392 



NA TURE 



{Feb. 26, ii 



tirely independent of the floor of the room. The 

 tables differ somewhat in their arrangements, one being 

 designed specially for chemical, the other for physical, 

 work. Both have been fitted with the most recent im- 

 provements, and some novel appliances. 



At the south end of the physical lecture-theatre, oppo- 

 site the end of the lecture-table, is a large window rilled 

 with plate glass, and projecting so as to give additional 

 space within the room for experimental work. A stand 

 for a heliostat is fixed outside, and a table for optical 

 instruments will be placed in front of the window inside. 



An open space, extending to the ridge, and about 12 

 feet square, has been left above the centre of the physical 

 lecture-table, and in this way a clear height of about ,o 

 feet has been obtained for long pendulums, vibrating 

 cords, &c. A gallery surrounds this space near the top 



to allow the beams, from which such appliances are sus- 

 pended, to be easily reached. 



By means of blinds, working on spring rollers controlled 

 by cords from one place near the table, the windows of 

 each lecture-theatre can be completely darkened in an 

 instant. 



A passage leads from each lecture-theatre to the space 



beneath the benches, which has been utilised for storage, 



I and gives access to two rooms behind. In the physical 



, department these are diagram-room and store-room (21, 



22) ; in the chemical department store-room and class 



museum (43, 42), respectively. 



In each department the space intervening between the 

 lecture-theatre and the public laboratory is occupied with 

 I the professor's private room and laboratory, and the pre- 

 paration and apparatus rooms. On th'e physical side, im- 



DEPARTMENT 



PHYSICAL DEPARTMENT 



The New Laboratories of University Co'lege, Bang 



mediately to the west of the lecture-theatre, are the private 

 room and preparation room (24, 26), which communicate 

 directly with the lecture-theatre. Beyond the private room 

 is the apparatus room (25), which overlaps the prepara- 

 tion room, and communicates directly with it. The pre- 

 paration room is L-shaped, one limb of the L running 

 back along the north wall of the apparatus room. This 

 part of the room is open to the roof, to allow the room to 

 be lighted by a window at the west end, placed above the 

 level of the western part of the building, and by a large 

 skylight, and is fitted along one side with cases as a sup- 

 plementary apparatus room. An available height of about 

 25 feet is obtained in front of these cases, and is designed 

 for elasticity experiments. A gallery over the window allows 

 the roof above this part of the room to be reached by 

 means of a ladder. The limb of the L immediateh 



behind the lecture room is fitted with a work-table 

 and provided with a fireplace, as a preparation room for 

 the lecture experiments. 



To the west of the apparatus room is the private 

 laboratory (28), about 20 feet by 18 feet, communicating 

 with the preparation room and private room on one side, 

 and with the public laboratory (29) on the other. In the 

 south-west corner of this room a slate balance table has 

 been built into the wall, and near the other end of the room 

 slate tables have been fixed to the wall for galvanometers 

 and electrometers. A single work-table, fitted with gas, 

 occupies the centre of the room, and a smaller work-table 

 with gas and water the south-east corner. 



The general physical laboratory (29) is a large room over 

 1000 feet square in area, running along the west end of 

 the space allotted to the physical department. The 



