June 19, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



967 



Congress has made an appropriation of 

 $35,000 to pay the expenses of a delegation 

 from the IJnited States to the fourth Latin- 

 American Scientific Congress, which will be 

 held in Santiago, Chile, in December, 1908. 

 The United States is entitled to nine dele- 

 gates, who will be probably selected from the 

 universities of the country during the present 

 summer. The program divides the work of 

 the congress into the following sections: (1) 

 pure and applied mathematics, including engi- 

 neering; (2) physical sciences; (3) natural 

 sciences; (4) medicine and hygiene; (5) juris- 

 prudence, political and social science; (6) 

 history, languages and fine arts; (7) peda- 

 gogy; (8) agriculture and animal husbandry; 

 (9) industrial processes. 



A CABLEGRAM has been received at the Har- 

 vard College Observatory from the Astro- 

 nomische Centrale at Kiel, stating that 

 Encke's comet was observed by Woodgale 

 (Woodgate) at the Cape of Good Hope on 

 May 27, 1908. 691 Gr. M. T. in E. A. 2" 

 59" 16'. Dec, 1° 29'. 



The Journal of the American Medical 

 Association says: "From the outset the Chi- 

 cago session demonstrated that it would be all 

 that had been expected of it. Eegistration 

 began the first thing on Monday morning and 

 kept up in a steady stream all day, so that by 

 the time the registration bureau closed 2,210 

 had registered, a number exceeding the phe- 

 nomenal Monday's registration at Boston in 

 1906 by 663. As we go to press (Wednesday 

 noon) the registration has reached a total of 

 5,944. In point of attendance, therefore, the 

 Chicago session of 1908 has set a fresh stand- 

 ard for the annual sessions. Last year the 

 total registration reached 3,713, and the Bos- 

 ton session, which had the largest attendance 

 of any preceding the present one, was 4,722. 

 The section meetings are wonderfully well at- 

 tended, and the meeting places are proving 

 decidedly satisfactory. It is not too much to 

 say that the fifty-ninth annual session of the 

 American Medical Association, held in its 

 home city, will go on record as a permanent 

 milestone in the onward and irresistible march 

 of American medicine." 



Eepresentatives of twenty of the state 

 geological surveys meeting in Washington on 

 May 13 organized an Association of American 

 State Geologists. Provision was made for an 

 annual meeting and the appointment of vari- 

 ous committees for the transaction of the 

 business of the association. H. B. Kiimmel, 

 of New Jersey, was made president, H. ' F. 

 Bain, of Illinois, secretary, and J. H. Pratt, 

 of North Carolina, was appointed to act 

 with them, forming an executive committee. 

 Messis. W. B. Clark, of Maryland; I. C. 

 White, of West Virginia, and J. H. Pratt 

 were appointed a committee to investigate the 

 distribution of documents by the various sur- 

 veys. J. M. Clarke, of New York, was ap- 

 pointed to represent the state geologists on 

 the general committee on nomenclature now 

 being organized, with Samuel Calvin, of 

 Iowa, and E. A. Smith, of Alabama, as asso- 

 ciates. The following resolution was unan- 

 imously adopted: 



Washington, D. C, May 12, 1908. 



Whereas, our country and the sovereign states 

 composing it now face serious problems relating 

 to the preservation of our national resources, and. 



Whereas, these problems — of wisely adminia- 

 tering our forests, our minerals, our soils, our 

 water resources — are to-morrow to be the subject 

 of a conference between the Governors of the 

 various states and the President of the United 

 States, and, 



Wheeeas, we deem a contour-topographic map 

 of our country so necessary to tlie intelligent 

 solution of these and equally important problems. 



Be it Resolved, that we most earnestly ask of 

 the state and federal authorities in conference 

 assembled their support in securing such a map, 

 and, since the state and national interests are 

 here so closely one, we most respectfully suggest: 

 That state and federal appropriations for topo- 

 graphic surveys be increased, and that more im- 

 mediately the federal appropriation be increased 

 for this work to meet the state appropriations 

 now available. 



Be it Resolved, also, that a copy of these reso- 

 lutions be presented to said conference of the 

 Governors with President Roosevelt with our 

 greetings and respect. 



The Journal of the American Medical As- 

 sociation quotes an announcement to the 

 effect that the German authorities have or- 



