Sept. I, 1887] 



NA TURE 



415 



natural history collections, though owing to want of 

 space it has been impossible up to the present time to 

 arrange or utilize them in a proper manner. The nucleus 

 is formed by the collections previously in the possession 

 of the Manchester Natural History and Geological 

 Societies, which were transferred to the College in 

 1867 and 1869 respectively : to these, very valuable 

 additions have since been made by gift, bequest, or 

 purchase. The general Geological collection is a very 

 good one ; the Tertiary collections, including those made 

 by Prof Boyd Dawkins and by Mr. Waters, being of 

 •exceptional importance, and the Coal Measure series 

 being one of the best in existence. In Mineralogy the 

 David Forbes Collection, which was purchased by the 

 College in 1877, is well known. In Zoology there is a good 

 osteological series ; and the collections of shells, including 

 those presented by Mr. Cholmondeley and by Mr. Walton, 

 and of insects are unusually complete, and in exceed- 

 ingly good condition. The Botanical Museum contains 

 a very fine British herbarium, and Prof Williamson's 

 unique collections illustrating the Carboniferous flora. 

 The Museum will thus start very fairly equipped, and it 

 may reasonably be hoped that the stimulus caused by the 

 opening of the new buildings will lead to additional gifts 

 and bequests, which will speedily render the collection 

 one worthy in all respects of the College and of the city 

 which has created it. 



In the Laboratory block, which occupies the north side 

 of the quadrangle, between the older buildings and the 

 Museum, and is shown in the right-hand corner of the 

 illustration, the ground floor contains on the inner side 

 two lecture-theatres, seating 200 and 80 respectively, with 

 convenient preparation and diagram rooms. On the 

 other side, facing the street, are the mineralogical and 

 petrological laboratories, geological laboratories, 'geologi- 

 cal drawing room, a laboratory for applied geology, and 

 private rooms for the professors and lecturers. 



The Botanical Department is on the second floor, and 

 comprises a large laboratory 42 feet by 28 feet, private 

 rooms for the professor and for the demonstrator, and a 

 dark room for physiological experiments. Provision is 

 also made for a greenhouse 20 feet square, in direct 

 connexion with the Laboratory. 



The Zoological Laboratories occupy the third and part 

 of the second floor. 



The Junior and vSenior Laboratories, which are in free 

 communication with each other, measure 42 feet by 37 feet 

 and 42 feet by 16 feet respectively ; they are 29 feet high, 

 and are extremely well lighted and equipped. In the 

 Junior Laboratory the tables run north and south ; each 

 student has his own locker and drawer at his side, and 

 gas- and water-supply in front of him ; larger sinks 

 with hot-water spirals are in the corners of the rooms ; 

 a large demonstration-table, with drawers and cupboards 

 beneath, occupies the centre of the room ; and a lecture- 

 table and black-board are placed against the north wall. 

 In the Senior Laboratory the tables face north. A gal- 

 lery runs along the east and west walls of the labora- 

 tories, but has not yet been fitted up. 



Besides these laboratories there are a Zoological Re- 

 search Laboratory 42 feet by 16 feet ; private rooms for 

 the professor and for the demonstrators ; a very con- 

 venient tank-room ; and large storage space. 



The building has concrete floors throughout ; the heat- 

 ing is by hot water, and there is a very efficient system 

 of ventilation. At each floor there is free communication 

 between the Laboratory and Museum blocks, and the lift 

 is placed midway between these two. 



The Zoological and Botanical Laboratories have been 

 in use since Christmas ; the Museum will not be fitted up 

 till October. An excellent opportunity for seeing the 

 buildings is afforded by the meeting of the British Asso- 

 ciation. The ground-floor museum is being used for 

 the reception-room and post-office, and the upper museum 



for reading- and writing-room, ladies' room, smoking- 

 room, &c. ; while the quadrangle is occupied by temporary 

 luncheon-rooms and lavatories. The Section Rooms are 

 partly in the College and partly in its immediate neigh- 

 iDourhood. 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIA TION. 



M.^NCHESTER, Tuesday Evening. 



UP to the present the third Manchester meeting of the 

 British Association promises to be as successful as 

 everyone expected it would be. Probably no Local Com- 

 mittee has ever made more strenuous exertions to com- 

 mand success than that which for many months past has 

 been busying itself with preparations for the present 

 meeting. It would be difficult to suggest any improve- 

 ments on the local preparations. The Reception Room 

 in Owens College is spacious and is entirely confined to 

 business. The Reading Rooms, Ladies' Rooms, Smoking 

 Rooms, and Exhibition Galleries are all upstairs away 

 from the crowd and noise. The Luncheon Rooms can 

 accommodate hundreds, and the Sectional Rooms have 

 had the special care of the Committee, several of whom 

 know well the practical requirements of Sectional work. 

 It is perhaps unfortunate that the rooms for D, E, F, and 

 G are a long way from the Reception Room ; but that 

 has been unavoidable. The exhibition in the galleries of 

 the Reading and Writing Room is of special interest. 

 The anthropological collections contributed by Dr. 

 Fritsch, Mr. Coutts Trotter, and others, are extensive 

 and varied and highly instructive. Besides these there 

 are collections of physical instruments by Sir William 

 Thomson and Mr. W. H. Gee, and a fine series of 

 models and apparatus for teaching practical physics in 

 schools and colleges, exhibited by the Owens College 

 Physical Department. In Section C, Prof Boyd Dawkins 

 exhibits several museum appliances, and Mr. J. H. Teall 

 a series of specimens illustrating his paper on "The 

 Origin of Certain Banded Gneisses." Other exhibits come 

 under Sections D, G, and H, and the whole collection is 

 likely to attract many visitors. 



It is not expected that in numbers the present meeting 

 will exceed the Newcastle meeting of 1863, when 3335 

 persons were present, or even the last meeting in this 

 city in 1861, when the number reached 3138. But of 

 course at present it is impossible to say. Some weeks 

 ago the number who had taken tickets exceeded 2000, 

 and to-day and to-morrow it is probable that at least 

 another 1000 will be added. Whatever may be the number, 

 it is certain that few past meetings of the Association 

 will have surpassed the present in quality and weight. 

 The marked feature is the number of foreign men of 

 science who have promised to attend. The names of most 

 of them have already appeared inN.^TURE. Their presence 

 is entirely due to the exertions of the Local Committee, 

 and especially, we believe, of Dr. Schuster. Nearly 

 every man of any eminence in science abroad had a 

 cordial letter of invitation to come to Manchester as a 

 guest of the Local Committee, and the result is that over 

 100 have accepted. Among those who have arrived in 

 Manchester to day are Prof. Riley, of Washington ; Prof. 

 Rowlands, of Baltimore; Prof. Langley, of Michigan; 

 Prof. Dewalque, from Belgium ; and Prof. Fittica, of 

 Marburg. Among others who are expected to-morrow I 

 need only mention such names as those of Cleveland 

 Abbe, Neumayer, A. C. Young, Asa Gray, Mendeldefif, 

 Pringsheim, G. Wiedemann, Wislicenus, F. Zirkel, De 

 Bary, Cohn, His, and the two Saportas. 



Several important discussions have been arranged for. 

 One between Sections C and D on the arrangement of 

 natural history museums, will be led off by Dr. Wood- 

 ward on Friday morning. There will be then other dis- 

 cussions in Section D on questions of the greatest 

 scientific interest, while electrolysis will come up again, 



