174 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION B. 



be more comfortable than the usual hard wood bench. It is true 

 that lectures as a rule only last one hour, but then in the 

 aggregate they may extend over three to four successive hours. 

 The seats are numbered and separated by iron arms, the space 

 allotted to each being twenty-one by thirty-six inches. 



In many of the American University and College lecture 

 rooms I noticed that each student had a sepai^ate wooden or cane- 

 seated arm chair, with a writing board attached to the right ai'm ; 

 these, although very comfortable and convenient in many respects, 

 take up rather more space than can be spared in the proposed 

 building here. 



The table in the draught closet at the back of the lecturer is 

 moveable and runs on rails, so that it can be moved out into the 

 lecture room or lecture preparation room. The top is of slate so 

 that it can be used with gas furnaces for experiments upon 

 combustions, cupellation, fusions, ifec. Dropping down in front 

 of this niche, or draught cupboard, is a large blackboard suspended 

 by a heavy weight and levers so that it can be readily lowered. 

 The one at Finsbury (fourteen feet by six feet six inches) is said to 

 be so well hung that it can be moved hj the little finger or even 

 by the pressure of the chalk. 



In front of the black board is a white screen for experiments 

 with the electric lamp ; this is to be suspended from copper-plated 

 steel tapes running over large pulleys. 



To obtain the benefit of the greater height, and to avoid the 

 noise of the falling water in the lecture-room, the pump and 

 aspirator tubes from the lecture-room will be taken down the well 

 of either the rubbish-shoot or lift. 



To the left of the black board is a small drying closet and sand 

 bath, and on the other side a water oven and bath ; these are let 

 into the thickness of the wall with glazed sashes on both sides. 

 In addition to the ordinary black board it is proposed to have a 

 " roll up" black writing screen inade of flexible material. All 

 the windows have double blinds for darkening the rooms, the 

 rollers of Avhich are connected by a rod passing from window to 

 window, so that one person can draw tlie three blinds simul- 

 taneously. If possible, the blinds to darken the skylights will 

 also be connected by copper covered steel tapes with the same 

 roller. 



THE LECTURE PREPARATION ROOM. 



This is intended to combine the conveniences of a special experi- 

 mental laboratory for lecture purposes, and a workshop, as far as 

 is requisite for . chemical purposes. All the rougher chemical 

 apparatus will be kept in it, and the collections which do not 

 require extra care. In it will be placed the glass-blowers' table, 

 lathe, carpenters' bench, and similar appliances, so that any repairs 

 can be effected without loss of time — when things have to be sent 

 away to a distant part of the building, delay often takes place 



