May 14, 1886. J 



SCIENCE. 



435 



exhibit may be made to the Direction de 1'exposi- 

 tion maritime international, 118 Rue de Paris, 

 Havre. 



— A Japanese invention for making paper of 

 seaweed, says Engineering, is announced. It is 

 thick in texture, yet sufficiently transparent to be 

 used as a substitute for glass in windows. 



— The total output of coal in France for 1885 

 was 19,534,341 tons. 



— The total annual production of naphtha in 

 Russia during the past year reached 1,800,000 tons, 

 — a very great increase over that of preceding- 

 years ; and already a foreign market, especially 

 England, is sought for its consumption. 



— On March 17 the Smith college branch of the 

 Audubon society was organized. The society 

 now numbers ninety members, and is thoroughly 

 interested in the theoretical and practical work 

 connected with ornithology. Meetings are to be 

 held once a month, when the members will read 

 papers embodying the results of original research, 

 or will listen to lectures from well-known orni- 

 thologists. Field-work has been begun under the 

 guidance of Mr. John Burroughs, who took parties 

 of observers out into the woods and meadows to 

 study the birds in their homes, and to learn their 

 notes. For regular field-work, the society is di- 

 vided into groups of ten, under the direction of 

 some experienced member, who teaches them the 

 art of intelligent and accurate observation. Each 

 party goes out for observation at a stated hour in 

 the day, twice a week. 



— Statistics of Saxony, with its three million 

 inhabitants, show a very large number of profes- 

 sional and industrial schools and students. There 

 are 235, with 17,000 students in attendance. They 

 are devoted to a great variety of branches of spe- 

 cial and technical education. Three, with 270 stu- 

 dents, are for instruction in the manufacture of 

 toys ; a like number, with 60 students, are devoted 

 to spinning ; 35 teach the art of ribbon-manufacture 

 to 1,500 apprentices ; and at Dresden there are 100 

 pupils at the German academy of weaving. There 

 are 25 commercial schools, with 2,800 in attend- 

 ance upon them. Of the industrial schools proper, 

 there are three, — at Mitweida, Leipsic, and Chem- 

 nitz, — having nearly 1,000 students altogether. 



— Dr. Werner Siemens has placed at the dis- 

 posal of the German government the sum of $115,- 

 000, to establish an institute for carrying on ex- 

 periments in natural science. It is proposed to 

 erect a building in which studies in exact science 

 may be prosecuted. 



— The following field assignments of coast-sur- 



vey assistants have been made : Assistant Dennis 

 is now engaged on the re-survey of Long Island ; 

 Assistant Jardella has the district from Ward's 

 Island east to Throg's Neck ; Assistant Hosmer 

 will take up the re-survey of the north shore of 

 Long Island Sound on the 1st of June. 



— An effort is being made in Washington to 

 obtain some suitable position for Lieutenant 

 Greely, who is unable to perform active army 

 service on account of his health. To this end 

 Senator Harrison of Indiana is urging the passage 

 of a bill for the appointment of an assistant ad- 

 jutant-general, which office is intended for Lieu- 

 tenant Greely. It seems most fitting that this 

 gallant officer should receive some recognition 

 from his government for his heroic services. 



— The fish-commission steamer Albatross arrived 

 at Washington on Tuesday last. 



— Science observer circular No. 66 contains the 

 announcement of the discovery by Dr. Luther, 

 apparently on May 4, of an eleventh magnitude 

 asteroid. This becomes number 258. 



— The new science hall at Smith college, which 

 was begun last summer, is rapidly approaching 

 completion, and will be formally opened and dedi- 

 cated on Tuesday of commencement week (June 

 20). The principal address on this occasion will be 

 given by Prof. J. P. Lesley of Philadelphia. The 

 building is the gift of a friend of the college, whose 

 name will be announced at the opening. It is of 

 brick, with brown stone trimmings, three stories 

 in height and about ninety feet long and fifty wide, 

 with an ell thirty feet wide and some twenty-three 

 feet in length. The well-lighted basement and 

 the ground-floor are to be occupied by the depart- 

 ments of chemistry and physics, while the first 

 and second floors are for the work in biology and 

 geology and the collections belonging to these de- 

 partments. 



— The spring meeting of the Indiana academy 

 of sciences will be held at Brookville, Ind., May 

 20 and 21. This will be the first meeting of the 

 academy since its organization, and an invitation 

 is extended to all those interested, to attend it. 



— M. Bender, in the Moniteur scientifique, de- 

 scribes a new system of lighting. He employs the 

 fatty residues obtained from the rectification of 

 crude mineral oils, through which he passes a 

 current of air. The air takes up a definite quan- 

 tity of this hydrocarbon, and the flame produced 

 is very brilliant, giving off no smoke. 



— The outbreak of cholera in Europe at Brindisi, 

 from which much was feared, appears from late 

 news to be rapidly diminishing. There have been 

 but few deaths ; and intelligence from other parts 



