444 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. VOL.XVIII. No. 457 



OBSERVATORY AXD PHYSICAL LABORA- 

 TORY AT WASHBURN COLLEGE. 

 Washburn College ObseevatorYj Topeka, 

 Kansas, was dedicated September 18. The ad- 

 dress was delivered by Professor C. L. Doolittle 

 of the Flower Observatory. The equipment 

 now comprises the llj-in. ' Grand Prix ' re- 

 fractor esliibited by Warner and Swasey at the 

 Paris Exhibition, a five-inch photographic 

 doublet, 7-centimeter combined transit and 

 zenith telescope, sextant, mean time break 

 circuit chronometer and a standard chrono- 

 graph. There will be added at once a mean 

 time and a sidereal clock, a position microm- 

 eter, a computing machine and a working li- 

 brary of star charts and catalogues, tables, 

 standard works of reference and observatory 

 publications. Provision is also made for a 

 meridian circle and spectroscopic outfit. The 

 dome is a 26-foot, copper covered, by Warner 

 and Swasey. There is a dark room, a clock 

 and reception room, an apparatus room, li- 

 brary and computing room, and recitation 

 room. Adjacent to the observatory are the 

 new physical laboratories and mathematical 

 rooms. On the ground floor are the heat and 

 electrical laboratories and shop; on the main 

 floor the lecture-room, apparatus room, offices, 

 . general laboratory, light and spectroscopy 

 room and a room for special or advanced work. 

 Both the observatory and the laboratories 

 are the gift of an eastern man who has not 

 allowed his name to be announced in connec- 

 tion with the gift. 



TEE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOB THE 

 ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



The attendance at the Southport meeting 

 of the British Association was 1,'754, consist- 

 ing of 250 old life members, 21 new life mem- 

 bers, 319 old annual subscribers, 90 new annual 

 subscribers, 688 associates, 365 ladies, and 21 

 foreign members. This is slightly larger than 

 the attendance at the Belfast meeting last 

 year and is not far from the average of recent 

 meetings, btit falls short of the attendance of 

 the Southport meeting of 1883 by nearly 1000. 

 The International Meteorological Committee 

 sat during the meeting of the British Asso- 



ciation, the members being received by the 

 Mayor of the city, previous to their session. 

 The receipts of the Association last year were 

 £4,117, and the expenditure £3,468, a balance 

 being brought forward from last year of 

 £1,565. The invested funds of the Associa- 

 tion amount to £10,101. £2,465 was sub- 

 s.cribed locally at the Southport meeting. The 

 list of grants, as reported in the English 

 journals, is as follows : 



Mathematics and Physics. 



Lord Rayleigh, ' Electrical Standards,' Unex- 

 pended balance. 



Professor J. W. Judd, ' Seismological Observa- 

 tions,' £40. 



Dr. W. N. Shaw, ' Upper Atmosphere Investiga- 

 tions,' £50 and unexpended balance. 



Sir W. H. Preece, ' Magnetic Observations,' £60. 



Chemistry. 



Sir H. Eoscoe, ' Wave-length Tables of Spectra,' 

 £10. 



Professor E. Divers, ' Study of Hydroaromaties,' 

 £25. 



Geology. 



Mr. J. E. Marr, 'Erratic Blocks,' £10 and bal- 

 ance in hand. 



Dr. R. F. Seharflf, 'To Explore Irish Caves,' 

 balance in hand. 



Professor W. W. Watts, ' Movements of Under- 

 ground Waters,' balance in hand. 



Mr. J. E. Marr, ' Life Zones in Carboniferous 

 Rocks,' £35. 



Professor W. A. Herdnian, ' Fauna and Flora 

 of the Trias,' £10. 



Mr. G. W. Lamplugh, ' To Investigate Fossilifer- 

 ous Drifts,' £50. 



Zoology. 



Professor S. J. Hickson, ' Zoological Table at 

 Naples,' £100. 



Dr. H. Woodward, ' Index Animalium,' £60. 



Professor W. F. R. Weldon, ' Investigations in 

 Development in the Frog,' £15. 



Professor S. J. Hickson, ' Researches on the 

 Higher Crustacea,' £15. 



Economic Science and Statistics. 



Dr. E. Cannan, ' British and Foreign Statistics 

 of International Trade,' £25. 



Mechanical Science. 

 Sir J. J. Thornycroft, ' Resistance of Road 

 Vehicles to Traction,' £90. 



