 came of the one hundred and fifty enrolled. 

 M. Janssen's address was a masterly re- 

 sume of the progress of aeronautics since the 

 Congress of 1889, and contained apprecia- 

 tive mention of the exploration of the at- 

 mosphere by balloons and kites. In speak- 

 ing of the future, M. Janssen predicted that 

 the nation which first learned to navigate 

 the air would become supreme, for while 

 the ocean, which has given preeminence 

 to the people using it most, has its bound- 

 aries, the atmosphere has none. What then, 

 asked the illustrious orator, will become of 

 national frontiers when the aerial fleets can 

 cross them with impunity? Two impor- 



tant conferences were given by the Renard 

 brothers, the well-known officers in charge 

 of the Central Establishment for Military 

 Aeronautics atChalais-Meudon. Major Paul 

 Eenard described the present state of aero- 

 nautics as exemplified at the Exposition. 

 Colonel Charles Renard, who, with Major 

 Krebs as collaborator, constructed at Cha- 

 lais in 1884 the dirigible balloon named La 

 France, the performance of which has never 

 been equaled, gave a critical account of 

 the various attempts to navigate the air by 

 such balloon methods, terminating with the 

 balloons recently constructed by M. San- 

 tos-Dumont in Paris and the huge one of 

 Count von Zeppelin on the Lake of Con- 

 stance. The other lectures were by M. 

 Teisserenc de Bort on the meteorological 

 results at Trappes from 'ballons-sondes ' 

 and kites and by the writer on the use of 

 kites at Blue Hill to bring down such data 

 from altitudes of three miles. lu Paris 

 special and technical papers were presented 

 to four sections relating to different branches 

 of aeronautics, and at the closing general ses- 

 sion these communications were summar- 

 ized and some resolutions were adopted . An 

 international aeronautical committee was 

 appointed, consisting, besides the officers of 

 the Congress, of ten Frenchmen and ten for- 

 eigners, whose duty it is to advance aero- 

 nautical work throughout the world. On 

 September 21st a delightful banquet at the 

 Orangerie of the Chateau of Meudon, where 

 the first balloons were constructed during 

 the Empire, closed the Congress, and pre- 

 dictions were freely made that the conquest 

 of the air was near at hand and that pos- 

 sibly members might come to the next re- 

 union in aerial conveyances. 



The noteworthy feature of this meeting, 

 which could hardly be called international, 

 was the demonstration of the practical sta- 

 tus of aeronautics in France. Through the 

 courtesy of the Minister of War, the es- 

 tablishment of Chalais was opened to the 



