568 



NATURE 



[July i, 1920 



in which the bond of union would be the science 

 rather than its application. On the other hand, in 

 addition to agricultural chemists attached to the Pro- 

 vincial Departments, this Conference is definitely of 

 opinion that a strong central body of chemists should 

 be maintained by the Imperial Department of Agri- 

 culture from whom Provincial Departments could 

 draw for the investigation of special problems." 



The main objection taken was, it will be observed, 

 based on the idea that men would usually be trans- 

 ferred after five-year periods. We have explained 

 already that such idea forms no part "of the system 

 which we contemplate. It is also significant that the 

 same resolution declared the necessity of a strong 

 central body of chemists for the Department of Agri- 

 culture; and, it may be added, the same meeting 

 pointed out the desirability of equipping the agricul- 

 tural research organisation to deal with certain indus- 

 trial problems arising out of agricultural research. 

 The sum of these conclusions seems to point to the 

 desirability of supplying some agency which can cor- 

 relate chemical research with agricultural and indus- 

 trial problems, and of avoiding the needless expense 

 of creating separate research nuclei for dealing with 

 each separate class of chemical problems. 



A conference of chemists was convened in Lahore 

 in January, 1918, by the Indian Munitions Board. 

 It included not only Government officers, but also 

 chemists attached to missionary colleges and em- 

 ploved under private firms. The conference passed 

 no formal resolution, but strongly supported the pro- 

 posed system of scientific services. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



C.'iMBRiDGE. — As Stated in our issue of June 24 

 (p. 537), a donation of loooL has been received for the 

 provision of lectures on tropical agriculture for five 

 years. Dr. C. A. Barber has been appointed as 

 lecturer in tropical agriculture. 



Dr. F. W. Aston has been elected to a fellowship in 

 Trinity College. 



In presenting Sir Joseph Thomson and Sir Joseph 

 Larmor for honorary degrees at Cambridge recently, 

 the Public Orator spoke as follows : " Democritus, 

 philosophus ille antiquus, ut mundum explicaret, 

 atomos finxit, solida rerum primordia, non partium 

 conventu conciliata, 



' sed magis aeterna poUentia simplicitate.' 

 Sed, ut discipulus illius ait, difficile est credere in rebus 

 esse quidquam solido corpore, quod demonstravit Pro- 

 fessor noster. Atomum enim ipsum ingressus, partes 

 discrevit, ordinavit, legibus subjecit. Immo ut Graecus 

 ex iitomo Koaixov eduxit, Anglus in atomum Koa-fxov 

 introduxit. Et multa quidem ejusmodi investigavit, 

 quae dicere non concedit Latini sermonis egestas ; hoc 

 saltem concedit exponere, quanta universorum laetitia 

 collegio suo Magistrum a Rege impositum nuper 

 viderimus." And: "Adest alter e burgensibus 

 nostris, idem rei physicae Professor, Isaaci Newton 

 et Georgii Gabrielis Stokes non indignus successor, 

 Societatis Regiae olim a secretis, qui scientias 

 innumeras provinciam sibi depoposcit et illustravit. 

 Ut carmen quoddam cenaticum discipulorum com- 

 memoremus 



' aethera materiemque electraque cogitat ille 

 somnia quae possint mentes confringere nostras.' 

 Sed quem mundus ut virum sollertem ingeniosum 

 sapientern miratur, ilium collegium suum amicum 

 diligit, providum modestum fidelem. Quem si 

 amplissimis honoribus hodie extollit Academia nostra, 

 hoc multae et apud nos et apud exteros facere 

 occupaverunt. " 



• NO. 2644, VOL. 105] 



Edinburgh.— Her Majesty the Queen has consented 

 to accept the honorary degree of LL.D. on the occa- 

 sion of the impending laying of the foundation-stone 

 of the new chemistry department. 



Glasgow.— The degree of D.Sc. was conferred on 

 June 23 on the following :— P. A. Hillhouse, for his 

 thesis "Ship Stability and Trim," with other papers, 

 and D. B. Meek, for his thesis "Cyclonic Storms in 

 the Bay of Bengal for a period of thirty years, from 

 1886 to 1915 inclusive, with special reference to their 

 Location and Direction of Motion," with other papers. 

 On the same occasion the following special class 

 prizes were awarded : — Mathematics (Advanced 

 Honours Class) : The Cunninghame gold medal to 

 J. M'Kinnell. Natural Philosophy (Ordinary Class) : 

 The Cleland gold medal to D. H. Findlay. Political 

 Economy : The Alexander Smart memorial prize to 

 Stewart Mechie. Moral Philosophv (Honours Class) : 

 The Edward Caird medal to I. W. Phillips. 



On June 24 the degree of LL.D. was conferred on 

 Dr. J. Maclntyre and Sir Robert W. Philip. 



London.— At a meeting of the Senate on June 23 

 Dr. S. Russell Wells was re-elected Vice-Chancellor 

 for the year 1920-21. 



Communications were received from the University 

 College Committee and from the Dean of the Uni- 

 versity College Hospital Medical School, setting forth 

 respectively the terms of the recently published offers 

 made by the Rockefeller Foundation to present (a) to 

 the University, on behalf of University* College, the 

 sum of 37o,oooL, and [h) to University College Hos- 

 pital Medical School the sum of 835,000/., for the 

 advancement of medical education and research. 

 Resolutions were adopted expressing the Senate's 

 grateful appreciation of the magnificent generosity 

 shown by the Trustees of the Foundation to the Uni'- 

 versity and to the Medical School of University Col- 

 lege Hospital, and accepting the offej- made for the 

 benefit of University College. 



^ Mr. A. E. Jolliffe, tutor in mathematics at Corpus 

 Christi College, Oxford, was appointed to the 

 University chair of mathematics tenable at the Royal 

 Holloway College; Dr. B. J. Collingwood (professor 

 of physiology at University College, Dublin) to the 

 Universitv chair of phvsiofogv tenable at St. Mary's 

 Hospital Medical School; Prof. L. R. Dicksee to the 

 Sir Ernest Cassel chair of accountancy and business 

 methods tenable at the London School of Economics 

 and Political Science; Mr. H. C. Gutteridge to the 

 Sir' Ernest Cassel chair of commercial and industrial 

 law tenable at the London School of Economics and 

 Political Science; Mr. T. E. G. Gregory to the Sir 

 Ernest Cassel readership in commerce, with special 

 reference to foreign trade, tenable at the London 

 School of Economics and Political Science ; Mr. D. 

 Knoop to the Sir Ernest Cassel readership in com- 

 merce, with special reference to the organisation of 

 industry and trade in the United Kingdom, . tenable 

 at the London School of Economics and Political 

 Science; Mr. H. Dalton to the Sir Ernest Cassel 

 readership in commerce, with special reference to 

 tariffs and taxation, tenable at the London School of 

 Economics and Political Science; Mr. LI. Rodwell 

 Jones to the University lectureship In commerce, w^th 

 special reference to commercial geography, tenable at 

 the London School of Economics and Political Science; 

 Mr. J. D. Smith to the University lectureship In com- 

 merce, with special reference to business organisation, 

 tenable at the London School of Economics and 

 Political Science; and Mr. T. A. Joynt to the Univer- 

 sity lectureship In commerce, with special reference to 

 transport and shipping, tenable at the London School 

 of Economics an-d Political Science. ": 



Grants from the Dixon Fund for 1920-21 were ;' 



