December 14, 1893] 



NA TURE 



155 



small flue in the wall, and will accommodate eight full- 

 sized gas muffles. All the gas, water, heating, and fume 

 pipes, together with the drains, which have specially 

 arranged intercepting tanks to prevent the loss of mercury 

 or the carrying of solid matter into the sewers, are 

 carried beneath the benches in an ample stone-paved 

 recess below the floor level. There is an easy means of 

 access to all these pipes by sliding out the bottoms of 

 the apparatus stores, which are arranged below each 

 bench, and protected by an iron foot-rail. 



Air from outside is also admitted from the same space, 

 and is thus slightly warmed before entering the labora- 

 tory. The glass lights in the roof can, if desired, be 

 opened. Artificial light is provided by six powerful 

 self- ventilating Wenham gas- lamps, but it is hoped 

 in time to provide incandescent electric lights to each 

 bench. 



Just outside the laboratory is a balance room fitted 

 with six Oertling balances ; this room is small, but the 

 exigencies of the site did not permit of a larger area. 

 Opposite the balance room a spiral staircase enables the 

 examiner in charge to at once descend to the combustion 

 laboratory. This room, 23 x 13, is fitted with seven 

 stone-topped combustion benches, each 4ft. 6in. x 

 ift. 3in., provided with a Jin. fullway gas cock. Behind 

 this is a vault lighted by prism light in the laboratory 

 floor, in which is placed a powerful high-pressure water 

 heating apparatus. Outside in the area is a washing-up 

 room, provided with requisite shelves, sink, &c., and 

 supplied with gas, so that the rougher operations of a 

 laboratory, the handling of carboys, storage of acids and 

 bulky chemicals, &c. , can there take place. 



From the house the laboratory is entered by a corridor 

 starting from the cloak-room. The latter is large and 

 amply provided with all necessaries, and with it com- 

 municates a commodious and well-fitted lavatory, having 

 hot and cold water and all necessary fittings. 



Behind the office, a handsome oak-floored room in the 

 house itself will serve as a suitable laboratory for gas 

 analyses. 



Besides the accommodation here described, the house 

 contains fifteen large rooms and a fine entrance hall. 

 On the ground floor the front room serves as the 

 office. The first floor supplies two large council and 

 committee rooms, while the basement furnishes the 

 housekeeper with ample accommodation. It will thus 

 be seen that there is plenty of room for expansion. 



The proverbial delays of the law prevented the House 

 Committee from, getiing to work until August had begun. 

 Its members are to be congratulated on the work they 

 have done, and the time, four months, in which it has 

 been accomplished. 



The opening of the laboratories took place on Friday, 

 December 8, at one o'clock, when the President re- 

 ceived a number of gentlemen, who subsequently in- 

 spected the new buildings. The company included 

 Sir F. Abel, F.R.S., Dr. Bell, F.R.S., Dr. H. E. Arm- 

 strong, F.R.S., Dr. Russell, F.R.S., Prof. Ramsay, 

 F.R.S., Prof. Hartley, F.R.S., Prof. Clowes, Mr. C. 

 E. Groves, F.R.S., Prof. Meldola, F.R.S., Mr. R. 

 J. Friswell, Mr. O. Hehner, Dr. T. A. Lawson, Mr. D. 

 Howard, Mr. Ernest Hart, and many other gentlemen 

 and representatives of the press. Letters and telegrams 

 regretting absence were received from Sir W. Foster, 

 M.P., Sir H. Roscoe, iM.P., Mr. Fowler, M.P., :\Ir. Nor- 

 man Lockyer, F.R.S., Prof. J. M. Thomson, the Duke of 

 Bedford, &c. 



At half past one the President delivered a short address 

 dealing with the history and objects of the Institute, 

 which now consists of 731 fellows and 104 associates, and 

 has 200 registered students on its books. On the con- 

 clusion of this brief ceremony the laboratories being 

 declared open, the President invited the assembled 



NO. 1259, VOL. 49] 



company to luncheon, which was laid in the council 

 rooms. Sir F. Abel proposed the President's health, to 

 which Dr. Tilden briefly replied, after which the meeting 

 broke up. 



SCIENCE IN THE MAGAZINES. 



F^jR. A. R. WALLACE contributes to iho: Fort/tightly 

 JLv the second part of his article on " The Ice Age 

 and its Work. ' He deals in detail with the erosion of 

 lake basins, first describing the difterent kinds of lakes, 

 and their distribution, and then the conditions that favour 

 the production of lakes by ice-erosion. The objections 

 of modern writers are afterwards considered seriatim, 

 and the manner in which they are handled will give 

 pleasure to all glacialists. The alternative theory to that 

 of ice-erosion, for the origin of the class of lakes dis- 

 cussed, viz. that they were formed before the glacial epoch, 

 by earth- movements of the same nature as, those con- 

 cerned in mountain formation, appears to be fairly 

 presented, and the difficulties in the way of accepting it 

 are pointed out. Evidence is adduced to show that the 

 contours and outlines of the lakes in question indicate 

 erosion rather than submergence, and, finally, the Lake 

 of Geneva is taken as a test of the two rival theories. 

 As the subject discussed is very complex, and the argu- 

 ment essentially a cumulative one, Dr. Wallace gives the 

 following summary of the main points : — 



In the first place, it has been shown that the valley lakes of 

 highly glaciated districts form a distinct class, which are highly 

 characteristic, if not altogether peculiar, since in none of the 

 mountain ranges of the tropics, or of non-glaciated regions over 

 the v\hole world, are any similar lakes to be found. 



The special conditions favourable to the erosion of lake- 

 basins, and the mode of action of the Ice-tool, are then dis- 

 cussed, and it is shown that these conditions have been either 

 overlooked or ignored by the opponents of the theory of ice- 

 erosion. 



The objections of modern writers are then considered, and 

 they are shown to be founded either on mistaken ideas as to the 

 mode of erosion by glaciers, or on not taking into account re- 

 sults of glacier-action which they themselves either admit or 

 have not attempted to disprove. 



The alternative theory — that earth- movements of various 

 kinds led to the production of lake-basins in all mountain 

 ranges, and that those in glaciated regions were preserved by 

 being filled with ice — is shown to be beset with numerous 

 difficulties, physical, geological, and geographical, which its 

 supporters have not attempted to overcome. It is also pointed 

 out that this theory in no way explains the occurrence of the 

 largest and deepest lakes in the largest river valleys, or in those 

 valleys where there was the greatest concentration of glaciers, a 

 peculiarity of their distribution which points directly and un- 

 mistakably to ice-erosioQ. 



A crucial test of the two theories is then suggested, and it is 

 shown that both the sub-aqueous contours of the lake-basins, 

 and the superficial outlines of the lakes, are exactly such as 

 would be produced by ice-erosion, while they could not possibly 

 have been caused by submergence due to any form of earth- 

 movements. It is submitted that we have here a positive 

 criterion, now adduced for the first time, which is absolutely 

 fatal to any theory of submersion. 



Lastly, the special case of the Lake of Geneva is discussed, 

 and it is shown that the explanation put forth by the anti- 

 glacialists is wholly unsupported by facts, and is opposed to the 

 known laws of glacier motion. 



The Contemporary is included among the magazines 

 that we have received, and to it Mr. Herbert Spencer 

 contributes a rejoinder to Prof. Weismann. "As a 

 species of literature," he remarks, "controversy is char- 

 acterised by a terrible fertility. Each proposition be- 

 comes the parent of half-a-dozen, so that a few replies 

 and rejoinders produce an unmanageable population of 



