4c6 
and wishes. May the spirit that inspired you abide 
with us everywhere and always: may it preserve our 
understanding from the bonds of error, and by its 
presence strengthen and confirm us in the pursuit of 
the truths of nature. 
The ceremony at the museum concluded with 
the presentation of addresses from the University 
of Cambridge and from the Franciscan Order of 
Friars Minor, the former by Prof. James Ward, 
the latter by Fr. David Fleming. 
At a luncheon which was given by Merton 
College, the Warden presiding, the memory of 
Roger Bacon was proposed by the Bodleian 
Librarian (Mr. F. Madan), who took occasion to 
mention the west-country origin of the subject of 
the toast, and the encouragement which he re- 
ceived from Pope Clement IV. This was sup- 
ported in an eloquent speech by M. F. Picavet, 
representing the University of Paris. The other 
delegates were welcomed by the Chancellor, and 
replied to the toast of their health in speeches of 
great interest. The delegate of the Vatican 
Library, Monsignor Ratti, speaking in Latin, an- 
nounced the recent discovery of a new Baconian 
manuscript. The Comte d’Haussonville and M. 
Henneguy, both members of the French Academy, 
answered respectively on behalf of the Institut and 
of the Collége de France. Fr. David Fleming 
spoke for the Franciscan Order, and Prof. James 
Ward for the University of Cambridge. Sir W. 
Osler conveyed the thanks of the company to the 
Warden and Fellows of Merton College. 
Many of the visitors attended the Romanes 
lecture on “The Atomic Theory,” given by Sir 
J. J. Thomson. Others proceeded to the Bodleian, 
where the librarian had arranged an exhibition of 
Baconian books, prints, and manuscripts. This 
comprised MSS. of the Opus Majus, the Opus 
Tertium, and fragments of the Opus Minus, 
together with many other MSS. of interest, in- 
cluding the curious treatise “de retardandis senec- 
tutis accidentibus.” The volume of memorial 
essays lately published under the editorship of Mr. 
A. G. Little was also on view. 
The events of the commemoration ended with a 
party in the garden of the Warden of Wadham 
College. APD: 
ADDRESS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. 
The following is the address written by the 
Public Orator of the University of Cambridge, 
and presented by Dr. James Ward at the celebra- 
tion :— 
Gratulamur Universitati vestrae, viri litterarum et 
scientiarum omnium amore nobis coniunctissimi, quod 
annum septingentesimum ex quo natum est scien- 
tiarum et litterarum lumen illud vestrum, Rogerus 
Bacon, mense proximo vosmet ipsi, cum aliis quibus 
alumni vestri memoria cara est, celebrare constituistis. 
Viri tanti fama ad posteros quam tarde pervenerit, 
non ignotum.  Scilicet anni intercesserant trecenti, 
cum libellus de mirabili potestate artis et naturae ab 
eo conscriptus, typis expressus est; quadringenti sexa- 
ginta sex, cum eiusdem Opus Maius publici iuris 
factum est; prope sescenti denique, cum Opus Minus 
et Opus Tertium diei lucem primum viderunt. Opera 
autem eius tam multa tamque late dispersa fuisse 
NO, 2320, VOL.593| 
NATURE 
| gentia.”’ 
| auspiciis vestris verum redditum est. 
sss ee 
] 
[June 18, 1914 
perhibentur, ‘ut facilius sit Sibyllae folia colligere,” e 
quibus nonnulla, vixdum nota, vosmet ipsi, cum aliis 
coniuncti, in lucem mittere decrevistis. Atqui, etiam 
in libris eius, quos iamdudum habemus, luce clarius 
est, quanto litterarum Graecarum, Hebraicarum, 
Arabicarum, quanto scientiarum omnium amore 
flagraverit, qui, quanquam scientiae uni potissimum 
investigandae annos decem dedicavit, ceteras nequa- 
quam neglexit, scientias omnes inter se connexas esse, 
et mutuis sese fovere auxiliis, non immerito arbitratus. 
Idem quam multa, quae nostra demum invenit aetas, 
mente sagaci prospexit, Senecae sui verbis illis prae- 
claris usus :—‘‘veniet tempus quo ista quae nunc 
latent, in lucem dies extrahat et longioris aevi dili- 
Vaticinium etiam alterum nunc demum 
Etenim, abhine 
annos plus quam trecentos, poéta quidam Canta- 
brigiensis praedixit, fore aliquando, ut Anglia et 
Europa Baconis vestri famam admirarentur, atque ut 
Oxonia praesertim alumnum suum statuarum honore 
in perpetuum celebraret. Ergo etiam posteros iuvabit 
Historiae Naturalis in Museo vestro iuxta Baconis 
nostri imaginem etiam Baconis vestri statuam non 
sine reverentia contemplari. 
Has litteras benevolentiam et observantiam nostram 
testantes legato maxime idoneo, philosophiae e Pro- 
es nostris altero, ad vos perferendas tradimus. 
alete. 
THE COMMITTEE ON WIRELESS 
TELEGRAPHY RESEARCH. 
ae appointment of the committee on wireless 
telegraphy research, and its report, referred 
to in last week’s issue of NaTurRE (p. 385), are 
indications that the somewhat fierce light that the 
Marconi inquiry brought to bear upon the un- 
scientific methods of the Post Office is at length 
having some effect. No longer is it possible that 
a high Post Office official should annotate a - 
memorandum, prepared by a very responsible tech- 
nical officer, recommending the appointment of 
some engineers destined to form a skilled wire- 
less staff, with a paragraph to the effect that 
““common-or-garden” engineers are good enough 
for wireless telegraphy. To the Marconi com- 
mittee, however, Sir Alexander King, secretary of 
the Post Office, admitted that the office could not 
undertake the design and erection of the imperial 
wireless stations for the reason that they had in 
their employment no one with the necessary know- 
ledge and experience, surely a very humiliating 
position for the State department which controls 
the whole of the national telegraphs, with a large 
technical staff, and snends thereon huge sums of 
public money. 
Since then it is satisfactory to note some change 
in the official mind, first in the appointment, some 
months ago, of Mr. Duddell to assist the tele- 
graph department with technical advice, and 
secondly in the appointment of the very repre- 
sentative committee of which the report is now 
under review. 
The report now published is in favour of estab- 
lishing, near to the National Physical Laboratory 
at Bushey, a special national research laboratory 
where work on wireless telegraph problems will 
be carried on, while investigations in connection 
with ordinary telegraphy and telephony will not 
be excluded. The laboratory is to be controlled 
ee 
