AvucusT 6, 1914] 
NATURE 
603 
W.C., or the Highland and Agricultural Society of 
Scotland, 3 George IV. Bridge, Edinburgh. The 
latest date for receiving applications is August I5. 
Sir J. J. THomson delivered the inaugural lecture 
at the summer meeting of the Cambridge Local Lec- 
tures on Friday last, taking as his subject, ‘‘ Educa- 
tion and Science.”’ Referring to the changes in the 
educational system, he said that visitors to Cambridge 
thirty or forty years ago used to get confused by the 
multitude of colleges, but the very small number of 
laboratories gave them no trouble. Now there were 
quite as many laboratories as colleges, and they would 
realise the liberality with which the ancient University 
had welcomed these modern studies. It had also made 
no distinction in its award of fellowships and scholar- 
ships between the old studies and the new, and had 
acted on the principle that its duty was to take all 
knowledge as its province. As one whose work had 
been for the most part connected with the newer 
studies, he was pleased to have the opportunity of 
acknowledging the liberality and sympathy which 
those studies had received at Cambridge. The pro- 
gress of science had been hastened by the additional 
facilities provided for research in recent years. And 
if it was a fact that the application of science to the 
prevention and cure of disease, to the increase in 
facilities of transport, of intercourse, and of the 
amenities of life had been a gain to humanity, had 
increased human happiness, and diminished human 
suffering, then it was the bounden duty of every 
civilised nation or community to do all in its power 
to hasten that progress. Humanity was suffering 
from evils which could be cured more quickly if still 
greater resources were placed at the disposal of scien- 
tific workers. It would be unfair and ungrateful not 
to acknowledge that the Government, without any 
pressure from public opinion, had done something in 
that direction, but much remained to be done. When 
the people of this country realised that some of the 
evils from which they were suffering would be removed 
some day or other by science they would insist that the 
pace should be hastened as much as possible. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
ParIs. 
Academy of Sciences, July 20.—M. P. Appell in the 
chair.—Paul Sabatier and A. Mailhe;: The catalytic 
decomposition of benzoic acid. A study of the action 
of various catalysts upon the vapour of benzoic acid 
at 550° C. With the blue oxides of tungsten and 
molybdenum and the oxides of zirconium and cerium 
the acid passes unchanged. Benzene and carbon 
dioxide are produced in presence of reduced copper, 
cadmium oxide, zinc oxide, and titanium oxide. 
Benzophenone is the main reaction product in presence 
of lithium and calcium carbonates.—H. Douvillé : The 
first geological epochs. A discussion of the composi- 
tion of the earth’s atmosphere at varying tempera- 
tures of the earth’s crust, with especial reference to 
the conditions prevailing at temperatures between 
700° C. and 364° C.—Y. Delage: The capture of a 
‘specimen of Luvarus imperialis on the coast of Finis- 
tére.—A. Blondel; Electric chronographs and _ self- 
recording micro-galvanometers. Remarks on an in- 
strument recently described by M. Beauvais, and re- 
ferring to earlier communications by the author 
describing a similar instrument.—Ph. A, Guye and 
F. E. E. Germann: The gases retained by iodine and 
by silver. An application of the apparatus recently 
described by the authors for the analysis of minute 
volumes of gas. The gas contained in the silver was 
determined by conversion into iodide in a vacuum, and 
NO. 2336, VOL. 93] 
the gases evolved pumped out and analysed. Oxygen, 
carbon monoxide, and water vapour were found.—Kr. 
Birkeland; The zodiacal light. A discussion of some 
recent observations from the point of view of the 
author’s hypothesis, that the sun emits radiant matter 
and electrons, and that these corpuscles group them- 
selves round the magnetic solar equator.—S. Stoilow : 
The integrals of partial differential linear equations 
with two independent variables.—Pierre Séve : The use 
of an alternating current for the transmission of the 
indications of apparatus of which the index can effect 
complete rotations. Application to the distribution of 
time.—G, Chaudron ; The reversible reactions of water 
on iron and on ferrous oxide. From the experiments 
quoted the author concludes that between 300° C. and 
1oo0° C. there are two series of equilibria with the 
solid phases iron-ferrous oxide, iron-magnetic iron 
oxide.—M. Delépine: The separation of the optical 
isomerides of the iridotrioxalates.—F., Taboury ; Con- 
tribution to the study of the iron-zinc alloys. The 
crystals formed in baths used for galvanising iron 
contain a constant proportion (7-3 per cent.) of zinc.— 
A, Sénéchal: The solid chromic sulphates.—H. Giran : 
Bromine hydrate. From a cryoscopic study of mix- 
tures of bromine and water, Br,+8H,O is deduced as 
the composition of the hydrate.—Th. W. Richards and 
M. E. Lembert: The atomic weight of lead of radio- 
active origin. According to the theory of Soddy and 
Fajans, the atomic weight of lead derived from the 
decomposition of radium and uranium should be 206-0, 
that from thorium, 208-4, ordinary lead being 207-1. 
Experiments with lead from carnotite gave 206-59, 
from three samples of pitchblende, 206-57, 206-40, and 
206-86, one from thorianite, 206-32.—A. Desgrez and 
R. Moog : A method for the estimation of urea. Details 
of a method based on the decomposition of urea by 
Millon’s reagent, in presence of intusorial earth. Tesi 
figures showing the accuracy obtainable are given.— 
R. Fosse: The gravimetric quantitative analysis of 
small quantities of urea for dilutions greater than 
o-1 per cent. The urea is weighed as an_ insoluble 
compound with xanthydrol—H. Gault: Oxalocitric 
lactone and its transformation into tricarballylic acid. 
The best yield of tricarballylic acid from oxalocitric 
lactone is obtained by heating the latter with alcohol 
to 180° C.—Albert Gascard : The presence of an alcohol 
and an acid, both containing thirty-two atoms of 
carbon, in the wax of Tachardia lacca.—A. Duffour : 
An association of crystals of unequal symmetry.—C. 
Gaudefroy: The dehydration of gypsum.—J. Deprat: 
The projects for the Yun-nan-fou railway at Sseu- 
tchoan and their relations with geology. From the 
geological point of view it is shown that the con- 
struction of the proposed line would offer great diffi- 
culties, and the upkeep would be onerous and costly. 
From an economic point of view the line would prob- 
ably prove unprofitable-—V. Vermorel and E. Dantony : 
The chemical composition of alkaline spraying mix- 
tures and the soluble copper which they contain. 
Alkaline Bordeaux mixtures, contrary to the view cur- 
rently held, contain copper in the dissolved state.— 
F. Jadim and A. Astruc: Arsenic and manganese in 
some plant products used for animal food. Arsenic 
and manganese are shown to be present in fifteen 
plant products, and are probably normal constituents 
of the plant cell—P. Mazé: The mechanism of the 
exchanges between the plant and the external medium. 
—J. Giaja: Study of reactions of two ferments work- 
ing together. The hydrolysis of amygdalin by emulsin, 
or by the digestive fluid of Helix pomatia, is shown 
to be the restilt of two connected fermentative actions, 
involving the production of reducing sugar and hydro- 
cyanic acid respectively—Mme. Marie Phisalix: The 
action of the virus of hydrophobia on Batrachians and 
