August 12, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



203 



In the August number of the Astrophysical 

 Journal Professors Kapteyn and Frost give a 

 determination of the velocity of the solar sys- 

 tem through space as derived from the radical 

 velocities of the Orion stars. There appears 

 to be a difference of ten kilometers per second 

 between the results obtained by the stars near 

 the Apex and those near the Antapex. Kap- 

 teyn now finds not far from each of these 

 two regions an extensive group of Orion stars 

 having common proper motion. The differ- 

 ence just mentioned is probably to be ex- 

 plained by this fact. A discussion of these 

 groups will follow in one of the nest numbers 

 of the Astrophysical Journal. 



The Journal of the New York Botanical 

 Garden states that Dr. W. A. Murrill, as- 

 sistant director, recently returned from Vir- 

 ginia with a collection of poisonous fungi, 

 which will be chiefly used for chemical an- 

 alysis. Eeturning, he found evidences of the 

 chestnut canker not far from Baltimore, Md., 

 and diseased trees became more abundant 

 northward. At Belair, Md., seventy-five miles 

 south of Philadelphia, and at Northeast, Md., 

 the effects of the canker were very noticeable, 

 most of the chestnut trees being dead or in a 

 dying condition. At Red Bank, N. J., where 

 the first chestnut trees were observed near the 

 coast, the disease had become very serious and 

 was noticed from this point all the way to 

 New York City, especially near South Amboy, 

 N. J., where whole forests were either killed 

 or badly affected. Throughout the whole of 

 Staten Island, not a single healthy chestnut 

 tree was observed. 



The annual meeting of the general com- 

 mittee of the Imperial Cancer Eesearch Fund 

 was held at the Royal College of Surgeons, 

 London, on July 20, Mr. A. J. Balfour being 

 in the chair. We learn from the report in 

 Nature that Sir William Church presented 

 the annual report, and gave an exposition of 

 its most salient features. The Duke of Bed- 

 ford, who has been a strong financial sup- 

 porter of the fund from its foundation, was 

 elected president. Mr. A. J. Balfour moved a 

 vote of thanks to the members of the various 



committees, and to Dr. Bashford and his staff. 

 Mr. Balfour's remarks were mainly directed 

 to the laymen, and have received such wide 

 publicity in the daily papers that we need not 

 quote them in full, well as they will bear 

 quoting. Mr. Balfour emphasized the prog- 

 ress made since he presided in July, 1903, and 

 directed attention to the caution character- 

 izing the statements emanating from the labo- 

 ratory, urging the need for patience upon tLe 

 public, the members of which are not always 

 able to comprehend that the slow progress 

 made by scientific methods is the only progress 

 that can legitimately be expected. 



The University of Leeds, formerly the 

 Yorkshire College of Science, and subse- 

 quently the Yorkshire College, has, says the 

 London Times, in its history of thirty-six 

 years, been largely indebted for its growth and 

 development to the Clothworkers' Company of 

 the City of London. The textile industries 

 department was the first of the technical de- 

 partments established. Its initiation was due 

 to the Clothworkers' Company and to a small 

 number of Leeds and Yorkshire manufac- 

 turers, who recognized the importance and 

 value of courses of study in textile industries. 

 Since 1874 the textile industries department 

 has received large grants and endowments 

 from the Clothworkers' Company. On capital 

 account the company has up to the end of the 

 present session contributed £70,000 and an 

 annual maintenance subsidy of £4,000, and it 

 has now added £5,000 to its capital gifts to 

 extend the spinning section for the purpose of 

 introducing, experimentally, into the curricu- 

 lum of study the continental system of wor- 

 sted-yarn manufacture. 



A SCHOOL of aviation is to be established 

 near London in memory of the late Mr. C. S. 

 Eolls. Nature states that a sub-committee of 

 the Aerial League has had the scheme under 

 consideration, and its cost for the first year is 

 likely to be £2,500. The primary aim of the 

 school will be to provide training in aeroplane 

 manufacture and flight, and to obtain a class 

 of men grounded in the subject from begin- 

 ning to end, including such laboratory and 



