June 8, 1899] 
NATORE 
141 
matter, which are readily removed by the mechanica action of 
percolating rain-water. In such naturally-formed gullets run 
the feeders of water that are met with in sinking through the 
magnesian limestone, and these feeders, by chemical action, 
must cause much additional destruction of the rock. Quite 
apart from the water which runs off into the sea, that which is 
pumped up annually by the local water company is estimated to 
contain lime and magnesia in solution corresponding to nearly 
forty cubic yards of solid rock. 
It seems evident that masses of rock must from time to time 
fall from the roofs of channels so formed. But we are not here 
left entirely to conjecture, for, at numerous points along the 
Durham coast, sections of such channels are exposed that are 
entirely filled up by angular fragments of the very rock which 
forms the cliff, and bound together by a cement of the same 
material. The ‘‘ breccia-gashes,” as they have been termed by 
Prof. Lebour, vary in width from a few feet to many yards ; 
they are almost invariably narrow at the bottom, and generally 
wide at the top. ‘‘In some cases the broken fragments within 
the fissures can be traced graduating through semi-brecciated 
portions of beds to wholly undisturbed strata in the walls or 
fissure-cheeks, When the top of a fissure is exposed in section, 
the breccia is also seen usually to pass gradually upwards, first 
into semi-brecciated matter, and finally to undisturbed or only 
slightly synclinal beds bridging over the mass of broken rock. 
When the entire transverse section of a fissure is exposed, it is 
seen to be a deep V-shaped ravine or gullet, tapering to a point 
below, and the rocks below it are wholly undisturbed” (p. 166). 
Tests.—Individual spurious earthquakes belonging to this 
class are the most troublesome of all to investigate, for, in most 
cases, we have to rely on circumstantial evidence alone. The 
principal tests will be obvious from the above descriptions. 
They are: (1) the small disturbed area and the comparatively 
great intensity near its centre ; (2) the nature of the shock and 
sound ; (3) the known or inferred honeycombed structure of the 
district, and the occurrence at other times of subsidences at the 
surface. CHARLES DAVISON. 
REPORT OF THE LONDON TECHNICAL 
EDUCATION BOARD. 
THE annual report of the Technical Education Board of the 
London County Council was recently presented to the 
Council. The following paragraphs of the report, referring to 
the Board’s relations with the Department. of Science and Art 
and with the new London University, are abridged from the 
Technical Education Gazette. 
Relations with the Department of Sctence and Art. 
The Council has been recognised by the Department of 
Science and Art as the local authority responsible for science 
and art instruction within the area of the County of London in 
accordance with Clause VII. of the Science and Art Directory. 
The powers and duties which such recognition may give have 
been delegated by the Council to the Board in the same way as 
the powers conferred by the Technical Instruction Acts were 
delegated. Ever since the passing of the Technical Instruction 
Act in 1889, the Science and Art Department has been in the 
position of the central authority for technical instruction, and the 
county councils and county borough councils have been in the 
position of local authorities for technical instruction. Clause 
VII. introduced a certain readjustment of duties as between the 
central authority and the local authorities. No new powers 
are conferred outside the provisions of the Technical Instruction 
Acts, but the clause provides for some of the functions under 
those Acts which have hitherto been discharged by the central 
authority being delegated to the local authority. Over thirty 
counties and county boroughs have availed themselves of the 
clause, and it is stated by those who have had experience of the 
working of the new system that it is advantageous both to par- 
ticular schools and to the district generally. 
The principal benefits which the Board anticipates from the 
working of Clause VII. in London are the following :— 
(a) Increased facilities for coordinating and organising science 
and art work in accordance with the particular needs of each 
locality. 
(6) Greater regularity and promptitude in the payment of the 
grants earned on the Department’s examinations. 
NO. 1545, VOL. 60] 
(c) Increased opportunities for urging upon the Department 
such modifications in their courses of instruction as may be 
specially required by the circumstances of London schools and 
institutions. 
The Technical Instruction Act of 1889 affords, perhaps, the 
first legislative example in educational work of adaptation to 
special local requirements. In the definition of technical in- 
struction the Act includes ‘‘any other form of instruction (in- 
cluding modern languages and commercial and agricultural 
subjects), which may for the time being be sanctioned by that 
Department [the Department of Science and Art] by a minute 
laid before Parliament and made on the representation of a 
local authority that such a form of instruction is required by the 
circumstances of its district.” The Technical Instruction Act 
having provided for the creation of powerful and disinterested 
authorities for the conduct and supervision of technical in- 
struction over large areas, Parliament, in the words quoted 
above, expressed its willingness to give to these authorities an 
important part in determining the particular field of education 
which should come within their influence, thus enabling both the 
matter and the manner of education to be adapted to local needs, 
It is reasonable to suppose that the same principle will now 
apply in connection with the subjects of technical instruction 
which are defined by detailed syllabuses in the Science and Art 
Directory. The Department has already expressed its willing- 
ness to meet the wishes of the local authorities in respect of 
several administrative details. 
The New University of London. 
In order to formulate the Board’s views with regard to the 
new University, a special sub-committee was last year established 
for the purpose of investigating the whole subject and reporting 
to the Board as to the steps which might be deemed necessary 
for making representations to the Commissioners on any points 
in which the Board might be specially interested. In pursuance 
of this policy, the Board forwarded to the Commissioners an ex- 
pression of its views upon certain matters, In particular, the 
Board urged upon the Commissioners the desirability of recog- 
nising separate faculties for engineering and for economic and 
commercial science. The Board’s representations were sup- 
ported by similar expressions of opinion from other quarters, 
and the Commissioners have come to the decision to adopt 
the policy which the Board favoured. In the draft statutes 
which they have prepared for the new University, they 
have decided to provide for (a) a special faculty of en- 
gineering, and (4) a special faculty of economics and political 
science (including commerce and industry). There is little 
doubt that the establishment of these faculties will give con- 
siderable encouragement to the technical and commercial work 
in which the Board is specially interested. Recognising the 
importance of developing the higher departments of these 
branches of study, the Board has undertaken to allocate to the 
University out of the funds from time to time placed at its dis- 
posal by the Council an annual sum of 2500/. towards the 
maintenance of the faculty of engineering in the new University, 
and a further sum of 2500/. towards the maintenance of the 
faculty of economics and political science (including commerce 
and industry), on condition that satisfactory arrangements are 
made in the constitution of the University with regard to 
evening students, and the recognition and admission to th 
several faculties of duly qualified teachers in the polytechnics. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
OxForD.—The following is the speech delivered by the Public 
Orator, Dr. W. W. Merry, on the occasion of his presenting Dr, 
R. Trimen, F.R.S., forthe honorary M.A. degree on May 16 :— 
Praesento vobis Ronaldum Trimen, Societatis Regiae Socium, 
nuper autem Societatis Entornologicae apud Londinium Praesi- 
dem. Vir insignis, qui notitiam suam officiosissime impertiendo 
de Universitate Oxoniensi optime meruit, diu in Africa aus- 
trali est commoratus, non utique ut gemmas et aurum fodinis 
erueret neque ut cum Batavis litem sereret, sed ut Naturae 
arcana altius scrutaretur ac praesertim insectorum inexploratas 
consuetudines patefaceret. 
**TIn tenui labor, at tenuis non gloria.” 
Quotus enim quisque mirum illud ingenium quo Natura inermes 
bestiolas instruxerit vel diligentius investigavit vel exposuit 
