658 Mr. Bichard T. Glazebrooh [May 24, 



dreamers and theorists, has now become intensely practical. Science 

 there no longer seeks court and cloister, but is in open alliance with 

 commerce and industry." It is our aim to promote this alliance in 

 England, and for this purpose the National Physical Laboratory has 

 been founded. 



It is hardly necessary to quote chapter and verse for the assertion 

 that the close connection between science and industry has had a 

 predominant effect on German trade. If authority is wanted, I would 

 refer to the history of the anilin dye manufacture, or, to take a more 

 recent case, to the artificial indigo industry, in which the success of 

 the Badische Company has recently been so marked. The factory at 

 Ludwigshaven started thirty-five years ago with thirty men ; it now 

 employs more than 6000 and has on its staff 148 trained scientific 

 chemists. And now, when it is perhaps too late, the Indian planters 

 are calling in scientific aid, and the Indian Government are giving 

 some 3500/. a year in investigation. 



As Professor Armstrong, in a recent letter to the Times, says, " The 

 truly serious side of the matter, however, is not the prospective loss 

 of the entire indigo industry so much as the fact that an achievement 

 such as that of the Badische Company seems past praying for here." 

 Another instance is to be found in the German exhibit of scientific 

 instruments at the Paris Exhibition, of which a full account appeared 

 in the pages of Nature. 



And now, having stated in general terms the aims of the 

 Laboratory and given some account of the progress in Germany, let 

 me pass to some description of the means which have been placed at 

 our disposal to realise those aims. I then wish, if time permits, to 

 discuss in fuller detail some of the work which it is hoped we may 

 take up immediately. 



The Laboratory is to be at Bushy House, Teddington. I will 



Eass over the events which led to the change of site from the Old 

 ►eer Park at Eichmond to Bushy. It is sufficient to say that at 

 present Kew Observatory in the Deer Park will remain as the 

 Observatory department of the Laboratory, and that most of the 

 important verification and standardisation work which in the past 

 has been done there will still find its home in the old building. 



Bushy House was originally the official residence of the Uanger 

 of Bushy Park. Queen Anne granted it in 1710 to the first Lord 

 Halifax. In 1771 it passed to Lord North, being then probably 

 rebuilt. Upon the death of Lord North's widow in 1797, the Duke 

 of Clarence, afterwards William IV., became Eanger ; after his 

 death in 1837 it was granted to his widow, Queen Adelaide, who 

 lived there until 1849. At her death it passed to the Due de 

 Nemours, son of King Louis Philippe, and he resided there at 

 intervals until 1896. 



In spite of this somewhat aristocratic history, it will make an 

 admirable Laboratory. A description of the Laboratory, with 

 illustrations, will be found in Nature, vol. lxiii. p. 300. 



