June 18, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



951 



transferred in case of need. The Journal will 

 be edited by Professors C. O. Whitman and W. 

 M. Wheeler, of the University of Chicago. 



Natural Science completes Its tenth volume 

 with the current number, and will hereafter 

 be published by J. M. Dent & Co., London. 

 Natural Science has undertaken the somewhat 

 diflBcult task of publishing each month an ex- 

 tended series of anonymous editorial notes and 

 comments. These have always been independ- 

 €ntand interesting; indeed, the journal through- 

 out has demonstrated that science need not be 

 dull. Natural Science has given more space and 

 more intelligent appreciation to the results of 

 American science than any other foreign journal, 

 and should have a large circulation in the 

 United States. 



In addition to the parties under Prince Luigi 

 Amadio and Mr. Henry G. Bryant, now at- 

 tempting the ascent of Mt. St. Elias, we are in- 

 formed that a party from the London Alpine 

 Club and the Boston Appalachian Mountain 

 Club will carry out explorations in the Canadian 

 Alps, with special reference to the snowfield of 

 the Continental Divide. 



Professor William Libbby, with a party 

 from Princeton University, expects to explore 

 during July a mesa or sandstone table land near 

 Albuquerque, N. Mex. The mesa rises from 

 the plains to a height of more than 7,000 feet 

 and has hitherto proved inaccessible, although 

 it is thought to contain archajological remains. 



Professor George H. Barton finds that he 

 is unable to accompany Lieutenant Peary this 

 summer, and the expedition will not include 

 the party from the Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology. 



The steamship Windward has left London for 

 Franz Josef Land in order to bring home the 

 members of the Jackson-Harmsworth expedi- 

 tion, who have now spent three winters near 

 Cape Flora. The steamship takes wjth it spe- 

 cial stores to be left at Elmwood, in case Dr. 

 Andr6e should be compelled to seek safe quar- 

 ters in Franz Josef Land. 



According to Reuter's Agency, Captain 

 Sverdrup has abandoned his original intention of 

 exploring this year the unknown tract between 

 Franz Josef Land and Spitzbergen. His plan 



now is to go up to Smith Sound, advancing along 

 the northwestern part of the coast of Greenland, 

 and to spend the winter in exploring on sledges 

 that country and the American side of the 

 North Pole generally, thus supplementing the 

 Pram's exploration of the Asiatic and European 

 side. It is understood that Professor Mohn 

 and Dr. Nansen approve the plan, for which 

 an appropriation of 20,000 kroner has been 

 asked from the State funds, the rest having 

 been subscribed privately. 



The daily papers report, how correctly it is 

 not possible to state, that Mr. F. W. Christian 

 has returned to Sydney after two years spent in 

 exploration in the South Sea Islands, having 

 discovered ancient records, hand work and 

 weapons that prove that the Asiatic races traded 

 in the Islands, and that the ancient Chinese 

 immigrated and colonized there and thus 

 reached Central America. 



Mr. Frederick H. Blodgett, Secretary of 

 the New Jersey State Microscopical Society, 

 writes us that the twenty-eighth annual meeting 

 of the Society was of special interest. After 

 some opening remarks by the President, Dr. J. 

 Nelson, Dr. H. C. VanDyck explained his pro- 

 jection microscope for polarized light, and a 

 series of slides was exhibited by Dr. A. H. 

 Chester. A large number of table exhibits was 

 shown by members of the Society. 



American physiologists, attending the meet- 

 ing of the British Association at Toronto, should 

 not fail also to be present at the Montreal 

 meeting of the British Medical Asssciation, 

 which opens on September 1st. The subjects 

 taken up for special consideration by the Sec- 

 tion for Anatomy and Physiology are : Anaes- 

 thetics, the Teaching of Anatomy and the 

 Causes and Modifications of Heart-beat. The 

 President of the Section is Dr. Augustus Wal- 

 ler, London ; the Vice-Presidents are : Drs. F. 

 Shepherd, Montreal ; T. Wesley Mills, Mon- 

 treal ; A. B. McCallum, Toronto ; A. Primrose, 

 Toronto, and J. B. A. Lamarche, Montreal. 

 The Honorary Secretaries are: Drs. Robert Hut- 

 chison, J. M. Elder and W. S. Morrow. 



The thirty-fifth University Convocation of the 

 State of New York will be held in Albany on 

 June 28th, 29th and 30th. The subjects selected 



