January 31, 1895] 



NA TUKE 



333 



the experiment : you observe that when the mercury is cold, 

 and consequently the pressure in the space between the bulbs 

 very low, a bright discharge passes through the inner bulb, 

 while the space between the bulbs remains quite dark ; when 

 we heat the mercury so as to increase the pressure of its vapour, 

 a bright discharge passes through the outer layer, while the inner j 

 bulb is quite dark ; the outer layer is now a conduclor, and by its ! 

 action screens off from the inner bulb the induction of the coil. 

 The last experiment I have to show is one on the effect pro- 

 duced by a magnetic field on the discharge. When the dis- , 

 charge has to flow across the lines of magnetic force, the pres- 

 sure of the magnetic iield retards the discharge ; when, however. 



the discharge flows along the lines of magnetic force, the dis- 

 charge is helped by the magnetic field. This is shown in the 

 following experiment. A is a bulb ; B a square tube, one side 

 of which is placed between the poles of an electromagnet ; the 

 coil C, which connects the outside coatings of the jars, can be 

 adjusted so that when the magnet is "off," the discharge passes 

 through the bulb but not round the square tube ; when, however, 

 the magnet is "on," the discharge passes in the square tube but 

 not in the bulb In the square tube the discharge passes along 

 the lines of magnetic .' orce and is helped ; in the bulb it passes 

 across them and iv retarded. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford. — In a Convocation held on Tuesday, January 29, 

 the degree of Doctor of Medicine, by decree of the House, 

 was conferred on J. S. Burdon Sanderson, F. R. S., Regius Pro 

 fessor of Medicine. Prof. Sanderson was at the same lime em- 

 powered to discharge the duties of the Waynflete Professor of 

 Physiology, and to dispose of the income of the department 

 during the vacancy in the Waynflete Professorship. 



The amendments to the proposed form of statute on degrees 

 for research will be submitted to Congregation on Tuoday, 

 February 12. There are no less than sixty-three amendments, 

 most of which are consequential. The chief amendments pro- 

 I pose that the degree of Bachelor of Arts shall be substituted 

 lor the proposed degrees of Bachelor of Letters and Bachelor 

 if Science ; that the delegacy for the supervision of candidates 

 ihall be chosen from among a limited number of University 

 officials, and that there shall be no such delegacy, but that the 

 supervision shall be entrusted to the Boards of Studies. 



The Sibthorpian Professor of Rural Economy will deliver an 

 inaugural lecture on Monday, February 4, at 5 30 p.m., on "The 

 I'resent Relations of .Agricultural Art and Natural Science." 



Mr. A. B. Trevor Battye will give a lecture before the Ash- 

 inolean Society on Monday, February 4, at 8. 30 p.m., on his 

 ■xperiences in Kolfjuev Island. 



The Vice-Chancellor has received for the University a bequest 

 Irom the late Miss Susan Kidd of a portrait of her father, Dr. 

 Ijohn Kidd, of Christ Church, formerly Regius Professor of 

 jMedicine. 



CAMiikiiiGE. — The Special Board for Biology and Geology 

 lopose that in fuLuie the Walsingham Medal, given by the Lord 



High Steward annually for biological research, shall be open 

 to graduates of the Univeisity up to the standing of Master of 

 Arts. Of the three Medals offered, two have been awarded — one 

 for a zoological and the other for a botanical essay. It is also 

 proposed that the Medal shall not be awarded twice to the same 

 person. 



The funeral of the late Prof. Cayley will take place on Friday, 

 February I, in Trinity College Chapel, and the Mill Road 

 Cemetery. Members of the University desiring to be present, 

 are requested to assemble in the College Hall at 1. 45 p.m. 



The Sedgwick Memorial Syndicate have been empowered to 

 reconsider the plans, or prepare new ones, for the Geological 

 Museum. The estimates for Mr. Jackson's plan exceeded the 

 means at the disposal of the University. 



Dr. L. E. Shore, St. John's College, has been appointed an 

 additional member of the Medical Board. Dr. A. Ransome, 

 F.R.S.,Dr. J. L. Notter, Dr. T. Stevenson, F.R.S,, and Dr. R. 

 Thorne Thome, C.15., f. R S., have been appointed Examiners 

 in State .Medicine for the current year. 



At the Matriculation on January 28, seventeen new students 

 were entered. This brings the total for the present academical 

 > ear up to 894. 



The Executive Committee of the City and Guilds of London 

 Institute have awarded the first Salters' Company Research 

 Fellowship for the encouragement of higher research in 

 chemistry in its relation 10 manufactures, to Dr. Martin O. 

 Foster. Dr. M. O. Foster is an old student of the City and 

 Guilds Technical College, Finsbury, and Doctor of Philosophy 

 of the University of Wurzburg. For several months he has been 

 engaged in investigating some new derivatives of camphor in 

 the Research Laboratory of the City and Guilds Central 

 Technical College and by the aid of the Salters' Company's 

 Research Fellowship, he proposes to pursue this line of work. 



The Organised Science Schools of the Department of .Science 

 and Art are schools in which the instruction is carried on 

 methodically according to one or other of the courses laid down 

 by the Department, or which has been specially submitted to 

 and approved by it. It can easily be understood that such 

 schools represent a very important stage in the system of scien* 

 tific education which Mr. Acland is doing so much to improve. 

 A number of new regulations, relating to these schools, have just 

 been issued, to come into force after the examinations next 

 May. The most important feature of the new scheme is the 

 introduction of payment on inspection instead of payment on re- 

 sults, for by far the larger part of the instruction given in organ- 

 ised science schools. This modification, which applies to 120 

 science schools in the United Kingdom, has only become pos- 

 sible since the app iintment of a staff of Science and Art in- 

 spectors. Another noteworthy feature is that reasonable lati- 

 tude will be allowed to the teacher as to the nature of the course 

 he may pursue provided the instruction is sound, satisfactory in 

 amount, and combined with proper practical work. Even more 

 satisfactory are the instructions that the practical chemistry for 

 the first year's course should include the setting up of apparatus — 

 weighing and other chemical manipulations, the preparation of 

 gases, ihe estimation of volume, and so on. .Xnalysis will, in 

 future, occupy a secondary position in introductory courses. The 

 mechanical test-tubing, which has hitherto formed the greater 

 part of practical chemistry in Departmental schools, will thus 

 give place to practical work of real educational value. We also 

 observe that provision is made for a certain amount of literary 

 instruction being given whilst the student is pursuing his science 

 curriculum ; that a choice of advanced courses is given ; and 

 that an alternative programme suitable for women is formulated, 

 and instruction in subjects specially adapted to them is de- 

 manded ; that practical instruction must be given in the subjects 

 of science simultaneously with the theoretical instruction. 

 Clearly, the new rules will greatly assist the development and. 

 better organisation of scientific education. 



NO. I318, VOL. 51] 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. 



American journal of Science, January. — Late glacial or 

 Champlam subsidence and reelevation of the St. Lawrence River 

 basin, by Warien Upham. From the Champlain submergence 

 the Atlantic coast of North America was raised somewhat 

 hii;her than now ; and its latest movement from New Jersey to 

 Greenland has been a moderate depression. As in Scandinavia, 



