Febeuaey 19, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



305 



forestry at Tiibingeu, on January 19th, at the 

 age of 79. 



A RESOLUTION recently adopted by Congress 

 provides for the distribution of the topographic 

 maps and geologic atlases of the United States 

 Geological Survey, to the extent of 500 of each, 

 gratuitously among foreign governments and 

 the departments of our own government, to 

 literary and scientific bodies and educational 

 institutions. The measure is designed to rem- 

 edy a defect in an act passed a year ago which 

 provides for the selling of the maps and folios 

 at cost, with 10 per cent, added. As con- 

 strued, the original act did not warrant the 

 free distribution mentioned. The geological 

 folios have been disposed of by sale since the 

 first folio was issued, two years ago, but the 

 sale of the topographic maps has only recently 

 been begun. They are sold at 5 cents. On the 

 "back of each sheet is now printed an explana- 

 tory text, an innovation which will doubtless 

 be of advantage. 



The Senate has passed the agricultural ap- 

 propriation bill calling for $3,212,902. This is 

 an increase of $50,200 over the bill as passed 

 by the House, $30,000 of which is for the free 

 distribution of seeds. 



Lord Lister, in a communication to the 

 British Medical Journal, announces that he has 

 the profound satisfaction of being able to state, 

 on the authority of the India office, that the 

 Bombay government intend to make use of the 

 services of M. Yersin in the treatment of per- 

 sons suffering from plague. M. Yersin is now 

 on his way to the stricken region to give a full 

 trial to his method, and Lord Lister has learned 

 through another channel that before the middle 

 of February the serum treatment will probably 

 have begun in Bombay. 



Knowledge, the English monthly journal of 

 .popular science, is publishing a series of articles 

 on ' The Science of the Queen's Reign.' The 

 current number contains an interesting survey 

 of ' Sixty Years of Astronomical Research ' by 

 Miss Agnes M. Gierke. The same number in- 

 cludes a paper by Dr. Isaac Roberts on ' Evi- 

 dence of the Evolution of Stellar Systems,' with 

 reproductions of photographs of spiral nebulae. 

 Astronomy, under the direction of Mr. E. 



Walter Maunder, is always well represented 

 in Knowledge. 



Surgeon-General George M. Sternberg 

 will review our knowledge of ' The Malarial 

 Parasite and other Pathogenic Protozoa ' in 

 Appletons' Popular Science Monthly for March, 

 telling how they were discovered and upon 

 what grounds they are accepted as specific in- 

 fectious agents. Other articles are promised 

 by Professor D. W. Hering on ' The Present 

 State of our Knowledge of the X-rays ' and by 

 President Jordan on 'The Stability of Truth.' 



The following items of news are from the 

 current number of Nature : At the last meeting 

 of the Chemical Society it was announced that 

 Mr. J. J. Tustin had made a donation of one 

 thousand guineas to the research fund of the 

 Society. The annual meeting of the German 

 Botanical Association will be held this year in 

 Frankfurt a. Main, commencing on September 

 22d. A botanical museum has been established 

 at Weimar, at the sole cost of Professor Hauss- 

 knecht. It is designed to be 'a Central Institu- 

 tion for investigations in systematic botany,' 

 and it will be under the control of the Thurin- 

 gian Botanical Union. 



The new Prussian budget includes $40,000 

 as the first appropriation for a chemical labora- 

 tory for the University of Berlin, the estimated 

 cost of which is $250,000. It will be situated 

 on the Hannover' schen Strasse and will contain 

 tables for 275 students and a lecture room seat- 

 ing about 400. 



The establishment of a National Patent Mu- 

 seum is being urged in Great Britain. The fees 

 received by the Patent Oifice are much greater 

 than the expenses, and the government will 

 shortly be asked to use part of the surplus for 

 the establishment of a museum. 



John Nicholas Brown has given to the 

 Providence Public Library Association, for the 

 erection of a library building in that city, the 

 sum of $200,000. 



According to an oflficial notification of the 

 trustees of the ' Schwestern Frohlich Stiftung ' 

 in Vienna, certain donations and pensions will 

 be granted from the funds of this charity this 

 year in accordance with the will of the testatrix. 

 Miss Anna Frohlich, to deserving persons of 



