memorate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Darwin and the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of the "Origin of Species."
The University of Chicago offered admirable facilities for the meetings and provided in every way for the entertainment of members, while the other institutions of the city showed all possible courtesies. The social events closed fittingly with a dinner to commemorate the conferring of the Nobel Prize and the Copley Medal on Professor A. A. Michelson. The University of Chicago was also able to supply a distinguished president for the next meeting. Professor T. C. Chamberlin, one of the world's greatest geologists, will maintain the high traditions of the office, so well represented at the Chicago meeting by Professor E. L. Nichols, of Cornell University. There will be a summer meeting of the association at Hanover, N. H., on the invitation of Dartmouth College, beginning on June 28, and the next convocation week meeting will be held at Baltimore during New Year's week on the invitation of the Johns Hopkins University.
SCIENTIFIC ITEMS
We regret to record the death of Charles Augustus Young, the eminent astronomer. A sketch with a portrait will be found in The Popular Science Monthly for July, 1905.—We further much regret to record the deaths of two other distinguished American men of science: Dr. Nicholas Senn, the surgeon, and Dr. Coleman Sellers, the engineer.—Among foreign men of science the deaths have occurred of M. Janssen, director of the Meuden Astrophysical Observatory, and of Dr. Alphonso Sella, professor of experimental physics at Rome.
The Hayden memorial medal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia has been conferred on Dr. Charles D. Walcott, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.—Professor Simon Newcomb has been elected a foreign member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Mr. G. K. Gilbert a corresponding member of the Munich Academy of Sciences.—Dr. W. W. Keen, professor of surgery at Jefferson College, has been elected president of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, to succeed Professor Edgar F. Smith, vice-provost of the University of Pennsylvania and professor of chemistry, who declined reelection.—The American Philosophical Society will hold a general meeting on April 23, 24 and 25.
Mr. John D. Rockefeller has added $2,191,000 to his previous gifts to the University of Chicago, making the total amount of these nearly $24,000,000. Of Mr. Rockefeller's recent gift, the sum of two million dollars is for permanent endowment; the sum of $155,000 is to meet the deficit for 1907, and the sum of $36,000 is for miscellaneous purposes.
By the will of the late William George Pearce, Trinity College, Cambridge University, receives about two million dollars. This is one of the largest gifts or bequests ever received by an English university.
