March j6, 1899] 



NA TURE 



475 



F.R.S., in four volumes, vol. ii. ; " The Steam Engine and Gas 

 and Oil Engines," by Prof. John Perry, F. R.S., illustrated ; 

 " A System of Medicine," by many writers, edited by Dr. 

 Thomas Clitiford Allbutt, F.R.S., vols, vi., vii., and viii. ; 

 "Dictionary of Political Economy," edited by R. II. Inglis 

 Palgrave, F. R.S., vol. iii. (completing the Dictionary) ; " Ele- 

 mentary Physics and Chemistry, First Stage, by Prof. R. A. 

 Gregory and A. T. Simmons. 



Mr. Murray calls attention to : — The Progressive Science 

 Series: " On Whales," by F. E. Beddard, F.R.S., illustrated: 

 "The Stars," by Prof. Newcomb, illustrated; "Man and the 

 Higher Apes," by Dr. Keith, illustrated ; " Heredity," by J. 

 Arthur Thomson, illustrated; "Bacteriology," by Dr. G. 

 Newman, illustrated. 



In the list of Messrs. Kegan Paul and Co., Ltd., we find :— 

 "The Geography of Mammals," by Dr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., 

 illustrated ; " E.xperimental Physics," by the late Prof, von 

 Lommel, translated by Prof. G. W. Myers, illustrated ; " Sewage 

 Analysis," by J. A. Wanklyn and W. J. Cooper. 



Messrs. G. P. Putnam's Sons announce: — "Our Insect 

 Friends and Foes," by Belle S Cragin, illustrated; "The 

 American Anthropologist (New Series)." 



The announcements of the Scientific Press, Ltd., include : — 

 " Handbook for Nurses," by Dr. J. K. Watson, illustrated ; 

 "The Commonwealth of the Body," by G. A. Hawkins- 

 Ambler. 



Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co. promise : — " Electric Move- 

 ment in Air and Water," by Lord Armstrong, C.B., F.R.S. , 

 with additional plates. 



The list of Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein and Co., Ltd., con- 

 tains ; — "Physiological Psychology," by Prof. W. Wundt, 

 translated by Prof E. B. Titchener, 2 vols., illustrated ; 

 " Text-book of Palaeontology for Zoological Students," by 

 Theodore T. Groom, illustrated ; " Text-book of Embryology : 

 Invertebrates," by Dr. E. Korschelt and Dr. K. Heider, trans- 

 lated from the German by Mrs. H. M. Bernard, and edited 

 (with additions) by Martin J Woodward, vols. ii. and iii., 

 illustrated ; " The Phenomena of Nature," by J. Walker, part ii. ; 

 " Mammalia," by the Rev. H. A. Macpherson (Young Collector 

 Series) ; " Birds' Eggs and Nests," by W. C. J. Ruskin Butter- 

 field (Voung Collector Series) ; and new editions of " Hand- 

 book of Practical Botany," by Prof. E. Strasburger, edited by 

 Prof. W. Hillhouse, illustrated; " Text-book of Embryology : 

 Man and Mammals," by Dr. O. Hertwig, translated by Dr. E. 

 L. Mark ; " The Elements of \'ital Statistics," by Dr. Arthur 

 Newsholme, illustrated ; " .\n Introduction to the -Study of 

 Zoology," by B. Lindsay, illustrated (Introductory Science 

 Text-books). 



.Mr. T. Fisher Unwin gives notice of: — "The Climbs of 

 Norman Neruda," by Mrs. Norman Neruda, illustrated ; "The 

 Kingdom of the Ba-Rotsi — Upper Zambesia," by Alfred 

 Bertrand, tianslated by A. B. Miall, illustrated; "Claude 

 Bernard," by Prof Michael Foster, F.R.S. (vol. vi. "Masters 

 of Medicine " Series). 



Messrs. Whittaker and Co.'s announcements are : — " Outlines 

 of Physical Chemistry," by Prof A. Reychler, translated from 

 the French by Dr. J. McCrae ; " Volumetric Chemical 

 Analysis," by J. B. Coppock ; "Central Station Electricity 

 Supply," by A. Gay and C. H. Veaman ; " Electric Wiring, 

 Fittings, Switches and Lamps," by W. Perren Maycock ; 

 " Electric Traction," by J. H. Rider; " Inspection of Railway 

 Material," by G. R. Bodmer ; " English and American Lathes," 

 by Joseph Horner. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



O.KFORD. — The iggth meeting of the Junior Scientific Club 

 took place on Frid.iy evening, March lo, at the Museum. In 

 private business the ofticers for next term were elected, and 

 there was a long debate on a motion of Mr. A. E. Boycott 

 (Oriel) to confine the ordinary membership of the Club to mem- 

 bers of the two Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and to 

 persons engaged in scientific work in Oxford in connection with 

 the University. Ultimately the amendment of Air. A. F. 

 Walden (New College) to delete the words " in connection with 

 the University " was carried by a large majority, and the 

 amended motion passed. In public business, Mr. F. W. 

 Charlton (Merton) read a paper on " Gold mining, " and Mr. 



NO. 1533, VOL. 59] 



A. F. Walden a paper " On the condition of dissolved substances 

 in solutions other than aqueous." 



The Robert Boyle Lecture of 1899 will be delivered in Eight's 

 week of next term, by Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S. 



Cambridge. — The grace for the establishment of a professor- 

 ship of Agriculture will be offered to the Senate on May 11. 



The researches in magnetism and electricity, presented by 

 Mr. S. VV. Richardson and Mr. J. Henry, advanced students 

 of Trinity College, have been approved by the special Board 

 for Physics as qualifying for the B. .-V. degree. 



Mr. T.Andrews, F.R.S., has presented a valuable metal- 

 lurgical microscope to the engineering laboratory. 



The degree of M.A. honoris causa has been conferred on Dr. 

 G. Sims Woodhead, Professor of Pathology. 



Profs. Thomson, Forsyth, and Macalister, and Mr. F. Dar- 

 win have been appointed electors to the Allen Studentship for 

 original research recently founded in the University. 



It appears from a useful table published in the library World 

 for February, that 363 towns and districts of the United King- 

 dom have adopted the Public Libraries Act. The progress of 

 the movement was slow while'the power of adoption remained 

 in the hands of the ratepayers ; but since it was transferred, in 

 1S93, to the option of town councils and other authorities, the 

 rate of progress has increased nearly threefold. Between 1850 

 and 1892, 256 places had adopted the Act — an annual average 

 of about 6 ; but in the six years from 1893 '° 189S, 107 places 

 had established libraries — a yearly average of 16, excluding 

 London, which still retains the public vote. 



The names of the present curators of patronage, by whom 

 the appointment of a professor of physiology in the University of 

 Edinburgh, in succession to the late Dr. Rutherford, are given 

 by the Britisli Medical /oiirnal as follows: — Principal Sir 

 William Muir, the Right Hon. J. P. B. Robertson, Lord 

 Justice-General for Scotland ; and Dr. Patrick Heron Wat.son, 

 elected by the University Court, while the following four curators 

 are elected by the Town Council ; the Right Hon. Lord 

 Provost Mitchell Thomson, Lieut. -Colonel Alexander Forbes 

 MacKay, .Sir James Alexander Russell, and Mr. George 

 Auldjo Jamieson. It is stated that already the following gentle- 

 men are candidates for the vacant chair : Prof. E A. Schafer, 

 F.R.S , Dr. William Stirling, Dr. Diarmid Noel Paton, Dr. E. 

 Waymouth Reid, F.R.S , and Dr. E W. Wace Carlier, senior 

 assistant to the late Prof. Rutherford. Dr. Carlier is at present 

 giving the lectures in physiology in the University. The emolu- 

 ments of the chair will in future be of the annual value of 1400/. 



A GEODETIC observatory is a necessary part of the equip- 

 ment of an institution giving instruction in geodetic methods of 

 surveying. Such an observatory has lately been established in 

 connection with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

 This observatory is intended primarily to be used in giving 

 instruction in the most refined methods of determining latitude 

 and longitude, and is also to be used in magnetic and gravity 

 observations. A hill in the south-eastern part of Middlesex 

 Fells was chosen for the site. Here was found a firm foundation 

 for the most delicate instruments, free from the vibrations 

 caused by railroad and highway traffic, and not too far from 

 Boston. Much work has been done at the observatory that 

 could not before be performed in any of the Institute buildings. 

 This is especially true of the tests on delicate spirit-levels and 

 the determination of constants depending on such observations. 

 This is due to the freedom of the observatory from vibrations, 

 while its distance from all magnetic disturbances renders it 

 especially favourable for observation with the magnetometer and 

 dip circle. It has been attempted to give the students in 

 geodesy such practice as will not only illustrate the theory, but 

 enable them to make satisfactory observations of paramount 

 value with all the various instruments employed. The observ- 

 atory will also be used by all civil engineering students in 

 connection with their fourth year astronomy. The observatory, 

 on account of its good position, will be a valuable m,agnetic 

 station, and its observations will probably be incorporated in the 

 general magnetic work of the United States Government. 



In the House of Lords on Tuesday, the Duke of Devonshire 

 called attention to the subject of secondary education, and in- 

 troduced a Bill dealing with it. The Times reports him to 

 have said, in the course of his remarks, that by the Bill it is 

 proposed to constitute a Board of Education of the same 



