August 16, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



229 



under the conduct of fellows of the society 

 conversant with the geology of the several 

 selected districts. These excursions will be- 

 gin on Wednesday, September 18, and the 

 excursionists will all be back in London by 

 the evening of September 25. The celebration 

 of the centenary, which will extend over three 

 days, will begin on Thursday, September 26, 

 at 11 o'clock, in the Hall of the Institution 

 of Civil Engineers, when the chair will be 

 taken by Sir Archibald Geikie, who has been 

 elected president of the society for the second 

 time in order that he may preside on this occa- 

 sion. The foreign members and foreign cor- 

 respondents, and the delegates from institu- 

 tions at home and abroad, will then be re- 

 ceived by him, and will present their addresses. 

 In the afternoon, at 3 o'clock, in the same 

 hall, the president will deliver an address, 

 while in the evening a banquet will be given 

 by the society to its colonial and foreign 

 guests. 



Friday, September 27, will be chiefly de- 

 voted to visits to museums, galleries, etc., con- 

 cluding with an evening reception. On Sat- 

 urday, September 28, short excursions have 

 been projected to places of geological interest 

 within easy reach of London. On Monday, 

 September 30, the visitors will be divided into 

 two sections, one of which will go to Oxford, 

 the other to Cambridge. It is understood that 

 the universities will confer honorary degrees 

 on some of the more distinguished geologists 

 from beyond the seas, and that college hos- 

 pitality will be as abundant and hearty as 

 usual, while those visitors who may still have 

 energy enough left for field-work will be taken 

 on geological excursions from both the uni- 

 versity tovms. This well-planned combina- 

 tion of scientific intercourse with social pleas- 

 ure can hardly fail to have a lasting effect 

 in forming and confirming friendships by 

 bringing the geologists of many different 

 countries into close personal relations with 

 each other. 



SIR JOSEPH HOOKER'S NINETIETH 

 BIRTHDAY 

 Sir Joseph Hooker has addressed the fol- 

 lowing letter to Sir Trevor Lawrence in reply 



to the congratulations of the Eoyal Horticul- 

 tural Society on the occasion of his ninetieth 

 birthday : 



The Camp, Sunningdale, 



July 15, 1907. 



My Dear Sir Trevor: Your letter of the 25th 

 June conveying the hearty congratulations of the 

 President, Council, and Fellows of the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Society on the approach of my 90th 

 birthday has gratified me more than I can express. 



It is not by many times tlie first instance I 

 have experienced of the friendly and all too lib- 

 eral estimate of my labors in the cause of horti- 

 culture that the society has entertained. 



It has been a source of great regret that I was 

 obliged, when resigning my post of chairman of 

 the Scientific Committee, to abandon all hope of 

 attending our meetings on account of having to 

 devote my energies to the Directorship of Kew, 

 and to the completion of labors on botanical works 

 I have in progress. 



I had also to endeavor to overtake arrears of 

 work extending over many years, which are still 

 far from being overtaken. As a botanist I have 

 hereby lost much, for since the days of David 

 Douglas, the Royal Horticultural Society has con- 

 tributed more botanical science, as represented by 

 collections, publications and experimental re- 

 search, than any other establishment in Europe. 



I have now to request you as their president to 

 accept yourself, and convey to the council and to 

 my fellow-members, my pride and gratitude for 

 this most welcome evidence of their friendship 

 and esteem. 



With every good wish for the continued welfare 

 and renown of the society. 



Believe me, dear Sir Trevor, sincerely yours, 



Jos. D. HOOKEB 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



The seventh International Zoological Con- 

 gress opens its meeting under the presidency 

 of Mr. Alexander Agassiz at Boston on August 

 19. An account of the general features of the 

 program, including the visits to New York, 

 Philadelphia and Washington, will be found 

 in the issue of Science for May 17. The full 

 program, so far as papers were announced up 

 to that time, will be found in the issue of 

 Science for August 2. 



The British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science opened its annual meeting 



