yo 



NA TURE 



[May 19, 1898 



which technical and scientific education is provided. During 

 the year covered by the report, the Board has continued its 

 policy of attempting primarily to coordinate and develop the 

 provision for technical education made by the various public 

 institutions of the metropolis. In the secondary schools the 

 Board's regulations have lead to a great increase in the number 

 of teachers of science and of domestic economy, while facilities 

 for teaching practical chemistry and practical physics have been 

 provided in the majority of boys' schools, some of which possess 

 first-class physical laboratories and workshops. At the same 

 time, the School Board has done much to equip its upper 

 standard schools with laboratories and appliances for the 

 practical teaching of science. To the polytechnics and the 

 established schools of art, and to many secondary schools, the 

 Board has. made annual or maintenance grants. Provision has 

 also been made in two polytechnics for courses of practical work 

 for elementary teachers, and special classes of somewhat similar 

 type have been provided at the cost of the Board in connection 

 with University College, King's College, and Bedford College. 

 Day classes in particular branches of science and technology are, 

 in addition, conducted at some of the polytechnics. The Board 

 contemplates making provision for developing commercial 

 education, and is considering how to advance the interests of 

 electro-chemistry, electro-metallurgy, and other subjects. The 

 " Monotechnic " schools for particular subjects are also engaging 

 its serious attention. When the Board commenced its work in 

 1893, there were only six polytechnics at work in London ; 

 there are now eleven. Last year the Board contributed a sum 

 of 28,129/. to these institutions. During the year a total of 

 117,744/. I2J-. \\d. was expended by the Board, leaving a 

 balance in hand of 41,144/ 145-. The aggregate expenditure 

 and liabilities for the year ended March 31, 1898, may be stated 

 in round figures to be 150,000/., but this amount cannot be 

 precisely estimated until all the claims for attendance grants are 

 received. The Board estimates that during the year 1898-99 

 170,000/. will be required for the Council to meet the increased 

 expenditure (possibly amounting to 184,175/.) necessitated by 

 the development of the work of the Board. 



The Chancellor, Lord Herschell, presided over the annual 

 celebration of the University of London, at the presentation of 

 degrees last week. After congratulating the winners of dis- 

 tinctions he referred to the University of London Bill in the 

 following words : — They were all aware that the Government 

 had introduced a Bill which was to effect a reorganisation of the 

 University, and that Bill had already passed one of the Houses 

 of Parliament. The Government had announced their intention 

 to bring the subject to a discussion and, if possible, to a 

 solution in the House of Commons. On this question there 

 were certain facts which were beyond dispute which it was neces- 

 sary that they should take into account in estimating the situation 

 as it stood to-day. In the first place there was a very strong 

 public opinion — he might say conviction — that the University 

 work of London needed some fresh organisation. There was 

 also, he believed, a preponderating public opinion that those 

 needs should be supplied, not by the creation side by side of the 

 existing University of another University in London, but by the 

 organisation of that existing University. But when they got 

 beyond this they came no doubt into the region of controversy. 

 There was, however, a further preposition about which they 

 might be quite agreed, and that was this. If there was some 

 further University provision to be made in London, and if it 

 was to be accomplished by the reorganisation of the University 

 of London, it would be utterly impossible to frame any scheme 

 or to produce any solution of the question which would satisfy 

 everybody. There were two points on which there seemed to 

 be some misapprehension. He referred first to the position 

 taken by some that the existing charter gave to the graduates a 

 right which would be infringed if any measure were passed 

 dealing with the University or its reorganisation except with their 

 sanction and consent. That view he held to be quite erroneous. 

 It was quite true that in the existing charter a provision was to 

 be found that no new charter could be applied for by the Senate 

 if Convocation vetoed the proceedings. It was, however, to be 

 observed that the right was given by the charter to Convocation 

 and not to the graduates otherwise than by or through Con- 

 vocation. The Senate remained the executive of the University, 

 and it was from the Senate that the petition for a new charter 

 must come. Thus it was merely a domestic provision regulating 

 the rights of the Senate and Convocation as between themselves. 

 But since the charter was granted a most important change had 



NO. 1490, VOL. 58] 



taken place. Parliament was not content that the Government 

 of the day should have power to advise Her Majesty to grant a 

 charter to a new University or a new charter to the old 

 University, and consequently every new charter had to be placed 

 upon the table of Parliament ; and Parliament had a distinct 

 right of intervention with reference to the grant or refusal of a 

 new charter. It was, therefore, a false attitude to .say that the 

 members of that University were in a position to dictate to 

 Parliament what change shouldtake place when it had come to 

 the conclusion that some change was necessary in the public 

 interest. It was Parliament alone which could finally determine 

 such a question. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Royal Society, May 12 — " A Study of the Phyto-Plankton 

 of the Atlantic. " By George Murray, F.R.S., Keeper of 

 Botany, British Museum, and V. H. Blackman, B.A., F.L.S., 

 Hutchinson Student, St. John's College, Cambridge, and As- 

 sistant, Department of Botany, British Museum. 



The authors record their observations on a year's work in col- 

 lecting phyto-plankton along a track from the Channel to 

 Panama carried out by Captains Milner and Rudge, and also 

 during one voyage to Brazil by Captain Tindall. They also 

 give the results of their own observations on living material 

 at sea. The material was obtained by the pumping method. 



One of the objects of their work was to determine, if possible, 

 the nature of the Coccospheres and Rhabdospheres. They de- 

 scribe the minute structure of the calcareous plates or coccoliths 

 and rhabdoliths, and record the existence in the Coccospheres of 

 a single central green chromatophore, separating into two on the 

 division of the cell. They regard Coccosphseraceoe as a group of 

 Unicellular Algae, and they define the group, the limits of the 

 genera and species. The Coccospheres and Rhabdospheres from 

 the surface are compared with those of the deep sea deposits and 

 their identity established. They are also compared with geo- 

 logical coccoliths and rhabdoliths from various beds, and many 

 objects regarded by geologists as true coccoliths and rhabdoliths 

 are rejected, A large number of new Peridiniacere were dis- 

 covered and are formally described and figured. No specific 

 diagnoses of marine Peridiniacese have previously been 

 published, authors of species having depended on figures, and, 

 at most, a few words of description. It is hoped that the pre- 

 sent systematic treatment of the subject will conduce to greater 

 order in the group. The authors record the occurrence of all 

 the forms in seven tabular statements, one for each collecting 

 voyage. 



Observations, of the diatoms and Cyanophyceae are also made, 

 and are briefly treated. 



A study was also made of the species of Pyrocystis, of which 

 they describe a new one. The facts they record tend, in their 

 opinion, to confirm the view originally expressed of it by Dr. 

 John Murray, its describer, that it is an unicellular alga, doubts 

 having been entertained of the accuracy of this opinion by several 

 biologists. 



Zoological Society, May 3.— Prof. Howes, F.R.S., in 

 the chair — Sir Harry Johnston, K.C.B., made remarks on the 

 larger mammals of Tunisia, and selected for special mention the 

 lion, leopard, cheetah, wild cat. Caracal lynx, hyaena, jackal, 

 Fennec and common foxes, genet, ichneumon, porcupine, 

 Barbary wild sheep, Addax antelope, hartebeest, and three 

 gazelles. He mentioned the possibility of the leucoryx pene- 

 trating into Southern Tunisia, and noted the importation into 

 Tunis from Morocco of a baboon {Cynocephalus hamadryas ?), 

 which was brought there by natives of Morocco. He also 

 commented on the representations of the African elephant as a 

 Tunisian animal in the Roman mosaics.— -A communication was 

 read from Prof. Robert CoUett containing descriptions of three 

 species of pigeons and two species of parrots from Northern 

 Australia, of which the following were characterised as new : 

 Petrophassa rtifipemiis, Ptilopus {Leucotreron) alligator, and 

 Psephottis dissivdlis. — A communication was read from Mr. W. 

 T. Blanford, F.R.S., stating his reasons for regarding Leptis 

 oiostolus Hodgs. and L. palhpes Hodgs. as identical, suggesting 

 that the hare identified with L. oiostolus by Biichner was L. 

 hypsileius Blanford, and showing that Macacus rhesus villosus 

 True was identical with M. assamensis McClelland.— A com- 



