iOO 



NATURE 



[November 12, 1914 



quently no attempt is to be made to organise official 

 courses of study, to institute examinations, or to g^rant 

 diplomas. But an endeavour is beinj^ made to com- 

 bine systematic instruction on the lines of the Belgian 

 universities with the requirements of refugee students 

 and the possibilities of an incomplete Belgian teaching 

 staff. The faculties of philosophy and letters, law, 

 and engineering are so far most favourably placed. 

 All students making application are asked to give 

 their name, faculty, and university, and to state 

 whether they require hospitality or can contribute to 

 their maintenance. All applications should be sent to 

 Mr. J. T. Sheppard, King's College, honorary secre- 

 tary of the general committee, or to Mr. E. BuUough, 

 Gonville and Caius College, honorary secretarv of the 

 academic committee. 



The November issue of the BritisJi Review includes 

 an article by Mr. J. G. Vance, on the University of 

 Louvain. The University was founded in 1425, but as 

 it was before the arrival of the invading Germans in 

 Louvain, it had known only eighty years of life, Mr. 

 Vance traces its varying fortunes from its foundation 

 until the beginning of the nineteenth century ; but the 

 most interesting and illuminating part of his essay is 

 his sympathetic account of the part the University has 

 taken in the national life of Belgium in recent times. 

 In 1834 the undergraduates numbered only eightv-six; 

 after twenty-four years of vigorous life, there were 

 fewer than 800; in 1855, about 1700; in 1909, about 

 2300; while within the last year the total has run up 

 to 3000. Yet Belgium, with a total population of 

 some seven millions, has four universities. No subsidy 

 or grant of any kind has ever been received by the 

 University from the State, the province, or the com- 

 mune. The University is maintained entirely by the 

 devotion and sacrifice of Belgian Catholics. "Rich 

 and poor have contributed now for some eightv vears 

 to build up the University, which has been a common 

 charge and a common burden. Every priest holding 

 any position in any of the six Belgian dioceses pars 

 an annual university tax, varying according to his 

 rank and means, from five to a hundred francs. In 

 every Catholic chapel and parish church there are two 

 collections every year on behalf of the university, 

 which is known to every Catholic, whether he be farrn- 

 labourer or barrister, as ' alma mater. ' Lastly, a 

 house-to-house visitation is made once a year bv- the 

 cure of all the parishes, with a view of collecting and 

 encouraging subscriptions for the same purpose." 



A COPY of the calendar for the current session of the 

 University of Sheffield has been received. It gives full 

 particulars of courses of instruction provided in the 

 various faculties in preparation for the degrees and 

 diplomas of the University. In common with our 

 other modern universities, the L'niversity of Sheffield 

 has a flourishing faculty of applied science in which 

 degrees of bachelor, master, and doctor of engineering 

 and metallurgy are conferred under the conditions 

 specified in the calendar. A bachelor of engineering 

 degree in mining has also been instituted. For 

 students who for various reasons do not find it con- 

 venient to graduate, courses for associateships in the 

 faculty of applied science have been arranged. Among 

 numerous other arrangements made to meet the needs 

 of the community served by the Universitv may be 

 mentioned a two years' course of work in the Univer- 

 sity and the Sheffield Training College of Domestic 

 Science. The scientific portion of the work is taken 

 at the University, and the technical studies in cookery, 

 laundry, and housewifery at the training college. The 

 calendar also gives details of a comprehensive scheme 

 of University extension work designed to provide the 

 means of higher education for persons who are 



NO. 2350, VOL. 94I 



engaged in the regular occupations of daily life. Thi 

 University is also able to offer for competition .1 

 generous supply of scholarships, fellowships, exhibi 

 tions, and prizes. The arrangements in the more 

 ordinary faculties comprised in University work ar^ 

 very complete and compare favourably with those of 

 other institutions of higher learning. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



London. 

 Royal Society, November 5.— Sir William Crookes, 

 president, in the chair. — Sir William Crookes 

 Acquired radio-activity. Various objects, diamond, 

 ruby, garnet, quartz, gold, platinum, etc., also the 

 phosphorescent substances yttria, calcium sulphide, 

 zinc blende, and barium platinocyanide, are bombarded 

 in a high vacuum by kathode rays, and in no case 

 can any permanent activity be recognised either by 

 photographic or electrical means. Exposure ti 

 radium emanation confers temporary radio-activity oi 

 all bodies that have been tried, apparently due to th 

 condensation of the emanation on the surface. This 

 transient activity can be completely removed by wash- 

 ing in dilute acids. Many substances become coloured 

 by direct exposure to radium, the colour depending 

 on the substance. Diamond takes a full sage-green 

 tint, the depth of tint depending on the time of expo- 

 sure to the radium. In addition to change of colour, 

 diamond also becomes persistently radio-active, con- 

 tinuously giving off a, h, and 7 rays. The acquired 

 colour and activity withstand the action of powerful 

 chemical agents, and continue for years with appar- 

 ently undiminished activity. Removing the surfact 

 by mechanical means removes both colour and radio- 

 activity. The appearance of an auto-radiograph mad( 

 by placing an active diamond crystal on a sensitivi. 

 photographic plate, and the visual examination of its 

 '"scintillation" luminosity, suggest that there is a 

 special discharge of energy from the corners and 

 points of the crystal. — Hon. R. J. Strutt : Luminous 

 .vapours distilled from the arc, with applications to the 

 study of spectrum series and their origin. II. (i) 

 The conducting properties of a luminous jet of mer- 

 curj^ vapour distilled from the arc in vacuo have been 

 examined. The current depends on the shape and 

 position of the kathode introduced into the jet, and is 

 independent of the position of the anode. In the case 

 where the anode is reached first by the stream of 

 vapour, and a net electrode is used as kathode, all the 

 positive ions may be taken out of the vapour that 

 passes through the kathode. (2) The luminosity of 

 the jet is unaffected by the removal of negative ions 

 at the anode, but is quenched bv removal of positive 

 ions at the kathode. Although the removal of nega- 

 tive ions in the latter case is not complete, it is con- 

 siderable enough to show conclusively that the 

 luminosity is independent of the number of negative 

 ions present. Thus the luminositv is not due to recom- 

 bination of ions. (3) Experimenting with other metals 

 as well as mercury, it is found that the various lines of 

 a spectrum are not, in all cases, equally extinguished 

 when the jet of luminous vapour passes through a 

 negatively electrified net. Thus the lines of the 

 subordinate series of the sodium spectrum apparently 

 all lose intensity in the same ratio ; but the D line of 

 the principal series is much less affected. (4) The 

 jets formed by arsenic and antimony, which show 

 band spectra consisting of large numbers of uniformly 

 spaced bands, are not quenched by passing through a 

 negatively electrified net. The luminous centres 

 appear therefore to be uncharged in these cases. — 

 Prof. J. N. Collie, H. S. Patterson, and I. Masson : The 

 production of neon and helium by the electrical dis- 



