September 30, 1010] 



SCIENCE 



425 



I have sought to call attention to the 

 difficulties that I have experienced and to 

 directions in which progress could be 

 made at once, and to provision which 

 should be made for the advancement of 

 the study of the British flora with as little 

 delaj^ as possible. There is, I feel assured, 

 the means of making far more rapid and 

 satisfactory progress towards the goal than 

 has yet been accomplished. Many persons 

 are interested in the subject, and would 

 gladly give their aid if they knew in what 

 way to employ it to the best purpose. As 

 a nation we are apt to trust to individual 

 rather than to combined eiforts, and to 

 waste much time and labor in consequence, 

 with discouragement of many who would 

 gladlj' share the labor in a scheme in 

 which definite parts of the work could be 

 undertaken by them. 



I believe that a well-organized botanical 

 survey of the British Islands would give 

 results of great scientific value, and that 

 there is need for it. I believe, also, that 

 means exist to permit of its being car- 

 ried through. There is no ground to ex- 

 pect that it will be undertaken on the 

 same terms as the Geological Survej'. A 

 biological survey must be accomplished by 

 voluntary effort, with poissibly some help 

 towards meeting necessary expenses of 

 equipment from funds which are available 

 for assistance in scientific research. Is 

 such a survey not an object fully in ac- 

 cord with the objects for which the British 

 Association exists? In the belief that it is 

 so, I ask you to consider whether such a 

 survey should not be undertaken; and, if 

 you approve the proposal, I further ask 

 that a committee be appointed to report 

 on what steps should be taken towards or- 

 ganizing such a survey, and preparing 

 materials for a national flora of the British 

 Islands. 



James W. H. Tr.vil 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 

 The readers of Science will be interested to 

 know that another gold medal award for chem- 

 ical research has been established. This medal 

 is to be known as the Willard Gibbs Medal 

 and is founded under the control of the Chi- 

 cago Section of our society through the gen- 

 erosity of Mr. W. A. Converse, of that city. 

 The rules governing its award as transmitted 

 to me by A. L. Nehls, secretary, are as follows : 



I. A gold medal shall be awarded annually 

 for the best paper or address presented before 

 the Chicago Section of the American Chem- 

 ical Society, provided it be of sufficient merit. 

 This medal shall be known as the Willard 

 Gibbs medal, founded by Wm. A. Converse. 

 The award may be made to any one, provided 

 lie be a member of the American Chemical 

 Society at the time the paper or address was 

 delivered, and provided it is eligible under 

 the following conditions : 



(a) The medal shall be awarded at the No- 

 vember meeting of the Chicago Section for a 

 paper or address delivered before the section 

 between September 1 of the previous year and 

 July 1 of the year of the award. The first 

 medal shall be awarded in ISTovember, 1911. 



(h) The paper or address shall be complete 

 in itself, shall be presented by the author, and 

 shall not have been read or published previ- 

 ously. To be considered for the award a type- 

 written copy of the paper or address shall be 

 submitted to the jury, through the chairman 

 of the section. 



(c) It is desired that the paper or address, 

 if suitable, be published in one of the publica- 

 tions of the American Chemical Society. 



II. The jury to determine the award of the 

 medal shall consist of the chairman of the 

 Chicago Section at the time the award is 

 made, who shall, ex officio, be chairman of the 

 jury, and four other members of the section 

 duly elected by it. 



III. The executive committee of the Chi- 

 cago Section shall have the power to decide 

 any question not specifically covered by these 

 rules. 



IV. The Chicago Section shall have the 

 power to change or amend these rules under 



