620 



NA TURE 



[April 27, 1899 



on dioptrics of ihe eye ; Prof. VVeldon, on Tunicata ; Mr. 

 Bourne, on the histoiy of zoology ; Mr. Thompson, on mam- 

 malian morphology : Prof. Sollas, on evolution of the earth 

 and iin pal.vontology ; Mr. Walden, on allotropy : Prof. 

 Miers, on isomorphism ; .Mr. Bowman, on rock-forming 

 minerals ; Prof. Tylor, on anthropology in classical literal ure. 

 Among the mathematical lectures are : — Prof. Love, on gravi- 

 tational attraction and theory of potential ; Prof. Elliott, on theory 

 of functions ; Prof. Esson, on synthetic geometry of conies 

 Among the lectures in medicine are announced : — Prof. 

 Thomson, on the urogenital system and anatomy of the 

 placenta and embryonic membranes ; Dr. Ritchie, on patho- 

 logical bacteriology ; Mr. Jerome, on medical pharmacology. 

 The new Sedleian Profe.ssor of Natural Philosophy will also give 

 an inaugural lecture on Thursday, April 27, on " The aims and 

 methods of natural philosophy." 



The recently appointed Wilde Reader in Mental Philosophy 

 (Mr. G. F. Stout) will also deliver an inaugural lecture on 

 Wednesday, April 26, on " Psychology as philosophy and as 

 science." 



An examination will be held on .May 16 for the Abbott 

 Scholarship, in the subjects of mechanics and physics, and 

 chemistry. Candidates must be sons of clergymen of the Church 

 of England, who stand in need of a.ssistance. 



C.\mfkil>i;e. — The honorary degree of Doctor of Science is 

 to be conferred on .Sir William Turner, Professor of Anatomy 

 in the University of Edinburgh, and President of the General 

 Medical Council ; and on the Rev. Thomas Wiltshire, Emeritus 

 Professor of Geology in King's College, London. The cere- 

 mony will take place today (.\pril 27). Mr. H. Jackson, 

 First-class Natural Sciences Tripos 1896-9S, has been elected a 

 Fellow of Downing College. 



The appointments of the Earl of Kimberley 10 be Chancellor 

 of the University of London, in the room of Lord Herschell, 

 deceased ; and of Mr. John Arthur Thomson to the chair of 

 Natural History in the University of Aberdeen, in succession to 

 the late Prof. Henry Alleyne Nicholson, are formally announced 

 in the Ga~.elte. 



The Board of Education Bill was read a second time in the 

 House of Lords on Monday. Referring to the Bill, and in 

 reply to criticisms, Ihe Duke of Devonshire explained that the 

 Government considered it desirable to reorganise the Education 

 Department completely before the new local authorities for 

 secondary education were called into existence. He knew of no 

 insurmountable reason why a measure dealing with those local 

 authorities should not be introduced and passed next Session. 

 As regards the consultative committee, he remarked that the 

 CJovernment does not propose that it .shall have any statutory 

 character. The committee is to be the creation of the Minister, 

 who is to be responsible for its action ; and its duties are to 

 be such as the Minister, on his responsibility, entrust to it. 



The following gifts to educational institutions in the United 

 States are announced in Sdence : Mr. William K. Vanderbilt 

 has given 100,000 dollars to Vanderbilt University for the erec- 

 tion of a new dormitory on the campus. — It is reported that the 

 sum of over 250,000 dollars has been subscribed towards an 

 endowment for Brown University. A committee is endeavour- 

 ing to collect 2,000,000 dollars, which it is intended to devote 

 to strengthening the departments already existing in the Uni- 

 versity. — A Bill has jiassed the Kansas Legislature granting 

 55,000 dollars for the erection of a new chemistry building at 

 the State University. — Miss Catherine Wolfe Bruce has, through 

 Prof. J. K. Rees, given 10,000 dollars to Columbia University, 

 to be used for the measurement and discussion of astronomical 

 photographs. Miss Bruces gifts to the department of astronomy 

 amount to 22, too dollars. 



The Technical Education Board of the London County 

 Council will proceed shortly to award not fewer than five senior 

 county scholarships which are of the value of 60/. a year, 

 together with payment of tuition fees up to 30/. a year, and 

 are tenable for three years at University colleges and advanced 

 technical institutions. These scholarships arc confined to 

 residents within the Administrative County of London, and 

 arc open only to those whose parents arc in receipt of not more 

 than 400/. a year. Candidates should, as a rule, be under 

 twenty-two years of age, though the Board reserves the right to 

 give preference to candidates who are under nineteen years of 



NO. 1539, VOL. 59] 



age. The scholarships are intended to enable those students 

 who cannot afford a University training to pursue advanced 

 studies for a period of three years in the highest University 

 institutions in the country. Senior scholars appointed by the 

 Board are studying at Cambridge, at colleges of University rank 

 in London and elsewhere, and in University institutions on the 

 continent. The Hoard usually makes a certain number of 

 grants of les.ser value in addition to awarding scholarships. 

 Candidates must apply before Monday, May 15, to the Secretary 

 of the Technical Education Board, 1 16 St. Martin's Lane, W.C. 



Wi I'H reference to the paragraph which appeared in our last 

 issue, in regard to the proposed foundation of a University for 

 the West of England, we find that the suggestions of the Bishop 

 of Hereford, the President of Bristol University College, appear 

 to be receiving serious attention. The Bishop referred to the 

 steps being taken in Birmingham so that Mason College may 

 be incorporated as the University of Birmingham, and thus 

 Birmingham become the home of a Midland University. He 

 had come to the conclusion that within reasonable limits the 

 multiplication of such University centres was a very real stimulus 

 to the higher life of the community ; and sometimes in his 

 daydreams he saw the time when they would have a University 

 of Bristol, with the si-ster colleges, the University College and 

 the Merchant \'enlurers' Technical College, spie.iding new life 

 and intelligence not only throughout the xast community of the 

 city, but to the West of England. In rtgaid 10 this, Mr. 

 G. H. Pope, Secretary to the Merchant \entiirers, writes to the 

 local papers, and after hoping that the Bishop's dream may 

 come true, adds that it is one " towards the ultimate fulfilment 

 of which everything that the Merchant \'eniurers do for 

 securing the completeness and perfection of their College is, 

 not quite unconsciously, tending." 



A COPY of the Calendar of the School of Practical Science of 

 the Province of Ontario, affiliated to the University of Toronto, 

 has been received. There are five regular departments of in- 

 struction in the school, in each of which diplomas are granted, 

 viz. : — Civil engineering (including sanitary engineering) ; min- 

 ing engineering ; mechanical and electrical engineering ; archi- 

 tecture ; analytical and applied chemistry. The regular course 

 in each department is of three years' duiation, and leads to the 

 diploma of the school. Graduates electing to continue their 

 studies for a fourth year are allowed to select two subjects from 

 an approved list, and are required to confine their whole at- 

 tention to these subjects during the fourth year. The subjects 

 on this list are such as require a large amount of time to be 

 devoted to laboratory and other practical work. During this 

 year the student is required to prepare a thesis on some subject 

 connected with his work. After complying with all require- 

 ments, the candidate receives from the University the degree of 

 Bachelor of Applied Science (B. A. Sc). Bachelors of Applied 

 Science may, after three years spent in professional work, present 

 ihemselves for the degrees of Civil Engineer (C.E. ), Mining 

 Engineer (M.E.), Mechanical Engineer (M.E.), or Electrical 

 Engineer (E. E. ), as the case may be, subject to the rules and 

 regulations established by the University. Toronto thus gives 

 the encouragement to engineering which Mr. Stuart recently 

 urged (see p. 524) should be more liberally given in our own 

 Universities. 



The nineteenth annual report of the Council of the City and 

 Guilds of London Institute, referring to the work of the Institute 

 during the year 1S9S, has just been issued. A letter sent to the 

 London University Commission by the Instiiute, and published 

 in the report, is of interest as it states the comlitions under 

 which the Institute is willing to accept the position of a School 

 of the University for its Central Technical College. The con- 

 ditions include the following: — "That, in .tildition to the 

 Faculty of Science in the reconstituted University, a special 

 separate Faculty of Engineering ought to be created to meet 

 the needs of .Schools of (he University which are preparing 

 students for a professional career. This Engineering Faculty 

 should have direct representation on the Senate, and should 

 include Ihe sul>jects 01 civil engineering, mechanical engineer- 

 ing, electrical engineering, marine engineering, mining engineer- 

 ing, and might possibly also include chemical engineering, 

 metallurgy, architectural construction, and sanitary engineering. 

 The Institute is of opinion that as it appears undesirable, at all 

 events in the first instance, to constitute unduly large faculties, 

 each faculty should consist of the professors alone ot the several 

 schools included in the faculty." The Institute has been in- 



