May 14, 1903] 



NA TURE 



^5 



phorus, 056; manganese, 077; and iron (by difference), 



^H76- 



The memoirs submitted by the Carnegie research scholars 

 were taken as read, and are open to discussion by correspon- 

 dence. The paper by Mr. A. Campion, for which the gold 

 medal was awarded, covers seventy-five pages, and is illus- 

 trated by fifteen plates. It deals with the heat treatment 



t steel under conditions of steelworks' practice. The 



iper by Dr. O. Boudouard, of Paris, for which a special 

 nlver medal was awarded, covers eighty pages, and deals 

 with the determination of the points of allotropic change 

 of iron and its alloys by the measurement of the variations 

 in the electric resistance. Results are given for carbon 

 steels, chrome steels, tungsten steels, manganese steels, 

 and nickel steels. The remaining memoirs presented by 

 the Carnegie research scholars deal with the influence of 

 varying casting temperature on the properties of alloys, 

 by Mr. P. Longmuir, of Sheffield, and with the manufacture 

 of tool steel, by Mr. E. Schott, of Berlin. 



The proceedings concluded with the usual votes of thanks 

 to the Institution of Civil Engineers, proposed by the 

 president and seconded by Prof. Gowland, and to the presi- 

 dent for his conduct in the chair, proposed by Prof. Syed 

 Ali Bilgrami and seconded by Mr. F. Samuelson. 



In the evening Mr. Carnegie presided at the annual 

 dinner, which was attended by about six hundred members. 

 The Prime Minister congratulated the Institute on its inter- 

 national and scientific character, and speeches were made 

 by the Duke of Devonshire, Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, 

 Mr. John Morley, Viscount Ridley, Sir Henry Fowler, Sir 

 James Kitson, and Sir Samuel Chisholm. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford.— The 248th meeting of the Junior Scientific Club 

 was held on Friday, May 8. Mr. R. T. Giinther read a 

 paper on " Changes of Land Level," in which he gave an 

 account of researches he had carried out on this subject in 

 the neighbourhood of Naples. The paper was illustrated 

 by slides showing photographs of the coast in this district. 

 Mr. N. V. Sidgwick, Lincoln, read a paper on " The 

 Emission of Heat by Radium Salts." 



Cambridge. — The council of the Senate propose that the 

 Hartley University College, Southampton, should be 

 adopted as an institution affiliated to the University of 

 Cambridgffe. 



The syndicate on the Mathematical Pass Examinations 

 have issued an important report (University Reporter, May 

 12, 1903), in which they recommend a number of far-reach- 

 ir.g changes in respect to the geometry, arithmetic, and 

 algebra required in the previous examination. They " are 

 of opinion that it is no longer desirable to insist on the 

 maintenance of Euclid's Elements as a text-book." 



The Board of Agricultural Studies report that during the 

 past year 169 students have received instruction in agri- 

 cultural science in connection with the department. The 

 income of the department, about 3700Z., is practically 

 balanced by the expenditure. The need of a permanent 

 building to accommodate the various branches of the work 

 is becoming apparent, and the Board are considering how 

 the need can be supplied. 



Dr. Ruhemann, university lecturer in organic chemistry, 

 has been appointed the university delegate to the Congress 

 of Applied Chemistry to be held next month in Berlin. 



A bust of the late Dr. John Hopkinson was unveiled at 

 the engineering laboratory on Monday. The vice-chancellor 

 presided, and the speakers included Sir Joseph Lawrence, 

 M.P., Lord Kelvin, Prof. Ewing, and Principal Hopkinson. 



Dr. Charles Chilton has been offered and has accepted 

 the professorship of biology at Canterbury College, Christ- 

 church, New Zealand, in succession to Prof. Dendy. 



The Pioneer Mail states that the site assigned to British 

 India by the Mysore Government for the Indian University 

 of Research to be created in consequence of Mr. J. N. Tata's 

 munificent offer of an endowment measures about 370 acres, 



NO. 1750, VOL. 68J 



is situated in the north-west of Bangalore Cantonment, 

 about four miles beyond the municipal boundary. Besides 

 this gift the Mysore Government have offered five lakhs 

 for initial expenses, and they hold out hopes of further 

 assistance. Prof. Masson and Colonel Clibborn calculate 

 the annual expenditure at 10,000/. sterling. 



BooTHAM School, at York, was one of the few schools 

 which received medals at the Nature-Study Exhibition last 

 year for their exhibits showing the extent and nature of 

 the work in nature-study done by the pupils. The sixty- 

 ninth annual report of the Natural History Society of this 

 school serves to explain the success then achieved. The 

 study of natural objects is continued throughout the year, 

 and is carefully arranged by the science masters so as to 

 avoid waste of time and effort. A boy with a love for any 

 branch of natural history receives every encouragement, and 

 there can be little doubt of the good effect this sympathetic 

 treatment has on the education imparted. 



The fiftieth report of the Charity Commissioners for 

 England and Wales shows that in the three years ending 

 December 31, 1901, the total amount of charitable bequests 

 in England and Wales reached 6,542,110/., of which 

 279,890/. was intended for education. It has often been 

 pointed out in these columns what large sums are given to 

 higher education in the United States. During the three 

 years dealt with by the Charity Commissioners in their 

 report, benefactions for higher education alone to the ex- 

 tent of 10,392,000/. were reported in the United States. 

 That is to say, for every pound sterling given during 1899- 

 1901 for education in all its grades in England and Wales, 

 more than thirty-seven pounds were given bv American 

 benefactors for university education alone. The sums de- 

 voted by private persons to higher education in the United 

 States were nearly twice as great during these three years 

 as those for every form of charity in England and Wales. 



Numerous changes in the regulations for examinations 

 at the University of Oxford have recently been announced. 

 Among the alterations are those in mathematics for the first 

 public examination (pass), in connection with which it is 

 stated that any method of proof will be accepted which 

 shows clearness and accuracy in geometrical reasoning, and 

 that in the case of propositions 1-7, 9, 10 of Book ii., 

 algebraical proofs may be used. The Board of the Faculty 

 of Natural Science has also made similar changes in the 

 mathematical requirements of the Final Pass School, 

 Group C. (i). These changes come into force at the ex- 

 aminations of Michaelmas term, 1904. There are additions 

 to the schedule of mechanics and physics for the prelirflinafy; 

 examination of the Honour School of Natural Science, 

 which come into force on and after Trinity term, 1905. 

 The practical examinations, especially in physics, are to be 

 more extensive than hitherto. 



A copy of the report and handbook for the session 19021 

 of the Technical Instruction Committee of the Essex County 

 Council has been received. It contains detailed inform- 

 ation of every department of the work of the committee, and 

 provides another example of the thorough manner in which 

 the county councils have performed the educational duties 

 entrusted to them by the Technical Instruction Acts, now 

 repealed. In connection with the agricultural instruction 

 in Essex, field meetings were held at seven centres. The 

 objects of some of the meetings were to demonstrate the 

 destruction of charlock in field crops by spraying with solu- 

 tions of copper sulphate and nitrate of soda ; the improve- 

 ment of derelict grass land by manures ; no verbal deScrip-- 

 tion could adequately convey an idea of the improvement' 

 effected by basic slag, which was one of the marlures used, 

 on either of these fields, and the farmers attending were 

 strongly impressed by the almost miraculous effect of this 

 manure both on the quality and quantity of the herbage. 



The annual exhibition of the work of pupils in the day, 

 evening continuation, truant, blind, deaf, and special in- 

 struction schools of the London School Board was opened 

 last Saturday by Lord Reay at the Examination Hall, 

 Thames Embankment. The exhibits were very numerous 

 and thoroughly representative of the work of children of 



