1 86 



NATURE 



[June 23, li 



oxygen {Annals of Botany, vol. x. p. 288), and I have since 

 ascertained in several ways that the plant is nearly as greedy for 

 oxygen as are many seedlings. A branch of Chara placed in 

 the methylene blue and put in the dark, will decolorise the 

 surrounding liquid in a few. hours; but if the tube containing 

 it be exposed to the action of bright daylight the colour soon 

 returns when the plant is alive, owing to the evolution of oxygen 

 conseqiient on its splitting up the carbon dioxide which has 

 been evolved by it, and which has been accumulating in the 

 water, during the plant's stay in darkness. (Of course it is hardly 

 necessary to state that the carbon dioxide is not itself the cause 

 of the loss of colour in the liquid.) The experiment can be 

 repeated several times with the same Chara plant, and we have 

 succeeded in keeping it alive (as proved by the continuance of 

 the protoplasmic movement) for four days. Naturally if the 

 experiment is performed in continuous daylight no decoloration 

 is effected. 



Many other plants fail to give such quick results ; thus Elodea 

 requires about two days in darkness to obtain the reaction. All 

 the plants experimented on give a result much more quickly if 

 they have previously been starved of oxygen. And this indicates 

 that under these conditions, as also under those of the ex- 

 periments above described, the oxygen is not directly utilised 

 either by the protoplasm, or some of the normal combustible 

 bodies present in the cell, but by some dissociation product 

 formed during the metabolic activity of the protoplasm. 

 Of course decoloration of the blue does not occur when the 

 plants are exposed to the action of free oxygen ; this element 

 can then be obtained more cheaply than by reducing the aniline 

 dye. But this is not the place in which to discuss the meaning 

 of the reaction or the nature of the substance which primarily 

 reduces the methylene blue. The facts have been arrived at 

 during an investigation, which is still proceeding, into the 

 respiratory processes of plants. The method here detailed is, 

 however, so simple, and seems likely to prove useful to teachers 

 and others as a demonstration-experiment, that it appeared worth 

 while to make it generally known. J. B. P'armer- 



UN I VERS IT Y AND ED UCA TIONA L 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford. — In connection with the extracts printed last week 

 (p. 165) from the reports of the delegates of the University 

 Museum, referring to the want of accommodation and equip- 

 ment for research in certain branches of science, it may be worth 

 while directing attention to the leading article in Literature of 

 June II, regretting that little original work is being done in the 

 domain of letters. The opinion is expressed that the Royal 

 Commission which sat on the Universities rather more than 

 twenty years ago, "made Oxford and Cambridge much more 

 effective places for teaching and examining than they had been 

 before, while at the same time it helped to ruin them as places 

 for study." The leader concludes with the words : — " English- 

 men are by nature somewhat too much inclined to look for an 

 immediate advantage ; to bring all things to a common-sense, 

 even a commercial, test ; to distrust theory ; to despise action 

 for an abstract end. One of the functions of a University is to 

 keep alive a higher faith by giving an example of thorough and 

 devoted work done without a commercial object. Our Uni- 

 versities, as they are at present managed, do no such thing." 



The research degree of Bachelor of Science was conferred 

 upon Mr. A. E. Tutton in Congregation on June 16. Mr. 

 Tutton is the first recipient of a degree for research in natural 

 science or natural philosophy, the only other research degree 

 yet conferred being for mathematical work. In order to qualify 

 for the degree eight terms must be kept, and one or more 

 original theses presented. Mr. Tutton presented two theses — 

 one his paper on the crystallography of the selenates of 

 potassium, rubidium and caesium, and the other on the new 

 interference dilatometer exhibited by him at the recent con- 

 versazioni of the Royal Society. The B.Sc. research degree 

 ranks with the B.C.L. immediately after the M.A. degree, and 

 before the B.A. degree. It is hoped that, by requiring a high 

 standard of qualification for the new degree, research will be 

 encouraged, and the scientific work of the University will be 

 increased in value and amount. 



Cambridge. — Among the ten recipients of honorary degrees 

 on June 15 were the Italian Ambassador (General Ferrero) and 



Mr. F. C. Penrose. General Ferrero early distinguished himself 



in mathematics, and, after an active military career, he became 

 connected with the military and geographical Institute of 

 Florence, editing all its publications from 1873 to 1893, and 

 being at its head from 1885 to 1894. He organised the general 

 topographical and cadastral survey of Italy, which led to the 

 publication of important maps of the country, in the prepara- 

 tion of which valuable aid was derived from photography. In 

 1883 General Ferrero was made a Member of the Accademia 

 dei Lincei, and in 1892 a Senator of Italy. Since 1874 he has 

 taken an important part in the International Commission for 

 the measurement of the earth's surface, and in this respect 

 (amongst others) he has a European reputation. 



Mr. Penrose has not only made valuable contributions to 

 archeology, but also to astronomy, and his papers on the 

 orientation of Greek temples exhibit the rare combination of 

 archreological and astronomical knowledge. 



The following are the speeches delivered by the Public Orator, 

 Dr. Sandys, in presenting General Ferrero and Mr. Penrose for 

 the honorary degree of LL.D. and Litt.D. respectively: — 



Olim in hoc ipso loco Italiae legatum belli et pacis artibus 

 illustrem salutavimus ; hodie eiusdem adiutorem atque adeo 

 successorem insignem non minus libenter salutamus. In 

 Academia Taurinensi scientia mathematica excultus, et rei 

 militaris et geographiae studiis deditus, Italiae toti accurate 

 dimetiendae et describendae summa cum laude est praepositus. 

 Huic imprimis debemus regionum Italiae tabulas depictas, 

 partim lucis ipsius auxilio in lucem emissas ; hunc non 

 modo Linceorum Academia Romana sociis suis, sed etiam Italia 

 tota senatoribus suis merito adscripsit ; huius fama ultra patriae 

 fines a se ipso tam diligenter descriptos etiam in alias Europae 

 partes latissime diffusa est. Asiae regiones pulcherrimae 

 (Vergilio si credimus) Italiae cum laudibus certare nequeunt ; 

 Europae gentes maximae Italiae legatum insignem certatim 

 laudant. Belli certe et pacis artes feliciter consociatae sunt 

 Italiae in legato illustri, Annibale Ferrero. 



Hodie reducem salutamus alumnum nostrum qui abhinc annos 

 fere septem et quinquaginta Thamesis inter undas e certamine 

 nautico cum Oxoniensibus commisso semel tantum victus, plus 

 quam semel victor evasit. Olim Academiae nomine in Italiam et 

 Graeciam missus, de Atheniensium templis opus egregium 

 edidit, in quo Parthenonis et columnas et epistylium columnis 

 impositum lineis non rectis sed leviter curvatis contineri primus 

 omnium ostendit, et ordinis Dorici maiestatem artificio tatn 

 minuto adiuvari demonstravit. Idem nuper de templis Graecis 

 ad Stellas quasdam orientes conversis ingeniose disputavit. 

 lUud vero felicitatis conspicuae documentum Nestori nostro 

 contigit, quod et Athenis et Londinii architecturae studiis diu 

 deditus, non modo Sancti Pauli ecclesiae cathedralis in culmine 

 sed etiam lovis Olympii columnarum in fastigio solus omnium 

 mortalium constitit. Viro ad tantam altitudinem evecto non 

 sine reverentia quadam in hoc templo honoris lauream nostram 

 laeti decernimus. 



Duco ad vos Collegii Magdalenae socium, Britannorum 

 Scholae Archaeologicae Atheniensi et Regio Architectorum 

 Instituto nuper praepositum, Franciscum Cranmer Penrose. 



The vote of 8,520,175/., for public elementary education in 

 England and Wales, was passed by the Committee of Supply of 

 the House of Commons on Friday. To this sum of money, con- 

 tributed towards elementary education by the Imperial Govern- 

 ment, must be added the sums derived from voluntary subscrip- 

 tions and the rates. Last year the former amounted to 

 845,000/., and the latter to 2,325,801/. There is no reason to 

 believe that in the coming year these sums will substantially 

 decrease ; therefore it may be assumed that in the coming 

 financial year a total sum of no less than 11,690,762/. will be 

 spent by England and Wales upon elementary education. 



The annual Commencement at Columbia University on 

 June 8 was noteworthy as the first to be held in the new and 

 permanent home of the University on Morningside Heights. 

 The number of degrees conferred was greater than on any 

 previous occasion, amounting to 485 in cause, and four 

 honorary. An unusual feature was the presentation of the 

 Loubat prizes for the best works on the history, geography, 

 archeology, ethnology or numismatics of North America. 

 These prizes, amounting to 1000 dollars for the first and 400 

 dollars for the second, are to be awarded every five years, be- 

 ginning with the present year ; and are not to be less than the 

 amounts named, but may hereafter exceed those amounts. The 

 first prize was awarded to William Henry Holmes, for his book 



NO. 1495, VOL.. 58] 



