64 
NAT ORE 
NOVEMBER 19, 1896 
British and foreign markets, and in this matter, too, they will 
look for active assistance and co-operation from all the Colonies. 
No account of the organisation of the Scientific and Technical 
Research Department would be complete without some reference 
to the part which Sir Frederick Abel, the Secretary and Director 
of the Institute, has played in this matter. The bringing into 
existence and into prominence of this side of the work of the 
Imperial Institute, the importance of which was fully realised by 
its founders, is mainly due to his enthusiasm and energy, and 
indomitable courage in face of numerous difficulties. 
The following is a brief epitome of the more important work 
which is at the present time occupying the attention of the 
Department. 
The Indian Coal Supply.—Chemical analyses are being made 
in order to determine the value of the coal deposits occurring in 
different parts of India, and the results thus obtained are being 
supplemented by practical tests. 
The Iron Ores of India.—Chemical examinations are being 
made of the deposits of iron ore occurring in different districts of 
India, and after the analytical results have been obtained the 
question of the best methods of smelting these ores will be in- 
vestigated. The examination of a number of specimens derived 
from the Salem district of Madras, and composed generally of 
magnetite, has already been completed. 
Indian and Colonial Fibyes.—The chemical examination is 
being conducted, and practical tests are being made of the 
chief Indian and Colonial fibres, with a view to the cultivation 
of those which prove to be of commercial value. A chemical 
investigation is also being made of the composition of jute fibre 
at different stages of its growth, with the view of determining 
the influence of age on the composition and strength of jute 
fibre cultivated in India. Special experiments are in progress 
in reference to the possibility of chemical treatment of jute 
fibre in India, with a view of retarding or preventing certain 
changes which occur during its transport to this or other countries. 
In their inquiries the Department has the advantage of the 
advice of Mr. G. F. Cross and Mr. C. E. Collyer. 
Indian Opium,—A systematic inquiry is being conducted 
into the methods used in the production of opium in India, 
with a view to improving the quality of Indian opium for medical 
use and for the manufacture of morphia and other valuable 
alkaloids. In connection with this inquiry the Government of 
India is causing to be collected a number of specimens of poppies, 
of opium, and of the bye-products and materials used in preparing 
it in each of the opium districts of India. 
Indian and Colonial Medicinal Plants.—The chemical ex- 
amination and therapeutic trial of the constituents of a number 
of important Indian and Colonial medicinal plants is in 
progress, with the object of determining which are of real 
medical value, and a similar examination is being made of 
certain well-known drugs which it would appear might be 
successfully cultivated in India and the Colonies. 
Essential Oils and Perfumes.—A_ preliminary chemical 
examination of a number of essential oils and perfumes pro- 
duced at the Government Flower Farm at Dunolly in Victoria 
has been completed, by M. Umney, and these are also being 
compared, with especial reference to their commercial value, 
with the best English and French oils now in commerce. 
Indian Dye-stuffs.—The chemical examination of the principal 
Indian dye-stuffs has been undertaken in order to ascertain the 
nature of the chief colouring matters, and to determine which are 
likely to be valuable as dyes, and to ascertain the best methods 
or employing them. Most of this work is being carried on by 
Prof. Hummel and Mr. A. G. Perkins in the Clothworkers’ 
Research Laboratory at the Yorkshire College, Leeds. 
The Food Grains of India.—A systematic investigation of the 
constituents of Indian food grains is being conducted, their 
chief constituents are being ascertained, and their dietetic value 
determined. This inquiry includes not merely new grains, but 
also the effect which climate, altitude and other conditions may 
have upon various well-known grains which are grown in India. 
On these subjects the Department has secured the valuable 
assistance of Prof. B. H. Church, F.R.S., and of Mr. Horace 
Brown, F.R.S. 
Indian and Colonial Tanning Materials.—A number of 
Indian and Colonial plants which have been proved to possess, 
or are likely to have, value as tanning materials, is being 
conducted, and information is being obtained as to the best 
methods of cultivating them, and the most suitable time of 
collecting them for use as tanning agents. 
NO. 1412, VOL. 55 | 
Indtan and Colonial Timbers.—A large number of Indian 
and Colonial timbers, specially selected by the Governments, 
have been submitted to mechanical tests and practical trial, so 
that their commercial value might be accurately determined. 
This work has been conducted by Prof. W. C. Unwin, F.R.S., 
at the Central Technical College. 
All that has been attempted in this lecture is to afford a generab 
idea of the character of the principal work on which the Scien- 
tific Department is engaged, and of its commercial bearings. 
The technical results of the inquiries, when complete, will be 
communicated to the Colonies and afterwards published, whilst 
any results of strictly scientific interest-which may be gained will 
be communicated to the appropriate Scientific Society. The 
results of many of the inquiries must necessarily be almost en- 
tirely of technical interest, but in some cases problems of con- 
siderable scientific interest are raised. The dividing line between 
science and practice is hard to draw in investigations of this kind, 
and the interests at stake will not be faithfully served if scien- 
tific, as well as immediately practical ends, are not kept in view. 
It often happens that the science of to-day becomes the practice 
ot to-morrow. 
From what has been said to-night, it will be evident that the 
operations of the Imperial Institute in its Scientific and Technical 
Department are such as to command sympathy and active sup- 
port in this country, as well as in India and the Colonies, It is 
to be hoped that all possible assistance may be rendered in ex- 
tending the sphere of influence of this Department, so that it 
ultimately may become an Imperial Bureau of Scientific and 
Technical Advice, having for its chief object the acquisition of 
exact knowledge of the natural resources of this great empire. 
EXPERIMENTS ON RONTGEN RAYS. 
The Introduction of the use of the Camera to reduce the 
Size of Plates. 
WE have yet no means of bringing Rontgen rays to a focus, 
but the thought occurred to me that instead of using 
large plates to cover half of the body, one might photograph the 
shadows as seen on the fluorescent screen by means of the camera. 
Tt was evident uniformity and steadiness of illumination for a 
period would be necessary ; these were obtained by the methods 
adopted under the next heading. I tried this experiment 
by simply placing the camera and lens in front of the fluor- 
escent screen and focusing on the ordinary ground glass. This 
experiment gave a much-reduced picture in an exposure of 
I minute 50 seconds, but a very curious result was also cbtained. 
Clearly enough I got a photograph of the screen with the pair of 
forceps on it reduced in the proportion of 12 to 2 in size, but 
all the X-rays had not been stopped by the potassium platino- 
cyanide screen, and although the camera was four feet from the 
tube, a sufficient number of rays had passed through the 
screen to give me a picture (on the same plate) of the brass. 
mountings and lens of the camera. On the sensitive plate, 
therefore, I had obtained two pictures, one due to the ordinary 
rays of light from the fluorescent screen, and the other due to 
Ro6ntgen rays. In the former the object was reduced, the ordinary 
rays having been focused by the lens, and in the latter the shadow 
of the brass mountings and lens of the camera were enlarged 
owing to the divergence of the Rontgen rays. In my next attempt 
I covered the front of the camera with a sheet of lead, in which I 
had cut a hole sufficient to allow the lens to pass through. The 
lens prevented the Réntgen rays going through the centre, and the 
lead on the outside protected the remainder of the plate, so that 
only one picture was got, showing a reduced photograph of the 
hand with the bones of the fingers quite well defined. By this 
means I hope to reduce the time of exposure. Now, by this 
new method we may be able to reduce a picture of a large 
portion of the human body to magic-lantern slide size right 
away. Another thing was noticed in this experiment—the 
barium salt did not photograph as easily as the potassium ; but 
it must be remembered that the barium is yellowish-green in 
colour, while the potassium is blue or even slightly violet. 
Another important point to be gathered from the above ex- 
periments may be noted. While we have been striving to | 
produce more Rontgen rays in the tube, it is evident we are 
not utilising what we have with our present fluorescent screens. 
I placed three ordinary screens in front of each other, one foot 
apart, and found that while each became luminous under the 
influence of Réntgen rays, a sufficient number of them were stilt 
