January 8, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



57 



Johns Hopkins, Koland P. Falkner, Ph. D., 

 Pennsylvania; Secretary, Walter F. Wilcox, 

 Ph. D., Cornell; Treasurer, Charles H. Hull, 

 Ph. D., Cornell. 



The Swedish Consul-General at Shanghai has 

 telegraphed to Stockholm that Dr. Sven Hedin, 

 the Scandinavian traveller, has arrived at 

 Liang-chau-fu, in Kansu, to the northeast of 

 Lake Koko Nor, after a successful journey 

 through the unknown regions of northern 

 Tibet by way of Tsaidam and Koto Nor. Dr. 

 Sven Hedin hopes to reach Peking in two 

 months' time. 



De. Andrj^b proposes to repeat his attempt 

 to reach the North Pole by balloon this year. 

 Dr. Knut Frankel expects to accompany him as 

 meteorologist in place of Dr. Ekholm. It is 

 also reported that MM. Godard and Surcouf, 

 two French aeronauts, propose making a similar 

 attempt in 1898. 



The Lancet states that some interesting 

 ' Druidical ' remains on and around Dartmoor 

 have been destroyed by the contractors of the 

 Newton Royal District Council, who have broken 

 up the stones for repairing the surface of the 

 roads. The remains known as the Stone- 

 avenue, at Bel Tor corner on Sherberton-com- 

 mon, have been demolished, and several ' hut 

 circles ' and ' mainhir ' have completely disap- 

 peared. Fortunately the work of destruction 

 has been now stopped by the energetic action of 

 Exeter antiquaries, but the loss of these inter- 

 esting relics is much to be deplored. 



According to the report of the Board of 

 Health of New York City the death rate for 

 1896 was 21.54 as compared with 23.105 in 

 1895, and an average of 26.63 for the five pre- 

 ceding years. The total number of deaths dur- 

 ing 1896 was 41,652, and of births 55,723. The 

 estimated population of New York City on 

 July 1st was 1,934,077. 



The Common Council of Brooklyn voted No- 

 vember 30th to establish a public library for 

 that city, in the interest of which a public 

 meeting will be held at the Brooklyn Academy 

 of Music, January 14, 1897, in connection with 

 the joint meeting of the New York Library 

 Association and New York Library Club which 

 occurs the same day at the Art Institute. 



The New York Evening Post reports that in 

 the Berlin Museum of Ethnology the large and 

 valuable collections of Gustav Nachtigal have 

 now been placed. These collections date from 

 1884-85 and comprise all sorts of objects from 

 the west coast of Africa, beginning on the 

 Orange River south and ending on the Volta 

 north. All the objects are flawless, and among 

 them are full native equipment in weapons, 

 tools, apparel, religious rites, household utensils, 

 etc., the finest pieces coming from Borneo, 

 Wadai, Darfoor, Kordofan, and from the dis- 

 tricts along the Niger and in the Sudan. Some 

 of the native garbs are exquisitely woven and 

 ornamented, silk and gold. 



The William Gossage Laboratory and the 

 extension of the chemical laboratories of Uni- 

 versity College, Liverpool were opened on 

 December 12th, by the Earl of Derby. The 

 former includes a large laboratory with accom- 

 modations for 44 advanced students, and in the 

 basement is an additional lecture room to seat 

 70 or 80, a preparation room and a gas-analysis 

 room. The other new buildings comprise a 

 metallurgical laboratory, with furnaces and 

 other equipments, an important addition to the 

 research laboratory, store-room for apparatus 

 and chemicals, a dynamo room, electric-accumu- 

 lator room, and a heating chamber. The William 

 Gossage Laboratory was built by Mr. F. H. 

 Gossage and Mr. T. Sutton Timmons, at a cost 

 of £7,000, and presented to University College. 

 To connect the laboratory with the old build- 

 ing, other buildings are being provided by 

 public subscription, and the cost will be about 

 £4,000. The opening address was delivered by 

 Prof. W. Ramsay. 



It is reported that patents for inventions 

 which relate to the production of electrical 

 energy, or in which electricity is in any way 

 employed, are refused in Turkey. There is 

 nothing in the law to warrant any such refusal, 

 and the only explanation afforded by the 

 Turkish authorities is that orders have been re- 

 ceived ' from the Palace ' forbidding the grant 

 of patents for such inventions. The fees paid 

 on application are not returned. 



Me. Feancis Galton recently contributed to 

 the Fortnightly Review an article describing 



