May 20, 1897] 



NA TURE 



69 



Professor of Geometry shall lecture and give instruction in 

 pure and analytical geometry. The Professor shall reside 

 within the University during six months, at least, in each 

 academical year, between the first day of September and the 

 ensuing first day of July. He shall give not less than forty- 

 two lectures in the course of the academical year ; six at 

 least of such lectures shall be given in each of the three 

 University Terms, and in two at least of the University 

 Terms he shall lecture during seven weeks not less than twice 

 a week." The emoluments of the Professorship as determined 

 by Statute are as follows :— " He shall be entitled to the 

 emoluments now assigned to the Professorship and derived 

 from the benefaction of Sir Henry Savile, Knight, or from 

 the University Chest ; and shall receive in addition the emo- 

 luments appropriated to the Professorship by the Statutes of 

 New College." The total amount of these emoluments is 

 900/. a year, and cannot exceed that amount. Applications, 

 together with such papers as a candidate may desire to submit 

 to the Electors, must be sent to the Registrar of the University, 

 Clarendon Building, Oxford, on or before '^wx\q 12, 1897. 



All examinations within the University will be suspended on 

 June 22. 



Prof. Gotch, F.R.S., has been elected a Delegate for the 

 extension of teaching beyond the limits of the University. 



Mr. W. Garstang, Fellow of Lincoln College, will give a public 

 lecture in the hall of Lincoln College on May 25, on " Recent 

 Researches in Marine Biology." 



The Botanical Museum of the Department of Botany has 

 been undergoing rearrangement under the supervision of Mr. 

 Church. The work is now nearly completed. Some 4000 

 new specimens have been added to the Herbarium during the 

 past year. 



The Curators of the Botanic Garden have presented their 

 ninth Annual Report to Convocation. It is satisfactory to note 

 that the deficit of last year has been considerably reduced, 

 and a great number of exchanges with other Gardens have been 

 made. 



At a meeting of the Junior Scientific Club, held on Friday, 

 May 14, papers were read by Messrs. E. S. Goodrich and 

 K. F. Morris. A proposal to amalgamate with the Ashmolean 

 Society fell through, the Club not being in a condition to bear 

 the somewhat heavy financial burden which would be conse- 

 quent on amalgamation. 



An examination for the Shute Scholarship in Animal Mor- 

 phology (a Non-Collegiate scholarship) is announced. It will 

 take place in July 1897, the scholarship being of the annual 

 value of 50/. Candidates must be in need of assistance at the 

 University. The scholarship is open to all, without limit of 

 age, with the exception of members of the University of more 

 than eight terms' standing. Names are to be sent to the Censor 

 of Xon-Collegiate Students, High Street, Oxford, on or before 

 Monday, June 14. 



Cambridge. — The Committee for promoting the admission of 

 women to titular degrees appears to be disintegrating. On May 17 

 a fly-sheet was circulated by the President of Queens' (Dr. Ryle), 

 the Registrary (Mr. J. W. Clark), Mr. E. S. Roberts (tutor 

 of Caius), and Mr. W. L. Mollison (tutor of Clare), expressing 

 their decision to withdraw their support from the proposals 

 before the Senate. They are now convinced the removal of 

 the alleged grievance, felt by a comparatively small number of 

 women, would be bought at too high a price, when consider- 

 ably more than half of the resident members of the Senate are 

 bitterly opposed to the measure, and would vie^v it, if carried, 

 as a grave betrayal of trust. They express the opinion that a 

 victory under such conditions would be worse than a defeat, 

 and that the passing of the Graces would prove injurious to the 

 best interests of the University. They hope that before long 

 a solution will be found in which the Universities of Oxford 

 and Cambridge may act together. There is good reason to 

 believe that the views which these influential members of the 

 Senate have had the courage publicly to express, are shared 

 by others who are still, nominally, on the side of the women, 

 and that these will now either abstain from voting, or follow 

 the lead now given to them by giving their voice against the 

 much-discussed resolutions. The result will be declared soon 

 after 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon, and, in the interests of peace, 

 it is hoped that the majority will be decisive. A narrow victory 

 for either side would settle nothing. A London Committee of 

 about one hundred members has been formed to secure the 

 rejection of theG races, and is actively engaged in disseminating 



NO. 1438, VOL. 56] 



information and 



securmg promises to vote nott-plact. Lord 



Kelvin is chairman, and Dr. E. Freshfield secretary ; among 

 the other members are the Astronomer Royal, the Registrar of 

 the Royal College of Physicians, Dr. Norman Moore, Lord 

 Stanmore, and Sir Walter Besant. 



Mr. W. N. Shaw, F.R.S , has been reappointed a University 

 Lecturer in Experimental Physics. 



Applications for leave to occupy the University Tables in the 

 Zoological Stations at Naples and Plymouth are to be sent to 

 Prof, Newton, F.R.S. , Magdalene College, by May 26. 



The President of the Board of Agriculture has appointed 

 a Departmental Committee to inquire into the working of the 

 Universities and College Estates Acts, 1858 to 1880, and to 

 report whether any, and, if so, what, amendments therein are 

 desirable. 



It is perhaps worthy of notice that a new Board school, 

 erected in Faraday Street, Walworth, at a cost of 15,000/., has 

 been named the Michael Faraday School, in honour of Faraday, 

 who was born in the parish. May the children who receive 

 instruction in the school strive to follow the example set them 

 by the great investigator whose name the school bears. 



The International Submarine Telegraph Memorial Com- 

 mittee has granted " The Sir John Pender Gold Medal," value 

 5/. 5j., to the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College. 

 It is given annually to the best student who at the same time 

 obtains the college diploma in electrical engineering. At the 

 end of this session, which terminated last week, it was awarded 

 to Mr. David Robertson. 



Science announces the following gifts to educational institu- 

 tions in America :— The will of the late John Foster, of Boston, 

 gives 120,000 dols. to public purposes, including 10,000 dols. 

 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ; the will of 

 the late Charles Bell, of Springfield, Mass., bequeaths 7000 dols. 

 to Wellesley College for a scholarship fund ; Brown University 

 receives 10,000 dols. by the settlement of the will of the late 

 Mrs. Maria L. Benedict, of Providence. 



In the House of Commons, on Monday, Mr. Brynmor Jones 

 asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether it was the intention 

 of the Government to reintroduce the University of London Bill 

 this Session ; and, if so, when. In reply to the question, Mr. 

 Balfour said that the President of the Council hoped to introduce 

 a Bill into the House of Lords shortly. There is some reason 

 to expect that the difficulties, which prevented it from passing 

 last year, will be removed, and certain negotiations are going on 

 with that object. 



The following are among recent appointments : — Mr. C. H. 

 Warren to be Instructor in Mineralogy in the Shefiield Scientific 

 School of Yale University ; Dr. Karl Paal to be Professor of 

 Chemistry at Erlangen ; Dr. Raphael Freiherr von Erlanger, 

 privat-docent in Zoology at Heidelberg, to be Professor ; 

 Dr. F. Foerster, privat-docent in Chemistry at the Dresder^i 

 Technical High School, to be Professor ; Dr. Petzold,. 

 privat-docent in Practical Geometry at the Technical High- 

 School at Hanover, to be Professor ; Dr. Anding, privat-docent 

 in Astronomy at Munich, to be Observer on the International 

 Commission for the Measurement of the Earth ; Dr. J. Thomayer 

 to be Professor of Pathology at the Bohemian University at 

 Prague ; Mr. J. F. Crawford to be Demonstrator in Experi- 

 mental Psychology in Princeton University. 



In October last a Committee was appointed "to inquire into 

 the mode in which the grants to Science and Art Schools are dis- 

 tributed, and to report whether any alteration should be made 

 therein." The Report of this Committee has jiftt been pub- 

 lished as a Blue-book, in which is also included a revised 

 edition of the Science and Art Directory, embodying the 

 recommendations of the Committee. Some of the important 

 changes advocated are as follows : — (i) " In counties and county 

 boroughs in England possessing an organisation for the promo- 

 tion of secondary education, the authority so constituted may 

 notify its willingness to be responsible for the science and art 

 instruction within its area." This recognition of local authorities 

 as those who should be responsible for secondary instruction 

 will, the Committee thinks, simplify the work of central ad- 

 ministration, secure greater efl[iciency in the schools, and be a 

 protection against this undue competition and multiplication. 



