MIDLAND UNION GENERAL BUSINESS. 157 



Mr. Hillhouse, B.A., of Cambridge, has been appointed Professor of 

 Botany, and the chiss in this subject has made an excellent start. 

 Professor Lapworth haw established a practical class for Geology, and 

 has, with great kindness, invited Birmingham geologists to join in the 

 Saturday afternoon excursions made by this Class. 



The Scientific Library possessed by the Mason College now numbers 

 over 10,000 volumes of the best books in all departments of science ; it 

 is greatly indebted to the fostering care of Dr. Heslop. 



Both the Birmingham Philosophical Society and the Birmingham 

 Natural History and Microscopical Society are housed in the Mason 

 College, to the mutual advantage of these Societies and the Institution. 



B'uDiingham Free Library. — The Reference Department will be 

 opened in the new buildings on June 26th. Lists of the best books in 

 every branch of science have been furnished (at the request of the 

 Committee) by local experts in science, and were presented through 

 the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society. No pro- 

 vincial library will contain a more complete set of valuable scientific 

 publications. This work has been earnestly promoted by Mr. E. Tonks, 

 B.C.L., who was the first President of the Midland Union. 



Scii')ice Teacliiiifi ni Elementari/ Schools. — The practical teaching of 

 elementary science cciitinues to be most successfully carried on in 56 

 departments (28 Bo^ s' and 28 Girls' Schools) of the Schools under 

 the Birmingham School Board.* A Central Laboratory and Lecture 

 Room is in course of erection, which will enable the work to be carried 

 on more perfectly ; 2,000 children and 200 pupil-teachers now receive 

 these science-lessons in Birmingham, and it cannot be doubted that in 

 future years they will furnish a strong contingent of members to the 

 ranks of the local scientific societies. Your Council record, with 

 pleasure, a recent donation of £200 by the famous firm of Tangye 

 Brothers (Messrs. R. and G. Tangye) to the Birmingham School 

 Board for the purpose of establishing science scholarships. An ex- 

 amination for eight science scholarships has recently been held by 

 Professor Poynting, of the Mason College, and in his report on the 

 papers worked the examiner states that, " The answers, as a whole, 

 speak very highly for the carefulness and accuracy of the teaching 

 which the boys have received. Hardly any of the questions could be 

 answered without independent thought on the part of the candidates, 

 and I had very few answers show a want of such thought. The boys 

 showed that they had seen and understood the experiments which they 

 described ; that they had been taught to reason for themselves upon 

 them, and that they were not merely using forms of words which they 

 had learned without attaching physical ideas to them." The trustees 

 of Mason College have placed six free exhibitions at the disposal of the 

 School Board, and the two first boys in the above examination will go 

 for a time to the King Edward's School, Birmingham, and after- 

 wards to the Mason College, also receiving £25 per annum for their 

 maintenance. The next six boys receive Scholarships of £10 per 

 annum with free tuition in science ; prizes of scientific books are 

 awarded to those who stand next in merit. 



The Council note the appearance during the past year of a list* of 

 the local Scientific and Literary Societies of England, classified 

 according to their counties, and including about I'JO names. The 

 Midland Union includes only the central counties ; if similar associa- 

 tions were formed for (1) the six northern counties, (2) the eastern and 

 south-eastern counties, and (3) the southern and south-western 



* For a full account of the system pursued see a paper by Mr. W. J. Harrisou 

 ill the Proceediuga of the Birmiiigham I'hilosopliical Societ> , Vol. II., p. 274. 



