JANUARY 25, I917| 
surgeon ‘in the Army or Navy, dealing with medicine, 
surgery, or military hygiene. 
Physiology.—The Montyon prize (750 francs), for the 
most useful work on experimental physiology; the 
Lallemand prize (1800 francs), to recompense or en- 
courage work relating to the nervous system; the L. 
La Caze prize (10,000 francs), for the work which has 
most contributed to the progress of physiology (the 
prize cannot be divided, and foreigners can compete) ; 
the Pourat prize (1000 francs), for the experimental 
study of some of the conditions which produce a yaria- 
tion in the quantity of water in different tissues; the 
Martin-Damourette prize (1400 francs), for therapeutic 
physiology; the Philipeaux prize (goo francs), for ex- 
perimental physiology. 
Statistics—The Montyon prize (1000 francs) and 
two mentions (500 francs), for statistical researches. 
History and Philosophy of Science.—The Binoux 
prize (2000 francs). 
Medals.—The Arago, Lavoisier, and Berthelot 
medals. : 
General Prizes.—Prize founded by the State (3000 
francs), question for 1918: to improve in an important 
point the study of the successive powers of the same 
substitution, the exponent of the power increasing in- 
definitely ; the Bordin prize (3000 francs), for a study 
of the effects of pressure on chemical combinations 
in general, and in particular on those which are sus- 
ceptible of a practical application; the Estrade-Delcros 
prize (8000 francs, undivided), for work in the physical 
sciences ; the Le Conte prize (50,000 francs ; encourage- 
ments), one-eighth for encouragements, the whole or 
it of the remaining seven-eighths in a single prize 
or new and capital discoveries in mathematics, physics, 
chemistry, natural history, medicine, or for new appli- 
cations of these sciences; the Houllevigue prize (5000 
francs), for work in mathematics; the Parkin prize 
(3400 francs), for work on the curative effects of 
carbon in cholera and other diseases; the Saintour 
prize (3000 francs), for work in physical science; the 
Henri de Parville prize (1500 francs), for original worl 
on science or the popularisation of science; the Lon- 
champt prize (4000 francs), for a memoir on the 
diseases of man, animals, and plants from the point 
of view of the introduction of excess of mineral sub- 
stances as the cause of these diseases; the Henry 
Wilde prize (one of 4000 franés, or two of 2000 francs, 
without distinction of nationality), for a iscovery or 
work on astronomy, physics, chemistry, mineralogy, 
geology, or experimental mechanics; the Caméré prize 
(4000 francs), for a French engineer who has personally 
conceived, studied, and realised a work resulting in 
progress in the art of construction; the Gustave Roux 
prize (1000 francs, undivided), as recompense to a 
young French scientific .worker; the Thorlet prize 
(1600 francs); the Lannelongue foundation Goce 
francs), to one or two scientific men (or their widows 
or children) in needy circumstances; the Laplace prize 
of books, for the highest student leaving the Ecole 
Polytechnique; the L. E. Rivot prize, to the 
four students leaving the Ecole Polytechnique 
and holding the first and second places in the 
two sections of the school; the Trémont founda- 
tion (1000 francs), for assisting works attaining an 
object useful and glorious for France; the Gegner 
foundation (4000 francs), to assist a poor scientific 
man, already known for the quality of his work, to 
enable him to continue his researches; Jérome Ponti 
foundation (3500 francs), for the encouragement of 
mathematical science. 
Tue Bonaparte Fun», 
Grants from this fund are made for facilitating the 
researches of workers who have already given proof 
NO. 2465, VoL. 98] 
NATURE 
' from sands obtained in England, 
419 
of their capability in original work, and who lack 
sufficient resources to undertake or pursue their inves- 
tigations. Requests for grants may be made directly 
by the candidates or proposed by a member of the 
academy. The request should contain an exact de- 
scription of the work proposed and indicate the sum 
necessary to carry it out. Twelve months after the 
receipt of a grant, a report must be sent giving details 
of expenditure and of the first results obtained; after 
two years a résumé of the work carried out with the 
aid of ithe grant must be forwarded. The whole of 
these reports will form a special publication under the 
title of ‘‘ Recueil du Fonds Bonaparte.” 
WORKSHOP METHODS OF OPTICAL 
TESTING. 
ya ty the request of the Ministry of Munitions the 
Optical Society held an exhibition of workshop 
methods of optical testing at King’s College, Strand, 
on January 11, in order that by the interchange of work- 
shop methods of test, the production of optical instru- 
ments for naval and military use might be expedited. 
Amongst others, Messrs. Chance Bros. exhibited a 
method for the rapid approximate assessment of strain 
existing in glass. A plate of mica is cemented between 
glass plates, the mica being of such thickness as to 
give a phase difference in the two beams of one wave 
for sodium light. This plate therefore gives approxi- 
mately the sensitive first order purple colour between 
crossed Nicols. According to the orientation of the 
specimen double refraction will be evident from the 
change of the purple colour to a tint of a lower or 
higher order. Each tint corresponds to a definite 
phase variation produced by the double refraction of 
the glass, and hence an estimation of the tints exhibited 
gives an estimation of the phase difference produced 
in a beam on passage through the glass. The colours 
given in conjunction with the wave plate are inde- 
pendent of the intensity of the light; thus greater 
uniformity in testing for bad annealing is obtained 
than by the use of crossed Nicols alone, where the 
sensitiveness of the tests depends largely on the in- 
tensity of the source of light. 
Messrs. Adam Hilger exhibited a new apparatus and 
process for finishing prisms and lenses which are 
imperfect in consequence of non-homogeneous material 
or inaccurate surfaces. The apparatus consists of a 
modification of the Michelson interferometer. A beam 
of light is passed through the optical element under 
test in such a way as to produce a series of interference 
fringes which constitute what may be called a contour 
map of imperfections. This map can be drawn on one ~ 
of the surfaces of the prism or lens; superfluous mate- 
rial is then removed by local polishing until light is 
transmitted as in a perfect optical element. 
Prof. Herbert Jackson exhibited samples of glass 
which had undergone a weathering test, by submission 
to the action of steam in an autoclave. The condition 
of glass surfaces after a standard test is an index of 
the behaviour of the glass when subjected to normal 
atmospheric exposure. 
The National Physical Laboratory exhibited- the 
photometer used in testing the luminosity of radium- 
painted dials. The dial under test is placed between 
two ‘‘artificial dials” illuminated by an electric lamp 
placed behind a suitable green filter; the candle-power 
of the lamp is varied by means of a resistance. The 
instrument is standardised by the use of a surface 
brightness photometer for various currents through the 
lamp. Samples of glass were also exhibited made 
fs 0 to replace sands 
hitherto obtained from the Continent. 
