SC/ENCE-GOSSIP. 



185 







TllK Astronomer Royal, Mr.VV. 11. M. Christie, has 

 been elected one of the Wardens of the Clockmakers' 

 Company. 



P.XKI I.\. of Col. Ciodwin-Austen's work on the 

 Land and Kreshwater Molliisca of India, is nearly 

 ready for issue. 



The successor of Lord Kelvin in llie chair of 

 Natural Philosophy at the University c.f (Hasgow, is 

 I'rofe-^sor A. Gray, I'. R..S. , formerly Professor of 

 Physics at University College, North Wales. 



The veteran geologist, Mr. B.Charles of Ilighcliffe- 

 on-Sea. Christchurch, Hants, has had a successful 

 season in the IJarlon Kcds, and has added some scarce 

 forms which areavailalile for his correspondents. 



We hear from the author that Mr. A. T. Story's 

 "Story of Photography" in the "Useful Story 

 Series," issued liy -Messrs. Newnes, Ltd., isaliout to be 

 republished in a new edition, with the most recent 

 discoveries and facts included. 



Mr. W. !■'. H. UosKMiEKc, of 48, Charing Cross 

 Road, London, has sent usu neat little "desideratum" 

 price and label list of British birds' eggs, gummed on 

 one side. It is 5^ in. long by 2 in. wide, and costs 

 the moderate sum of fourpence. The scientific name 

 precedes the Knglish name in each case. 



A SHORT time since Mrs. George Holt, of Li\tr- 

 pool, and her daughter. Miss Kmma Holt, presented 

 ;f2,ooo to the Medical School of that city, and 

 ^3,000 to the Anatomical School. These generous 

 ladies have now each sent a donation of /^j.ooo for 

 the purposes of the Liverpool Physical Laboratory. 



Dr. Carl Peters, the explorer, stales that 

 besides gold he has discovered mica, saltpetre, and 

 diamonds in a district practically uninhabited at 

 an altitude of 8,000ft. in Mashonaland. After 

 exploring some districts on the Punqwe river, Dr. 

 Peters will proceed to Ueira on his way to England. 



A COURSE "of popular lectures to young people, 

 under the auspices of the Parents' National Educational 

 Union, are to be given at weekly intervals from 

 October 26th to Xovember l6th, in the Horbury 

 Rooms, Notting Hill Gate, London, by Mr. Cecil 

 Carus- Wilson, K.R.S.E., upon The Wonders of Rain, 

 Ice and Glaciers, The Mighty Ocean, and \"olcanoes 

 and Geysers. Tickets may be obtained from the 

 Secretary of the Union, 2S, \'ictoria Street, 

 Westminster. 



The Guernsey Society of Natural Science and 

 Social Research has recently issued their Report and 

 Trans;\ctions for 1S9S. It includes the President's 

 address, giving a report of the work done, especially 

 the investigations among the dolniL-ns of Guernsey, 

 that have been carried out at the expense of the 

 States. Mr. A. Collenette gives some interesting 

 tables of the rainfall in the island for the year, .also 

 of the average amount of sunshine. Guernsey had a 

 total of 2.ogo"4i hours of sunshine, which compares 

 well with i,732'35 at Torquay. 



The seventh International Geographical Congress 

 was held at Berlin at the end of September and 

 beginning of October. The attendance was somewhat 

 larger than at the London Congress, but there was a 

 less proportion of foreigners. It is prob.ible the 

 next meeting will be held in Russia, either in 1903 

 or 1904. 



The National Association for the Prevention of 

 Consumption has passed a resolution signed by Sir 

 William Bro.idbent, by which the Council desires to 

 express its opinion that there is no danger of com- 

 munication from any well-conducted hospital for con- 

 sumption, and inhabitants of houses in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of such institutions are perfectly safe 

 from local propagation from this source. 



Ur. Osc.vr Bau.man.v, who acijuired a reputation 

 as an African explorer, died at Vienna on October 

 1 2th. He was one of the .Austrian Congo Expedition 

 in 18S5, subsequently visiting the Cameroons and 

 other parts of East .Vfrica. In addition to a map of 

 the Congo and numerous contributions to the reports 

 of the Geographical Society of \ienna, Dr. liaumann 

 published three books dealing with his travels and 

 observations. 



Memory training, its laws, and their application to 

 practical life is the object of a school founded for the 

 purpose at 70, Bej-ners Street, London, under the 

 title of the School of .Memory Training Memory, like 

 other faculties, may be undoubtedly cultivated to a 

 very high degree, and we imagine that the worst cases 

 of forgelfulness may, with systeuiatic help, be over- 

 come. Mr. Pelman's system, as adopted here, appears 

 to be exceptionally effective. 



The Board of Agriculture notify that the Ordnance 

 Survey Department is issuing a new series of special 

 folding maps for certain towns and the country round, 

 on the scale of i inch to the mile. The maps are 

 printed i>n thin tough paper, are mounted in a cover 

 and cost only is. 6d. The ro.ids are marked in colour 

 showing their character and whether metalled. 

 Footpaths, hills, rivers, towns, villages and railway 

 stations are also marked. They should be of use to 

 the Field Naturalist and Geologist, in rambles in new 

 neighbourhoods. 



Mr. .Vlexanher R\NtsEV has forwarded us a set 

 of the " Scientific Roll and .Magazine of Systema- 

 tized Notes," which he conducts. It refers to baro- 

 metric conditions, and embraces Bibliography, 

 classified under subjects, under the year of publication 

 and authors alphabetically, each item having a 

 reference number. The index, while alphabetical, is 

 arranged in groups to which each subject especially 

 refers. The " Systemalised Collection of Facts,"' are 

 grouped in relation to their connection with each 

 other. The work is one of great magnitude, and now 

 extends in manuscript to over Soo.ooo folios, averag- 

 ing a hundred words each. 



The death of Mr. Hamilton V. Castner, the 

 eminent American practical chemist, is announced as 

 having occurred at Airondacks, New York State. 

 He came over to England twelve years ago, 

 with the object of working his process for the manu- 

 facture of alkali-metal sodium. During his st.ay he 

 turned his attention to the production of aluminium 

 by a process in which metal sodium was required. 

 Later Mr. Castner devoted his energies to the pro- 

 duction of sodium on a large scale, by the original 

 reaction by which Ilumphrev' Davy discovered the 

 metals of the alkalies. These were all very successful, 

 as was also his process for electrolytic production of 

 alklai and bleaching powder from common salt. 



