December 12, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



959 



the Panama canal route. His publications 

 were chiefly connected with tides, river cur- 

 rents and other hydrological subjects. He 

 was a member of the National Academy of 

 Sciences and fellow of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science. 



Me. C. E. Houghton has been appointed 

 associate professor of mechanical engineering 

 in New York University. 



Sir John Stokes, an eminent British engi- 

 neer, died on November 17 at the age of 

 seventy-seven years. He carried out important 

 engineering works in connection with the Suez 

 Canal, the opening of the mouth of the 

 Danube and in other directions. 



Me. H. C. Hill, inspector-general of forests 

 to the government of India, died on November 

 7 at the age of fifty years. 



The death is also announced of Dr. T. R. 

 Segelcke, professor of dairy farming in the 

 Agricultural College at Copenhagen. 



The Harvard Corporation has voted to ex- 

 tend its Christmas holidays to January 5, 

 thus leaving the week free for the convocation 

 of scientific societies. Harvard University is, 

 we believe, the only important institution 

 that had not taken action favorable to Con- 

 vocation Week. 



M. GLiCOBlNi discovered a faint comet at 

 Nice on December 2, and the comet was ob- 

 served at the Naval Observatory on Decem- 

 ber 3. 



The Civil Service Commission announces 

 an examination on January 3 for the position 

 of assistant-chief, Dairy Division, Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, at a salary of $1,800. 

 It announces on January 6 examinations for 

 the positions of scientific assistant in the 

 Fish Commission and custodian in the Ma- 

 rine Biological Station at Beaufort, at sal- 

 aries of $720, and for the position of assistant 

 chemist in the supervising architect's oifice, 

 Treasury Department, at a salary of $1,200. 



The Section of Geology and Geography of 

 the American Association has arranged to 

 devote a session of the meeting to the dis- 

 cussion of the recent eruptions of Mont 

 Pelee and La Soufriere by the geologists. 



Messrs. Russell, Hill, Heilprin, Jaggar, Cur- 

 tis and Hovey, who visited the islands of 

 Martinique and St. Vincent last summer, but 

 the details of the session have not been elab- 

 orated in time for the preliminary program. 

 The following papers, however, can be an- 

 nounced : 



R. T. Hill : ' The geologic and physiographic 

 history of the Lesser Antilles.' With illustrations. 



E. 0. HovET: 'The ejecta of the 1902 erup- 

 tions of La Souf rifere, St. Vincent ' ; ' Some erosion 

 phenomena on Mt. Pelfie and La Soufrifere,' with 

 illustrations; 'The inner cone of the Mt. Pel6e 

 crater and its relation to the destruction of 

 Morne Rouge.' 



T. A. Jaggar, Jr. : ' The geological and recent 

 liistory of the Caribbean volcanoes ' ; ' The pro- 

 tection of human life from volcanoes.' 



Israel C. Russell : ' Martinique and St. Vin- 

 cent.' (An illustrated lecture before the National 

 Geographic Society, in connection with the 

 meeting of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science.) 



J. W. Spencer : ' The geological history of the 

 Caribbean Islands.' With charts and illustra- 

 tions. 



The ninth annual meeting of the American 

 Mathematical Society will be held at Co- 

 lumbia University on Monday and Tuesday, 

 December 29 and 30. The council will meet 

 on Monday morning, and the annual election 

 of officers and other members of the council 

 will close on Tuesday morning. At the open- 

 ing of the afternoon session on Monday the 

 retiring President, Professor Eliakim Has- 

 tings Moore, will deliver his presidential ad- 

 dress, the subject of which will be : ' The 

 Foundations of Mathematics.' 



The Lowell Institute lectures for the cur- 

 rent year include the following: 



Professor N. S. Shaler, ten lectures on the 

 general topic, 'Dynamical Geology.' 



Professor H. P. Bowditch, eight lectures on 

 ' Some Problems of Modern Physiology.' 



Dr. T. A. Jaggar, six lectures on ' The Carib- 

 bean Volcanic Eruptions and their Bearing on 

 Vuleanology.' 



The city of Ann Arbor has oifered to the 

 University of Michigan the perpetual lease of 

 a piece of land of seven acres within one square 

 of the present campus on condition that the 



