excollent means (or IliKiing whnt topics German schools of Ihe various classes actnall; teach, and how much iliey laach of each topic to pupils of any given age. The accuracy of the pamphlet is vouched for by competent nutUority; and the whole may be warmly commended to every one who is eugaged in tlic Btud; of problems connected with elementary education. The genera] reader, also, will be iuler- eated iu the suggestions that he can get at a glance from these tables concerning the character of Ger- man elementary education. Quotation is, on the whole, hardly possible where a book is already a model of condensation, and we shall not attempt it. But let no one pretend hereafter to pass judgment on the work of German schools without using the ele- mentary facts as they are here presented.
— The Anthropological society of Washington has adopted the plan of so arranging its prograrorae as to devote an entire erening to a single subject, or to subjects closely related. This adds much to the in- terest of meetings. Tbe place of meeting In Colum- bian university building is convenient, and the attendance has tutely been larger than ever before in the history of the society. On Jan. 2<) is the annual election of offlcets.
— Sir William Thomson's lectures on molecular dynamics are now ready for delirery to subscribers. An edition of three hundred copies has been printed, and of these only aereuty-liTe remain for sale. Tbe volume contains three hundred and thirty-six pages in all. Sir William Thomson bas sent, since his return to Europe, several pages of additional matter, wliicb is pveu with the lectures. An index and bibliograpbical note have also been added.
— In a speech before the African conference at Ber- lin la.<tt November, Mr. Stanley, according to LemoUEe- ment geographiqae, said, The Kongo is, with one exception, the greatest river in the world, with the moat extensive valley. No region, either equatorial or tropical, can rival it in fertility. There are great empires of natives, and republics, such as Uganda, Ruanda, Unyoro; a country of broad plains for the gracing of cattle, as the Masai Land. There arc numerous deposits of gold and silver, and ricb mines of copper and of iron. There are beautiful forests which produce woods of an inestimable value. India- rubber In inexhaustible quantities, gums, and precious spices. There pepper and coffee are grown. There are tribes susceiitibte of appreciating the advantages of civilization, provided Ibey are protected against the attacks of brigands and the ambuscade of the slave-trader. In my opinion, these facte are sufficient to justify my proposition to define, by means of the easily ascertained iimils I have proposeil, the frou- tiers of the free commercial territory of equatorial Africa, and lo guarantee the freest possible access as well from the east as from the west."
— The advice to explore the high peaks and little- known part* of the Caucasus, given to eiperienced Alpine travellers in the early part of the year, by D. W. Freshfieid, in the Alpine jnurnai, has already borne some fruit. Tbe weli-known Hungarian moun-
��NCE. (Vol. v., No. lOS
inineer, Morltr, v. Dfiehey, was liie first on the grounds On the 24th of July, he, in company with tt ~ ~ guides, made the first accent of the 16,500-feet-hlf^fl peak of Adnl Cboch, after overcoming great difficnlkV ties. On the 23d of August followed the a the highest western peak of the Elbrus, whlcb had been previously accomplished but once. — by Grove in 1874. During the journey, which led from the Ardeo valley, over the high passes of the Elbrus, photo- graphs and measures of elevation, which have hith- erto been entirely wanting from the central Caucasus,
— Dr. Briegerof Berlin has mode a special study of the ptomaines; I.e., the chemical poisons result- ing from the action of bacteria upon animal sub- Btauces. By iligestlon of albuminous bodies in gastric juice, he obtained a toxic substance, to which he has given the name peptotoxln. From putrid flesh he ob- tained two bodies, — one a dlamin of the composition C,H,,N,. a body which he calls neuridin, which, when pure. Is devoid of toxic action; and. ae the sec- ond product, neurin, a substance with decided pol- aonous properties, antagunized by atropin. By the putrefaction of fisli-Besh, another diamin was discov- ered, Bthylendiamin,—CvH,(NU,).HjO,— a power- ful poison; also muscarin, and a body which Brleger provisionally calls gadlnin (CjH,:NO,). It is inter- esting to note that the character of t^e ptomaines formed, depends somewhat upon the character of Uie material used: thus, neurin is found only in the putrefaction of flesh; while muscartn, ethylendiamin, gaillnlu, and trlethylamin arc specific products of fish putrefaction, and dlmethylamin of geladu putre- faction. His work also Indicates that the ptomaines should be divided into the poisonous and non-poi- sonous.
— The Joui'nal (^ the Noeieli/ /or pgi/ehlcal reaeareh for November (for circulation among members only) contains an Interesting account of Professor Barrett's visit to America, and the steps which led to the for- mation of an American society of similar name. Pro- fessors Bowdltcb, Fullerton, Stanley Ball, James, Carvill Lewis, and Pickering have been chosen cor- responding members of the London society.
— Among recent deaths we note the following: Hermann Kolbe, professor of chemistry at Leipzig, Nov. 20, at the ogi^ of sixty-six; Dr. Heinrlcb Bo- dinus. director of the Berlin zoological gardens, at Berlin, Nov. 23, at the age of seventy-one; Dr. Earl von Vierordl, at Tubingen, Nov, 22, at the age of sixty-seven; Qenri Lortique; A. W. Thieneroann at ^ngenberg, Nov. 6, at the age of fifty-four; Alfred Brehm, at Rentheiidorf, Nov. II, at the age of fifty- five; Professor Edmund Tiinidsvary, at Dcva, Aug. 18; i Charles Tulasne, at Hytres, Aug, 21, at the age of J sixly-ciglit; Richard Townsend, professor of matho- ' maticB at Dublin university; Arthur Hcnnliiger, chemist, at Paris, In November; Dr. Thomas Wright, at Cheltenham, Nov. 17; Dr. W. von Wittich of the University of Konlgsberg, Nov. 21; Dejiry Lanrcnce Eustls, professor of engineering at Cambridge, Mass., Jan. ii, In his sixty-sixth year.
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