196 



NATURE 



[October 6, 192 1 



ably the last opportunity that the University will have 

 of settling the problem' for itself. 



London. — The following are some of the public 

 lectures to be given at University College during the 

 Michaelmas term :— Three lectures on " Babylonian 

 Magic," by Dr. T. G. Pinches; a course of lectures 

 on 'Einstein's Theory of Relativity," by Dr. G. B. 

 Jeffery; one lecture on "The Philosophical Aspects of 

 the Theory of Relativity," by Prof. G. Dawes Hicks; 

 eight on "Nutrition," by Dr. J. C. Drummond ; three 

 on "Nature in the ' Divina Comedia ' " ; one on 

 "Recent Researches in Photo-Elasticity," by Prot. 

 E. G. Coker ; and a course of lectures on " The Evolu- 

 tion of Man," by Prof. G. Eliiot Smith. A full list of 

 the lectures may be obtained by sending a stamped 

 addressed envelope to the Secretary, University Col- 

 lege, London, W.C.i. 



Eleven separate courses of lectures on the history 

 of science will be delivered at University College 

 during the session 1921-22. There will be a course 

 on "The General History and Development of 

 Science," by Dr. A. Wolf, and one on "The Begin- 

 nings of Science," by Prof. Elliot Smith. In addi- 

 tion, there will be courses on the history of particular 

 departments of science, namely. Astronomy, Prof. 

 Filon ; Physics, Sir William Bragg and Mr. Orson 

 Wood; Chemistry, Prof. Donnan ; The Alchemical 

 Period, Prof. Collie; From Mayow and Boyle to 

 Dalton and Avogadro, and the Development of the 

 Molecular Theory, Dr. Irvine Masson ; The Develop- 

 ment of Organic Chemistrv in the Nineteenth Cen- 

 tury, Dr. O. L. Brady ; The Development of Physical 

 Chemistry in the Nineteenth Century, Mr. W. E. 

 Garner ; and The Biological and Medical Sciences, Dr. 

 C. Singer. 



A course of public lectures on " Psychology and 

 Psychotherapy " will be delivered at King's College, 

 Strand, W.C., on Tuesdays at 5.30 p.m., beginning 

 October 18, by Dr. William Brown, Wilde reader in 

 mental philosophy in the University of Oxford. Ad- 

 mission is free without ticket. 



Four lectures by Dr. F. W. .Aston on atomic 

 weights and isotopes will be delivered at 5.45 p.m. 

 on successive Wednesdays, commencing October 12, 

 at Battersea Polvtechnjc, S.W.ii. This is the first 

 occasion on which a course of lectures dealing with 

 this topic has been given in London. 



A LECTURE on "The Geology of Petroleum " will be 

 delivered at the Sir John Cass Technical Institute, 

 Jewry Street, Aldgate, E.C., by Mr. E. H. Cuningham 

 Craig on Monday, October 10, at 7 p.m. The lecture, 

 at which Sir Frederick Black will preside, will form 

 an introduction to the course of petroleum technology 

 which the institute is offering this year for the first 

 time. 



The Universities' Library for Central Europe has 

 now been in existence for a little more than a vear, 

 and a ref>ort has been issued giving an account of its 

 activities up to March 31 last. L'p to that date more 

 than 2000 works had been despatched to various 

 centres in Europe for distribution to universities, and, 

 in addition, large numbers of scientific reviews and 

 periodica's and the ioufnals and transactions of learned 

 societies had been forwarded. Something substantial 

 has, therefore, been done to replenish the stocks of 

 English literature in the universities and libraries of 

 Centra' Europe. The librarv has also been able, as a 

 result of correspondence with the Conjoint Board of 

 Scientific Societies, to put manv of the Continental 

 universities in touch again with British scientific 

 societies with the view of evchanging publications, 



NO. 2710, VOL. 108] 



and by an appeal to a number of scientific journals 

 reduced subscription rates have in many cases been 

 secured. Although much valuable assistance has been 

 rendered in this way, the response made to the appeal 

 for books, publications, and subscriptions has not been 

 sufficient to enable the library to cope with the very 

 real dearth of scientific works from which European 

 universities are suffering. Further donations of books 

 and money are therefore solicited, and gifts should be 

 forwarded to the hon. secretary, Mr. B. M. Headicar, 

 London School of Economics, Clare Market, London, 



W.C.2. 



The calendar of the North of Scotland College of 

 Agriculture for 1921-22 may be divided conveniently 

 into two portions, one dealing with the facilities for 

 instruction which will be available in the coming 

 session, and the other with the extra-mural work 

 carried out by the college. The courses of study vary 

 in length. Three-year courses are arranged for 

 students preparing for the B.Sc. in agriculture and 

 in forestry, as well as for the National Diplomas in 

 Agriculture and Dairying awarded jointlv by the 

 Royal Agricultural Society of England and the High- 

 land and Agricultural Society of Scotland ; two-year 

 courses lead to diplomas in agriculture and forestry 

 awarded by the University of Aberdeen ; and there is 

 a special one-year course in preparation for the college 

 Planter's Certificate. Two courses of evening lectures 

 on horticulture and manures respectively have also 

 been arranged. Important research work is being 

 carried out in conjunction with Aberdeen University 

 at the Rowett Institute for Research in Animal Nutri- 

 tion. Extra-mural work of the college staff affects 

 the whole of the North of Scotland and the adjacent 

 islands. Advice on farm management, plant diseases, 

 insect pests, and seed-testing is given, and under the 

 direction of county organisers lectures and instruction 

 in agriculture, horticulture, dairying, poultry keeping, 

 etc., are given at recognised centres. 



The Cleveland Technical Institute, Middlesbrough, 

 was formally declared open by Sir Charles A. Parsons 

 on September 22. The institute, which is the out- 

 come of joint action by the Cleveland Institution of 

 Engineers and the North-East Coast Institution of 

 Engineers and Shipbuilders, has been established with 

 the object of providing facilities for engineers, ship- 

 builders and metallurgical chemists desirous of becom- 

 ing thoroughly conversant with new developments in 

 their own and cognate subjects. .Membership will be 

 limited to members of the societies which have founded 

 the institute, together with the members of lotal 

 technical societies, and the government will be in the 

 hands of a council constituted from representatives of 

 the various participating societies and donors under 

 the chairmanship of Dr. J. E. Stead. It is hoped that 

 the institute may encourage the continued technical 

 education of employees in industrial works in the Tee- 

 side districts, and to further this object lectures to 

 workmen on subjects relating to local industries will 

 be arranged ; improvements in processes and designs 

 will be investigated, and also a bulletin of abstracts 

 from current scientific papers will be published 

 monthly. In declaring the institute open. Sir Charles 

 Parsons emphasised the importance of technological 

 training for maintaining our industries, and congratu- 

 lated Dr. Stead and the council on organising success- 

 fully an institution which would be open to members 

 of all the technical societies, engineering, chemical, 

 and metallurgical, established in the neighbourhood. 

 This scheme, though it has been advocated widely, 

 has never before been put into effect in this country, 

 but where it has been adopted the results have been 

 eminently satisfactory. 



