August 17, 1893] 



NATURE 



583 



presses the npinion that, 'expert witnesses ought to be selected 

 hy ihe court, and should be impartial as well as learned and 

 skilful. A contrary practice, however, is now probably too 

 well established to allow the more salutary rule to be enforced.' 

 Another judjje suggests that the law should be so changed 

 'that th's class of witnesses should be selected by the court, 

 and that this should be done wholly independent of any nomi- 

 nation, reommendation, or interference of the parties, as much 

 so lo all intents as are i he jurors.' This would not make ex- 

 perts aiiiici ctiHie any more than before, for all witnesses should 

 be regarded in that light, but it would be a provision rather to 

 preserve that character to them, coupled as it is with a recom- 

 mendation as to compensation, so intimately connected with it. 

 It is not the fact of extra compen-ation, or that the compensa- 

 tion is paid by the party benefited by hi^ testimony, that 

 creates the unfavourable impression. The o:her witnesses are 

 friends of the court, by whatever pa'ty they may be called, they 

 stand upon the same footing as to pay ; but here is a witness 

 who is paid according to a private agreement, by one of the 

 parties ; the amount is their own private arrangeuient on which 

 the court is not consulted, over which the court has no control, 

 a circumstance that imparts to him, in high degree, the charac- 

 ter of a friend of one of the parties ; and these facts as to com- 

 pensaiion are ofien elicited at a time, and in a way, calculated 

 to impair otherwise valuable testimony in the minds of the 

 jury. 



" By far the best plan seems to be that adopted in the Imperial 

 Courts of Germany, for certain matters and lines of busine s 

 permanent experts are appointed by the State, but they are not 

 regarded as officer?, but as employes for the time being. They 

 have no official title, nor regular salary. Tne payment they 

 receive is not enough to support them, but barely compensates 

 th:;m for their loss of time. For most cases the expert is 

 appointed by the particular judge in the case, often on ihe 

 demand of one or the other or both parties, but the choice of 

 the expert lies within the discretion of the judge. He may 

 appoint any man whom both parlies sug;;ested, or may also 

 appoint a third man not su.jgested by either, but if both parties 

 unite ou one man he must listen to his testimony. If a question 

 is involved for which regular legal experts are provided, these 

 need only be or can be appointed. The qualifications for such 

 a regular expert are that he should follow that particular pro- 

 fession or line of business habitually, and for the purp ise of 

 earning his living. The number of experts in a case is not 

 limited by law, it rests with the discretion of the judge. The 

 status of the expert in court is almost analogous to other wit- 

 nesses, but it is not a civic duly, .as with witnesses, to give 

 evidence in court except where a profession is followed publicly 

 and for a livelihood. The text of his oath before giving testi- 

 mony is different from thit of an ordinary witness ; and he need 

 not be sworn at all if b^th parties unite in dispensing with such 

 qrtalificalion." 



If a similar system were followed in England the testimony 

 of scientific experts would be regarded with a little less suspicion 

 than it is at present. Only by s ime such me.ins can technicrl 

 evidence of a wholly disinterested character be obtained. 



SCIENCE CLASSES IN CONNECTION WITH 

 THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL. 

 'T'HIC Technical Education Board of the London County 

 ■*• Council has issued a series of Regulations with regard to 

 the administration of grants to science classes. All the pre- 

 scribed conditions tend to make the instruction efficient and 

 develop technical education in the right direction. The follow- 

 ing are those that refer to the manner in which various classes 

 must be conducted : — 



(1) That as a condition of aid being granted by the Board for the 

 teaching of chemistry, physics, mechanics, and botany, it will 

 be regarded as indispensable that provision should be made, to 

 the satisfaction of the Board, not only for the experimental illus- 

 tration of the lectures or class teaching, but fir experimental 

 work by the students themselves, either in lab )ratories brl jnging 

 to the institution oBy where this cannot be arranged, in the 

 laboratories of some' nei^hbouriirg institution with which the 

 class should b- a.ssociated ; and ev.ry lecture must be folloivel 

 I'V at least one hour's practical work on the same evening, or 



:ne other evening in the same week. 



' 2) rh.it with regard to classes in the subjects coaiprised in the 



lence and .\rt Department Directory which are more s.rictly 



NO. 1242, VOL. 48] 



to be included under the head of technology, viz. building 

 construction and drawing, machine construction and drawing, 

 steam and the steam-engine, navigation and naval architecture, 

 it be requireil, as a rule, that such classes be taught by teachers 

 having a practical acquaintance with the industries to which 

 they refer; provided tha', in the case of teachers who have 

 already succes- fully taught such classes, it shall be open to the 

 Board, on being satisfied of the sufficiency of the qualifications, 

 to make exceptions in particular cases. No grant will be given 

 fo- classes in agriculture or mining. 



(3) That for classes in geology and mineralogy suitable museum 

 specimens be provided and examined by the pupils, and for 

 classes in machine drawing a suitable collection of models and 

 parts of actual machines be provided. 



(4) That in the teaching of mithematics, practical geometry, 

 building construction, ni-acliine drawing, naval architecture, 

 navigation and nautical astronomy, "homework" be made an 

 important feature, and that the students' work be examined and 

 corrected by the teacher out of class hours. 



(5) That in all practical laboratory classes, and in classes on 

 mathematics, practical geometry, building con-truc.ion, machine 

 drawing, naval architecture, navigation and nautical astronomy, 

 not more than twenty stu lenls shall be under the charge of one 

 teacher at the same tiiite, but where more than one teacher is 

 present during the whole meeting of the class the number of 

 students may ba increased in proportion to the number of 

 teachers. 



(6) That in all subjects there ba a sufficient supply of appa- 

 ratus and ma'erials (or efficient teaching, and that such appa- 

 ratus and materials be eflectively used. 



(7) That no payment be made on account of pupils who, in 

 the opinion of the Board, may not reasonably be expected to 

 profit by the teaching provided {e.g. pupils in navigation or 

 nauical a-tronomy, or in the advanced stage of theoretical or 

 applied mechanics who have insufficient knowledge of mathe- 

 matics ; those in building construction or machine drawing who 

 have no knowledge of elementary mechanics, &c.). 



The Bo.ard is prepared to consider applications for assistance 

 lo erect laboi-atories and provide the necessary equipment. It 

 will also make grants in aid of ih:; purchase of apparatus for 

 science teaching. With so many advantages, technical educa- 

 tion in the administrative county of London should grow 

 apace. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



The following is the list of candidates successful in the 

 competition for the Whitworth Scholarships and Exhibitions, 

 1893 : — Scholarships (tenable for three ye.ars, having an annual 

 value '.'f £12$) : — William Hamilton (Glasgo.v), John G. Long- 

 bottom (Keighle)), Arthur E. Maipas (London), Richard J. 

 Durley (l.ondoii) ; Exhibitions (tenable for one year, having a 

 valueof;,i'5o):— Charles F. S i.ith (Glasgow), John Ball (Derby), 

 William Buchan (Glasgow), John B. Chambers (London), 

 Henry J. Loveridge (Southsea, Portsmouth), William ¥. 

 Ireland (Glasgow), George W. Fearnley (Shipley), Oliver 

 Styles (Edinburgh), George M. Russell (Portsmouth), Alex- 

 ander A. Jude (Hull), Edward R. Auior (Devonpon), Joseph 

 Jeffery (Birmingham), Paul J. Reynolds (Plumstead, Kent), 

 Thomas Pilkington (London), Richard Reynolds (Cardiff), 

 George Wilson (Sheffield), VValter O. Ilammant ( Plumstead, 

 Kent), John Orr (Airdrie), William I. Chubb (Londoi.), Henry 

 Smith (Brighioii), Frederick D. Green (Wanstead, Essex), 

 John Powell (Crewi-), James H. Hardy (Woodley, near Stock- 

 port), James H. Stiepherd (Swindon), Herbert Thompson 

 (Sheffield), Evan Stevens (Swindon), Henry E. Morrall (W'ol- 

 verton), Herbert Bates (Manchester), Charles H. Ilill (Strat- 

 ford, London), William F. Massey (Newport, Salop). 



The Scholarships Committee of the 1851 Exhibition Science 

 Scholarships has issued a list of appointments for 1893. Four 

 scholarships awarded in 1891 have been renewed for a third 

 year in order to permit the holders to complete their investiga- 

 tions. These scholars are James H. Gray, John J iseph Sud- 

 borough, Harry Ingle, and Thomas Ewan. The following 

 scholars of 1892 have had their scholarships renewed for a 

 second year : — .\ndrew John Ilerbertson, James Blacklock 

 Henderson, John Macdonald, Lionel Simeon Marks, George 

 Lester Ttiomas, Hirold Hart Mann, James Terence Conroy, 



