NOTES 659 



U.S.A. over a narrow strip of country extending from the State of Washington 

 through Colorado to Florida. Careful estimates of the cloudiness in June have 

 been made along the path of the shadow for several years, and as a result it has 

 been decided that the principal party from the Yerkes Observatory shall be 

 stationed at Green River, Wyoming, a town in the so-called Red Desert, situated 

 at an elevation of 6,000 ft. A secondary site for minor instruments, near Matheson, 

 Colorado, has also been selected in case clouds should interfere with the observa- 

 tions from Green River. 



The Ramsay Memorial Appeal is making satisfactory progress, the donations 

 and promises received up to date amounting to £30,500 (the sum required being 

 £100,000). This does not include contributions which are already collected or 

 are being collected outside the United Kingdom. A munificent gift of £5,000 

 was received by the Treasurers from Mrs. Wharrie shortly before Christmas. 

 The Lord Mayor of London has consented to issue an appeal in the City of 

 London at an early date. The objects of the Fund should appeal strongly to 

 London citizens in view of Sir William Ramsay's long connection with London as 

 a Professor of Chemistry. 



The Ramsay Memorial Committee have recently issued two Memoranda 

 signed by the Rt. Hon. H. H. Asquith, President of the Fund; the Rt. Hon. 

 H. A. L. Fisher, one of the Vice-Presidents ; and the Rt. Hon. Lord Rayleigh, 

 Chairman of the General Committee. These Memoranda contain important 

 proposals for the foundation of Ramsay Memorial Fellowships by each of the 

 Governments of the British Dominions, Colonies, and Dependencies on the one 

 hand, and by each of the Governments of the chief Allied and Neutral Powers on 

 the other hand. It is proposed that the Fellowships thus to be founded should 

 be tenable in the United Kingdom by a chemist trained in the country providing 

 the Fellowship. These proposals have been communicated by Lord Glenconner 

 to the principal Governments concerned, and are now under consideration. 



In their report, dated February 1, the Executive Committee of the Provisional 

 Association of British Chemists state the results of their preliminary negotiations 

 with the Council of the Institute of Chemists. They proposed — 



(a) That the Institute should become the sole registration authority for 

 chemists, apart altogether from the granting of the diplomas A.I.C. and F.I.C. 



(&) That, failing this, it should adopt as a minimum qualification for A.I.C. 

 the standard demanded by the Association for its own membership. 



(c) That Local Sections of the Institute should be formed, and that the 

 Council should consist largely of representatives from such Sections. 



(d) That should the Institute decide on having a separate registration body, 

 the latter should be self-governed and should carry out the objects of the pro- 

 posed British Association of Chemists. 



The Council of the Institute in their reply consider that the objects of the 

 Association are practically included in the aims and objects of the Institute, and 

 deprecate the formation of another body of chemists for carrying out those objects. 

 They do not deem it advisable to adopt proposal (a). They are willing to modify 

 the existing regulations so as to include as many chemists as possible as far as 

 their charter permits ; also to permit the formation of local branches, and finally 

 to revise the present system for the election of the Council in order to give the 

 general body of members greater freedom of nomination. The executive of the 

 B.A.C. are continuing the negotiations, and will call the National General Meeting 

 after their Local Sections have had an opportunity of discussing the final proposals. 



In an interview with a representative of The Observer on January 19, Lord 



