22 



NA TURE 



[May 3. 1900 



very small, and then quickly drawing ihem out whilst soft. Finally, 

 we may add that tubes of silica can as readily be sealed to one 

 another as tubes of glass, and that T-pieces and side tubes 

 generally may be formed by fixing rings of silica in the positions 

 to be occupied by the side tubes and extending them by blowing 

 as already described, or by attaching tubes of suitable dimen- 

 sions, previously prepared, to short side tubes blown as just 

 described. It is therefore possible to construct such apparatus 

 as Geissler tubes, small distilling tubes, and thermometers 

 with stems of the German type, &c. We feel sure that small 

 flasks could easily be made also by means of suitable combina- 

 tions of several oxy-gas burners, though doubtless they would be 

 rather expensive. 



Finally, solid rods of silica five or six millimetres in diameter 

 can be made by putting together small masses of prepared silica, 

 or better by pressing together in the flame the softened ends of 

 the fine rods already described. 



Notes on some Properties of Vitreous Silica} — A good many 

 of the properties of silica have already been described by Prof. 

 Boys, but a knowledge of the following, some of which are, we 

 think, now described for the first time, will be found useful : — 



(i) Vitreous silica is a very poor conductor of heat ; hence it 

 is possible to hold a thick rod of silica very close to a strongly 

 ignited zone. 



{2) Our colleague, the Rev. 11. Pentecost, finds that vitreous 

 silica is less hard than chalcedony, but harder than felspar. Its 

 surface appears to be about equally hard after it has been heated 

 as strongly as possible and cooled suddenly, and after it has 

 been heated and cooled in the air. Tubes of silica may be 

 readily cut by means of a cutting diamond, and also with a good 

 file of hardened steel. 



(3) It has already been stated that cold vitreous silica can be 

 plunged safely into the hottest part of an oxy-gas flame, and 

 that the heating and cooling process can be repeated with im- 

 punity. Hot vitreous silica bears sudden cooling equally well. 

 We have repeatedly plunged thick rods and large tubes of silica, 

 heated till plastic, into cold water and even into fusible metal 

 below 100°, without any injury to the material, for when after- 

 wards cut with a diamond it did not fly.^ 



On the other hand, threads of silica become rotten when 

 heated to the highest temperature of an ordinary blowpipe. "* 

 Large objects seem to be affected to a much less degree ; and 

 we suspect that this phenomenon may be due to surface devitri- 

 fication. When silica is in this friable state it can be re-annealed 

 by again softening it in the oxy-gas flame. According to Gaudin, 

 wires of silica heated to a suitable temperature (" rouge-blanc ") 

 acquire great cohesion and become very elastic. 



We have not yet succeeded in fixing platinum electrodes 

 securely into silica tubes. But we have reason to hope that this 

 may be found to be practicable by the use of kaolin, or some other 

 natural silicate. Meanwhile, it seems possible that they might 

 be soldered into the silica if necessary (see " Laboratory Arts," 

 by R. Threlfall). 



We may add that, according to M. Gaudin, emerald gives 

 threads which are even more tenacious than those of silica. 



W. A. Shenstone. 



Clifton College. H. G. Lacell. 



UNI VERS! TV A ND ED UCA TIONA L 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge. — The following is the Speech delivered, on 

 April 26, by the Public Orator (Dr. Sandys) in presenting Mr. 

 Charles Hose for the degree of Doctor in Science, honoris 

 catisa. 



Insulam Borneon'em orbis terrarum inter insulas omnes prope 

 maximam esse constat. Insulae autem illius insulis nostris fere 

 dupio maioris in parte septentrionali patet regio quae unum e 

 Britannis regem suum esse gloriatur. In eadem vero regione 

 provincia quaedam, fluviorum ingentium infra confluentes, 

 abhinc annos decern alumno nostro tradita est, qui barbarorum 

 animos bellicosos pacis ad foedera vocavit, et armorum certamina 

 saeva certaminis nautici in ludum mutavit. Idem non modo in 

 foedere inter barbaros sanciendo victimarum caesarum haruspex 

 sollertissimus, sed etiam avium in silvis volantium augur et 



•I See also Gaudin, loc. cit. 



2 Gaudin obtained similar results with drops of liquid %\\\c^. 



3 Gaudin observed a similar phenomenon in the case of fine threads, and 

 so also, we believe, did Boys. 



NO. T592, VOL. 62I 



auspex admirabilis cxstitit. Ergo alumni nostri auspiciis et 

 Helvetiae et Bataviae et Germaniae et Galliae et Britanniae 

 musea avium et animalium exemplis eximiis aucta et suppleta 

 sunt, et insulae ipsius zoologia, anthropologia, geographia, novo 

 lumine illustratae. Talia propter merita alumnus noster non 

 modo inter nosmet ipsos a regia geographiae societate praemio 

 singulari donatus est, sed etiam inter Europae gentes turn aliis 

 honoribus ornatus est, tum praesertim inter Germanos falconis 

 albi eques iure optimo nominatus est. Nostra denique zoologiae, 

 anatomiae, archaeologiae musea iam plus quam decimum per 

 annum alumni nostri liberalitatem loquuntur. Ergo nos quoque 

 insulae tantae non modo avium et animalium venatorem assi- 

 duum, sed etiam montinm et fluminum exploratorem intrepidum, 

 ob scientiar'um fines etiam imperii Britannici prope termihos 

 feliciter propagatos, laurea nostra hodie libenter coronamus. 



Duco ad vos museorum nostrorum patronum liberalissimum, 

 exploratorum nostrorum hospitem benignissimum, Carolum 

 Hose. 



The General Board propose the establishment of a lectureship 

 in ethnology, to which Dr. Haddon may be appointed ; and a 

 lectureship in bacteriology and preventive medicine for Dr. 

 Nuttall. Both have unofficially given valuable instruction in 

 their respective subjects, and the recognition now suggested will 

 probably be readily accorded by the University. New lecture- 

 ships in experimental physics and in agricultural chemistry are 

 also proposed. 



The Board of Agricultural Studies, at the close of their first 

 financial year, make a highly satisfactory report. Their income 

 is sufficient for the provision of a complete course of instruction, 

 which has now been organised under the direction of Prof. 

 Somerville. They now ask the University to establish a special 

 examination in agricultural science (botany, chemistry, physics 

 and geology) for the ordinary B.A. degree. 



The history of the University of London, from the time of 

 Sir Thomas Gresham's bequest, in 1575, of his house and garden 

 in Bishopsgate, for the purposes of education, down to' the com 

 pletion of the work of the commissioners appointed under the 

 University of London Act, 1898, is traced in an interesting 

 article in the current number of the Quarterly Review. The 

 large part the University has taken in the renascence of 

 natural science, which will hereafter be regarded as the main 

 characteristic of intellectual progress in the nineteenth century, 

 is pointed out, as well as the fact that London degrees in science 

 were the first conferred by British universities. 



We learn from Science that the University of Chicago has 

 secured the 2,000,000 dollars needed to meet the requirements 

 of Mr. Rockefeller's gift of an equal amount. At the recent 

 convocation of the University, President Harper gave some de- 

 tails in regard to the gifts received since January 1st. They 

 have come from more than 200 different persons, and 90 per 

 cent, of them were unsolicited. The largest items appear to be 

 the Gurley palseontological collection, 30,000 dollars from Mrs. 

 Delia Gallup, and, given anonymously, 60,000 dollars for a 

 commons, 50,000 dollars and 25,000 dollars for a students' 

 club-house, 20,000 dollars towards a women's hall, and 30,000 

 dollars with specific use to be designated later. President 

 Harper stated that the total assets of the University are now 

 not far from 11,000,000 dollars. ^ 



The Technical Education Board of the London County 

 Council will proceed shortly to award five senior county scholar- 

 ships, each of the value of 60/. a year for three years, with free 

 tuition fees up to 30/. a year. These scholarships are intended 

 to assist young men and women to pursue a course at some 

 University or at a technical college of University rank. Some 

 of the scholars who have been elected in previous years are 

 holding their scholarships at Oxford and Cambridge, others are 

 studying at technical colleges in different parts of England, 

 while others are pursuing courses of study on the Continent. 

 The scholarships are open only to candidates who are under 

 twenty-two years of age, and whose parents are in receipt of 

 not more than 400/. a year. In addition to the senior scholar- 

 ships, the board has in past years made a certain number of 

 grants of smaller value to assist students in pursuing advanced 

 education, and the board has at its disposal a certain number of 

 free places at University College, London, King's College, 

 London, and Bedford College, London. The scholarships and 

 grants are awarded, not on the result of a set examination, but 

 on the consideration of the past achievements and promise of 



