190 



NATURE 



[June 2T, 1883 



examiners in the Pass Schools should allow merit in one subject 

 to compensate for a deficiency in another ; and secondly, the 

 decree to grant io,coo/. to Prof. Burdon Sanderson for the 

 equipment of the new Physiological Laboratories. In the first 

 debate the proposal was only carried by the casting vote of the 

 Vice-Chancellor, and some doubt has since been raised on the 

 qualification of one of the voters. In the second debate the 

 opponents of vivisection, allied with those who oppose any large 

 expenditure by the University on economic grounds, sought to 

 throw out the decree and force the University to make sperial 

 provision against the Professor experimenting on living animals. 

 Prof. Burdon Sanderson in his speech disclaimed any intention 

 of introducing vivisection into his courses or demonstrations, but 

 declared that he would experiment on living animals in his own 

 researches if he deemed it necessary for the discovery of truth. 

 The decree was carried in a large house by 88 votes to 85. 



The Commemoration in the Sheldonian Theatre passed off 

 with less uproar this year. Among the recipients of honorary 

 degrees Lord Kayleigh and Sir Frederick Abel repre-ented 

 Science. 



In November next Balliol and Christ Church will hold ex- 

 aminations for electing to Natural Science Scholarships. The 

 subjects at both colleges will be Chemistry, Physics, and Biology, 

 with an essay and an optional paper in Mathematics. 



C am 11 r I DG e. — The Senior Wrangler in the Mathematical Tripos 



(Parts I. and 1 1.) is Mr. Mathews, ol St. John's College; Mr. Gallop 

 is second ; Mr. Lachlan, third ; Messrs. Chevallier and A. N. 

 Whitehead, bracketed fourth — all of Trinity College. One lady, 

 Miss Perrin, of Girton, is placed between the 20th and 21st 

 Wranglers. Three ladies are senior optimes ; one is junior 

 optime. 



The Special Hoard for Mathematics have recommended that 

 the Smith's Prize be awarded for the best essay on any subject 

 in Mathematics or Natural Philosophy, to be sent in about a 

 year and a half after the candidates are of standing for Parts 

 I. and II. of the Mathematical Tripos ; and that the adjudicators 

 be the Vice-Chancellor, the Mathematical Professors, and the 

 Cavendish Professor. 



Prof. Foster has given notice of a revision class in Physiology 

 during the Long Vacation, to be held at the Phy.-iohg cal 

 Laboi atory. 



The proposed regulations for the Balfour Fund have been 

 formally adopted by the senate. 



The annual report of the Observatory states that, owing to 

 the great progress made with the zone observations it has been 

 possible t'> give iiiuch attention to the comets of recent years, and 

 important contributions to the computations of their orbits have 

 been mrde by the Observatory. 



The General Board of Studies have published their re- 

 commendations with regard to new teachers, buildings, and 

 appliances, and it is at once evident that several times the 

 whole amount of the new income of the University could readily 

 be spent in supplying the disiinct wants of the several depart- 

 ments. They confine their recommendations as to Readerships 

 within narrow limits owing to the extreme pressure upon Univer- 

 sity Funds, but they recommend the appointment of the present 

 Readers in Indian Law, Classical Archaeology, and Talmudic 

 Literature as University Readers at 300/., not 400/. as proposed 

 by the Statutes, a Reader in Comparative Philology at 300/. and 

 a Reader in Botany at 100/. a year, tenable with a College 

 Lectureship. As to University Lecturers, that is College Lec- 

 turers who throw open some of their lectures to the University 

 and give advanced lectures, they recommend, as regards 

 Medicine, four University Lecturers ; Mathematics, five; Biology 

 — -one in Botany, one in Zoology ; three in Physiology ; two at 

 least in Geology ; and others in other departments. 



More Demonstrators, the senior to be better paid than at 

 present, are further recommended to be appointed in various 

 departments of Natural Sciences. 



The appointment of a Professor of Pathology is again pressed 

 as urgent ; pn >\ isioii to be made for a temporary laboratory. 



As to buildings, the Board have placed among urgent require- 

 ments the extension of the buildings for Physiology and Com- 

 parative Anatomy, Chemistry, Botany, Mechanism, and for 

 Geology, to be partly supplied by the Sedgwick Memorial Fund. 

 As extra to the latter fund, 10,000/. is asked. 



A special grant of 500/. for physiological apparatus is recom- 

 mended. Further, the Museum and Lecture Rooms require at 



least 350/. more annually from the new funds, in addition to 500/. 

 asked for from the ordinary income of the chest. 



The cost of a chemical laboratory is provisionally estimated at 

 15,000/., and the purchase of Prof. Stuart's plant, -with which he 

 has at his own risk developed the flourishing school nf engineer- 

 ing in the University, at 2,500/. Then permanent buildings for 

 the school of Mechanism would cost 3,500/. mo 



The recommendations of the General Board, after sifting and 

 reducing the recommendations of the Special Boards, will entail 

 annual charges of 4,360/. , in addition to at least 2.500/. required 

 by new professorships or new elections to existing professorships. 



Capital expen iture will be required for buildings 31,200/., 

 and for special grants other than building, 4,810/. ; but it is pro- 

 posed to borrow for these purposes. The Board have been 

 informed that the special sum (500/.) asked for physiological 

 apparatus will lie provided by the liberality of a private donor 

 who w ishes to remain anonymous. 



No voting can take place on these proposals till next term. 



The special reports, on which the detailed Report of the 

 General Board of Studies is founded, contain much interesting 

 information about the present state of Natural Science studies 

 in the University. 



The Medical Board ask for provision for teaching in Medical 

 Jurisprudence, Sanitary Science, Mental Diseases, and Elemen- 

 tary Medical and Surgical Methods. The number of students at 

 present is about 200. 



The report of the Classical Board contains an elaborate account 

 of the present provision for studying Philology, Antiquities, 

 Ancient Art, Topography, &c. which we cannot here reproduce. 



The Board of Oriental Studies ask for University lectures in 

 Hebrew anil Sanskrit, and for a Reader in Syriac, and that the 

 Lord Almoner's Professor of Arabic be secured, if possible, as a 

 resident professor by the augmentation of his stipend. They also 

 urge the importance of establishing teaching in the departments 

 of Egyptology and Assyriology. 



The Mathematical Board estimate the resident students for 

 Mathematical Honours as 1 etween 300 and 400. There are 

 thirty-four College Lecturers in Mathematics, much of whose 

 time is occupied in preparing candidates for the pass exami- 

 nations. It will be impossible to secure adequate teaching of 

 the subjects of Part III. of the Mathematical Tripos unless at 

 least University Lecturers are appointed, and the Board ask for 

 five at 50/. a year, two courses of advanced lectures being 

 required from each lecturer every year. 



The Board for Physics and Chemistry in addition to the 

 laboratory claims press for additional means of catechetical 

 teaching in Chemistry and instruction in Technical Electricity ; in 

 Mechanism a Superintendent of the Workshops, and in Minera- 

 logy a Curator of the Museum. The number of students in 

 Chemistry in the University is nearly 200 ; in Physics (Cavendish 

 laboratory only), average for last two years, 54 ; Mechanism 42 ; 

 Mineralogy 9. 



The Board urge the advisability of Colleges permitting their 

 lecturers in Chemistry and Physics to lecture in the University 

 lecture rooms and laboratories, to allow more efficient organi- 

 sation of teaching, as well as economy in expenses. 



Lord Rayleigh asked for 600/. additional for Demonstrators in 

 Physics, but the General Board of Studies have only recom- 

 mended 220/. to be granted. 



Professor Stuart's workshop has not more than half sup- 

 ported itself by fees of students as yet, but by employing the 

 workmen in the manufacture of apparatus, &c, for other 

 University departments after their hours of teaching, he has made 

 a profit sufficient to pay the deficit, except the cost of demon- 

 strators. A superintendent of the workshops is absolutely 

 necessary if the University keeps up the school of Engineering, 

 and a demonstrator in each department. Thus the Professor 

 would not as now, be required to teach in the workshops and act 

 as general manager as well as demonstrator. A considerably 

 larger foundry is required, as the department has proved most 

 useful. 



The Board for Biology and Geology recommend the appoint- 

 ment of a Professor of Animal Morphology, and, failing this, 

 three Univer-ity Lecturers in this subject, one of whom shall 

 direct the laboratory. 



In relation to Physiology, Dr. Foster made an elaborate re- 

 port, describing the organisation of, and work done in, his 

 laboratory. He asked for ahead demonstrator and four assistant 

 demonstrators. As to advanced lectures, mention was made of 

 the very largely unpaid work undertaken by Dr. Gaskell (entirely 



