224 



SGIENGE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 110. 



ciation for the Advancement of Science on the 

 establishment of a national physical laboratory. 

 It is reported that the Council of the Association 

 will take steps to bring the matter before the 

 government, and to invite the cooperation of 

 the Boyal Society of London, the Royal Society 

 of Edinburgh, the Royal Astronomical Society, 

 the Physical Society, and other cognate associa- 

 tions, in securing the foundation of the labora- 

 tory. 



Mr. C. G. Pringle, says the Botanical Gazette, 

 has returned from his annual trip to the more 

 unknown regions of Mexico with 20,000 speci- 

 mens. 



Dr. Dahl, says Die Natur, has sent from 

 Ralum, in the Bismarck Archipelago, a collec- 

 tion made from the fauna and flora of that little- 

 known region to the Museum in Berlin. 



There is, it appears, in San Francisco, an 

 incorporated Atlantic and Pacific Aerial Navi- 

 gation Co. , which proposes to build a large air- 

 ship and has, at all events, purchased from the 

 Pittsburg Reduction Company a quantity of 

 aluminium. 



Prometheus, in the issues of January, 1897, is 

 publishing illustrated articles on German indus- 

 tries {Die Heinistatten der modernen Industrie), 

 which have considerable interest to our own 

 manufacturers, especially in departments in 

 which exportation is a matter of actual or po- 

 tential importance. 



The estimates of the Russian Minister of Fi- 

 nance include about 64,500,000 roubles for the 

 construction of the Siberian Railway and over 

 33,500,000 roubles for the construction of other 

 railways. It also appears from the statement 

 of the Minister that the manufactured products 

 of Russia greatly exceed in value those of 

 agriculture. 



According to the oflScial report issued on 

 January 28th, there have been 4,396 cases of 

 the plague in Bombay, and 3,275 deaths from 

 that disease. At Kurrachee 694 cases and 644 

 deaths have been recorded. At Poonah there 

 have been 65 cases and 60 deaths, and a few 

 cases have occurred at Surat, Baroda, Ahma- 

 dabad, Kathiawar and Cutch. 



According to Industries the trials of H. M. 



S. ' Terrible ' has resulted in proving her to be 

 the fastest cruiser afloat. Admirable as were 

 the trials of the 'Powerful,' those of the 'Ter- 

 rible' are even more satisfactory, a mean speed 

 of no less than 22.41 knots being obtained under 

 very adverse circumstances, the sea being rough 

 and the wind having a velocity of 26 miles an 

 hour, with an indicated horse-power of 25,572. 

 With an indicated horse-power of 25,069 a speed 

 of 22.24 knots was obtained against the wind j 

 with the wind the 23 knots of the course was 

 accomplished in just over the hour, the actual 

 figures obtained being 22.873 knots. The coal 

 consumption, with partially untrained stokers, 

 was 1.7111). per indicated horse-power per hour. 



The leading article in the current number of 

 Appleton's Popular Science Monthly is entitled 

 ' Herbert Spencer, the Man and his Work,' and 

 is by Professor W. H. Hudson, of Stanford 

 University, who was at one time closely asso- 

 ciated with Mr. Spencer in his work. Dr. B. 

 L. Youmans and the Popular Science Monthly ac- 

 complished much to establish Mr. Spencer's 

 reputation, and it is fitting that the completion 

 of the system of Synthetic Philosophy, should be 

 signalized by the publication of this article. 

 The series of articles by Professor W. R. New- 

 bold concludes with one on the interpretation 

 of automatism, and Professor W. Z. Ripley be- 

 gins a series of articles on the Racial Geography 

 of Europe, which were delivered as Lowell In- 

 stitute lectures, in 1892. In the first article the 

 relation of language to race and nationality is 

 especially considered. There are also articles 

 by the late Horatio Hale on Indian Wampum 

 Belts ; on Some Primitive Californians, by Mary 

 Sheldon Barnes; on How Plants and Animals 

 Spend the Winter, by W. S. Blatchley, and Con- 

 demnation of Criminals not Punishment, by 

 Edward F. Brush. There are biographical 

 sketches of W. D. Gunning and Maria Mitchell, 

 both with portraits 



According to the present law scientific 

 books and periodicals devoted to scientific re- 

 search are admitted free of duty. The New 

 York Medical Record states that the Treasury 

 Department has recently issued a circular to the 

 Collectors of Customs in which it is said that 

 certain books have been admitted under a too 



