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At the Conference at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition on 
Wednesday, June 23, a paper was read by Mr. W. Lant 
Carpenter, on ‘‘The Position of Science in Colonial Educa- 
tion.” The colonies to which Mr. Carpenter had directed his 
attention were :—Canada generally ; South Africa, the Cape 
of Good Hope and Natal; Western and South Australia, 
Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, New Zealand, and 
Tasmania, the last of which, unfortunately, is not represented 
at the present Exhibition. An account of the present condition 
of scientific education in each of these colonies was given. As 
a general conclusion, Mr. Carpenter thought that the claims of 
science to a place in State-aided primary education were more 
fully recognised than in the old country, and this, not merely 
because it was the only foundation upon which a system of 
teclinological education could be securely built, but for its value 
in drawing out the minds of the pupils, As regards the 
branches by which the time-honoured routine of subjects 
may be most beneficially varied, precedence was almost 
universally accorded to drawing, and to the objective pre- 
sentation of the elements of science. In secondaty grammar 
and high schools, however, science scarcely occupied a 
position equal to that in corresponding English schools, but 
there were many signs of improvement in this respect. In the 
Colleges and Universities of the older colonies the classical and 
academic influence was still very strong, while in the newer ones 
the claims of scientific education to be put on an equal footing 
with literary were recognised. Great has had been the progress 
of public opinion in England during the last few years on the 
importance of science as an element in education, the author 
was disposed to consider it greater in the colonies in the same 
period. Certainly the development of that opinion to its present 
point had been much more rapid in the colonies than at home. 
There were many voluntary colonial Associations for the promo- 
tion of science, and the author concluded his paper by throwing 
out the suggestion that, if there were grave and practical diffi- 
culties in the way of an Imperial federation of the Australian 
colonies, the establishment of an Australian Association for the 
Advancement of Science, somewhat on the lines of the British 
and American Associations for similar purposes, might not be 
‘beyond the reach of practical men of science, and he was strongly 
of opinion that such a federation would tend to strengthen ‘‘ the 
position of science in colonial education.” 
ARRANGEMENTS have been made for the examination in the 
Indian Court of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of certain 
commercial products, which are believed to be insufficiently 
known or to be suitable for new purposes. Among the sub- 
stances which will be examined are fibres, silk and silk substi- 
tutes, drugs, tobacco, gums and resins, minerals, oils, oil-seeds 
and perfumery, dyes, mordants and pigments, timbers, tanning 
materials and leather, and food-stuffs. Any visitors to the Ex- 
hibition, who are interested in the subject, will be permitted to 
attend these examinations of products, which will take place in 
the Commercial Room, attached to the Economic Court, where 
all further information may be obtained. Should the results of 
this examination render such a course desirable, Conferences of 
a formal character will probably be held at a later date. 
THE International Society of Electricians has decided upon 
building laboratories for the use of physicists in Paris. They will 
be established in the grounds of the old Collége Rollin, granted 
by the city of Paris, in the vicinity of the School of Practical 
Physics recently erected by the Municipal Council. The funds 
will be supplied by public subscription, a contribution from the 
Society, and a sum of 360,000 francs, which is the surplus of the 
last Electrical Exhibition organised by M. Cochery. 
WE take the following from .Scéerce :—It will be remembered 
that in the month of May a gentleman in Brooklyn died from 
IZLE ORE 
| ¥une 24, 1886 
hydrophobia. His medical attendants, competent physicians, 
had no doubt about their diagnosis, and his symptoms were 
characteristic of that disease. Confirmatory of this opinion, 
the autopsy revealed no lesion to which could be attributed 
the symptoms from which he suffered—a condition which 
is also characteristic of hydrophobia. Portions of the brain 
and the spinal cord were carefully wrapped in cloth wet with 
a solution of bichloride of mercury and sent to Dr. Sternberg. 
Small portions of these were thoroughly mixed with sterilised 
bouillon ; and this broth was then, by means of a hypodermic 
syringe, injected under the dura mater covering the brain of a 
rabbit, a small button of bone having been first removed by a 
trephine. The wound was then closed by sutures. Three 
rabbits were thus operated upon. One died at the end of 
twenty-four hours as the result of the operation ; hydrophobia, 
of course, having nothing to do with it. Another is now, after 
eighteen days, apparently well. Thethird one, on the sixteenth 
day, commenced to show signs of being ill: he was disinclined 
to move, and in a few hours evidences of paralysis appeared, at 
first in the hind-legs, and subsequently in all the extremities. 
On June 5, the eighteenth day after the operation, he died. The 
wound had healed, and there were no evidences of inflamma- 
tion. The brain showed no softening at the point where the 
inoculation was made, no pus, nor any evidences of inflamma- 
tion either of the brain substance or of its membranes. The 
cord also appeared normal. Portions of the medulla of this 
rabbit were immediately mixed with sterilised bouillon, and two 
rabbits were inoculated in the same manner as has been de- 
scribed. This case is of great interest as being, so far as we 
know, the first animal in this country to become affected with 
hydrophobia from inoculation with material taken from a person 
who died from that disease. If Dr. Sternberg is as successful 
with these rabbits as with the first, there is no reason why the 
series cannot be continued, and thus the protective virus of 
Pasteur be obtained in this country, and a trip to Paris by the 
victims of dog-bites made unnecessary. As we go to press we 
learn that the second rabbit, mentioned above as remaining 
unaffected for eighteen days, shows unmistakable signs of 
hydrophobia, 
Dr. THORNTON, the new Director of the Madras Museum, has 
organised a series of investigations for the purpose of studying 
systematically the marine and terrestrial fauna on the west coast 
of the Presidency. They will be continued from time to time 
as favourable opportunities arise. 
At 8.40 a.m. on May 17 a remarkable phenomenon was 
witnessed at Donne, in the north of Norway, some twenty five 
miles south of the Polar Circle. A small bright horizontally- 
lying circle was suddenly seen with its centre right in zenith, 
the periphery passing through the centre of the sun. In 
the circle were besides four mock suns, in east, west, north, and 
south, so that they would almost have formed the corners in an 
irregular square. There was also another circle perpendicular 
on the other, and with the sun as centre, but it was much 
fainter. The little circle and the two mock suns nearest the 
sun were rainbow-coloured, and the great circle and the two 
mock suns furthest off intense white. After half an hour the 
phenomenon faded for a while, but soon again became as intense 
as before. It disappeared after having been in view for an hour 
and a half. The weather was fine and sunny, but hazy. After- 
wards it became cloudy with rain. 
THE large zoological collection known as the Museum 
Godeffroy has just been purchased by Mr, Damon (Weymouth). 
The ethnological portion was sold a short time since to the 
Leipzig Museum, as already announced in NATURE, 
IN addition to the specially meteorological results contained 
in the report of the Hong Kong Observatory for the past year, 
28D 
