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had to spend some time in an asylum, the originator maybe congratulated upon having initiated an advance.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF PLAGUE.

THE following shows the distribution of plague throughoutEgypt during the week ending April 27th : Mit-Ghamr, 1case and no deaths ; Mit-Samanoud, 3 cases and no deaths ;Dechneh, 3 cases and 2 deaths ; Tala, 3 cases and 4 deaths ;Tantah, 4 cases and 2 deaths ; and Magbaga, 4 cases and nodeaths. An outbreak of the disease has occurred amongBedouins living near the town of Maghaga (Upper Egypt).The first case traced was a Bedouin woman who left

Korachieh in March. ___

SANITARY WORKS AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE.

THE drainage and other sanitary arrangements which werecarried out at Buckingham Palace by the officials of His

Majesty’s Office of Works a few years ago have been

thoroughly inspected and tested by Dr. W. H. Corfield,the consulting sanitary adviser to His Majesty’s Office of

Works, who has reported that the drainage arrangementshave been very well planned and carried out and reflectcredit on all concerned with them." He has, however,suggested a number of improvements in the sanitary arrange-ments generally, the most important of which have beencarried out already under his supervision and to his satis-faction. The remainder, which consist chiefly of certain re-arrangements, will be carried out in the autumn.

THE METROPOLITAN WATER-SUPPLY.THE report on the condition of the metropolitan water-

supply during the month of March, 1902, has recently beenissued by the Water Examiner. The Thames water was in

good condition at Hampton, Molesey, and Sunbury from the5th to the 16th and from the 19th to the 31st day of themonth. On the 17th the engineer to the Chelsea WaterworksCompany described the state of the river water as bad. The

height of the river varied from three inches above to seveninches below the average summer level. The average dailysupply delivered during the month was as follows : from theThames, 111,171,611 gallons ; from the Lee, 52,772,200gallons ; and from springs and wells, 36,001,249 gallons.The proportions of brown tint observed in a two-foottube ranged from 50 to 240 of the standard in use.

The water of the Lambeth Company exhibited the

deepest average tint of brown and a sample of water

drawn from the mains of that company was found (byDr. T. E. Thorpe, F.R.S,. the Government analyst) to con-tain a higher proportion of organic carbon than that foundin any other sample of London water examined during themonth. Dr. Thorpe examined 11 samples of the water

supplied by each company during the period under review.Samples collected on March 17th were fully analysed. The

most important results of this examination are given in theappended table showing the results of the analysis expressedin parts per 100,000.

THE PREVALENCE OF SMALL-POX.

THE returns of small-pox in London for the past weekshow the following figures. On Saturday, May 3rd, there-were 38 fresh cases notified and removed; on Sunday, the4th, there were 44 fresh cases ; on Monday, the 5th, therewere 40 fresh cases ; on Tuesday, the 6th, there were 35fresh cases ; and on Wednesday, the 7th, there were 17fresh cases. In the county of Essex for the week ending-May 3rd there were notified 63 cases, making a total fromJan. lst of 953 cases throughout the county. During themonth of April 183 cases were notified in the Essex urbandistricts and 63 cases in the Essex rural districts.

AT a meeting of the Grand Lodge of English Freemasonsheld at Freemasons’ Hall on Wednesday, April 30th, amongstthe Grand Officers appointed for the ensuing year by theM. W. Grand Master, H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught, wereW. Bro. A. E. Sansom, M.D., F. R. C. P. Lond., W. M. of theLondon Hospital Lodge, and W. Bro. Thomas Wakley, jun.,L.R.C.P. Lond., W. M. of the Cheselden Lodge (St.Thomas’s Hospital), who were appointed respectively to the-offices of Senior Grand Deacon and Junior Grand Deacon.

THE annual dinner of the Indian Medical Service will take-

place at the Cafe Monico, Piccadilly-circus, on Thursday,June 12th, at 7.45 P.M., when the chair will be occupiedby Dr. William S. Playfair. Officers intending to be presentat the dinner should communicate without delay to the

honorary secretary, Mr. P. J. Freyer, 46, Harley-street,London, W.

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THE annual dinner of the Chelsea Clinical Society will beheld in the Princes Room, Criterion Restaurant, on Thursday,May 22nd, at 7.45 for 8 P.M. Communications should b6,made to the honorary secretary, Dr. A. E. Cooper, 104,Buckingham Palace-road, London, S.W., not later than

Thursday, May 15th. -

THE ninth "Robert Boyle" Lecture of the Oxford Uni-versity Junior Scientific Club will be delivered in the hall ofBalliol College, Oxford, on May 13th, at 9 P. M., by ProfessorT. Clifford Allbutt of Cambridge, the subject being TheGrowth of the Experimental Method in Oxford."

His Excellency the High Commissioner for South Africahas appointed Dr. Henry Shinglewood Taylor, Justice of thePeace, to be the commissioner for receiving the oath ofallegiance to His Majesty King Edward VII. for the district

of Ficksburg, Orange River Colony.

THE Committee of University College Hospital have

decided not to hold this year the usual festival dinner in

aid of the funds of the charity. They are, however, com-pelled to issue a special appeal for funds, the hospital owinga debt of over £9000.

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THE forty-second annual dinner of King’s College, London,will be held at the Monico Restaurant on Monday, June 16th,with the Bishop of London in the chair.

DR. J. E. WOLFHAGEN has been appointed Consul for

Germany at Hobart, Tasmania.

WINDOW-WASHING APPARATUS.—An Americaninventor has patented a method of cleaning windows ; itseems to consist of bars attached to the sides of the sash anda mechanical contrivance for causing a "window brush orcleaner" to travel over the surface of the glass. An engravingand the specification will be found in the Offleial Gazette ofthe United States Patent Office issued on April 22nd, 1902.