ii .m;7, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



(341 



The Spectacle Makers' Company recently 

 presented Mr. AV. H. M. Christie, Astrono- 

 mer Royal of England, with its honorary 

 freedom. The Master, in opening the cere- 

 mony, said that the spectacle makei-s claimed 

 to be identified with those trades wliich.bj- 

 the instruments they made, notably tele- 

 scopes, microscopes, compasses, &c., enabled 

 astronomers to pui-sne their studies and re- 

 searches. In his reply, the Astronomer 

 Royal said he could not but acknowledge 

 what had been done for astronomj- Ijy op- 

 ticians. It was true that a great deal was 

 done by the early astronomers with very in- 

 efficient means. He might particularly 

 mention Tycho Brahe, who, coming after 

 the Greek, Chaldean and Jewish astrono- 

 mers, besides others, had made great ad- 

 vances without the aid of the telescope. 

 Astronomy and astrology continued to be 

 one science up to the time when the tele- 

 scope was invented. — London Times. 



Dr. Morris Hexry, a well known sur- 

 geon, died recently in New York at the 

 age of seventy. He was the founder and 

 editor of the.4»iecica)i Joiu-nal of Dermatology. 



The Maj' Forum contains an interesting 

 article by Professor R. H. Thurston on Onr 

 Debt to Inventors — Shall We Dhcharye Them? 

 Professor Thurston sa3-s : " The promotion 

 of the arts and manufactures l)y suital)ly 

 rewarding inventors and providing that 

 thej' shall be permitted to collect profits, as 

 in all other dei)artments of bssiuess, as 

 large as the business will yield, and in due 

 proportion to the value to the country of 

 the invention or discovery, is one of the 

 most important features of an enlightened 

 public policy; and it is the duty of every 

 intelligent and patriotic citizen, and espe- 

 cially of every one in any manner connected 

 with any department of engineering, of 

 manufactures, or of the mechanic arts, to 

 exert every power and to apply all his in- 

 fluence to promote the perfecting of the 



patent system, to increase the facilities of 

 the Patent Office, and, especially, to insure 

 the inventor of new and valuable devices a 

 liberal period of possession of the products 

 of his genius," 



The Microscopical Society of Washing- 

 ton held recently its annual exhibition, A 

 lai"ge number of microscopical specimens 

 and microscopes were exhibited. 



Professor 0, C, Whitman was announced 

 to lecture on The UtiUtieg of Bioloijy at 

 Mount Holyoke College on May 2Sth, 



Ix the Massachussetts Institute of Tech- 

 nologj' four instructors have been made 

 assistant jirofessors — Frederick S. "Woods, 

 Ph. D., in mathematics: Tlieodore Hough, 

 Ph. D., in biology; Williom Z. Ripley, Ph. 

 D., in sociology, and Richard W. Lodge in 

 mining engineering. Samuel P. Milliken, 

 Ph. D,, was made instructor in organic 

 chemistry, in jjlace of Dr. Evans, resigned. 

 The following assistants were raised to 

 the position of instructors — AV. Felton 

 Brown, fi-ee-hand drawing; Simeon C 

 Keith, Jr., S. B., biology: Ervin Kenison, 

 S. B., mechanical drawing; Frederick H. 

 Keyes, S, B,, mechanical engineering; 

 Charles L. Norton, S. B., physics; Kilburn 

 S. Sweet, S. B., civil engineering. 



The following instructor in the Sheffield 

 Scientific School of Yale University have 

 been made assistant professors : S. E. 

 Barney, Jr., civil engineering; Dr. F. E. 

 Beach, ^jhysics ; Dr. W. A. Setchell, botany; 

 Dr. Percy F. Smith, mathematics. 



Dr. O. S. Stroxg has been appointed 

 tutor in comparative neurology, and Dr, 

 Hermann S, Davis assistant in astronomj', 

 in Columbia College. 



W. S. JIattiiew has been made assistant 

 in the American Museum of Natural History, 



It is reported by telegi-aph from Naples 

 that Mt. Vesuvius is in an unusually active 

 state of eruption. 



