90 



NA TURE 



[May 24, 1894 



block is woikcd into a paper-weight. A scribing block is then 

 made, the castings and lorgirgs being provided. Thisseives 

 as exercise in cliipping, filing, drilling, turning, and screwing. 

 The student hasafteiwards lo turn out a surface plate, hexagonal 

 pattern, with handles. This woik selves as exercise in planing, 

 tuning, drilling and screwing, tilirg and scraping. During 

 the second year a ratchet brace is made, and a lathe ; and third- 

 year students make a shaping ar.d a slotting machine. The 

 course of study for engineering students is worih reprinting, for 

 in it theory and practice are excellently combined : — 



First year. 



Second year. 



Fitting and Ma- 

 chining (Shops) 



Engineering Lrc 

 lure (Prclimiil-- 

 mry). 



-Applied Mechan- 

 ics, Advanced. 



Machine Draw- 

 ing, Element- 

 ary. 



Fittine .and Ma- 

 chining (Shops) 



The Steam En- 

 cine. Element- 

 ary. 



Maihenuucs (isl 

 stajjeX 



Drawing Practice 

 (SpeciaO- 



Heat Eogines, 

 .\dvanced. 



Mathematics (2nd 

 stage). 



Fitting and Ma- 

 chining (Shops)- 



Machine Draw- 

 ing, Advanced. 



Engineering Lee- 

 ture- 



.Applied Mechan- 

 ic*:, Advanced. 



Filling anfl Ma- 

 chining (Shops) 



Drawing Practice 

 (Special). 



Third year. 



Smithing 



' (Shops)- 



Fitting and 

 I Erecting | 



\ (Shops). 



.Machine Con- 

 struction 

 (Special). 



Engineering Lec- 

 ' tures. 



Pattern Making 

 ; (Shrps). 



Finished Draw- 

 ing and Design 

 (Special). 



Fourth year. 



Smithing 



(shops). 



Pattern Making 

 (Shops). 



Smithing 

 (Shops). 



Engineering Lec- 

 tures (Speciat). 



Paltern Ntaking 

 (Shops) 



Finished Draw- 

 ing and Design 

 (Special). 



The course for building students is -just as good. These 

 courses are very popular, and they well deserve the success they 

 have gained. Another successful class is one of carpentry for 

 women ; not merely Sloyd or woodwork, but real, practical 

 carpentry. This is, we believe, the fiist class of the kind that 

 has ever been held. The chemisny classes are specially good, 

 and the laboratories the largest of all the Poljtcchnic Institutes. 



Certain classes of the Goldsmiths' Institute are open to a 

 limited number of bona fiile artisans and handictaftsinen, on 

 payment of half the ordinary fees. This is a rule well worth 

 following in other institutes. Some of the trade classes are open 

 to any one, irrespective of occupation. Thecleik who has a taste 

 for machine woik may go through the same courses as fitters. 

 If the cleik were allowed to waste his time in dabbling with the 

 lathe and making pretty things, then he ought lo be kept out; 

 but when he is cc mpelled to take up routine woik, ihe case is 

 different, for nothing but good can come of it. The young 

 man who is willing to forego empty pleasures in order tu obtain 

 technical knowledge, is the one who will develop into an in- 

 ventor. He works for the pure love of it, and something 

 original may be confidently expected from him in time. 



R. A. Gregory. 

 ( To hi coHtiniifd). 



EXPLORATION OF THE HADRAMUT. 



AT the last meeting of the Royal Geographical Srciely Mr. 

 ■^ J. Theodore Btnt gave an account of the arcba'ological 

 lonr recently made by him and Mts. Bent in Southern Arabia. 

 On account of the fanalicitm of the people, only one European 

 had previously Keen able to penetrate lothe broad valley of the 

 Hadiamui, nhich lurs for one hundred n.iles or more parallel 

 lo the louth ccast of Arabia, gathering in tiilmtaty valleys (rom 

 north and sculh, and cairyirg ihcir drainage lo the sea at 

 Saihut. Oprotiiicn 10 ihe expedition was offered, as in the 

 cate of Mr. Iliisch, by ihe Ltiilikh cfticials at Aden, but in spite 

 of this the Bents, accompanied by the accomplished Indian 

 wtvcyor. Imam Sharif, ar.d by botanical and natural history 

 collectors, travelled in safety without disguise, ami, though there 

 were feme hostile appiaronces, without injury through a large 

 tract of unmapped country. 



The region tkcy tiaveisrd cmsislcd of three parts, the narrow 

 coast strip or Sahil, b.nckc<l by the high plateau or Akaba, and the 

 iladramut and other valleys on the noith, which lies between the 

 loaihcin plateau and the high desert land farther north. The 

 whole coast strip from Mokulla to Saihut was extremely arid, 

 only fertilised in jaiches by occasional hot springs. No traces 

 of antiquities were found along the coast. The plateau of 



NO. 1282, VOL. 50] 



Akaba was ascended by the Wadi Howari, one ofnumerous short 

 valleys which diversify the southern slope. The plateau presented 

 the appearance of an unbroken plain with only a few flat-topped 

 indications of a previously greater height to break its surface. 

 This district was waterless except for tanks preserving precarious 

 supplies of rain water along the paths. The highest point 

 was found to be Haibel-gabrein, near the southern 

 edge, its elevation being 5300 feet. The plateau was wan- 

 dered over by a few Bedouins, and on its northern slope con- 

 siderable numbers of frankincense trees occur, iheir produce 

 being gathered not by the Bedouins but by Somalis, who come 

 across in ibe season for that purpose. Where the plateau was 

 trenched by the Hadramut valley thti tributary valleys were 

 found remarkably short and steep, cut out of the edge of 

 plateau-like slices from a cake. h\\ these valleys have their 

 floors nearly on the same level as the main valley, and terminate 

 at their heads in steep clilts 700 or 800 feet high. Their appear- 

 ance did not seem to justify the theory of water erosion, and Mr. 

 Bent is inclined to con ider them as lateral fjords excavated 

 when the Hadramut was an am of the sea. The rocks were 

 exposed in steep cliffs of horizontally stratilied red sandstone. 

 The valley-bottoms are richly cultivated, thronged with villages 

 shaded by palm grove?, in effective contrast with the shadeless 

 sterility of the plateau and the desert on eithtr side. In this 

 valley many archceological finds were made, principally in the 

 shape of Ilimyaritic monuments and inscripliuns dating back, 

 in some instances, to i;. c. 300. The people of the part of 

 Arabia visited formed four distinct classes. The wild tribes of 

 Bedouin?, scattered irregularly, living in isolated houses or 

 caves, rear camels and do all the carrying work. Next are the 

 .■\rabs proper, who dwell in towns, cultivate the suirounding 

 lands, and engage in extensive trade, sometimes visiting India 

 and the Straits Settlemenis. Thirdly, the Sayyids and Sherifs 

 form a sott of aiistocratic hierarchy, tracing their descent from 

 the Prophet ; ihey are the religious fanatics who object to r 

 admission of foreigners. The last class is that of the slaves, ,1 

 of .\frican origin, acting as labourers, personal servants, and 

 soldiers to the Sultans of the many independent ttibes into 

 which the other classes of the population are divided. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Camhridge. — In connection with the visit of Ihe Royal 

 .■\gricultural Society to Cambridge next month, the University 

 will bestow honorary degrees on a number of the high oflicers 

 of the Society and others who have distint;uisbed themselves in 

 promoting agricultural science. The Duke of Dcvimshire, 

 Chancellor of the University, is President of Ihe Society, and 

 will probably himself confer the degrees. The list of names 

 submitted to the Senale includes U.K. II. the Dukeof Vorl, 

 the Duke of liichmortd and Gordon, Lord Cathcart, Sir John 

 Thorold, Sir Dighton Probyn, Sir Nigel ICingscole, Sir John 1^ 

 Lawes, Sir Joseph II. Gilbert, Mr. A. Peckover, the l.orl 

 Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, and Mr. .-Mbert I'cll. The 

 Master and Fellows of Trinity College have issued invitations 

 to a banquet in ihe College Hall for June 26, at which the 

 Prince of \Vale<, the Chancellor, and ihe recipients of honorary 

 degrees, will be entertained. 



We learn from the .9cii/'Wfl« that two imporlant draft orl 

 nances were issued on May 14 by ihc .Scottish Univcrsii 

 Commission. One of these deals wilh the matter of the regu- 

 lations for Ihe encouragement of special study in research and ( 

 for the institution of Research Kellowships. The urdinance 

 provides that the Senatus .\cademicus of each university may 

 make regulations under w hich graduates of Scottish unlvcrsitie>i ' 

 or of other universities recognised for the purposes of the ordi- I 

 nance, or other persons who have given saiislnclory proof of I 

 general cducaiion and ol fiinessto engage in sonic special study 1 

 or scicnlific investigation, may lie permiileil such suuly or re- 

 search in the university. The University Court in each univer- 

 sity may establish Research Kellowships, which shall be open 

 to research students only, and may set aside out of the (ieneral 

 University Kund such sums as it may Ihink fit to provide for 



' stipends of Kesearch Kellowships. The Court may ai-o provide 1 

 such sums as it may think (it in aid of the expenses of special 

 research. Research students may he admiitcd to the ilegreesof 



I Doctor of Science or ol Doctor of Lettets of the univeisity in 



