304 



NATURli 



[May 6, 1920 



Institute of Physics has been founded for this pur- 

 pose by the co-operation in flic first instance of the 

 Faraday Society, the Optical Society, and the Physical 

 Society of London ; and the first board is constituted 

 from representatives appointed by the councils of these 

 societies. It is hoped that in the course of time other 

 societies will associate themselves with the institute. 

 There will be three classes of members : Ordinary 

 members, associates (A. Inst. P.), and fellows 

 (F.Inst. P.). Only the two latter classes, membership 

 of which will require full professional qualifications, 

 will be corporate members. The institute has already 

 received promises of support from leading physicists, 

 and the initial expenses are covered by a guarantee 

 fund amouhting to more than i2oo2. The first presi- 

 dent of the institute is Sir Richard Glazebrook, Sir 

 Robert Hadfield is treasurer, and Prof. A. W. Porter 

 honorary secretary. The other members of the board 

 are :— Dr. H. S. Allen, Inst. -Commander T. Y. Baker, 

 R.N., Prof. F. J. Cheshire, Dr. R. S. Clay, Mr. 

 W. R. Cooper, Prof. W. H. Eccles, Major E. O. 

 Henrici, Dr. C. H. Lees, Mr. C. C. Paterson, Major 

 C. E. S. Phillips, Dr. E. H. Rayner, Mr. T. Smith, 

 and Mr. R. S. Whipple. Mr. F. S. Spiers has been 

 appointed secretary to the institute, and further par- 

 ticulars and forms of application for membership may 

 be obtained from him at lo Essejf Street, Strand, 



W.C.2. 



During the last ten years important research work 

 on the corrosion of metals, and particularly on con- 

 denser tubes, has been carried on by the Corrosion 

 Research Committee, which was founded under the 

 auspices of the Institute of Metals. Very considerable 

 progress in the study of this difficult subject has been 

 made by the investigators acting under the direction 

 of the committee, and the five reports which have been 

 issued contain most valuable information, both as to 

 the factors which influence corrosion and as to the 

 methods of preventing corrosion, especially in the case 

 of marine condenser tubes. The financial support of 

 the investigations has been provided partly by the 

 Institute of Metals and partly by the makers of tubes 

 and of condensers. More recently a grant has been 

 received from the Department of Scientific and Indus- 

 trial Research. The cost of the investigations is, how- 

 ever, considerable, and the committee now makes an 

 appeal for further funds from the users of tubes and 

 condensers, who are equally interested in the question 

 with the manufacturers. The continuance of a 

 Government grant is continge/it on a sufficient sum 

 being provided by persons interested in the research. 

 The persons affected by the work include shipbuilders 

 and shipowners and also the insurers of ships, and it 

 is hoped that a sum of something like loooL per 

 annum can be raised from this source. Particulars of 

 the work may be obtained from the secretary of the 

 Institute of Metals, 36 Victoria Street, Westminster, 

 London. 



At the annual general meeting of the Institution 



of Civil Engineers held on Tuesday, April 27, the 



result of the ballot for the election of officers for the 



year 1920-21 was declared as follows :—Prestdenf : 



NO. 2636, VOL. 105] 



Mr. J. A. Brodie. Vice-Presidents: Mr. W. B. 

 Worthington, Dr. W. H. Maw, Mr. C. L. Morgan, 

 and Mr. Basil Mott. Other Members of Council: 

 Mr. E. A. S. Bell, Dr. C. C. Carpenter, Col, R. E. B. 

 Crompton, Mr. M. Deacon, Sir Archibald Dennv, 

 Bart., Sir William H. Ellis, Mr. A. Gordon, Mr. 

 W. W. Grierson, Sir Robert A., Hadfield, Bart., Sir 

 Brodie H. Henderson, Mr. E. P. Hill, Mr. G. W. 

 Humphreys, Mr. Summers Hunter, Mr. H. G. 

 Keliey, Mr. C. R. S. Kirkpatrick, Mr. J. March- 

 banks, Mr. H. H. G. Mitchell, Sir Henry J. Oram, 

 Mr. F. Palmer, Capt. H. Riall Sankey, Sir John 

 F. C. Snell, Mr. W. A. P. Tait, Mr. A.M. Tippett, 

 Mr. E. F. C. Trench, Prof. W. H. Warren, and Sir 

 Alfred F. Yarrow, Bart. This council will take office 

 on the first Tuesday in November next. 



The annual meeting of the members of the Roval 

 Institution was held on May i. Sir James Crichton 

 Browne, treasurer and vice-president, in the chair. 

 The annual report of the Committees of Visitors for 

 the year 1919, testifying to the continued prosperity 

 and efficient management of the institution, was read 

 and adopted, and the report of the Davy Faraday 

 Research Laboratory Committee was also read. 

 Sixty-four new members were elected during the year, 

 and sixty-two lectures and nineteen evening dis- 

 courses were delivered. The following 'gentlemen 

 were unanimously elected as officers for the ensuing 

 year: — President: The Duke of Northumberland. 

 Treasurer : Sir James Crichton Browne. Secretary : 

 Col. E. H. Hills. Managers: Dr. Horace T. Brown, 

 Mr. J. H. Balfour Browne, Mr. J. Y. Buchanan, 

 Mr. Burdett-Coutts, Sir James J. Dobbie, Dr. J. 

 Dundas Grant, Dr. Donald W. C. Hood, the Right 

 Hon. Earl Iveagh, Mr. H. R. Kemps, Sir Ernest 

 Moon, the Hon. Sir Charles Parsons, Sir James Reid, 

 Bart., Sir Ernest Rutherford, the Right Hon. C. 

 Scott-Dickson, and Sir Henry Wood. Visitors : Sir 

 Hugh Bell, Bart., Sir William H. Bennett, Mr. 

 W. R. Bousfield, Mr. J. G. Bristow, Dr. Frank 

 Clowes, Mr. Montague Ellis, Mr. W. E. Lawson 

 Johnston, Mr. J. R. Leeson, Mr, T. B. Lightfoot, 

 Mr. F. K. McClean, Mr. W. S. Norman, Mr. H. M. 

 Ross, Mr. J. Shaw, Mr. T. H. Sowerby, and Sir 

 Almroth Wright. 



At the anniversary dinner of the Royal Academy of 

 Arts, held on May i, the president. Sir Aston Webb, 

 in proposing the toast of "Science," remarked that to 

 science and scientific research in medicine and surgery 

 they were indebted for the marvellous record of free- 

 dom from disease and saving of life which was 

 one of the most wonderful and gratifying chapters in 

 the war. To the physicist and engineer were due 

 much of the work done in connection with aircraft, 

 tanks, submarines, and guns, the wonderful work 

 done in sound-ranging for submarines, the location of 

 aircraft and guns by sound ; but it was impossible to 

 give any list of all that was done, and still less the 

 names of the men of science who thus helped their 

 country in its time of urgent need. The president 

 coupled the toast with the name of Sir Joseph Thom- 

 son, who, in replying, said that the qualities of mind 



