October 23, 19 19] 



NATURE 



167 



vol. ix., Cobalt, Nickel, and the Elements of the 

 Platinum Group, Dr. J. Newton Friend, and Iron, 

 Dr. J. Newton Friend and J. Bentley; and new 

 editions of "A Treatise on Petroleum," Sir Boverton 

 Redwood, Bart., in 4 vols.; "Electrical Practice in 

 Collieries," Prof. D. Burns; "The Problem of Flight : 

 A Text-book of Aerial Engineering," H. Chatley ; 

 "The Mineralogy of the Rarer Metals," E. Cahen 

 and W. O. Wootton ; " Elementary Agricultural 

 Chemistry," H. Ingle; "Dairy Cheniistry," H. D. 

 Richmond; "Paper Technology," R. W. Sindall ; 

 "Modern Road Construction," F. Wood; "The 

 Phvsico-Chemical Properties of Steel," Dr. C. \. 

 Edwards; "General Foundry Practice," k. McWil- 

 liam and P. Longmuir; "A Medical Handbook." Dr. 

 R. S. -Aitchison ; "Introduction to the Study of Mid- 

 wifery," by Dr. A. Donald, illustrated; "A Manual 

 of Elementary Seamanship," D. Wilson-Barker; and 

 "Elementary Coal-Mining," G. L. Kerr. The new 

 list of the /. S. Lippincott Co. includes "The Harvey 

 Lectures, Delivered under the Auspices of the Harvey 

 Society of New York, 1917-1910"; "Training of a 

 Pharmacist," D. C. O'Connor, illustrated; "Airplane 

 Photography," Major H. E. Ives, illustrated; "Train- 

 ing for the Electric Railway Business," C. B. Fair- 

 child, illustrated; and "Applied Economic Botany," 

 Prof. M. T. Cook, illustrated. They have also a 

 number of volumes in preparation for appearance 

 in the series of " Monographs on Experimental 

 Biology and Geneml Physiology." Mr. John 

 Murray promises " Science and Life : .Aberdeen 

 Addresses," Prof. F. Soddy; "Springtime and Other 

 Essays." Sir Francis Darwin; "The Life of Sir Wil- 

 liam' White, K.C.B., F.R.S.." F. Manning, illus- 

 trated ; "The Shibboleths of Tuberculosis," Dr. M. 

 Pater.son ; "Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to his 

 Children," edited by J. B. Bishop; "Wild Life in 

 Canada," Capt. .'\. Buchanan, illustrated; "Homing 

 with the Birds," Gene Stratton-Porter ; "Strategic 

 Camouflage: The Probing of a German Secret," 

 S. .\. Solomon, illustrated; and a new and enlarged 

 edition of "Microscopy: The Construction, Theory, 

 and Use of the Microscope," E. J. Spitta, illustrated. 

 We notice that Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge's long- 

 expected new book is to be entitled "By Nile and 

 Tigris : A Narrative of Journeys in Egypt and Meso- 

 potamia on Behalf of the British Museum between 

 the Years 1886-1913." It will be in two volumes and 

 illustrated. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



BRiSTOr,. — A new chair of physical chemistry has 

 been established in the University on the endovvment 

 of Lord Lcverhulme. Capt. J. W. McBain, lecturer 

 in physical chemistry in the University since its 

 foundation, has been appointed to the chair. 



Oxford.— We understand that Prof. S. H. Vines 

 is retiring from the Sherardian professorship of botany 

 in the University at the end of the current year. 



SHEFFiF.LD.--On Friday, October 17, the Prime 

 Minister received an honorary degree at the Univer- 

 sity, and took the opportunity of speaking on the 

 place which the uniyersity, especially the modern 

 university, can fill in the general field of education. 

 He spoke with great cordiality on the function in the 

 educational world of the modern universities, illus- 

 trating particularly by the influence which the Uni- 

 versity of Wales has exercised throughout the entire 

 Principality. He congratulated Sheflield on the pro- 

 gress that it had made, and paid a warm tribute of 

 appreciation to the work of Mr. H. A. L. Fisher, 



NO. 2608, VOL. 104] 



both as Vice-Chancellor of the University and 

 as President of the Board of Education. In 

 particular he spoke of the work done by the 

 applied science department during the whole his- 

 tory of the University, and especially in relation 

 to the supply of munitions for the British 

 Army. "The contribution of Sheffield," the Prime 

 Minister said, "was not merely a contribution drawn 

 from the ranks of its students and its staff on the 

 fighting side. It made a real contribution on the side 

 of the provision of materials — an essential part of the 

 winning of the war." At the same time he pointed 

 out that the work of a modern university was not by 

 any means comprised in the service which it rendered 

 to material needs or to local industries, important as 

 these were; it should be, in addition, the intellectual 

 centre of the whole district in which it was situated. 

 "It leads,'" he said, "the population which surrounds 

 it to a higher culture; that is the great task of all 

 these young universities ; and I am glad to know that 

 Sheflield is thoroughly realising the importance of this 

 aspect of its work, as well as the more and imme- 

 diately practical part of the enterprise." 



The Salters' Institute of Industrial Chemistry has 

 awarded grants in aid to thirty young persons occupied 

 in chemical factories in or near London to assist them 

 in improving their knowledge of chemistry. 



The estate left by the late Gen. Horace W. Car- 

 pentier is valued, says Science, at 721,200?. The 

 principal beneficiaries are Columbia Uniyersity and 

 Barnard College, each of which receives 284,000!., 

 and the University of California receives 20,oooZ. 

 From the same source we learn that by the will of 

 the late Mr. Charles W. Lenney, of New York, 

 lo.oool. is left to Boston University. 



The Rev. S. Graham Brade-Birks has been ap- 

 pointed lecturer in zoology at the South-Eastern Agri- 

 cultural College, Wye. Mr. Brade-Birks is an honours 

 graduate of the Victoria University of Manchester, and 

 since his ordination in 1914 has spent much of his 

 leisure researching with his wife (Dr. Brade-Birks) on 

 the English millipedes and centipedes. Last session 

 (1918-19) he acted as demonstrator in the zoological 

 laboratories at the University of Manchester. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



P.'VRIS. 



Academy of Sciences, September 22.- — M. L6on 

 Guignard in the chair. — -The president announced the 

 death of Gustaf Retzius, correspondant for the section 

 of anatomy and zoology. — N. E. Norlund : The poly- 

 nomials of Bernoulli. — L. B. Robinson : A symmetrical 

 system of polynomials. — J. Chajy : Solutions of the 

 problem of three bodies where the three bodies form 

 an isosceles triangle. — G. Sagnac : The aether and 

 absolute mechanics of waves. — L. Bruninghaiis : The 

 conditions of production of fluorescence. — J. Guyot and 

 L. J. Simon : The action of hydrates, oxides, and 

 carbonates of the alkaline earths on dimethyl sulphate. 

 Quicklime and caustic baryta are almost without action 

 upon methyl sulphate ; baryta-water and lime-water give 

 barium and calcium methyl sulphates in theoretical 

 quantities. Crystallised barium hydrate or slaked lime 

 with methyl sulphate gives methyl ether and the sul- 

 phate of the metal. — M. Delpech : Flameless powders. 

 .An account of experiments on the effect of adding 

 charcoal, vaseline, and other substances to propellant 

 explosive from the point of view of producing a flame- 

 less explosion at the gun. Vaseline and heavy 

 petroleum oil proved to be the most effective, provided 



