720 



NATURE 



[August 4, 192 1 



substantially as to give a new significance to the 

 phrase "Almighty Dollar," and to affect the socio- 

 logist's estimate of the social order which has 

 made possible the accumulation of multi-million- 

 aire fortunes. 



In a "Subject Index" the bulletin lists all the 

 funds known to be available for the support or 

 encouragement of research in the biological, 

 mathematical, and physical sciences and their 

 applications, and from this index has been pre- 

 pared the following table, which, though not ex- 

 haustive, serves to indicate the subjects more 

 generally favoured by founders and administrators 

 of funds : — - 



In the list of nine large endowments already 

 given above, the ample provision for medical re- 

 search is noticeable. Columbia University has a 

 fund for cancer research producing 70,000 dollars 

 per annum, and four other funds produce 291,000 

 dollars per annum for medical research. Cornell 

 has 45,000 dollars per annum for research in 

 veterinary medicine. Pennsylvania has lately re- 

 ceived 500,000 dollars towards a tuberculosis re- 

 search institute, and low^a has a Welfare Research 

 Station Fund for investigating " scientific methods 

 of conserving and developing the normal child," 

 for which it appropriates 25,000 dollars per 

 annum. 



A few other noteworthy funds may be particu- 

 larised : — 



Anthropology and Natural History. — Bishop 

 Museum of Polynesian Ethnology, etc. : Research 

 funds, 75,000 dollars per annum. 



Bio-chemistry. — Leland Stanford Junior Food 

 Research Institute : 700,000 dollars provided by 

 the Carnegie Corporation for its support for ten 

 years. 



Engineering and Industrial Research. — United 

 Engineering Societies' Fund, 500,000 dollars 

 (capital). American Society of Heating and 

 Ventilating Engineers: 21,000 dollars per annum 

 for five years. Du Pont de Nemours Company 

 Fellowships for Research in Chemistry in twenty- 

 one universities : 750 dollars each. 



Science, unrestricted. — Smithsonian Institution, 

 Washington : Founded 1846, present fund 975,000 

 dollars. Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences : 

 Fund for research purposes of the museum, 

 (>oo,ooo dollars. 



Mention may also be made of two foundations 

 having an international character :- — The Ameri- 

 can Field Service Fellowships for research in 

 l^Vench universities : 30,000 dollars per annum ; 

 and the American Scandinavian Foundation, pro- 

 viding twenty travelling fellowships of 1000 

 dollars each. 



The publication of this interesting bulletin pro- 

 ^ okes the question. What similar lists have been 

 published in other countries? Particulars of 

 scholarships, etc., open to graduates are to be 

 found in the "British Empire Universities' Year- 

 book," and it is understood that in the next 

 edition information regarding other funds avail- 

 able for the encouragement of scientific research 

 will be given ; but in the meantime the only pub- 

 lished lists comparable with those given in the 

 bulletin are, it is believed, the lists of " En- 

 couragements et Aides Financiers " included in 

 a recently published work by MM. Tassy and 

 Leris called " Les Ressources du Travail Intel- 

 lectuel en France." The annual value of prizes 

 distributed in France by the national academies 

 and by societies dependent on private initiative 

 is stated to exceed 1,500,000 francs, and an 

 almost equal amount is said to be devoted to sub- 

 ventions to missions, travelling fellowships, and 

 other aids to research. 



Obituary. 



LORD REAY, formerly Governor of Bombay, 

 and an active worker for intellectual interests 

 in many directions, died on August t in his eighty- 

 second year. From a detailed notice in the Times 

 we extract the following particulars of his career : 

 Born on December 22, 1839, Lord Reay was 

 educated at the Gymnasium at The Hague and 

 at the University of Leyden, where he graduated 

 in laws. In 1866 he made a tour through the 



NO. 2701, VOL. 107] 



United States for the purpose of studying the 

 social and political condition of the country at a 

 particularly interesting period of reconstruction. 

 On his return to Holland he was elected president 

 of a Society for the Promotion of Manufactures 

 and Handicrafts, and in that capacity he organ- 

 ised the first industrial exhibition which was ever 

 attempted in Holland. In 1871 he was returned 

 to the Chamber of Representatives of the States- 



