Aug. 7, 1873] 
ordinary school course). The time thus made available, will 
enable more attention to be given to Mathematics and Science. 
The scheme directs that Chemistry and Design should be spe- 
cially taught, with a view to the Potter’s art. The school is to be 
opened in the spring of 1875. 
Ir has long been familiar to geologists that the western and 
southern coast-line of Scotland is pierced with caves at different 
levels, indicating former successive levels at which the sea waves 
worked. Unfortunately, owing to the want of limestone or very 
calcareous rocks, these caves as arule present none of that stalag- 
mite deposit which has elsewhere served so abundantly to cover 
over and preserve the remains of the ancient denizens of our 
country with traces of the presence of man himself. The caves 
usually open directly upon the coast, with free exposure to the 
air, so that their floors show nothing but damp boulders and 
pools of water from the drip of the roof. Recently, however, 
a remarkable exception to these ordinary conditions has been 
observed on the wild cliff line to}the south-west/of the bay of 
Kirkcudbright ; the Silurian greywacke is there traversed with 
strings and veins of calcite along lines of joint and fracture, and 
at one point where an old sea cave occurs, the walls and floor 
at the cave mouth, and for a few yards inwards, have a coat- 
ing of solid calcareous matter. Beneath’this coating in the 
substance of the breccia, which extends across the cave mouth, 
as well as throughout the cave earth behind the breccia, a great 
quantity of bones, with traces of human ‘occupation, has been 
found. A systematic investigation of the cave, commenced last 
autumn, is being carried on under the direction of Mr. A. J. 
Corrie and Mr. W. Bruce-Clarke, the discoverers of the osseous 
layer. At the present time the following, among other remains, 
have been noted: bones of ox, red-deer, goat, horse, pig, pine- 
marten, rabbit, watermole, and other small rodents, together 
with numerous remains of birds, and a few frog and fish bones. 
Intermingled with these occur fragments of bronze, bone needles, 
and other bone implements, to the number of more than twenty. 
One piece of worked stone (a fragment of greywacke) has been 
found, but as yet not a single chip of flint. A full account of 
the cave will be published as ‘soon as the investigations are 
completed. 
A CONFERENCE of the City Companies, under the presidency 
of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, was held at Marl- 
borough House, on Monday, July 21, with the view of discussing 
how technical education might be promoted by those companies 
acting in concert with the International Exhibition. It was 
unanimously agreed that the City Companies should give theiy 
best support to the object which the meeting had in view, 
and Mr. Cole, C.B., explained that the Commissioners had de- 
termined that, during the months of August, September, and 
October, schools should be admitted to the Exhibition by ticket, 
at three-pence each scholar, and that, during the month of 
August at least, frequent lectures each day would be given on 
the various subjects and processes exhibited. He suggested that 
the City Companies, in addition to sending their own schools to 
attend these lectures, might’purchase tickets, and place them at 
the disposal of the London School Board, to enable them to 
award them as prizes. Such tickets might also be distributed 
among other public schools. 
AT a meeting held at Grosvenor House on July 17, a Pro- 
visionaland an Executive Committee were formed for the esta- 
blishment of a National Training School for Cookery in connec- 
tion with South Kensington. The Committee of Management 
ofthe Lectures on Cookery at the International Exhibition have 
been urged to take this step from the comparatively great success 
monetarily and otherwise, of these lectures, The meeting agreed 
that the Executive Committee of the present School for Cookery 
be an Executive Committee to prepare a scheme and issue the 
NATURE 293 
same. The meeting also agreed to the following resolutions :— 
1. That the establishment of a Training School for Cookery, to 
be in alliance with the School Boards and Training Schools 
throughout the country, is most desirable at the present time. 
2. That the aim of the proposed school should be to teach the 
best methods of cooking articles of food in general consumption 
among all classes. 3. That an Association should be formed 
with ‘the intention of making the School self-supporting. 4. 
That it would be prudent to secure a capital, say 5,000/., which 
might be raised by means of donations giving the privilege of 
nominating students in the School, as well as by means of a 
guarantee fund ; it is estimated that an expenditure of about 
1,000/, would be required to fit upa practical school or laboratory. 
The Provisional Committee, containing several Royal and noble 
names, were authorised to take the necessary measures to esta- 
blish the school by means of shares, donations, and guarantees, 
Assuming the necessary capital to be provided—and we hope 
there will be no difficulty nor delay in doing so—the Executive 
Committee hope that they may be able, before the end of the 
year, to establish courses of practical instruction im the kitchen, 
as well as lectures. Arrangements will be made se that courses 
may be severally attended by pupil-teachers in training for public 
education, by domestic servants, and by ladies. The experi- 
ment of this school will be first tried in London, and if it suc- 
ceeds, similar schools will be established in the large towns. 
We sincerely hope such a laudable scheme will meet with per- 
fect success. All communications on the subject of the school 
should be addressed to the Secretary (fro tem.) of the school, 
Annual International Exhibitions, Kensington Gore, London, 
S.W. 
ARRANGEMENTS have been made with Mr. P. Simmonds for 
the delivery each day of six short lectures on the industries illus- 
trated in this year’s International Exhibition. These lectures will 
be commenced on Saturday next. 
ON Saturday a deputation from the Trades’ Guild of Learning 
which was formed for the promotion of technical education in 
the various trades and industries of the United Kingdom, waited 
upon the Marquis of Ripon at the Privy Council Office, with 
a view of urging upon the Government the desirability of taking 
further steps to promote a higher technical ecucation. The 
deputation included Sir A. Brady, Mr. H. Solly, and others, 
Sir A. Brady said what the working-men wanted was not money 
but a fair start. They felt that enough had not been done in 
utilising the resources of the South Kensington Museum. The 
Chancellor of the Exchequer had acted very penuriously in the 
matter. One way in which they could be assisted was by the 
establishment of a class of instructed teachers and the attaching 
art schools to the museums. The Rev. Mr. Solly said that the 
great body of the intelligent artisans, who were largely represented 
on the council, found that the benefit of the services they re- 
ceived from the Educational Department almost wholly failed 
to reach themselves. This failure arose principally from the 
following causes :—First, because the sources of information 
were not readily accessible as to what the Department really 
aimed at with a view to asslst them. Secondly, the workmen 
in the East-end of London found the cost of the journey to the 
South Kensington Museum to be too great in time and money, 
and therefore they desired that two or three other well-furnished 
museums should be established in other parts of the metropolis. 
The next point was that the Department should not only assist 
classes which had made some progress, but classes in their inci- 
pient stages, and which required nursing. The last and most 
important point of all was, that however able the Government 
teachers were to instruct in Science and Art, they were not able 
to give that practical instruction in any trade which the work- 
man might pre-eminently need and desire. The apprenticeship 
system had practically broken down, The Marquis of Ripon 
