=^6 



NATURE 



[November 9, 191 1 



ill appreciation of the work of the first professor of botany 

 in the Owens College, the late Prof. Williamson. He 

 directed attention to the fact that during the sixt)- years 

 which had passed since the foundation of the Owens : 

 College there had been only two professors of botany there. 

 Williamson was the first, and the second was the present 

 occupant of the chair, Prof. Weiss. Recalling the facts 

 of Dr. Williamson's life. Dr. Scott reminded his audience 

 of the many-sided character of the former professor of 

 botany, and also specified in detail the work done by 

 Williamson. He took a leading part in bringing home to 

 scientific people the importance of those fossil romains j 

 which show structure. Fossil plants are preserved in two | 

 iliiili" difTorent ways. On one hand we have the more j 

 familiar kind of specimens in the form of casts or 

 impressions which show the external form — often very 

 beautiful — or organisation, but not the structure. On the 

 other are specimens, usually very fragmentary, showing 

 little or nothing of external form, but showing the struc- 

 ture, often beautifully preserved. It was upon the latter 

 form of fossils that all Williamson's later work was done. 

 The fine building now completed is a worthy expression of 

 the progress of the study of botany in Manchester, which 

 has now become one of the greatest centres of botanical 

 teaching in the kingdom. 



The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks to Dr. 

 Scott, proposed by Sir Edward Donner and seconded by 

 Prof. Weiss. 



PLAGUE IN EAST ANGLIA. 



AFTER a period of quiescence lasting for just over a 

 year, plague has again appeared in East Anglia. 

 Between December 12, 1906, and January, 1907, there were 

 several cases of what was supposed to be pneumonia in two 

 adjoining cottages in the parish of Shotley. There were 

 three cases in one house, two of which were fatal, and five 

 cases in the other, of which four were fatal. It is believed 

 now that all these were cases of pneumonic plague. In 

 January, 1910, two persons died at Trimley, exactly opposite 

 Shotley, on the other side of the River Orwell, from a 

 disease now believed to have been plague. In September, 

 1910, four persons died in two adjoining cottages in the 

 village of Freston, six miles from Shotley. On October 10 

 last a seaman was admitted to the sick quarters of the 

 Shotley Royal Naval Barracks, Suffolk, and subsequently 

 developed symptoms of pneumonia. His sputum was 

 examined, and plague bacilli were found. Although there 

 is no certain proof of the source of infection, it is believed 

 he caught the plague from a rabbit he skinned, and that 

 in so doing he cut his finger. This event is not altogether 

 unexpected, as it was known some weeks ago that rats in 

 the Samford Hundred — the district enclosed by the Rivers 

 Orwell and Stour — were again plague-infected ; and a 

 vigorous campaign against the rats is being pursued. 

 When the epidemic occurred last year competent authorities 

 warned the Local Government Board of the need for con- 

 certed and widespread action for the extermination of rats 

 in the infected district and the delimitation of the infected 

 area. 



According to the latest report, the authorities in the 

 Samford district are taking every precaution in the way of 

 destroying rats. As the result of the suggestions of the 

 Local Government Board, it is now proposed that rat- 

 catchers shall be employed in a number of parishes. The 

 public will still receive 2d. for every rat killed. Returns of 

 rats killed showed that hundreds were being destroyed in 

 some parishes ; in others there were very few to kill. The 

 Local Government Board proposes that concerted action in 

 regard to the plague should be taken by all the neighbour- 

 ing rural and urban authorities, and it also advises the 

 appointment of a special officer to supervise the destruc- 

 tion of rats. It is to be hoped that, in addition, arrange- 

 ments will be made for a bacteriological examination of a 

 large proportion of the rats captured, for this procedure is 

 required in order to ascertain the prevalence and area of 

 infection. The rabbits and hares also should be subjected 

 to examination. 



NO. 2193, VOL. 88] 



COS OR ESS OF THE UNIVERSITIES OF THE 

 EMPIRE (1912). 



AT a meeting of the Home Universities Committee of 

 the congress, consisting of the Vice-Chancellors uf 

 the universities of the United Kingdom and other r- pr--- 

 sentatives, held on Saturday, November 4, the progninime 

 of subjects for discussion at the congress in July, 1912, was 

 settled. 



The meetings of the congress will be held on July, 2, ,;. 

 4, and 5, on four mornings and two afternoons. There will 

 be, in addition, a business meeting. 



The subjects for discussion fall under two heads, and .1 

 as follows : — 



I. — Universities in their Relation to one anothr: 



(i) Conditions of entrance to universities and the r- 

 bility of equivalence and mutual recognition of entrai: 

 tests to degree courses. 



(2) Interchange of university teachers ; conditions 

 interchange. 



(3) Inter-university arrangements for post-graduate ;■ 

 research students. 



(4) Question of division of work and specialisation amo. 

 universities. 



(5) The establishment of a central university bureau : 

 constitution and functions. 



II. — Universities in their Constitutional Aspects >i>td 

 their Relation to Teachers, Graduates, and Students. 

 (i) The relation of universities to technical and y. 

 fessional education and to education for the public servic 



(2) Provision of courses of study and examinations i 

 other than degree students, including university extensi 

 and tutorial class work, and specialised courses both o\ 

 general and tecimical character for students engaged 

 professional, commercial, and industrial pursuits. 



(3) The representation of teachers and graduates on t: 

 governing body of a university. 



(4) Action of universities in relation to the after-care. 

 of their students. 



(5) The position of women in universities. 



(6) The problem of universities in the East in re^....i 

 their influence on character and moral ideals. 



(7) Residential facilities, including colleges and hostels. 

 Upon some of these subjects it is hoped that by coop. 



tion between the universities some action may be possib 

 e.g. such subjects as the extent to which universities n 

 recognise each other's entrance examinations, facilities 

 post-graduate students from other universities, interchai . 

 of professors, &c. There are other questions upon wh 

 most, if not all, of the universities will have taken «<■ 

 action and obtained some experience, such as the relati> 

 ship of universities to colleges associated or federated \\ 

 them, the position of women in universities, provision 

 students other than degree students, &c. L'pon these qu 

 tions what is wanted is a summary of the experience 

 each university presented in a way that will be useful 

 comparison and will furnish a body of information 

 permanent value. Accordingly, in addition to the subj' 

 for discussion, other subjects have been selected upon wli 

 each of the fifty-one universities is asked to prepare 1 

 memorandum. These memoranda will be printed befor - 

 hand and issued to members of the congress. 



It has been decided that, in addition to the delegates, of 

 which each university is entitled to appoint not more than 

 four, invitations to be present, with the right to speak at 

 the meetings of the congress, shall be issued to a certain 

 number of selected persons. It has been decided that no 

 resolutions will be submitted at the ordinary meetings of 

 the congress, but a special business meeting, confined to 

 : delegates of the universities, will be held to deal with 

 executive business. In addition, associate membership of 

 the congress will be open to all who may desire to join on 

 payment of a fee of los. 6d. 



\ BOT'iNY AT THE BRITISH ASSOCIATIOy. 

 nro suit the convenience of members of other sections, 

 ^ the president (Prof. F. E. Weiss) delivered his open- 

 ing address at twelve noon on Thursday, August 31. The 

 address has already been printed in full in NATfRE 

 (September 21, p. 395). 



In recent years Section K has frequently shown a 



