132 



NATURE 



\yune 5, 1879 



NATIONAL WATER-SUPPLY EXHIBITION 



HYDE PARK and Trafalgar Square experiences have 

 very plainly shown that the simplest way to induce 

 a clamorous populace to forget what they fancy they 

 •want, is to let them hold their meetings and pass resolu- 

 tions. It is a matter of such very small exertion to hold 

 up a hand in favour of a resolution compared with taking 

 any personal trouble to see that any steps are taken 

 towards carrying it into effect. Human nature is only in 

 certain phases influenced by a man's occupation, and 

 whether resolutions are passed by "labourers" or by 

 "professional gentlemen," they stand much the same 

 chance of being forgotten after the press has recorded 

 that they have been passed. Last year the Society of 

 Arts in loyal response to the request of its Royal 

 President, held a conference to discuss the water- 

 supply question. After two days' work a resolution 

 was carried urging that a small scientific commission 

 should be appointed to collect information and suggest 

 further inquiries on the subject. Twelve months elapsed 

 and a few days ago another conference was held, when it 

 was made known that the only step taken with regard to 

 that resolution was that just before the Conference it had 

 reached the Lords of the Treasury. Last year the Society 

 directed that a rcsiimi and sort of index should be made 

 of what had been done by Parliamentary inquiries and 

 official reports with regard to water-supplies, and the 

 result was a volume called " Notes on Previous Inquiries," 

 which, though very incomplete, may serve as a basis for 

 a larger and more comprehensive work. The very fact of 

 the imperfections in these notes showed to those more 

 immediately connected with their compilation the need of 

 enlisting wider sympathies if anything of real value was to 

 be printed. A letter in the Times of April 14 of this year 

 mentioned that although the notes had been published for 

 many months, " not a single word " had been sent in 

 response to the request printed on the back of the title- 

 page that suggestions or corrections should be sent to the 

 secretary. The idea was then suggested of founding a 

 permanent free museum for the purpose of keeping before 

 the public mind those subjects, apart from the question 

 of low rates only, which should be considered in arranging 

 water-supplies. It was decided that a temporary exhibi- 

 tion should be first tried as an experiment and after some 

 difficulties in finding it a locale, the management of the 

 Royal Aquarium kindly arranged for the use of the south 

 gallery for the purpose. This exhibition is now open and 

 a handbook is issued. It is marked "under revision," 

 and on the title-page attention is appropriately drawn to 

 the fact that it is '^t first public exhibition of the kind. 



This handbook, we are told, has been drawn up under 

 great disadvantages in many ways. One great difficulty has 

 been that the exhibition has grown beyond what seemed at 



first likely to be its extent, and entries for the handbook 

 have come from time to time, though but slowly. This 

 was, perhaps, to be expected in an exhibition, the first 

 of its kind, which was, therefore, to some extent, an 

 experiment ; and that many should hold aloof till success 

 was assured was but natural. Although this gradual 

 growth is a matter that must be a satisfaction to those 

 interested in spreading a knowledge of what a study of 

 water-supply means, it has entailed much unexpected 

 labour on the part of the management. 



Among those who have helped in the scientific sections 

 are— Col. Beaumont, M.P., Col. Bolton, Baldwin Latham, 

 F.R.S., J. G. Symons, F.R.S., J. E. Gardner, F.S.A., Dr. 

 GranviUe Cole, Prof. Wanklyn, Prof. G. Bischofif, W. 

 Cooper, Joseph Lucas, F.G.S., A. T. Atchison, M.A., 

 C. E. De Ranee, H.M.G.S., F.G.S., J. B. Jordan, F.G.S. 



The comprehensive scope of the exhibition may be 

 gathered from the following list of the sections into 

 which it is divided : — 



Section I. — Rainfall. 



,, II. — Geology and Hydrogeology. 



,, III. — Collection and Storage of Water. 



,, IV. — Suggested Development of Supplies. 



,, V. — Distribution of Water. 



,, VI. — Water Examination. 



,, VII.— Filtering. 



,, VIII. — Hardness. 



,, IX. — Disease. 



,, X. — Antiquarian. 



„ XI.— Pollution. 



„ XII. — Literature. 



„ XIII.-: 



Class I. — Appliances for Cooling Water in Summer. 

 ,, 2. — Waters artificially Aerated. 

 ,, 3. — Miscellaneous. 



A scientific committee has been formed to draw up a 

 report on the exhibition, especially to point out what 

 defects should be remedied in future exhibitions of the 

 kind, and it is announced that next week "demonstra- 

 tions" will be given on the sections embracing scientific 

 apparatus. 



NATURAL SCIENCE DEGREES AT OXFORD 



MANY of our readers have no doubt noticed the 

 scheme which some soi-disant "friends of 

 science" in authority at Oxford have brought forward 

 professedly in the interests of science. One of the prime 

 movers in the new scheme for the creation of B.N.S. and 

 M.N.S. degrees is Canon Liddon, who, insists that for the 

 degree of Arts Greek shall be indispensable, but for the 

 inferior degrees in science maybe dispensed with. Since 

 the meeting of congregation at which the scheme was dis- 

 cussed, there has been much correspondence in the Times 

 on the subject, the letters of most importance being those 

 of Canon Liddon and Prof. Odling. The former in his 

 correspondence professes to have the interests of natural 

 science purely at heart in the creation of the new degree, 

 which, he maintains, would give facilities to a much 

 wider class to obtain the stamp of the University than if 

 Greek were insisted on, as he maintains must be the case 

 with the degree of the university. The opposition of Prof. 

 Odling and those who think with him, is not to the 

 creation of a degree in natural science, but to any course 

 that would degrade it in public estimation. He urges 

 on the university the desirability of framing such statutes 

 in reference to any such degree, as shall assure it a 

 high place in general estimation, and shall more espe- 

 cially obtain for it the approval and sympathy of the 

 cultivators of natural science. He considers it important to' 

 this end that the possession of a degree in natural science 

 shall imply on the part of the student, first, general culti- 

 vation, and second, special knowledge in some branch of 

 science. But according to the proposed innovation, if 



