July 23, 1891] 



NATURE 



287 



existence of a demand for men competent to deal with machinery 

 and familiar with all the lower forms of engineering, Sir A. 

 Colvin proceeds to discuss what course the training should take, 

 how best to secure it, and the sources from which the necessary 

 funds could be obtained. With regard to the first point, he 

 thinks that what would mostly be required are facilities for gain- 

 ing a competent theoi-etical and practical knowledge of the more 

 subordinate grades of mechanical engineering, such as is neces- 

 sary to a foreman mechanic, more especially in connection with 

 the steam-engine, the railway workshops, and the iron-foundry ; 

 and also of the processes of cotton-spinning as employed in the 

 mills established in the North-West Provinces. " These are 

 the two great branches of industry which in Bombay have been 

 recognized as fields for native labour : which, though in a lesser 

 degree, exist here (in the North-West Provinces), and in regard to 

 which, at present, specialized means of instruction are unques- 

 tionably, in these provinces, wanting." With regard to the 

 second point, there exists at Roorkee a Government Engineering 

 College and Government workshops, and it seems probable that 

 these will form the nucleus of the instrnction necessary. As to the 

 third point, .Sir Auckland Colvin thinks it would be premature 

 to enter into the question of funds until the dimensions of the 

 scheme are definitely decided upon. Finally, to see how far all 

 these views meet the industrial needs of the province, Sir Auck- 

 land has decided to seek the aid of a strong Committee, which 

 will obtain from all available quarters information on the points 

 indicated in the minute, deputing members to Calcutta, Bombay, 

 and Madras, and subsequently reporting to Government the 

 result of its inquiries, with its own recommendali 'ns, and with 

 full details of any scheme which it may desire to see carried 

 into effect. 



UNI VERSITY A ND ED UCA TIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford. — The judges for the Johnson Memorial Prize, 1891, 

 have awarded the prize to Mr. M. 8. Pembrey, B. A., Christ 

 Church. The judges also select the essays of the following as 

 worthy of mention : Mr. T. I. Poconk, Scholar of Corpus Chrisii 

 College, and Mr. F. T. Howard, B.A., Balliol College. The 

 Johnson Prize consists of a gold medal of the value of ten 

 guineas, together with the surplus dividends on the money in- 

 vested. The prize is awarded every fourth year to the candi- 

 date who produces the best essay on some subject connected 

 i with astronomy or meteorology. The selection of a subject 

 I is left to the discretion of the candidates. This year there were 

 I six candidates. 



I Mr, Pembrey was a Fell Exhibitioner of Christ Church, 



I gained a first class in the final honour school of natural science 

 in 1889 (physiology), and obtained the Radcliffe Travelling 

 Fellowship in 1890. Mr. Pocock was placed in the first class 

 . of mathematical moderations and also in the final mathematical 

 schools, Trinity term 1891. Mr. Howard was placed in the 

 second class of the final honour school in natural science 

 (geology), and obtained the Burdett-Coutts Scholarship in 

 1890. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Chemical Society, June 18.— Prof. A. Crum-Brown, 

 F.R.S., President, in the chair. — The following papers were 

 read : — A note on some new reactions of dehydracetic acid, by 

 Ur. J. Norman Collie. In preparing dehydracetic acid, by pass- 

 ing ethyl acetoacetate through a red-hot tube, it is stated that 

 alcohol is formed; the author finds that large quantities of 

 ethylene gas and acetone are also produced. Dehydracetic acid is 

 also volatile to a considerable extent with steam, and is decom- 

 ! posed by boiling with water to a small extent into carbon 

 dioxide and dimethylpyrone. This latter decomposition is 

 more readily effected by boiling the acid with strong hydro- 

 chloric acid. If 50 grams are boiled wi:h ordinary" fuming 

 hydrochloric acid, the whole is converted into carbon dioxide 

 and a soluble compound of dimethylpyrone with hydrochloric 

 acid. The barium salt of dehydracetic acid, (CsEIg05).,Ba, 

 seems to be not a salt of the compound CgHgO^, but of the 'true 

 tetracetic acid, CgHjoOg. A very stable copper salt of the 

 formula C24H25O9N3CU is obtained if dehydracetic acid be 

 added to a solution of copper acetate in a large excess of 



NO. II 34, VOL. 44] 



ammonia. — The lactone of triacetic acid, by Dr. J. Norman 

 Collie. In a former paper on the constitution of dehydracetic 

 acid (Trans. Chem. Soc, 1890, 189) the author pointed out that 

 if the formula which he proposed for dehydracetic acid was 

 correct, it would be the 5 lactone of tetracetic acid. And the 

 following list was given showing the connection between 

 the condensed acids formed from acetic acid : CH3CO. (CHjCO)^ 

 CH2COOH, tetracetic acid; CH^CO.CHaCO.CHjCOOH, 

 triacetic acid ; CH.jCOCHaCOOH, d'iacetic acid ; CH3COOH, 

 acetic acid. At that time no acid corresponding to the triacetic 

 acid was known. Since then the author has obtained the 

 lactone of this acid by the action of 90 per cent, sulphuric acid 

 on dehydracetic acid at a temperature of 130°-! 35°, The 

 properties and reactions of the new compound are described. — 

 The refractive power of certain organic compounds at different 

 temperatures, by Dr. W. H. Perkin, F. R.S. The magnetic 

 relations of substances when examined at temperatures wide 

 apart show that certain variations take place after allowing for 

 change of density. Experiments have been made by the 

 author in reference to the refractive power of liquids 

 under similar circumstances. Ihe results show that the 

 specific refractive power is not con tant for all tem- 

 peratures. By comparmg the lines A and F it was found 

 that the dispersion was slightly diminished l)y rise of tempera- 

 ture. The results were calculated by the formula ^ -~— i. When 



d 

 calculated by Lorentz's formula the numbers gave higher results 

 for high temperatures than for lower ones. — Note on a volatile 

 compound of iron and carbonic oxide, by Ludwig Mond, 

 F.R.S., and Dr. F. Quincke (see Nature, July 9, p. 234).— 

 The formation of salts, a contribution to the theory of electro- 

 lysis and of the nature of chemical change in the case of non- 

 eleclrolytes, by H. E. Armstrong. The author draws attention 

 to the recent researches of Claisen, W. Wislicenus, and others, 

 which clearly show that ethereal salts form compounds with 

 sodium ethylate, and to the bearing which these results have on 

 the theory of the formation of salts generally. It may be sup- 

 posed that the acid and the "base" in the first instance com- 

 bine, and that the salt is formed by subsequent interactions 

 within the molecule. In like manner, acids form dissociable 

 compounds with water, and by the occurrence of change within 

 such systems, under the influence of electromotive force, electro- 

 lysis is effected. When the compound is highly unstable, the 

 opportunity for change within its sytsm is slight, the acid is a 

 weak one, and its solution of relatively low conducting power. 

 In the case of non-electrolytes, the occurrence of change may be 

 supposed to occur within complex systems formed by the union 

 o( the interacting substances. — Dibenzyl ketone, by Dr. S. 

 Young. The author finds that, in preparing the ketone by 

 heating calcium phenyl acetate in a combustion furnace, only 

 27 per cent, of the theoretical yield is obtained. However, if 

 the calcium salt be heated by means of the vapour of boiling 

 sulphur, the yield of pure ketone amounts to 76 '6 per cent. — 

 The vapour pressures of dibenzyl ketone, by Dr. S. Young. — 

 The vapour-pressures of mercury, by Dr. S. Young. 'Iwo 

 additional observations of the vapour-pressures of mercury at 

 l83°'75 ^1^ 236° 9 have been made, and, from the previous 

 results of Ramsay and Young, the boiling-point and the vapour- 

 pressures of mercury have been recalculated. 



June 25. — Extraordinary General Meeting. — At the request of 

 certain Fellows to the President, an extraordinary general 

 meeting was summoned to consider a proposal for amending and 

 altering the by-laws. The proposal was moved by Mr. James 

 Wilson and seconded by Dr. Teed. Mr. Cartrighe moved the 

 following amendment : "That this meeting declines to pledge 

 itself to any amendment or modification of the by-laws which 

 has not been approved and recommended to the Fellows for 

 adoption by the Council." Sir F. A. Abel seconded the amend- 

 ment. Mr. Cassell, Mr. Lloyd, and Dr. Newton spoke in 

 favour of the original motion. Prof. Tilden, Mr. Warington, 

 Mr. Page, Dr. Odling, and Mr. Friswell spoke in favour of the 

 amendment. The amendment was carried by 137 votes to 47 

 votes. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, July 13.— M. Duchartre in the chair. 

 — Calculation of the mean lengih that a circular tube widened at 

 one end should have in order that a sensibly uniform r^i^ime 

 might be established, and (m the expenditure of the charge that 

 entails the establishment of this regime, by M. J. Boussinesq. — 

 Contribution to the study of what are called «a/«ra/ prairies, by M. 



