Feb. \2, [885] 



NA TURE 



353 



Inns of Court, Uld the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of 



The Chairman lid met several things had 



I, the most important of which was the appointment by 

 'm Universitj I I 1 ndon Committee to inquire into the 



possibility of adopting the scheme, or something like the scheme, 

 !ii the hands of members of that association when 

 they formerly assembled together. The sub-committee of the 

 association had carefully considered since how this move in the 

 Convocation of the University of London affected their prospects 

 and actions, and they had arrived at the conclusion that the best 

 course for them to pursue was to ask the association to allow 

 their scheme to be referred to a committee appointed at that 

 meeting, in which committee all the various bodies who had 

 hitherto shown their sympathy for the sub-committee's scheme 

 should be represented, and to which committee any other pro- 

 posals could be made by members of the association who in any 

 way disagreed witli any of the details of the scheme that had 

 been laid before them. The committee to be appointed would 

 no doubt undertake, as soon as they had finally determined upon 

 a scheme — after negotiation and as a result of negotiation — to 

 present it to the general body of members of the association for 

 their consideration. He thought this was a practical way of 

 dealing with a very intricate and complicated problem. That 

 problem since they last met certainly looked much more 

 ml it had met with much more rapid support in 

 various quarter- than the promoters of the movement originally 

 anticipated 



Prof. Williamson said the- work before them was one of ex- 

 ceeding difficulty, involving as it did a change in many respects 

 in the conduct ol the London University and the placing it upon 

 he footing of other Universities ; and this, again, involved a great 

 number of details. The elements of the University of London 

 numerous, and many of them were so independently 

 I in a great degree, that if those various constituent 

 parts — the natural limbs of the L T niversity — were to work to- 

 gether it was essential that all should understand what relations 

 the) were to hold to each other. The maturing of schemes 

 determining the particular relations of the general University to 

 those various bodies it was sought to connect with it must of 

 necessity require careful, calm, and friendly consideration on the 

 part of representative members, and the committee to be ap- 

 pointed would probably four, several sub-committees represent- 

 ing different branches of learning, who might be able to agree 

 upon a general outline of a plan which they would conceive to 

 be most mutually desirable and advantageous. Thus the incor- 

 poration of the various limbs of the University, so to speak, 

 might be based upon a distinct understanding of what was con- 

 templated, and they might be induced — as he had no doubt they 

 would be — to vigorously support a scheme which would tend to 

 their mutual benefit and the raising of the standard of education 

 ndon. 



Then lien unanimously adopted. 



Lord Justice Bowen moved, and Mr. Erichsen seconded, that 

 the committee consist of the following thirteen gentlemen : — The 

 president of 'ho Asocialion, Mr. J. W. Cunningham (King's 

 I'rof. Carey Foster (University College), Mr. John 

 Marshall (College of Surgeons). Dr. Norman Moore (St. Bartho- 

 lomew's Hospital), Dr. \V. M. Ord (St. Thomas's Hospital), 

 Mr. F. Pollock (Lincoln's-inn), Mr. R. Stuart Poole (British 

 . Dr, 1'. \V. Pye-Smith (Guy's Hospital), the Rev. 

 Principal Wace (King's College), I'rof. Warr (King's College), 

 [liamson (University College), and Sir George Young, 

 with power to add to their number. 



Prof. Iientley expressed a hope that the claims of science to 

 nted on the committee would not be ignored. Further, 

 lie trusted that every effort would be made to ascertain all the 

 information which could possibly be derived with regard to the 

 working of medical degrees and the teaching connected with 

 them. 



orge Young pointed out that the scheme which the 



committee would prepare was not intended to lie binding upon 



the memU 1 . bul it was hoped in the end that a plan might be 



.■■uld not only be acceptable to King's College, 



but othei il inferior rank. 



Mr. F. 1'ollock thought the plan of having two Universities, 



one of which would be an examining and the other a teaching 



very difficult to work, and it was not a 



scheme which he should contemplate as desirable. His feeling 



was in favour of the closest possible alliance between the 



examining University of the present and the teaching Univer- 

 sity of the future. 



The Chairman expressed with how much regret he left that 

 scene of action. He was sure that a very great work remained 

 to be done in the future, and that that work would have to be 

 done with a great deal of tact. Certainly il would have to be 

 achieved by setting aside any notion of establishing in London 

 any kind of ideal University. They had to co-operate with ex- 

 isting corporations, with existing bodies, which had hitherto done 

 exceedingly good work, which were all manned by an extremely 

 distinguished personml — a personnel whose ideal it had been to 

 do University work without having a University, and which 

 personnel he hoped in the future would have at their disposal the 

 University to which their labours had fully entitled them. He 

 did not say this because he himself was guiltless of having men- 

 tioned what he believed to be an ideal University, for he had 

 I leen guilty of such an escapade in the address which he delivered 

 at St. Andrew's University. There he distinctly laid down what 

 he thought to be the lines on which a University ought to be 

 reformed ; and, of course, what he advocated for the Scotch 

 Universities he should in the main — of course there were features 

 applicable to Scotch which were not applicable to the London Uni 

 versity — also advocate for London. But in London the problem 

 before them was to unite all the interests, to create a federation 

 of interests, and to recognise the work which had been 

 already achieved with the desire to make that work for the 

 future more efficient, without in any way encroaching on au- 

 tonomy where autonomy had hitherto proved sufficient, but 

 where autonomy had not before proved altogether sufficient, 

 then, to supplement it by that bond of union by which institu- 

 tions and empires became great. He resigned his position as 

 President of the Association with the wish — nay, the determined 

 expectation — that they would succeed. He had seen how the 

 work had been thus far done, and how determined had been 

 those with whom he had had the honour to associate to carry 

 the movement to a successful issue. 



Sir George Young expressed how greatly they were indebted 

 to the President for the services he had rendered in the past. 

 The services of a very good successor had been secured in Lord 

 Rosebery, whom he (Sir G. Young) proposed as the future 

 president of the association, while thanking Lord Reay for his 

 valuable services. 



UXIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Oxford. — The second election to the Board of the Faculty 

 of Natural Science was held on February 6. The five retiring 

 members were re-elected, and to make the number of elected 

 members equal to that of the professorial (ex officio) members, 

 four new members were elected. After a ballot the following 

 were chosen : — Mr. W. W. Fisher, Aldrichian Demonstrator of 

 Chemistry ; Mr. H. B. Dixon, Trinity ; Mr. J. Griffiths, Jesus, 

 and Mr. E. H. Hayes, New College. 



The Examiners for the Burdett-Coutts Geological Scholarship 

 give notice that the examination will begin on February 23. 



An examination will be held at Merton, beginning on June 23, 

 to elect to one Natural Science Scholarship (80/.) at Merton, 

 and one at Corpus Christi College. The examination will be in 

 Chemistry and Physics. Candidates must be under nineteen 

 years of age. 



On March 17 an examination will be held at Jesus in Physics, 

 Chemistry, and Biology. Candidates must be natives of Wales 

 or Monmouthshire, or born of Welsh parents, and must be 

 under nineteen years of age. 



An examination will be held at New College beginning on 

 May 7, to elect to a Natural Science Exhibition (50/. value per 

 annum). The examination will be in Chemistry and Fiology. 



At a meeting of the Ashmolean Society in the Theatre of the 

 University Museum on Monday, February 16, Prof. Burdon- 

 ■ will read a paper " On the Study of Contagion with 

 a view to Practical Measures." 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The last number (13) of the Journal of the Straits Branch of 

 the Royal Asiatic Society contains much information on the Malay 

 Archipelago. Mr. de la Croix continues his translation of M. 



