Personal and Scientific News. 271 
schrotter and other moraine deposits. Some of the Roumanians came back 
looking as if they had been over the course of a glacier in a sitting 
position, with the glacier in their laps. We took seats at four long 
tables, the fifth being reserved for the Burgomeister and the congress 
dignitaries with many others. The Burgomeister began an interminable 
speech in which he complimented the science of geology and showed 
his knowledge of Latin. M. de Lapparent replied in hisalways happy 
.style, stating, among other things, that the congress was now sixteen 
years old: t hat, according to a very general European custom, when a 
young man who has applied himself diligently to his studies reaches 
that age lie is rewarded by a trip to Switzerland: and this the congress 
was now taking: 
The collation was of cold meats with jelly, and the wine at first on 
the table was gratuitous. Further refections were charged to the con- 
sumer. In the afternoon an excursion of members of the congress and 
their wives started to make a tour of the lake. As a violent downpour 
of rain and hail occurred, however, it is to be feared that the pleasure 
of the trip may have been marred. One of the most vivid electrical 
storms which your correspondent ever saw, accompanied by hail and 
rain, occurred during (he night. The hail stones struck the Venetian 
blinds with reports like rifle shots, while the lightning and thunder were 
incessant. 
Prof. Golliez gives in the livret-guide (prepared to explain the geology 
of the regions visited by the members taking the excursions) certain 
explanations of a district particularly studied by Prof. Bait/, of Berne. 
The latter has printed a sheet and distributedil to the members, contro- 
verting the statements of Golliez. But the language and manner in 
which this is done gives evidence that the amenities are less considered 
in certain countries than they are with us. Pkksifok FRAZER. 
Zurich, Sept. 3, 1894. 
PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
At THE MEETING ok THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOB THE AD- 
VANCEMENT of Science, held in Oxford from August 6th to the 
15th, the address of L. Fletcher, president of Section C (Ge- 
ology), was on recent progress in mineralogy. Forty-three 
papers were presented in this section. Monday, the 13th, was 
devoted to Pleistocene geology, which had ten papers. One of 
these, by E. P. Culverwell, was "An examination of (roll's 
and Hall's theory of ice ages and genial ages," in which lie 
stated that mathematical investigation proves the inadequacy 
of the astronomic theory as at present formulated. He there- 
fore ascribed the Glacial period to geographic changes or to 
variations in the sun's supply of heat. A joint discussion on 
