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NATURE 
[May 26, 1870. 
Esq., M.A., Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in the University 
of Cambridge, to be Her Majesty's Commissioners to make 
inquiry with regard to Scientific Instruction and the Advance- 
ment of Science, and to inquire what aid thereto is derived from 
grants voted by Parliament, or from endowments belonging to 
the several Universities in Great Britain and Ireland, and the 
Colleges thereof, and whether such aid could be rendered in a 
manner more effect-:al for the purpose.” 
We believe that the Government will propose to Parliament 
that the New Natural History Museum shall be built on the 
site occupied by the Exhibition of 1862, south of the Royal 
Horticultural Gardens. The ground was purchased some time 
ago for the sum of 120,000/. 
THE annual visitation of the Royal Observatory, by the Board 
of Visitors is fixed for the 4th of June, at 3p.m. The visitors, 
according to custom, will dine afterwards at the Ship. 
Mr. Erasmus WILSON, who some time ago presented to the 
Council of the Royal College of Surgeons, of which institution 
heis a Fellow, the handsome sum of 5,000/., with which to en- 
dow a Professorship of Dermatology, has now devoted a further 
sum to the liquidation of the debt incurred by the College in 
fitting up the costly cases in the museum for the large and valu- 
able collection of dermatological preparations since presented 
by him. 
WE are requested to state that, to provide space at the South 
Kensington Museum for the examination and exhibition of the 
National Competition Drawings of the Schools of Art in the 
United Kingdom, the Gallery of Raphael’s Cartoons will be 
used, and must be closed tor ashort time. 
THE Council of the Royal Society have decided to recom- 
mend J. A. Angstrém, of Upsala, and J. A. F. Plateau, of 
Ghent, to fill the two vacancies in the list of Foreign Members 
of the Society. 
THE Commission of the Imperial Observatory of France for 
1870 consists of the following members :—Members of the 
Council: President, M. Delaunay; Vice-president, Rear-Admiral 
de Penhoat; M. Balard, of the Academy of Sciences; M. Puiseux, 
of the Bureau of Longitudes ; M. Yvon Villarceau, M. Marié- 
Davy, M. Loevy, M. Wolff. Members of the Committee of Ex- 
amination: President, Vice-Admiral Touchard, Rear-Admiral 
Baron Didelot, M. Faye, and M. Serret, members of the Institute; 
M. Brict, professor at the Faculty of Sciences, and M. Delaunay, 
director of the Imperial Observatory. 
As mentioned in our last number, the French Minister of 
the Fine Arts is in future to bear the title of Minister of Letters, 
Sciences, and the Fine Arts. The following duties and institu- 
tions are separated from the Ministry of Instruction to be attached 
to the new ministry :—The Imperial Institute of France ; the 
Imperial Academy of Medicine ; the Museum and Library of 
Algiers, and instruction in living Oriental languages; the Im- 
perial School of Letters Patent ; the Imperial Library and curri- 
culum of Archeology which are attached to it; the Mazarin 
library, and those of the Arsenal and St. Genevieve ; the general 
care of the libraries, and editing the catalogues of the libraries of 
the departinents ; the learned societies of Paris and of the de- 
partments; the Aevwe des Sociétés savantes, and library of the 
committee of historical works, and of the learned societies ; the 
Journal des Savants ; subscriptions to scientific and literary 
works, and distribution of these works among the public li- 
braries ; the consulting committee of subscriptions and committee 
of historical works ; encouragement and assistance to scientific 
and literary men ; subsidies and encouragements for voyages and 
scientific and literary missions ; publication and distribution of 
the unpublished documents concerning the history of France and 
topographical map of Gaul ; the legal dépot ; reception and dis- 
tribution of works proceeding from the legal dépot. And all 
this time we have not even a Minister of Public Instruction ! 
THE annual Rede lecture was delivered on the 18th inst. in 
the Senate House, Cambridge, by Prof. W. A. Miller, of King’s 
College, London, to a numerous audience, the subject being, 
‘* Aniline, and the various Products of Coal-tar.” The lecture, 
which was eloquently delivered, and was illustrated by many 
beautiful and successful experiments, was listened to with great 
attention ; and at the conclusion a vote of thanks, proposed by 
the Vice-Chancellor and seconded by Professor Sedgwick, was 
carried enthusiastically. The honorary degree of LL.D. was 
afterwards conferred on Prof. Miller and on Mr. Huggins, the 
Rede lecturer of last year. 
THE council of the Senate of the University of Cambridge have 
referred the report of the Physical Science Syndicate back to that 
body, with a request that they would reconsider it, having regard 
to the late debate in the Arts Schools, the general tone of which 
was decidedly adverse to the scheme recommended by the Syndi- 
cate, and favourable to the general principle of the fund being 
raised by some system of taxation of the College revenues. 
WE are extremely glad to learn that Trinity College, Cam- 
bridge, has instituted a Prelectorship of Pure Physiology, and 
that Dr. Michael Foster, who has for some years been Professor 
of Practical Physiology at University College, has been appointed 
the first occupant of the chair. This will, we trust, give great 
impulse to the study of Natural Science, especially ot Biology, in 
Cambridge. Trinity College could scarcely have found a more 
earnest, able man, and a better teacher than Dr. Foster. 
Dr. CARPENTER will deliver a lecture ‘‘On the Physical and 
Biological conditions of the Deep Sea,” in the Senate House of 
the University of Cambridge, to-morrow, at 2.30 P.M. 
Tue ‘‘Sars Fund” in this country now amounts to 
343¢. 125. 10d., and we understand that it will soon be closed. 
Every zoologist and geologist has subscribed; but there are 
many lovers of science and of Scandinavia to whom we may 
venture to make a last appeal on behalf of this truly deserving 
and interesting case. Some copies of the carve de visite of the 
late Professor Sars will soon be received by Mr. J. G. Jeffreys 
for those subscribers who may care to possess such a memorial. 
Tue Admiralty have acceded to the request of the Royal 
Society by again placing Her Majesty’s surveying steam-vessel 
the Porcupine at their disposal for another deep-sea exploration, 
tocommence in the latter part of June. Mr J. Gwyn Jeffreys 
will take charge of the first cruise, which is intended to be across 
the Bay of Biscay, along the coasts of Spain and Portugal, to 
Gibraltar. Dr. Carpenter will there succeed him in the begin- 
ning of August, and proceed into the Mediterranean, after en- 
deavouring to trace the direction and nature of the currents at 
the Straits. Prof. Wyville Thomson will probably join Mr, 
Jeffreys. A photometric apparatus has been contrived by Mr. 
Siemens for the purpose of ascertaining the depth to which solar 
light penetrates the sea; and other questions of considerable 
interest will be investigated in this expedition. But we regret 
to find that the time is so limited for such an important object. 
Ar the anniversary meeting of the Royal Geogtaphical Society 
held on Monday last, the Founder’s Medal was awarded to Mr. 
George W. Hayward, the Society’s envoy to Central Asia, for — 
the map of his journey across the Kuen Lun into Eastern Tur- 
kistan, and for the perseverance with which he is endeavouring 
to carry out his object of reaching the Pamir Steppe. The 
Patron’s, or Victoria Medal, to Lieutenant Francis Garnier, of 
the French navy, second in command of the French Exploring 
Expedition from Cambodia to the Yang-tsze-Kiang, for the part 
he took in the extensive surveys executed by the commission, for 
his journey to Tali-fu, and for the ability with which, after the 
death of his chief, Captain de la Grée, he brought the expedition 
Ee 
