so 



NATURE 



[March 2, 191 1 



and was overhauled and refitted for a three years' circum- 

 navigation cruise. In all essential respects this vessel has 

 proved more effective than was anticipated. It has been 

 demonstrated that even in rough weather the three mag- 

 netic elements may be determined with a precision little 

 short of that attainable in a fixed observatory. Thus she 

 was able to discover on her first cruise errors of unexpected 

 magnitude in the best sailing charts of the north Atlantic, 

 and she is certain to attain at least an equal degree of 

 precision in all future ocean work. By crossings of her 

 own tracks and by connections at all available ports having 

 magnetic observatories, it will be practicable to exclude the 

 possibilities of any important errors in this work. 

 Similarly satisfactory progress has been made also in the 

 land work of the department during the year. The expedi- 

 tion in Africa, from the Cape to Cairo, undertaken by Dr. 

 Beattie and Prof. Morrison as temporary associates, was 

 completed early in the year, a total of 348 stations having 

 been occupied. Mr. Pearson continued work in Turkey in 

 the early part of the year, until relieved by Mr. Sligh, who 

 extended the work to Palestine, Syria, Arabia, Meso- 

 potamia, and the islands of Rhodes and Cyprus. Up to 

 the end of July of this year, these two observers had 

 occupied a total of forty-seven stations. Another observer, 

 Mr. Stewart, left Washington early in June to begin 

 extensive work in South America, proceeding in the launch 

 El Imdn, provided especially for work along the Amazon 

 and its tributaries. Additional observations are reported 

 also from Canada and from various European countries in 

 which initial determinations or instrumental comparisons 

 have been made. 



The publication of twenty-three volumes has been 

 authorised during the year bv the executive committee, at 

 a total estimated cost of 7980/. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 



INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge.— Sir George H. Darwin, K.C.B., F.R.S., 



has been nominated to represent the University at the 



celebration in September of the secular jubilee of the Royal 



Frederic University of Christiania. 



_ The special board for medicine report that an examina- 

 tion in psychological medicine and its cognate subiects, if 

 established, could not fail to raise the present standard of 

 eflRciency in applicants for asylum posts, and that it would 

 lead to the provision of appropriate courses for the train- 

 mg of those who wish to advance our knowledge of 

 psychiatry. The board accordingly recommends that such 

 an examination be held once in the year, and that a candi- 

 date who passes both parts of the examination to the satis- 

 faction of the examiners be entitled to a diploma testifying 

 to his competent knowledge of psychological medicine.' 



Oxford.— The report lately published of the School of 

 Geography gives evidence of much activity. It mentions 

 with regret the resignation of Sir Clements Markham 

 from the committee of the school, adding that the Uni- 

 versity owes much to Sir Clements Markham for his 

 efforts to promote the teaching of geography in Oxford 

 during a quarter of a century. The generous gift from 

 Sir Abe Bailey of 250?. a year for five years has enabled 

 the committee to provide increased accommodation in Sir 

 Henry Acland's house in Broad Street, thus relieving 

 pressure on the Old Ashmolean building. More rooms are 

 in preparation, and should be ready by Easter; mean- 

 while, in addition to the quarters specially assigned to the 

 staff and students, a general reading-room has been opened, 

 where any member of the University may consult books 

 or maps. The committee again points out the need for 

 an endowment for the teaching of geography in the Uni- 

 versity. Towards this. Lord Brassev and 'Mr. Douglas 

 Freshfield have each offered to contribute 500/., provided 

 an adequate additional sum can be obtained from other 

 donors. Courses of lectures have been given bv Prof 

 Herbertson, Dr. Grundy, Mr. Allorge, Mr. Beckit, and 

 Miss MacMunn. Mr. O. G. S. Crawford, Keble College, 

 has been appointed junior demonstrator and librarian. 

 The geographical scholarship for 1910-11 was awarded to 

 Mr. B. W. Baker, University College. 



Prof. E. B. Tylor, F.R.S., has deposited on loan with 

 the committee for anthropology a substantial portion of his 

 NO. 2157, VOL. 86] 



library, to be used for the purposes of anthropological 

 study within the University. The library will be hous.d, 

 for the present, at Acland House, Broad Street. 



Sheffield. — The council, at its last meeting, made the 

 following appointments :— Dr. Sinclair White, to the pro- 

 fessorship of surgery in the University, in succession to 

 Mr. R. J. Pyc-Smith, resigned; Mr. George Stanfield, to 

 the post of demonstrator in engineering ; and Mr. LI. 

 Lloyd, to the post of assistant curator of the zoological 

 museum. 



Mr. W. BiXHANAN, senior lecturer to Faradav House 

 Electrical College, I^ndon, has been appointed professor 

 of electrotechnics at the School of Mines (Transvaal Uni- 

 versity), Johannesburg. 



A FRIEND of Sir William Ramsay's, who desires to re- 

 main anonymous, has promised 2500/. towards the fund of 

 50,000^. required for the building of the new cheniii ,tl 

 laboratories at University College. The same donor will 

 give a further sum of 2500/. provided the sum of 50,000/. 

 is raised before Easter. The fund now stands at 31,277/. 



A VACATION course for the study of the structure, 

 development, and ecology of marine algae (Plankton and 

 Benthos) will be conducted by Dr. O. V. Darbishire at 

 the Dove Marine Laboratory, Cullercoats, Northumber- 

 land, during the Easter vacation. Instructions will also 

 be given in the various methods of collecting, mounting, 

 fixing, and cultivating marine algae. Further information 

 may be obtained from Dr. Darbishire, Armstrong College, 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne. 



We learn from Science that the U.S. General Education 

 Board has made conditional grants as follows : — Brown 

 University, 20,000/. ; Carleton College, 20,000/. ; Colorado 

 College, 10,000/. ; Dakota Wesleyan University, 10,000/. ; 

 Denison University, 15,000/.; Fisk University, 12.000/.; 

 Mount Holyoke College, 20,000/. ; Randolph-Macon 

 College, 10,000/. ; Swarthmore College, 15,000/. ; and 

 Wesleyan College for Women, 10,000/. From the same 

 source we gather that the Bill increasing the annual 

 appropriation from the State of Vermont to Middlebury 

 College by 1520/. has been signed by the Governor. This 

 will make the State appropriation to Middleburv 3200/. a 

 year, beginning on July i. The increase is "'to provide 

 additional instruction in the departments of pedagogy, in 

 forestry, and in scientific branches related to the industries 

 of Vermont." It is also stated that a gift of 10,000/. to 

 Cornell University by Mrs. Florence O. R. Lang, of Mont- 

 clair, N.J., will be used in the construction of a new build- 

 ing to house the shops of the Sibley College of Mechanical 

 Engineering. 



The University of Christiania will, in the beginning of 

 September next, celebrate its centenary, having been 

 founded by King Frederic IV. in 1811. Prof. K. Birkeland 

 has kindly given us the following information relating to 

 this celebration. Instructions have recently been sent to 

 226 universities or similar institutions of higher education, 

 and to 113 learned societies, each being invited to send 

 one delegate. It may be mentioned that the programme 

 for the official festivities, as at present proposed, includes 

 a reception banquet for the foreign delegates on 

 September 4, \vhile the actual centenary festivities will 

 take place on Tuesday, September 5, and Wednesday, 

 September 6. On the Tuesday, Bjornstjerne Bjornson's 

 Cantate, " Lyset," will be rendered. This %vill be followed 

 by the address of welcome to the foreign representatives of 

 universities and academies, replies from groups of these 

 representatives, and the presentation of addresses. On the 

 Wednesday, honoran,- degrees and promotions will be con- 

 ferred. A medal, struck in commemoration of the cen- 

 tenary, and various publications, will be distributed. The 

 president of the festival committee is Prof. Brogger. rector 

 of the University. The students have also appointed a 

 committee, which is issuing thirty invitations for student 

 delegates from other universities. 



Mr. Jesse Collings has introduced into the House of 

 Commons a Bill, which is influentially backed, to afford 

 further facilities for the creation of Srnall Holdings. Side 

 by side with the granting of further facilities to those who 

 are desirous of becoming smallholders is a movement. 



