358 



NATURE 



[May 19, 1 9 10 



the subject of Birkeland's Plate xx. Birkeland's curves, 

 representing stations from 77° 41' N. to 43° 32' S. lat., 

 all show two small but singularly distinct movements at 

 about I p.m. and 2.45 p.m. G.M.T. These he ascribes 

 to an " equatorial " storm. Now if these storms were 

 due, as he supposes, to an overhead current in the plane 

 of the magnetic equator, the vertical force disturbance, as 

 we have seen, ought to have been largely predominant at 

 the Antarctic station, which was only about 400 miles 

 from the south magnetic pole. This is exactly what did 

 not happen. Two movements occur in Fig. 3 exactly 

 synchronous with those elsewhere, but the vertical force 

 movements are much smaller than those in declination, 

 and the disturbance in the horizontal plane is not smaller, 

 but much larger than at the equatorial stations. 



Interest also attaches to the large oscillation in vertical 

 force between q.30 and 11.30 p.m. G.M.T. with the accom- 

 panying considerable movements in the other elements. 

 This is precisely the time of a " polar elementary " storm 

 recorded at Birkeland's Arctic stations. A similar co- 

 incidence occurred on so many occasions that one can 

 hardly suppose it to be accidental. This suggests a very 

 intimate connection between magnetic phenomena in the 

 Arctic and Antarctic. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge. — Mr. J. H. Jeans has been appointed Stokes 

 lecturer in mathematics from midsummer, 1910. 



Mr. W. B. Alexander has been appointed to the office 

 of assistant to the superintendent of the museum of 

 zoology. 



The third annual report of the Forestry Committee refers 

 to the work carried on during the past year. In June 

 last the reader, Mr. A. Henry, commenced a series of 

 experimental sowings of the different kinds of elms, which 

 hav-e 3-ielded interesting results, showing that what were 

 supposed hitherto to be varieties of one species, of un- 

 known origin, are in reality combinations of two species, 

 in which the Mendelian ratios are observed. Incidentally, 

 these experiments have directed attention to the astonish- 

 ing vigour displayed by certain first-crosses in trees, all 

 of which hitherto had arisen in the wild state. An attempt 

 is being made this year to produce artificially similar 

 hybrids in the case of the more valuable kinds of trees, 

 and for the first time, almost, the production of new 

 breeds of forest trees is being tried. A plot on the Uni- 

 versity farm has been assigned by the -Agricultural Depart- 

 ment to the reader for forestry experiments, and about 

 ^.;oo seed'ing trees, of known pedigrees, are now planted 

 out. A small plot of Ettcommia ulmoides has been estab- 

 lished near Norwich. This tree, which was discovered in 

 the mountains of central China, is perfectly hardy and 

 fast in growth in this country. Its bark produces 1^ per 

 cent, of rubber, the quality of which, however, is still a 

 matter of doubt, as only minute quantities have been 

 tested. 



Glasgow. — In order to meet the necessity for increased 

 teaching power in the faculty of arts, the University Court 

 has decided to establish eight new lecturers and assistants 

 in mathematics, natural philosophy, and the several literary 

 and philosophical departments. A separate course in 

 mathematics for students of engineering will be instituted, 

 and better provision will be made for the tutorial instruc- 

 tion of students in smaller classes than have hitherto been 

 practicable. 



The annual report of the museums committee testifies 

 to a considerable amount of work in the cataloguing and 

 arranging of the collections under the care of Profs. 

 Graham Kerr and Gregory. Gifts of entire collections, 

 associated with the names of David Ure, Webb Seymour, 

 and Mackenzie, have enriched the geological museum. 



At the observatory a new house has been erected for the 

 fine Corbett equatorial. 



Oxford. — The following is the text ,of the speech 

 delivered by Prof. Love in presenting M. Emile Cartailhac 

 for the degree of D.Sc. honoris causa on May 10: — 



" NulH profecto ex eis qui hodie hominum natui 

 student posthabendus est Aemilius Cartailhac. Qui \ ir 

 annos viginti quattuor natus commentarios in hoc genere 

 apud Gallos eo tempore maximi habitos, in quibus gentium 

 incultarum mores et vetustatis obsoletae reliquiae tracta- 

 bantur, edendos suscepit. Quo munere viginti annos 

 functus, cum res e.x omni parte terrarum allatas scru' 

 retur, cum in ea loca ubi eiusmodi monumenta invenien^ 

 sunt ipse multas peregrinationes faceret, adeo incendit 

 civium suorum studia ut diversis auctoribus quasi sym- 

 bolam conferentibus maxima ilia Acta conflata sint, quibus 

 edendis ipse multos annos praefuit, quibusque etiam nunc 

 curam impertit. Academiarum quoque Gallicarum rectori- 

 bus persuasit ut discipulos in his rebus institui iuberent ; 

 ipse Tolosae in sua urbe atque Academia iuniorum studia 

 dirigit. Nihil profecto his diebus magis admirati sumus 

 quam rudes illas picturas in cavernis ubi habitabnnt 

 homines pristini inventas. Huiusmodi monumentis, quibus 

 maxime abundant Hispania septentrionalis et australis 

 Gallia, hie noster maximam operam dedit, eademque pul- 

 cherrime expicta in medium protulit. lure igitur hie vir 

 tanta doctrina ornatus, scientiae tam deditus, apud cives 

 suos iamdudum nobilis, ubicunque homines haec studia 

 colunt insigni laude celebrandus est." 



The first Halley lecture was delivered on May 10 by Dr. 

 Henry Wilde, F.R.S., the founder. The subject of the 

 lecture was " Celestial Ejectamenta." Dr. Wilde main- 

 tained that comets originated within the solar svstem, 

 being the result of explosive discharges from planets, 

 esppciallv the larger planets, in process of cooling. 



The Romanes lecture, postponed from May 18, will be 

 delivered by ex-President Roosevelt on Tuesday, June 7. 

 The subject is " Biological .Analogies in History." The 

 honorary degree of D.C.L. will be conferred on the 

 lecturer on the same occasion. 



The honorary degree of D.Sc, as already announced, 

 will be conferred on Messrs. P. H. Cowell, F.R.S., an<3 

 A. C. Crommelin, of the Royal Observatory. Greenwich, 

 on Saturday, Mav 21. 



NO. 2 II 6, VOL. 83] 



Among many other matters of interest dealt with in th( 

 second volume of the report of the U.S. Commissioner ol 

 Education for the year ended June 30, 1909, special atten- 

 tion may be directed to the gifts and bequests made durint 

 the year to promote higher education in America. Th« 

 total value of all benefactions recorded as having beer 

 received by the 606 universities, colleges, and technica 

 institutions reporting to the Washington Bureau in th« 

 year under consideration amounted to about 3.561,000! 

 Of this amount, 806,000!. was given for buildings anc 

 improvements, and 2,244,000!. for endowment, the re 

 mainder being for current expenses. Thirty-six institu 

 tions each received 20,000!. or more, and together accountec 

 for 1,972,000!. of the above total. Yale University. Con 

 necticut, was helped most generously, having received som' 

 254,600!. The University of Virginia was credited witl 

 about 157,500!., while the L^niversity of Chicago, Illinois 

 Grintiell College, Iowa, Bowdoin College, Maine, an< 

 Washington University, Missouri, each received 100,000/ 

 or more. W^c notice that the 606 institutions referred t- 

 employed a teaching force of 26,369, and had an aggre 

 gate enrolment of 308,163 students. Of the 606 institu 

 tions, 89 are under the control of States or municioalitie 

 and 517 are managed by private corporations. It will b 

 noticed that several prominent universities supposed t 

 have received very large gifts during the year nre nc 

 mentioned in this summary of the official record of benefac 

 tions. The Commissioner of Education points out ths 

 official statements of the amounts reported to have bee 

 received could not be obtained by the Bureau at Was? 

 ington. 



In the issue of Science for .April 2q Prof. Guido I 

 Marx publishes a table showing the attendance of student 

 at -American and foreign universities during the sessio 

 1906-7. The figures of attendante were furnished to tl" 

 U.S. Commissioner of Education by the editor 

 " Minerva." Prof. Marx recognises the probability ths 

 the totals he gives may understate, rather than overstat 

 the attendance in some of the countries which have nt 



