520 



ISGIENCK 



[N. S. Vol. XI. No. 374. 



versal language has been published by Dr. Ad. 

 Nicolas of La Bour boule, in the Memoirs of 

 the National Society of Agriculture of Angers. 

 This newest language is called SpokiL The 

 author's object is to "combiner I'euphoine, la 

 mnemotechnie, I'analogie, I'etymologie, I'ide- 

 ographie." The following are eight consecu- 

 tive roots: " Eibo, pocher; Eigm, mucilages, 

 Eign, charbon ; Eivl, bourre ; Eivr, filament ; 

 Eipl, elements ligneux ; Eipn, gaz ; Eikl, per- 

 cuteurs." It seems unlikely that ' Spokil ' will 

 attain even the temporary vogue of Volapiik. 



A WEEKLY botanical convention of the bo- 

 tanical workers in New York City, is held at 

 the Museum of the Botanical Garden, on "Wed- 

 nesday afternoons, which is open to all inter- 

 ested persons. Among the subjects which have 

 been presented the following are to be noted : 

 Dwarfs and Nanism in general, by Dr. Mac- 

 Dougal, with an exhibition of dwarf Japanese 

 trees, by Blr. Henshaw ; Plants and poisons, by 

 Dr. R. H. True; Spore dissemination in the Sor- 

 dariacese, by Mr. David Griffiths ; the Flora of 

 Montana and the Yellowstone Park, by Dr. 

 Eydberg, with an exhibition of new and inter- 

 esting species from the regions named ; and the 

 origin of the leafy sporophyte, by Dr. C. C. 

 Curtis. 



In view of the U. S. Treasury decision rela- 

 tive to free importation of philosophical appa- 

 ratus and preparations, which is likely to affect 

 seriously the work of educational institutions 

 and the laboratories of research, the Council of 

 the American Chemical Society has voted that 

 the president of the Society be authorized and 

 directed to appoint a committee consisting of 

 fifteen members of the Society, who shall be in- 

 structed to consider the present status of the 

 laws and regulations governing the free impor- 

 tation of instruments, apparatus and materials 

 used in research work, and to take such action 

 in the premises in the direction of securing 

 such new legislation or modifications of exist- 

 ing laws and regulations as they may find 

 necessary to the interests of the educational 

 and research institutions. 



Nature states that letters have been received 

 from Mr. J. E. S. Moore's expedition dated 

 from Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika, November 12, 



1899. The other members of the party had 

 proceeded to the north end of the lake, where 

 Mr. Moore was proposing to join them so soon 

 as the necessary number of porters had been as- 

 sembled. The expedition had been fairly suc- 

 cessful both in collecting zoological specimens 

 from the lake and in studying the geological 

 features of the surrounding district. They had 

 obtained numerous living specimens of the 

 curious forms of mollusca of the lake, besides a 

 good series of fishes and crustaceans. The cele- 

 brated jelly-fish {Limnocnida tanganjicae) had 

 been met with in great numbers. Mr. Moore 

 had escaped fever altogether, but most of the 

 other members of the party had had a touch 

 of it. ■ 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 



Mr. J. D. Rockefeller has oflTered to give 

 $100,000 to Wellesley College on condition that 

 the debt of the college of about the same amount 

 be paid by subscription from the alumni. 



The Tulane University of Louisiana has re- 

 ceived a gift of $50,000 from Mrs. Caroline Til- 

 ton to assist in establishing a library in honor 

 of her husband. 



The foundations for a chemical laboratory at 

 Oberlin College have recently been laid. The 

 chemical laboratory at Hobart College is to be 

 enlarged and one of the dormitories will be 

 fitted up for the work in physics, biology and 

 geology. 



Db. J. N. Langley will be deputy professor 

 of physiology at Cambridge University for Sir 

 Michael Poster, M.P. 



Mb. J. H. Jeans of Trinity College, Cam- 

 bridge, has been elected to the Isaac Newton Stu- 

 dentship in astronomy and physical optics. 



Mk. H. Woods, M.A., of St. John's College, 

 has been appointed University lecturer in paleo- 

 zoology for five years from Michaelmas, 1899. 



De. Drude, associate professor of physics at 

 Leipzig, has been called to a full professorship 

 at Giessen. 



Dr. Konigsbeeger has become docent in 

 physics at Heidelberg ; Dr. F. Streintz in elec- 

 tro-chemistry at Gottlngen, and Dr. Richard 

 Meyer in chemistry at Berlin. 



