Miscellaneous Intelligence. 405 



He himself was in the barn at the time, and on account of the 

 brightness of the day, thought that a boiler had exploded on his 

 farm at a spot where a company were prospecting for oil. The 

 only person on the farm who witnessed the sight was a lad of ] 7, 

 named Richardson, who was visiting there and happened to be 

 out in the fields. He reports that he heard a queer hissing noise 

 quickly followed by a roar, as of thunder. Young Richardson, 

 probably deceived by the excessive glare of the meteor, thought 

 it fell on the Connor farm, but a thorough search failed to dis- 

 cover any fragments there. Professor Tingley of Alleghany 

 College, Meadville, Penn., kindly volunteered his assistance and 

 devoted several days to inquiry, visiting the Burgettstown County 

 fair then in progress, and searching far and wide for a trace of 

 any meteoric fragments, but he was unable to hear any rumors of 

 the finding of any. It is probable that the mass fell in some un- 

 frequented woods, where it may not be discovered for some time, 

 as meteorites appear to the stai'tled observer to be much nearer 

 than they really are. Numerous exaggerated and sensational 

 accounts, purporting to give accurate details of the fall of enor- 

 mous meteoric masses, have appeared in the newspapers, yet in 

 all cases these have proved to be myths, unsubstantiated by 

 the finding of any fragments as yet. — Mead at the New York 

 Academy of Sciences, Oct. 12th. 



2. British Association at Aberdeen. — The meeting of the 

 British Association opened at Aberdeen on the 12th of Septem- 

 ber. From Nature of Sept. 10th, we learn that ujd to the preced- 

 ing Saturday, the local committee had disposed of tickets to the 

 value of 1,0007. to "local people alone ; and that 2,500 people 

 were expected to take out tickets for the meeting. The actual 

 number attending the meeting was 2,203. The grants of money 

 made for research amounted to 1,195?." 



The President of the meeting, Sir Lyon Playfair, discussed, in 

 his inaugural address, the relations of Science to the State and 

 the claims of Science from the State, with special reference to its 

 place in education. Germany, as is usual, was appealed to for 

 incentive ; and the fact was stated in this connection that : 



" Strassburg has had her university and its library rebuilt at a 

 cost of 711,000?., and receives an annual subscription of 43,000?. 

 In the rebuilding of the university eight laboratories have been 

 provided so as to equip it fully with the modern requirements for 

 teaching and research." "The cost of these laboratories has been 

 as follows : Chemical Institute, 35,0007. ; Physical, 28,0007. ; Bo- 

 tanical, 26,0007.; Physiological, 13,900?.; Physiological Chemis- 

 try, 16,0007. ; Observatory, 25,000?. ; Anatomy, 42,000?. ; Clinical 

 Surgery, 26,000?." 



The reports of the meeting show that it was fully as successful 

 as any that have preceded it. Professor G. Chrystal's address 

 before the Physical Section, like Sir Lyon Playfair's, was on the 

 Diffusion of Scientific knowledge; and Professor Armstrong's, 

 before the Chemical, inclined in the same direction, the first half 



