July 17, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



69 



largely due to the friendly and genial city of 

 Olasgow in which it lives. To live among 

 friends is the primaiy essential of happiness ; 

 and that, my memory tells me, we inhabitants 

 of the University have enjoyed since I first 

 came to live in it in 1832, 64 years ago ! And 

 when friendly neighbors confer material 

 benefits, such as the citizens of Glasgow 

 have conferred on their University, in so 

 largely helping to give it its present beauti- 

 fiil site and buildings, the debt of happi- 

 ness due to them is notably increased. I 

 do not forget the charms of the old college in 

 the High street and Vennel. Indeed, I remem- 

 ber well when in 1839 the old natural philos- 

 ophy class room and apparatus room (no phys- 

 ical laboratory then) was almost an earthly 

 paradise to my youthful mind. And the old 

 College Green, with the ideal memories of Os- 

 baldistone and Rashleigh and their duel, cre- 

 ated for it by Sir Walter Scott, was attractive 

 and refreshing to the end. But density of smoke 

 and of crowded population in the adjoining- 

 lanes increased, and pleasantness, healthiness 

 and convenience of the old college, both for 

 students and professoi-s, diminished year by 

 year. If, my Lord Provost, your predecessors 

 of the Town Council, and the citizens of Glas- 

 gow, and well-wishers all over the world, and 

 the government, and the great railway com- 

 pany that has taken the old college, had not 

 given us our new college, I do not believe that 

 attractions elsewhere would have taken me 

 away from the old college ; but I do say that 

 the fifty years of professorship which I have en- 

 joyed would have been less bright and happy, 

 and I believe also less effective in respect to 

 scientific work, than they have been with the 

 great advantages with which the University of 

 Glasgow has been endowed since its migration 

 from the High street. My Lord Provost, I ask 

 you to communicate to your colleagues of the 

 Town Council my warmest thanks for their 

 great kindness to me in joining to celebrate 

 this jubilee. Your Excellency, my lords and 

 gentlemen, I thank you all for the kind manner 

 in which you have received the toast of my 

 health proposed by the Lord Provost, and for 

 your presence this evening to express your 

 good wishes for myself. 



THE ROYAL C4E0GRAPHICAL SOCIETY. 



The anniversary meeting of the Royal Geo- 

 graphical Society was held on June 12th. Ac- 

 cording to the report in the London Times the 

 Society presented the Roj^al medals for the en- 

 couragement of geographical science and dis- 

 covery. The Founder's medal was awarded to 

 Sir William Macgregor for his long-continued 

 services to geography in British New Guinea. 

 This was received on Sir William's behalf by 

 Sir Heniy Norman. The Patron's medal was 

 awarded to Mr. St. George R. Littledale for his 

 valuable Asiatic expeditions. The following 

 other awards were also declared: The Murchi- 

 son grant for 1896 to Yusuf Sharif Kahn Baha- 

 dur. Yusuf Sharif is the first native assistant 

 who has acted entirely on his own resources 

 and knowledge, and who has carried systematic 

 and really scientific surveys right through the 

 most difficult and dangerous country which lies 

 between Makran, Kurman and Bandar Abbas 

 (Persian Baluchistan). His work embraces the 

 extension of direct triangulation from Makran 

 to Bandar Abbas and the topographical survey 

 of Persian Baluchistan. He has done other 

 similar work in Arabia and elsewhere, and is 

 now about to retire from the service. The Back 

 grant for 1896 to Mr. J. Burr Tyrrell, for his 

 five explorations in Labrador. The Gill Me- 

 morial for 1896 to Mr. A. P. Low, for his two 

 expeditions in the Barren Grounds of northeast 

 Canada, during which he went over much new 

 ground. The Cuthbert Peek grant for 1896 to 

 Mr. Alfred Sharpe, for his journeys during sev- 

 eral years in Central Africa. 



The President, Sir Clements R. Markham, de- 

 livered the anniversary address, in which he re- 

 viewed the work of the past year. He said 

 that their progress was, on the whole, satisfac- 

 tory. The Congress was a great success. Ex- 

 cellent work had been done in Asia, in Africa 

 and in the Polar regions. Above all, there was 

 evidence of a great revival of geographical in- 

 terest in the rising generation. Volunteers for 

 all kinds of enterprises were numerous, zealous 

 and of the best sort. That was a good sign, 

 and was of excellent augury. It betokened a 

 future for the Society of continued activity. 



230 fellows and 9 honorary correponding 

 members were elected duriug the year. The 



