38 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIV. No. 340. 



Edward W. Berry, of New York, for a memoir 

 OD Liriodendron. 



Professor St. John, of Oberlin College, and 

 Professor Nichols, of Dartmouth College, will 

 spend the summer working at Yerkes Obser- 

 vatory. 



The professors of chemistry at Harvard Uni- 

 versity, Professors Jackson, Hill, Sanger and 

 Richards, gave a dinner to Professor van't Hoflf, 

 of the University of Berlin, on June 27. 

 Among the invited guests from a distance were 

 Professor Michael, of Tufts College, and Pro- 

 fessor Bancroft, of Cornell University. 



The Rev. Joseph Cook died at Ticonderoga, 

 New York, on June 24. Some years ago Mr. 

 Cook attracted much attention ^by his Boston 

 Monday lectures on religion and science, pub- 

 lished under titles such as * heredity,' ' biology,' 

 etc. 



Dr. Sven Hedin has returned to Chaklik 

 after a successful journey through the Desert of 

 Gobi. He is row continuing his travels 

 across Thibet. 



The members of the French commission en- 

 trusted with the measurement of an arc in 

 Peru arrived at Guayaquil on June 1, and will 

 commence their observations during the pres- 

 ent month. They will be joined by M. Gon- 

 nessiat, who, a year ago, took charge of the 

 observatory at Quito. 



According to the N. Y. Evening Post E. A. 

 Martel, the French explorer of caverns, whose 

 discoveries underground have attracted much 

 attention, reports that he has found in the de- 

 partment of Hautes Alps a cavity in the form 

 of a 'natural well,' whose depth exceeds that 

 of any other known. He has sounded it to the 

 depth of about 1,027 feet, but the actual bot- 

 tom has not been reached. 



King Charles of Portugal and the members 

 of the Portuguese Cabinet opened at Horta, in 

 the Azore Islands, on June 29, the meteorolog- 

 ical observatory in connection with the Weather 

 Bureau at Washington. 



In the fire at Jacksonville, Fla., the her-, 

 barium of Mi". A. H. Curtis, containing about 

 16,000 sheets, was destroyed. 



A second Livingstone Exhibition was opened 

 in London, on June 18. In addition to a col- 

 lection of relics of the great explorer, lent by 

 the Geographical Society and other contribu- 

 tors, there is a display of all kinds of articles 

 conducing to the health or comfort of travelers 

 in uncivilized regions. Not only are the special 

 requirements of travelers represented, such as 

 camp equipment, portable foods, clothing and 

 general outfit, but other sections are devoted 

 to sanitation, house-building and various 

 matters of interest to residents in such regions. 

 In connection with the Exposition a reception 

 was given by the Royal Geographical Society 

 on the eighteenth. During the evening, lectures 

 were given in the council chamber, with the aid 

 of the lantern, by Dr. Cornish, on ' Waves in 

 Air, Water, Sand and Snow ' ; Dr. Francisco 

 Moreno, on the ' Scenery of Argentina ' ; Dr. 

 Manson, on ' Recent Malarial Discoveries ' ; 

 Captain Barker, on the ' Antarctic Ship Dis- 

 covery'; and Dr. Mills, who exhibited some 

 recent geogi-aphical photographs. 



At the last International Congress of Librar- 

 ians, held at Paris, Mile. Marie Pellechet estab- 

 lished two prizes, of the value respectively of 

 1,000 and 500 fr. for the best memoirs relating 

 to the insects that destroy books. The memoirs 

 should be sent to M. Henry Martin, secretary 

 of the congress, rue de Sully I, Paris. 



The Rev. W. M. Beauchamp, Syracuse, N. 

 Y. , is continuing his series of archeological 

 bulletins, published by the New York State 

 Museum. The sixth bulletin on ' Bone and 

 Horn Articles ' is in press, and Mr. Beauchamp 

 is now at work on metallic implements and 

 ornaments. There will be figures of most of 

 the native copper articles known in New York, 

 and Mr. Beauchamp requests collectors of such 

 articles to communicate with him. 



The census returns show the population of 

 France to be about 38,600,000, an increase of 

 330,000 since 1896. To this small increase 

 Paris and its suburbs contribute 292,000, the 

 greater part of which number is due to foreign 

 immigrants, so that the rest of France gives an 

 increase of only 38,000. Since 1850 the popu- 

 lation of France, allowing for alterations of 

 boundaries, has only increased from 35,000,000 



