June 3, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



871 



of assistant chemist, at $1,400 per annum, in 

 the Bureau of Standards. 



The sixth International Congress of Physi- 

 ology will be held at Brussels, in the Institut 

 Solvay, from August 30 to September 3, 1904, 

 under the presidency of Professor Heger. 

 One meeting will be devoted to the report of 

 the International Commission appointed at 

 Cambridge in 1898 for the unification of 

 standards in physiology (Association de I'ln- 

 stitut Marey) and to the nomination of a 

 committee of arrangements for the following 

 congress. If the number of communications 

 warrants, special sections, for example, in 

 physiological chemistry or in experimental 

 psychology, may be organized, as at Turin. 

 Further information may be obtained from 

 Dr. Auguste Slosse, local secretary, Institut 

 Solvay, Pare Leopold, Brussels, Belgium. 



The Eoyal Geographical Society held its 

 annual meeting on May 15; the medals and 

 other honors were presented to those whose 

 names have already been announced. The 

 annual address of the president. Sir Clements 

 Markham, was largely concerned with the Brit- 

 ish Antarctic Expedition, but geographical 

 progress in other parts of the world was also 

 described. It was stated that efforts are be- 

 ing made to secure $600,000 for the erection 

 of a new building for the society. The an- 

 nual dinner of the society was held on the 

 evening of the same day, when speeches were 

 made by the president. Sir Harry Johnston, 

 Sir William Eamsay and others. 



The Chicago Academy of Sciences has se- 

 cured the collection of lower coal measure 

 plants made by Dr. John H. Britts, of Clinton, 

 Iowa. The collection contains many species 

 named by Lesquereux besides numerous 

 cotypes of species described by David White 

 in Monograph 37, IT. S. Geological Survey, on 

 the ' Fossil Flora of the Lower Coal Measures 

 of Missouri.' The collection was obtained 

 through the generosity of Mr. Francis S. Pea- 

 body of Chicago. 



A COREESPONDENT writes to the London 

 Times from Alexander on May 6 : " Dr. Koch 

 has concluded his investigations into the ques- 

 tion of the cattle plague. His report, which 



was laid before the ministry yesterday, is dis- 

 appointing to those who anticipated prompt 

 and effectual measures for the eradication of 

 the disease. The learned bacteriologist con- 

 siders the plague an extremely mild form of 

 rinderpest, and one more nearly allied to Texas 

 and Transcaucasian fever, the germ conveying 

 the infection bearing also some analogy to the 

 parasite found in coast fever in West Africa. 

 His suggestions are confined to advising the 

 government to pursue the measures already 

 adopted, such as the application of injections 

 and the isolation of infected animals. Dr. 

 Koch sailed on May 6 for Marseilles." 



We learn from Electrical World that a 

 deputation of Canadian electrical interests has 

 waited upon the minister of inland revenue 

 asking that the government establish an elec- 

 trical standardizing bureau, to be maintained 

 independent of any other branch of the public 

 service, and placed in charge of a qualified 

 electrical expert, at whose disposal should be 

 placed trained assistants and proper facilities. 

 The delegation also asked that the law be 

 amended so that if any device was found in 

 the possession of any one to prevent the proper 

 registration of electric current, it should be 

 prima facie evidence for his prosecution and 

 conviction. , 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 



Mr. John D. Eockefeller has given the 

 Case School of Applied Science $200,000 to 

 be used for building and equipping labora- 

 tories ^ for physics and mining engineering. 

 The buildings will be erected during the com- 

 ing year. 



Tale University will receive as residuary 

 legatee over $250,000 from the estate of 

 William B. Boss, a lawyer of New Tork City, 

 who died on January 14 last. A portion of 

 this sum will be used for the erection of an 

 addition to the library building. 



The will of the late Professor Maxwell 

 Sommerville provides $20,000 for the preserva- 

 tion and care of the collection of engraved 

 gems and ethnological collections given by 

 him to the University of Pennsylvania some 

 years ago. 



