May 13. 1897J 



NATURE 



41 



previous deductions as to the nature of the laws of these motions, 

 without furnishing material improvement of the numerical 

 elements. But sufficient material has thus been gradually 

 accumulating to make the present communication of some 

 interest. 



The new material to be here utilised consists of the various 

 series of observations by Tallcott's method up to the middle of 

 1896, as far as published, at the following European stations, 

 named in the order of longitude : Kasan, ^'icnna, Prague, 

 Berlin, Potsdam, Karlsruhe, and Strasburg. ^-imerica has 

 Doolittle's series at Bethlehem, which was brought to an 

 end in the summer of 1895. He is now carrying forward a 

 new series at Philadelphia, of which the results may soon 

 be expected. Of the series at Columbia University, by Rees, 

 Jacoby and Davis, begun in the spring of 1893 and still current, 

 the results for the first fourteen months came into the author's 

 hands a few days ago, so Jhat he was able to incorporate them 

 in his investigations. 



The curves of latitude-variation from these various series were 

 then exhibited, and comparisons made with the known numerical 

 theory. This shows a concordarice and fidelity of representation 

 which is in every way satisfactory, the difference between com- 

 putation and observation being practically within the range of 

 the uncertainty of errors of observation. 



A determination of the elements of the ellipse of the annual 

 component of the polar motion was then presented, made from 

 the new observations independently of the older ones previously 

 used. The resulting elements are practically identical as to 

 form, size, and position. This seems to show that the axis of 

 this elongated vibratory motion is stationary on the earth's 

 surface along a meridian forty-five degrees east of Greenwich. 

 This negative evidence as to any apsidal motion seems to be of 

 extreme importance in its bearing on the theory of the earth's 

 rotation. 



A demonstration was then presented of the fact that since 

 1890 the circular 428-day motion has been diminishing its radius, 

 in conformity to the requirements of the numerical theory derived 

 from the observations from 1825 to 1890. 



In addition to the above, a discussion of 718 observations of 

 the Pole-star, made with the Pulkova vertical circle between 

 1882 and 1891, was given. This series is especially interesting 

 and important in that it covers an interval during which we have 

 very little other information, of an extended character, as to the 

 variations of latitude. A comparison of the curves of observation 

 and theory, thus provided for this decade, exhibited the most 

 startling accordance, and seems to leave no possible doubt that 

 Nyren's inference, that his observations do not betray evidence 

 of the existence of the annual component of the polar motion, is 

 erroneous and attributable to illogical methods in drawing his 

 conclusions. 



TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN LONDON. 

 TTHE work of the Technical Education Board of the London 

 County Council has been favourably commented upon in 

 these columns on many occasions. The Board includes among 

 its members several well-known educationists ; and in its Secre- 

 tary, Dr. W. Garnett, it possesses an official whose knowledge 

 of science makes him capable of taking a wide view of things, 

 and of seeing the best and most practicable lines of development 

 of technical education. The fourth annual report of the Board, 

 presented to the Council on Tuesday, is a substantial testimony 

 of work accomplished during the year ending with March. 

 To do the report justice would take many columns of Nature, 

 but brief references to a few of the operations of the Board will, 

 l^erhaps, suffice to give an idea of the valuable and extensive 

 character of the work carried on. 



The Board has continued its policy of attempting primarily 

 to coordinate and develop the provision for technical education 

 niade by the various public institutions of the metropolis. By 

 its grants of money, no less than by the expert assistance which 

 it has placed at the disposal of the various governing bodies, 

 the technical work of these institutions has been greatly extended 

 during the past year. There are now no fewer than ninety-eight 

 separate institutions in London to a greater or less extent sup- 

 ported by the Board, and inspected by its officers. 



Special attention has been paid to developing and improving 

 the instruction provided for apprentices, improvers and journey- 

 men in the principal London industries. There are now more 

 than two hundred well-equipped and efficient centres of definitely 



NO. 1437, VOL. 56] 



practical instruction in various trades. The character of the 

 instruction given differs slightly, but, on the whole, it is of a 

 kind that will assist industrial progress. As to instruction in 

 electrical engineering, it is a noteworthy fact that from sixteen 

 to eighteen students from the Royal College of Science have 

 been attending the evening classes for electrical engineers at 

 the South-West London Polytechnic Institute. This may be 

 taken as good evidence of the Polytechnic's efficiency. 



London now has eleven polytechnic institutions, which have 

 on their rolls probably not fewer than 40,000 separate members 

 or students. Nearly all the polytechnics provide instruction in 

 science, art, technology, commercial subjects, literary subjects 

 and domestic economy, and during the session 1895-96, before 

 the Northampton Institute and the Northern Polytechnic were 

 opened, the students registered at the London polytechnics, 

 including the People's Palace and the Goldsmiths' Institute, in 

 the several departments, were — 



Science 8371 



Art 2910 



Technology 4692 



Domestic economy 2678 



Commercial subjects 8244 



Total 26,895 



The eleven polytechnic institutes referred to may be estimated 

 for the current session 1896-97 to be spending in all their 

 departments a total of about 128,000/. per annum, of which, 

 roughly speaking, 29,000/. will probably be provided by the City 

 Parochial Trustees, 25,000/. by the Technical Education Board, 

 22,000/. from City Companies, 12,000/. from private subscrip- 

 tions and other endowments, 9000/. from Government grants, 

 and 30,000/. from students' fees, &c. The total capital expendi- 

 ture can only be roughly guessed at, but it will certainly have 

 exceeded 500,000/. They may be expected to have in 1897-98, 

 a total of about 45,000 separate students in all subjects, as com- 

 pared with a corresponding total for 1892-93 of probably not 

 more than 20,000. 



The development of the higher departments at several of the 

 polytechnics has during the last two or three years greatly 

 increased the provision of higher instruction, especially in 

 engineering, chemistry and physics. In the new and well- 

 equipped laboratories now provided at these institutions by 

 means of the Board's equipment grants, facilities are given 

 for the student to pursue his work, without a break, from the 

 elements of the subject up to the highest branches, and to 

 undertake, in conjunction with his teacher, original investigation 

 and research. A considerable addition has thus been made to 

 the instruction of distinctly university rank now accessible to 

 the London student, and it is estimated that, in addition to a 

 large number preparing for matriculation, there are now over 

 one hundred matriculated students in the polytechnics who are 

 definitely studying for London university degrees in science. 

 This number constitutes no small proportion of the total of 

 matriculated students for science degrees, other than those in 

 the medical schools, who are studying in organised educational 

 institutes in London. 



This great development of instruction of university rank in 

 new institutions has increased the importance of bringing alxjut 

 a more systematic coordination of university education in 

 London. The Board has accordingly continued to press for the 

 early establishment of the promised new Teaching University 

 for London, towards the technical departments of which it was 

 proposed in Mr. Llewellyn Smith's report that the Board should 

 contribute. The establishment of a well-endowed Teaching 

 University for London, which should effectively coordinate and 

 direct all the teaching of university rank that is now scattered 

 about the metropolis, would probably do more than anything 

 else to promote technical education. When this university will be 

 established, it would be unwise to guess. Meanwhile the Board 

 has attempted to bring about more coordination between the 

 different institutions providing university instruction in technical 

 subjects, and arrangements are in progress for courses of inter- 

 collegiate lectures, mainly in post-graduate and specialist sub- 

 jects, which will be open to all students of the various institutions 

 concerned. 



An interesting map, showing the places of residence of the 

 thousand junior county scholars elected by the first four competi- 

 tions of the Board, in the years 1893-95, accompanies the report. 

 The map fhows that the scholars were distributed with fair 

 uniformity about the whole area of the county of London. 



