426 



NATURE 



[January 26, 191 1 



D 'autre part les taches noires, qui sont le caractire prin- 

 cipal de la surface, diminuent progressivement, lorsqu'on 

 s'^l^ve et meme disparaissent. 



Par centre apparaissent des lignes noires, invisibles dans 

 les couches basses, lignes souvent tr^s longues et appel^es 

 par moi filaments. En g^n^ral le filament est prolong(^ de 

 chaque c6t6 jusqu'au bord par d'autres lignes similaires, 

 moins noires, moins nettes, appel6es alignements. L'cn- 

 semble des filaments et alignements forme un veritable 

 r^seau sur I9 disque de soleil. Les filaments et los aligne- 

 ments sont un ph^nomfene nouveau, caract^ristique des 

 couches sup^rieures. 



The director of the observatory gives notice that on fine 

 and clear Saturday evenings during the Lent full term 

 celestial objects will be shown through the Northumber- 

 land equatorial to any members of the University and 

 their friends who will come to the observatory between 

 8 and 10.30 p.m. 



Fic. 3. — Roseau d'alignements relevi dans la couche sup^rieure de I'atmosphere solaire. Les 

 traits noirs pleins correspondent aux alignements noirs, continues et tres nets, appel6s /z/a- 

 jiients; les traits discontinus aux alignements similaires moins nets, et les traits pointings 

 aux alignements encore moins visibles et parfois discontinus. Les parties hach^es sont les 

 plages brillantes faculaires les plus larges. 



Le filament a la meme importance que la tache de la 

 surface ; il persiste, comme elle, pendant plusieurs rotations 

 et, comme elle aussi, il est le si^ge de perturbations sp6ciales, 

 et est accompagn^ de pro6minences. 



Dans une premiere ^tude j 'ai assimiM les taches aux 

 depressions ou cyclones de notre atmosphere, et les filaments 

 aux anti-cyclones ; mais je reviendrai plus loin sur ce 

 rapprochement, qui sera developp^. 



{J^o he continued.) 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge. — The degree committee of the special board 

 for biology and geology has co-opted Dr. Barclay-Smith 

 and Mr. R. H. Rastall as additional members of the 

 committee. 



The special board for physics and chemistry has 

 appointed Mr. C. T. Heycock as assessor in chemistry to 

 the examiners for the Mechanical Sciences Tripos in 191 1. 



Mr. George Winfield has been elected to the Benn W. 

 Levy studentship. 



NO. 2152, VOL. 85] 



The most important resolution of the last Muslim 

 Education Conference, says the Pioneer Mail, related to 

 an appeal to Muslims for a fund to raise the Aligarh 

 College to the status of a Muslim university. The pro- 

 moters of the scheme hope that if requisite funds are 

 forthcoming a Muslim appeal for a 

 18 septembre, 1908. charter from King George when he 



N goes to India will not fail. His High- 



ness the .Aga Khan has given a lakh of 

 rupees, and other important donations 

 are promised. 



A COPY of the report of the president 

 of the Johns Hopkins University, Balti- 

 more, U.S..^., for the year ending 

 August 31, 1910, has reached us. It 

 contains a brief summary of the prin- 

 cipal events in the history of the Uni- 

 versity during the academic year under 

 review, together with reports by pro- 

 fessors and others having charge of the 

 work in the various departments of the 

 University. There seemed, at the date 

 of the president's report, every proba- 

 bility that the University will benefit 

 by the offer of the General Education 

 Board to contribute towards the endow- 

 ment fund the sum of 50,000?., " pro- 

 vided that on or before December 31, 

 iqio, a supplementary sum of not less 

 than 150,000/. shall be contributed to 

 the University in cash or pledged to 

 the same by good and responsible per- 

 sons in legally valid subscriptions, pay- 

 able in cash in not more than three 

 equal annual instalments." At the 

 conclusion of his report the president, 

 Prof. Ira Remsen, writes : — " At the 

 time of this printing the signs are most 

 favourable." 



The annual report of University 

 College, Reading, presented at the 

 annual court of governors on January 

 21, pointed out that the number of 

 students studying for university degrees 

 shows an increase from 95 in the 

 session 1908-9 to 117 in the session 

 1909-10. The other students number 

 1007. There is a deficit on the year's 

 working of 2016Z. The principal of 

 the college, Mr. W. M. Childs, 

 told the court that two years ago the college had a total 

 indebtedness on the new buildings of nearly 30,000/., but 

 owing to munificent anonymous donations last year, 

 amounting to 16,500/., that debt has- been brought almost 

 to vanishing point. In addition. Lady Wantage has pro- 

 vided a permanent endowment for Wantage Hall, which 

 she presented to the college some years ago, and that will 

 not only help to defray the cost of maintenance and 

 equipment, but will probably provide for scholarships and 

 bursaries, tenable at the college and the hall. Mr. G. W. 

 Palmer has granted the lease of a recreation ground for 

 twentv-one years rent free, and, thanks to Mr. .Alfred 

 Palmer, a new hall will soon be opened for women 

 students. 



The annual meeting of the Association of Technical^ 

 Institutions will be held, by the courtesy of the Stationers' 

 Company, at their hall on Friday and Saturday, February 

 10 and II. The company are generously entertaining the 

 members of the association and a few special guests to 

 luncheon on the Frid.iy. In the afternoon a vote of 

 thanks will be accorded to Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, F.R.S.. 

 the retiring president, for his services during the ye.nr 

 1910, and Dr. Glazebrook will move " that Sir Henry F. 



