NA TURE 



21 



THURSDAY, NOVEMBER ii, 1875 



SEVENTH REPORT OF THE SCIENCE 

 COMMISSION 



THE present Report deals with the University of 

 London, the Universities of Scotland, the Uni- 

 versity of Dublin and Trinity College, and the Queen's 

 University in Ireland. With regard to the University of 

 London the Commission has few suggestions to make, 

 though it is of opinion that the Matriculation Exami- 

 nation would have a still higher value than it has 

 if a Practical Examination could be instituted in connec- 

 tion therewith. " The enforcement of a practical test 

 would accelerate the introduction of practical work into 

 school teaching, and would thus exert a very favourable 

 influence on the Progress of Scientific Education." 



The Commission is also of opinion that the University 

 of London should follow the example of the University of 

 Edinburgh, and award the degree of D.Sc. only to those 

 who have given proofs of the desire and capac ity to ma ke 

 some addition to scientific knowledge. 



The greater portion of this Report refers to the Univer- 

 sities of Scotland. The Report begins by referring to the 

 inquiry conducted by the Commissioners appointed under 

 the Universities (Scotland) Act of 1858, and to the 

 reforms instituted by them. The recommendations made 

 by this Commission were, however, controlled by the fact 

 that the sum to be provided by Parliament to carry them 

 out would not exceed io,oco/. a year. The Universities: 

 Commission kept very much, therefore, to the old lines, 

 making classical learning the foundation of a University 

 course, and prescribing for graduation in arts, a course 

 extending over four winter sessions, and including 

 " attendance on the Classes of Humanity, Greek, Mathe- 

 matics, Logic, Moral Philosophy, and Natural Philo- 

 sophy : " and, in addition to these, " attendance on a 

 course of English Literature," which previously had not 

 been required in any Scottish University except that of 

 Edinburgh. 



The Commission observes with satisfaction that in the 

 Scotch Graduation Examination it is clearly recognised 

 that a fair training both in literature and in science is the 

 best basis for further advances in either the one direction 

 or the other. They suggest, however, that the student 

 should be allowed to show the required proficiency, 

 whether in science or literature, by passing an examina- 

 tion at such a period in his University career as will 

 enable him, in the latter part of his academical course, to 

 devote his attention systematically to a particular group 

 of subjects. 



In referring to the examinations for the degrees of 

 Bachelor and Doctor of Science, the Report states that 

 recently a regulation has been made at Edinburgh that 

 each candidate for the degree of D.Sc. must submit a thesis 

 containing " some original researches on the subject of 

 his intended examination, and such thesis must be 

 approved before the candidate is allowed to proceed in 

 his examination." It seems quite astonishing that this, 

 which has for generations been the rule on the Continent, 

 has not been done in all our Universities long ago. De- 

 grees of an essentially similar kind have been instituted 

 in Glasgow. 



Vol, XIII.— No. 315 j 



The most important part of the Report on the Scottish 

 Universities is concerned with the deficiencies in respect 

 to assistants and apparatus. In some cases the rooms 

 are not at all adapted to the kind of teaching that must 

 be carried on in them. The laboratorj' accommodation 

 is throughout glaringly deficient, and ill-adapted for 

 practical work. Indeed, if we except Glasgow, where 

 new buildings have recently been erected, practical 

 teaching can scarcely be said to exist, and now that 

 it has come to occupy so large a space in the tigher 

 education, it is not to be wondered at that the scientific 

 professors feel completely hampered in carrying on their 

 work. Happily, in the case of Edinburgh this state of 

 matters is likely soon to be remedied ; 80,000/. have been 

 already subscribed to build a new medical school, so as 

 to leave the present buildings for the other departments 

 of the University. 



With regard to assistants, all the Universities are 

 also miserably deficient, the deficiencies being attribu- 

 table to the inadequacy of their resources. There are 

 certain funds available for assistants to the scientific as 

 well as to the other professors, but these are so scanty 

 that in some cases the science professors have to provide 

 additional assistants out of their by no means munificent 

 incomes. The apparatus also, in connection with the 

 scientific chairs, is discreditable to the Universities and 

 quite inadequate to the modern requirements of scientific 

 teaching. 



In the case of the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, 



and St. Andrews, the Commissioners recommend that 

 Government augment their grant sufficiently to enable 

 the Universities to increase the number, and, in some 

 cases, the emoluments of assistants ; to make more 

 nmple provision of apparatus for teaching ; and to revise 

 the salaries of the scientific professors. 



In the case of Edinburgh it is recommended that such 

 assistance be given, both in the form of a capital sum in 

 aid of a scheme of extension, and of an annual grant. 



The Report also deals shortly with the Andersonian 

 Institute, or " Anderson University " of Glasgow, founded 

 under the will of John Anderson, Professor of Natural 

 Philosophy in Glasgow University towards the close of 

 last century. There is no doubt it does good work among 

 those who cannot afford a regular University education ; 

 many students in Arts and Medicine get their education 

 here. It has been suggested that this Institute receive a 

 charter, but the Commissioners wisely decline to support 

 such a suggestion. 



A movement was set on foot some time ago to establish 

 a Science School at Dundee, about twelve miles from 

 St. Andrews, across the Firth of Tay, which is being 

 bridged for a railway. The Commissioners, however, 

 cannot recommend any scheme which would involve the 

 St. Andrews professors traveUing to and from Dundee to 

 teach, or which would remove the scientific chair to that 

 town. 



For some reason the University of Aberdeen has de- 

 chned to avail itself of the opportunities afforded it of 

 tendering evidence before the Commission. 



With regard to the two Irish Universities, that of 

 Dubhn and the Queen's University, the Commissioners 

 report very favourably on the portion allotted to science 

 in these two institutions. 



