573 



NA TURE 



[August 14, 1 ! 



there has been a slight decrease, and in the remaining subjects 

 the number has remained the same. 



Table III. shows the proportion of candidates in each subject 

 who have attended classes the teachers of which receive payment 

 on results. By reference to this table it is seen that of the 1829 

 successful candidates, 13S7 were taught in such classes, and of 

 these, 176 have obtained certificates in honours. 



Of the 1829 successful candidates, 1362 were examined this 

 year for the first time. Of the remainder, 1S9, who had pre- 

 viously obtained an ordinary certificate, have this year gained an 

 honours certificate ; 98 have gained a higher place in the same 

 grade ; 180 have obtained a second class only in the same grade- 

 in which they previously passed, or have competed for a prize and 

 failed to obtain it, and their names are consequently not included 

 in the pass list. Last year, the number of candidates whi 1 passed 

 the examination, but in the same class and grade as in the pre- 

 vious year, was 1 28. 



A satisfactory feature of this year's examination is the in- 

 crease, although small, in the proportion of candidates who, 

 having already passed examinations under the Science and A 1 1 

 Department, are qualified to receive the Institute's full techno- 

 logical certificate. Although the returns of the candidates have 

 not yet been verified, it may be assumed that at least 570 of the 

 successful candidates will be entitled to the full certificate. The 

 corresponding number last year was 420, and comparing these 

 numbers with the total number of successful candidates', it will 

 be seen that the percentage of those to whom full certificates will 

 be awarded has increased from 28 per cent, last year to 31-2 per 

 cent, this year. 



In several subjects the full complement of prizes has not been 

 awarded, the merits of the candidates not having justified the 

 examiners in awarding them, whilst in other subjects additional 

 prizes have been given. We see that 156 prizes have been 

 granted, including 137 money prizes, 44 silver medals, and 112 

 bronze medals. Last year 143 prizes were granted, including 

 129 money prizes, 48 silver medals, and 95 bronze medals. 



Looking at the general results of the examination, the large 

 increase in the number of students under instruction and of the 

 candidates who presented themselves for examination, maybe 

 considered satisfactory, as indicating the more general desire of 

 artizans and of those engaged in manufacturing industry to take 

 advantage of the opportunities now offered to them of receiving 

 technical instruction. At the same time, the large proportion of 

 failures consequent upon the accession of candidates, the majority 

 of whom are already familiar with the practice of their trades, 

 but possess a very imperfect knowledge of the application there- 

 to of the principles of science, shows the need that still exists of 

 improved and of more systematic technical instruction for those 

 who are employed in factories and workshops. 



Although the Royal Commissioners on Technical Instruction, 

 the Report states, have spoken encouragingly of the facilities 

 now offered to artizans of obtaining in evening classes good 

 scientific and technical teaching, it would appear that the number 

 of persons engaged in manufacturing industry, who avail them- 

 selves of the Science and Art Classes under the Department, is 

 still comparatively small, and that the proportion of children 

 who learn drawing in the public elementary schools is, as yet, 

 inconsiderable. These causes doubtless prevent our artizans from 

 deriving the full advantage of the Technical Classes now organised 

 in different parts of the kingdom. 



In considering the foregoing results, the inadequate supply 

 of competent teachers in technology must also be taken into 

 account. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



American Journal of Science, July. — Contributions to meteo- 

 rology, twentieth paper : reduction of barometric observations to 

 sea-level, by Prof. Elias Loomis. The results embodied in this 

 paper have been determined by an extensive comparison of 

 observations at five mountain stations, three in the United States 

 and two in Europe. The reductions thus obtained were com- 

 pared with those computed from the theories of Laplace and 

 Plantamour, and exhibited very great discrepancies for all the 

 stations, especially at the lowest pressures. The cause of these 

 discrepancies is referred to the pressure coefficient in the Laplace 

 formula, which appears to be too small. — Light of comparison 

 stars for Vesta, by Edward C. Pickering. The light of the 

 planet is here determined from comparison with the two star^ 

 DM] + 22° 2163 and 2164, observed with the large meridian 



photometer of the Harvard College Observatory. The mean 

 result thus obtained for the magnitude of Vesta is 6-64, as com- 

 pared with 6'49 and 6.45 iof previous observations at the same 

 Observatory. — Mineral notes from the laboratory of the United 

 States' Geological Survey, by F. W. Clarke and T. M. Chatard. 

 The paper embodies a complete analysis of (lie jade or nephrite 

 and pectolite implements in use amongst the Eskimo of Point 

 Barrow, Alaska, and obtained from a region to the east, not yet 

 visited by civilised man. Analyses are also given of Saussurite from 

 Shasta County, California ; of Allanite from Topsham, Maine ; 

 of Damourite from Stoneham, Maine ; of Margarite from Gaines- 

 ville, Georgia ; of Halloysite from near Lake Mono, California ; 

 and several other rare minerals.' — On the occurrence of alkalies 

 in beryl, by Samuel L. Penfield. The results of numerous in- 

 vestigations show that alkalies are always present, undoubtedly 

 replacing the beryllium, that water is also present, and cannot be 

 disintegrated in the formula, and that the formula 



Al 4 Be 6 H 2 Si n 3 ., 

 is the one best agreeing with the analyses. — The Niagara 

 River and the Glacial Period, with map, by Prof. G. 

 F. Wright. The author infers that the Niagara River. 

 itself has worn the whole of the Gorge, from Queenston 

 to the falls, with perhaps some little help from pre-Glacial 

 erosion above the whirlpool. The rate of erosion, calculated 

 at about 3 feet a year, would make the time required 

 not over 10,000 or 12,000 years. — Note on the discovery of 

 primordial fossils in the town of Stuyvesant, Columbia County, 

 New Vork, by S. W. Ford. The f. .ssils obtained from the 

 stratified rocks of this region show that they belong to the 

 Lower Potsdam formations. Amongst the species obtained 

 were Palaophycus incipiens, Obolella crassa, Stenotkeca rugosa, 

 Hyolithes Americanus, II. impar, Hyolithellus micans. — Notes 

 on some apparently undescribed forms of freshwater infusoria 

 (ten illustrations), by Dr. Alfred C. Strikes. The species 

 named and described are: Loxodes vorax, Apgaria undulans, 

 A. mmta, A. elongata, Ileonema dispar, Solenatus apocamptus, 

 S. orbicularis. — On the causes of variation of species, by Romyn 

 Hitchcock. The author combats Dr. Carpenter's view, pub- 

 lished in the Reports of the Challenger Expedition, that varia- 

 tion in the orbolites group is the expression of a not understood 

 " progressive tendency along a definite line towards a higher 

 specialised type of structure in the calcareous fabric." He con- 

 tends that the highly complex form of shell developed by this 

 simple sarcode organism is not due to any inherent tendency 

 Inwards a definite plan, but to change of environment and other 

 easily understood causes. — Remarks on the Crustacea of the 

 Albatross dredgings off Cape Hateras, and thence to the region 

 of George's Banks in the year 1883, by Sidney J. Smith. The 

 whole number of species of Decapoda determined from these 

 dredgings was 72, of which 40 were taken below 500 fathoms, 

 29 below 1000, 13 below 2000, and 6 at a single haul in 2949 

 fathoms. Striking characteristics of the deep-sea specimens are 

 their red or reddish colour and distinctly faceted eyes in the 

 normal position, showing conclusively against the arguments of 

 physicists that some rays of light must penetrate to depths of over 

 20CO fathoms. — Crystallised gold in prismatic forms, by Wm. 

 P. Blake. — Mode of action of shell- and rock-boring molluscs, 

 by Prof. F. H. Storer. The author argues that it is not a 

 drilling or other mechanical action, but a distinctly chemical 

 process, the solvent being probably free muriatic acid. — Me- 

 morials of the late George Engelmann and Oswald Heer, 

 Associate Fellows of the American Academy, Botanical Section, 

 by Asa Gray. 



Journalof the Chemical and Physical Society, vol. xvi. fasc. 4. 

 — ( In the action of aldehydes on zinc-organic compounds, and 

 the formation of secondary alcohols, by G. Wagner. Aldehydes 

 of the fatty and aromatic series give, with zinc-ethyl, alcoholates 

 of secondary alcohols, these last being the exclusive, or nearly 

 exclusive, produce of the reaction, which circumstance gives an 

 easy means for preparing secondary alcohols ; the speeds of the 

 the reactions are, however, very different. On the influence of 

 temperature on the acceleration of certain reactions, a preliminary 

 communication by M. Menschutkin. — Quantitativedetermination 

 of zinc in zinc-powder, by Th. Beilstein and G. Javein. — 

 On anhydride of erythrite, by S. Prybitek. — On canarine, a new 

 tinctorial substance discovered by 0. Midler, by W. Markovni- 

 koff. It is not soluble in water, spirit, ether, and benzene, but 

 only in bases, according to the strength of which it gives 

 different colours from pale yellow to red. — On anhydrides of 



