NOVEMBEK 27, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



781 



the American visitors sailed from America on 

 July 22, no intimation of the coming war had 

 reached them. They arrived in 'New Zealand 

 on August 13, in the early stages of the war, 

 but the plans were not wholly abandoned. The 

 committee in charge of the New Zealand meet- 

 ings decided that they would like to have the 

 American visitors lecture, each of them giving 

 at least one lecture. Most of the American 

 visitors have now returned to their homes. 



News of the itoutledge expedition to Easter 

 Island is given in the Geographical Journal. 

 Mr. Eoutledge writes little as to the scientific 

 work so far accomplished, merely observing 

 that the remarkable antiquities of the island 

 were being examined by the party. He gives 

 some account of disturbances in the island, 

 due to unrest among the native Kanakas, about 

 250 in number. The main or only industry 

 of the island — cattle rearing — is carried on 

 by a company under the direction of an Eng- 

 lish manager, the only permanent white resi- 

 dent. Thefts of cattle and other property of 

 the company had already been rife, when the 

 natives put in a claim to the possession of all 

 the cattle on the island — some 15,000 head — 

 and began to destroy them wholesale. Such 

 was the state of affairs, when the Chilean war- 

 ship which visits the island every two or three 

 years put in an opportune appearance, and for 

 the moment relieved the situation. Four of 

 the ringleaders were deported, but Mr. Eout- 

 ledge is inclined to anticipate further trouble. 

 He describes the natives as unenterprising, 

 and loath to work even for their own living. 



The United States Bureau of Mines has be- 

 gun the collection of a general library of pe- 

 troleum literature under the direction of W. 

 A. Williams, chief petroleum technologist. 

 The details of this work have been assigned 

 to Dr. David T. Day, who has recently been 

 transferred from the United States Geological 

 Survey as petroleum technologist, and who 

 will also assist in a thoroughly organized re- 

 search into the chemistry of oils, which is 

 being developed by the Bureau of Mines. It 

 is hoped all technologists will aid in the work 

 by exchanging with the bureau all available 

 books and maps on this subject. 



A MEETING was held on November 4, at the 

 offices of the British Medical Association, to 

 consider the position of the Belgian medical 

 men and pharmacists, whose professional 

 position has been involved in the utter ruin 

 which has fallen upon their country and has 

 destroyed the whole machinery of the medical 

 profession and its adjuncts. The meeting was 

 convened by the editors of the Lancet and the 

 British Medical Journal, from which latter 

 journal we take this reproduction, in re- 

 sponse to representations made by a provis- 

 ional Belgian committee, whose representa- 

 tive. Professor C Jacobs, is now in London. 

 Sir Eickman Godlee took the chair, and after 

 a brief explanation of the position by Pro- 

 fessor Jacobs, the following committee was ap* 

 pointed, with power to add to their number, to 

 make an early report on the procedure to be 

 adopted: Sir Thomas Barlow, president of the 

 Eoyal College of Physicians of London; Sir 

 Watson Cheyne, president, and Sir Frederic 

 Eve, vice-president, of the Eoyal College of 

 Surgeons of England; Dr. Meredith Towns- 

 end, master of the Apothecaries' Company; 

 Sir Eickman Godlee; Dr. Frederick Taylor, 

 president of the Eoyal Society of Medicine; 

 Mr. T. Jenner Verrall, chairman of represent- 

 ative meetings of the British Medical Associa- 

 tion; Dr. Des Vceux; Mr. E. T. Neathercoat, 

 vice-president, and Mr. Woolcock, secretary, 

 of- the Pharmaceutical Society. Dr. Sprigge 

 was appointed secretary and Dr. H. A. Des 

 Vceux, treasurer. The instructions of the 

 meeting to the committee were (1) to com- 

 municate with the Belgian Minister and the 

 authorities of the Belgian Belief Fund; (2) 

 to apply to America and other countries if de- 

 sirable for assistance in the raising of any 

 fund, and (3) to report generally. 



UNIVEESITT AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS 

 The General Education Board has granted 

 $250,000 to Goucher College, Baltimore, con- 

 ditionally upon $750,000 being raised by April 

 1, 1917. 



A FUND of $60,000 has been turned over to 

 Amherst College by the alumni council. The 

 disposal of the income from this sum is to be 



