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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 111. 



raphy, compiled by various states ; (3) a topo- 

 graphical survey of Afi'ica ; (4) a map of the 

 earth on a scale of 1:1,000,000, with the 

 meridian of Greenwich and metric measure- 

 ments ; (5) the continuance of physical investi- 

 gations lately made in the Baltic, North Sea and 

 North Atlantic ; (6) an international system of 

 seismographic stations ; (7) agreement between 

 the various geographical societies at to the spell- 

 ing of foreign names ; (8) the printing on all 

 geographical maps henceforward the date of 

 their publication. Further, they request the 

 opinion of the societies as to the application of 

 the decimal system to the measurement of time 

 and of angles. 



A coroner's jury at Jamestown, N. Y., has 

 rendered a verdict to the effect that Spurgeon 

 Young came to his death on January 24th from 

 diabetes and nervous exhaustion caused by hyp- 

 notic practices performed by persons who are 

 specified. It is said to be probable that the 

 matter will be carried to the courts. 



According to the British Medical Journal, M. 

 Julien Dumas has announced his intention to 

 interrogate the French government on the abuse 

 of the Bertillon system of measurement. M. 

 Dumas asserts that the calculations made by M. 

 Bertillon are far from correct. He has had in 

 his possession measurements taken of the same 

 person at an interval of ten years. There were 

 not two alike. M. Dumas expressed his desire 

 to visit the anthropometric service. The Min- 

 ister of the Interior and the Police Prefect asked 

 him to name his day. M. Bertillon, with great 

 courtesy, explained his system. He sent for a 

 woman who had refused to give her name. She 

 then said her name was Garcias, her birthplace 

 Bordeaux. Measurements were taken. M. 

 Dumas, being initiated, found without assist- 

 ance the photograph of this woman, whose real 

 name was Tosas, and her birthplace was not 

 Bordeaux. Much astonished he warmly praised 

 anthropometry. He carried away with him 

 four or five books on the subject. In one of 

 them he found three photogiaphs typical of the 

 criminals most often met with. One of these 

 was of the woman measured that morning, kept 

 on the premises, according to M. Dumas, to 

 illustrate the svstem. 



The Russian National Health Society has 

 celebrated, in the manner proposed, the Jen- 

 ner Centenary. Addresses were made by the 

 Grand Duke Paul, Dr. Kudrin and Dr. 

 Cormillo. Gold medals for the best works on 

 vaccination were awarded to Dr. Layer, of Bor- 

 deaux ; Dr. Miller, of Moscow, and Dr. Glagolef. 

 The exhibition in connection with the celebra- 

 tion is said to be very full and interesting. 



The Baroness de Hirsch has given $300,000 

 to found a hospital on the Mediterranean coast 

 for English consumptive children. 



The Botanical Gazette states that $6,000 has 

 been appropriated for the erection of a research 

 laboratory at Buitenzorg. 



It is stated in the British Medical Journal 

 that the Society of Neurologists and Psycholo- 

 gists of Moscow has appointed a special com- 

 mittee (1) to report upon the present state of 

 inebriety in that city, and (2) to draw up a 

 scheme for the erection of a hospital for 

 inebriates. 



The Secretary of Agriculture, in his report to 

 the President, calls attention to the fact that 

 during the fiscal year just ended the exported 

 products of American farms aggregated a value 

 of $570,000,000. That is a gain of $17,000,000 

 over the preceding year. During the fiscal 

 year 1896 agricultural products make up only 

 66 per cent, of the total exports of the United 

 States, as against 70 per cent, in 1895, 72 per 

 cent, in 1894, and 74 per cent, in 1893. But 

 the reason of a relatively decreased value of 4 

 per cent., with an increase in the absolute 

 valuation of agricultural products shipped in 

 the year 1896, amounting to $17,000,000 more 

 than those of the preceding year, 1895, is solely 

 due to the unprecedented sale abroad of Ameri- 

 can manufactured goods and commodities, the 

 exports of which from the United States jumped 

 from a valuation of $184,000,000 in 1895 to 

 $228,000,000 in 1896. 



The Lancet states that, at a recent meeting 

 of the Plymouth Borough Council, the ques- 

 tion of the acquisition of Dartmoor by the 

 County of Devon, in order to prevent further 

 encroachments, was discussed. This scheme, 

 which was submitted by the Dartmoor Pres- 

 ervation Association, was unanimously ap- 



