Jtlv 25, 1901] 



NA TURE 



319 



ment under" the general superintendence of Captain Flower, the 

 Director of the Gizeh Zoological Gardens, to deal with questions 

 relating to the wild animals and birds of the Soudan. Licences 

 to export live specimens will be issued by this Department at 

 fees to be determined later, and the Department will undertake 

 the supply of specimens to Zoological Gardens, Museums and 

 others. 



Zoological Gardem. — Specia attention has been paid to the 

 fauna of the Nile Valley. There were in the Gardens in Octo- 

 ber last 670 animals, representing 169 species, as compared 

 with 473 animals, of 132 species, at the corresponding date in 

 1898. The most important acquisitions have been a giraffe, 

 presented by Lord Kitchener, and a white oryx, from Kordofan, 

 presented by Sir Reginald Wingate. 



The staff' of the Gardens was mainly employed during the 

 year in rebuilding and repairing cages. An elephant-house has 

 been built, and plans are being prepared for a new lion-house. 



Nile Fish Suivey. — The collecting of fish was, during the 

 early part of the year, extended as far as Abu Hamed, and at 

 present Mr. Loat, the specialist selected by the authorities of 

 the British Museum, is working on the White Nile. A con- 

 siderable number of plates, which will eventually be published, 

 have been printed, and material from which others may be 

 drawn has been obtained. A severe loss was sustained last year 

 in the death of Dr. John Anderson, F. R.S. , whose knowledge 

 and experience made his advice of the greatest value in carrying 

 out a work which was taken in hand owing to his initiative. 



Egyptology. — Under the very capable direction of M. Mas- 

 pero, a great improvement has recently taken place in the 

 working of all branches of the Archceological Department. 

 Notably, the appointment of two English inspectors-in-chief has 

 done much to preserve the monuments, both in Lower and 

 Upper Egypt, from further depredation and mutilation. 



\Vork has been proceeding at Karnak. It will be remem- 

 bered that eleven columns in the Great Hall fell to the ground 

 during the flood of 1S99. Five further columns appeared to be 

 in some danger of falling. Under the direction of M>L Legrain 

 and Ehrlich, these columns have now been dismantled ; others 

 have been strengthened and repaired. The debris of the stones 

 which had fallen has been removed, labelled and arranged in 

 such a manner as to render it possible, should it ever be decided 

 to rebuild these columns, to replace each separate stone in the 

 precise position which it formerly occupied. 



Lord Cromer says he has been informed, on high technical 

 authority, that, in spite of every precaution, the remaining por- 

 tions of this splendid monument of antiquity will of necessity be 

 exposed to considerable risk every year at the period when the 

 subsoil water is falling. A very heavy expenditure of money 

 would, without doubt, minimise this risk, but it is doubtful 

 whether, under any conditions, it will be possible to obviate it 

 completely. 



The bases of the columns are of insufticient strength ; the soil 

 is unstable ; each column supports an immense weight in the 

 shape of roofing-blocks ; and the whole structure has been 

 erected without mortar and without bond of any sort. 



The principal tombs at Thebes have been closed by gates. 

 The tomb of Amenophis IL has been so arranged that the Royal 

 mummy remains in situ, and can be seen by visitors. I\L 

 Maspero is studying a project for lighting these tombs by 

 electricity, so as to obviate the destruction to the wall paintings 

 caused by the candles used by visitors. 



Technical Education. — Ttie only important technical school 

 in Egypt is that situated in the Boulac quarter of Cairo. The 

 School of Agriculture is a very jjopular institution, and is render- 

 ing good service to the country, but more institutions of this kind 

 seem to be needed. 



Lord Cromer refers particularly to the educational needs of 

 Egypt, and suggests that attention should be given to technical 

 education in all its branches. He has discussed this subject 

 with various authorities in Egypt, and finds a general disposition 

 to do something towards the improvement and extension of 

 technical instruction. Mr. J. Currie, director of education in 

 the Soudan and Principal of the Gordon College, has reported 

 upon the subject, and extracts from his report are given by Lord 

 Cromer. It is proposed to establish a large industrial school at 

 Khartoum, to be worked in connection with the Government 

 dockyards and workshops. It is also proposed to find house- 

 room for, and supervise, the following institutions at Gordon 

 College, so far as that can be possible : (a) A general Soudan 

 reference library; (b) an economic museum, to assist in the com- 



NO. 1656, VOL. 64] 



mercial development of the country ; (c) a meteorological 

 station and a small observatory; (d) a small analytical labora 

 tory. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Miss E. S. B.\rcl.\y has bequeathed to Bedford College the 

 sum of 1000/. without conditions. 



We learn from Science that Pittsburg will probably soon 

 have a great technical institution, especially adapted to its needs 

 and as complete in the industrial field of education as the 

 Carnegie Institute of that city has become in art and esthetics. 

 An advisory committee appointed to determine the best plan and 

 most suitable scope of the new institution has just presented its 

 report to Mr. Carnegie. These expert advisers were Dr. R. H. 

 Thurston, Director of Sibley College, Cornell University, Prof. 

 T. B. Johnson, Dean of the College of Engineering, University 

 of Wisconsin, Prof. Thomas Gray, of the Rose Polytechnic 

 School, and Prof. V. C. Alderson, of the Armour Institute. The 

 scheme proposed includes three different and distinct forms of 

 school which may be combined as parts of one complete technical 

 university. If the whole scheme is accepted by Mr. Carnegie, 

 there will be, in the first place, a first-class technical college. 

 "This college," says the committee, "should be made attractive to 

 the greatest scholars in the fields of physical and chemical 

 science. To obtain and hold such men they must be given 

 ample opportunities for research. This college must be sup- 

 plied, therefore, not only with great experimental shops and 

 laboratories for students' use, but in all departments there 

 should be splendidly equipped laboratories of investigation and 

 research, under the direction of the head of such department, 

 and with a full corps of assistants for the carrying on of all lines 

 of investigation which are now partly or wholly unprovided for 

 in America." There will also be a Technical High School to 

 carry on work above that of the public grammar school, and 

 day and evening classes for the benefit of those who are unable 

 to take advantage of the more complete courses in this school. 

 Mr. Carnegie has now to decide whether he will found a 

 school for artisans, a technical high school or a technical college, 

 or, if his ambition mounts so high, a true technical university 

 including them all. 



An article by Mr. J. B. C. Kershaw in the July number of 

 the monthly Kcviezv contains a few facts which should be of 

 interest to all who are concerned with educational and national 

 progress. He points out that technical education as at present 

 carried on in this country is chiefly instrumental in giving to 

 great numbers of young people elementary instruction in every 

 subject except the dead languages. In the opinion of practical 

 men, this smattering of science and other subjects is of no value 

 from an industrial point of view, and as a system for bringing 

 the few who possess undoubted ability or genius to the front it 

 is costly and unnecessary. In England the aim has been to 

 educate the rank and file of the workers, but the German aim 

 is to educate thoroughly all who are to occupy posts of authority 

 in manufactures and industries. Herein there is a great differ- 

 ence, and many people are beginning to see that the German 

 method is the best when industrial progress is taken as the 

 criterion. The reason lies in the ability to appreciate new 

 developments, or, as Mr. Kershaw puts it, " a thorough 

 scientific training enables the manufacturer to decide quickly 

 upon the merits of the new processes or inventions, and he is 

 not daunted by the fact that in this newly-chosen path of in- 

 dustrial progress there is no ' practical experience ' to guide his 

 steps. The German manufacturer has, therefore, been assisted 

 by his own thorough technical training, and by that of his 

 manager, engineer or chemist, in adapting himself more quickly 

 than his English rival to new conditions of trade, or to the 

 exigencies of new processes and new developments of industry." 

 There is little hope of substantial improvement while our manu- 

 facturers and commercial men, as a rule, have so little sympathy 

 with scientific work. Their general altitude is reflected in ad- 

 vertisements of this kind — -"Wanted, young man as Chemist 

 at Tar and Vitriol Works in North of England ; willing to fill 

 up time at Bookkeeping." While trained chemists are con- 

 sidered to be on about the same level as a clerk and inferior to 

 a skilled operative, how can we expect to make advances similar 

 to those which Germany and the United States are making? 



