Januaey 12, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



79 



Botanical Gardens of Trinity College, Dublin, 

 at the age of fifty-nine years. 



Dr. Philipp-Balliff, the German meteorol- 

 ogist, died on November 6, at the age of sixty 

 years. 



The daily papers state that Mr. Eadiguet, 

 the French instrument-maker and man of sci- 

 ence, has died as the result of exposure to the 

 Eontgen rays. 



The will of the late Charles T. Yerkes, who 

 owed his large fortxme to the direct application 

 of recent advances in science, makes provision 

 for three important institutions, which are to 

 bear his name. The Terkes Observatory, to 

 which he has already contributed liberally, re- 

 ceives $100,000, the Terkes galleries and the 

 Terkes hospital are to be established in New 

 York City, on the death of his widow, or 

 sooner should she wish. The hospital will also 

 be established in case of the death of one of 

 the two children. After certain bequests to 

 Mrs. Terkes, to his son and daughter and to 

 others have been made, a trust fund is estab- 

 lished, most of which will ultimately go to 

 the support of the hospital. It is said that 

 the value of the house on Fifth Avenue to be 

 used for the galleries is $1,000,000, and that 

 the value of the collections is $4,000,000. 

 $750,000 are provided as an endowment fund 

 for the galleries,' which will be under the con- 

 trol of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 

 hospital, which is to be situated in the borough 

 of the Bronx, will receive, it is estimated by 

 the daily papers, from $5,000,000 to $16,000,000. 



The letter of President Roosevelt to Chief 

 Justice Fuller, chancellor of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, recommending the acceptance of 

 the art collections of- Mr. Charles A. Freer, has 

 been widely published, and has probably led 

 to some misunderstanding. The regents of 

 the Smithsonian Institution fully appreciate 

 the value of Mr. Freer's collections and the 

 desirability of having them at Washington, 

 and his liberality in not only giving the col- 

 lections, but in also consenting to provide on 

 his death a building to house them. But he 

 makes the condition that nothing shall be 

 added to or taken from the collection after his 

 death, and it would be necessary for the Smith- 



sonian Institution to provide some $10,000 

 for its maintenance. This can only be done 

 by a congi-essional appropriation, and can not 

 be definitely promised. 



Dr. Isaiah F. Everhart, of Scraiiton, Pa., 

 has offered to present his natural history col- 

 lection to the city, and to erect a $50,000, 

 building for its accommodation at Nayaug 

 Park. 



The public library of New London, Conn., 

 will ultimately receive $40,000 by the will of 

 Mr. Henry Cecil Haven. 



As an outcome of the formation of the 

 division for the investigation of artesian 

 waters by the United States Geological Survey 

 three years ago a considerable number of 

 geologists are now devoting their entire time 

 to the investigation of underground waters 

 and related geology. The need of a society 

 for the discussion of the many problems con- 

 stantly arising in connection with new lines 

 of research or invfestigations of more extended 

 scope than those previously undertaken, has 

 been felt for some time. Preliminary meet- 

 ings looking to the organization of such a 

 society were held on December 9 and 11, and 

 on December 20 a formal meeting was held at 

 which the society was formally organized, a 

 constitution adopted, and officers chosen. The 

 association, which is known as the ' Society of 

 Geohydrologists,' is composed of active mem- 

 bers, consisting of residents of the District of 

 Columbia or vicinity who are principally en- 

 gaged in geohydrologic work, and associate 

 members consisting of non-residents who have 

 contributed prominently to the science of geo- 

 hydrology, making it a strictly professional 

 society. Meetings will be held on the first 

 and third Wednesdays of each month during 

 the winter. 



Professor Russell H. Chittenden, director 

 of the Sheffield Scientific School, Tale Uni- 

 versity, has announced the following lectures, 

 composing the fortieth annual Sheffield lec- 

 ture course: 



January 19. — ' The Panama Canal.' Professor 

 William H. Burr. 



January 26. — ' Alaska.' Mr. Howard W. Du- 

 Bois, M.E. 



