463 



NATURE 



[Sep. 7, 



It i; therefore recommended that Clause 21 be left out; and 

 that Clause 19 be so modified as to permit of the ordinary Class 

 Grant being paid if the children pass in any one or two of the 

 Class subjects, and an additional Grant if three be taken. 



III. That the list of Specific subjects (Clause 25) should in- 

 clude Elementary Physics, and the fundamental facts of Che- 

 mistry ; and the word "Geometry" should be used instead of 

 " Euclid." 



IV. That Clause 29 be left out, inasmuch as Domestic Eco- 

 nomy includes the principles of alimentation, sanitation, &c. 



V. That the teaching of Specific as well as Class-subjects in 

 Night Schools should be provided for in Clause 30. 



VI. That the Standard work in Elementary Science (pp. 6 

 and 7) needs re-arranging : — 



The division (a) should generally include plants as well as 

 animals. 



The divisions (/>) and (c) should be welded together, and more 

 progressively arranged. 



VII. That the Science programme should be regarded as a 

 suggestion, but not necessarily as an inevitable arrangement. 



VIII. That the Pupil Teachers' course (p. 11) shall provide 

 for the study by them of Elementary Science, seeing that they 

 will in all probability be required to give 'Object lessons, or to 

 teach Elementary Science in the Schools, and to attend science 

 classes at College. 



A deputation was appointed to present the memorial, but so 

 many other public bodies were approaching the Education De- 

 partment on the subject of the New Code, that Lord Spencer 

 was unable to find time to receive it, and the memorial was sent 

 in the usual way. Dr. Gladstone, however, as one of a deputa- 

 from from the London, Birmingham, and other School Boards 

 had an opportunity of urging the claims of science, and mention- 

 ing the special wishes of the British Association. Nothing 

 could be more distinct than the assurance of both Lord Spencer 

 and Mr. Mundella as to their desire to introduce the teaching of 

 Elementary Science as far as circumstances would permit. 



Recommendations somewhat similar to those of the British 

 Association were made, not only by the above School Boards, 

 but also by a Conference of leading educationists on Code Re- 

 form, and by the British an 1 Foreign School Society. 



When the New Code was laid on the tnble of the House, r,n 

 March 6, it appeared that some of these recommendations had 

 been adopted, and that all the clauses in the " Proposals " which 

 were approved by your committee had been retained. 



The proposals thus retained are as follows : — 



In infant schools the merit grant will be dependent upon the 

 report of the Inspector, who will have to take into consideration 

 the provision made for " simple lessons on objects, and on the 

 phenomena of nature and of common life." 



The leading facts of Physical Geography will be taught, not, 

 as before, as an optional specific subject for the high standards, 

 but as a part of Geography which is a cla'S subject for the 

 children in all the standards. 



The teaching of the principles of Agriculture as a specific 

 subject is, for the fir-t time, recognised. 



The recommendations adopted are as follows : — 



"Chemistry" and "Physics " in the two branches of "sound, 

 light, and heat," and of "electricity and magnetism," have been 

 added to the list of sciences capable of being taken up as specific 

 subjects by children in Standards V., VI., and VII. 



The scientific specific subjects are admitted for the first time 

 into the curriculum of evening schools. 



The Department has considerably modified its scheme as to 

 "Elementary Science " as a class subject ; this " may be framed 

 so as to lead the scholars in Standards I. tc IV. up to one of 

 the scientific specific subjects;" but a scheme is also given 

 which ' ' may be taken as a guide suggesting heads for a sufficient 

 number of lessnns in each standard.'' In the scheme, plants are 

 recognised as fully as animals, and the inconsistencies that 

 occurred in the original scheme are avoided. 



The I lepartment has not, however, acceded to other recom- 

 mendations of your Committee. There are still retained such 

 restrictions as will greatly hinder the introduction of this ele- 

 mentary science as a class subject. Domestic Economy has lost 

 its preference as a specific subject in girls' schools. Euclid is 

 still enforced as the handbook of, geometry. There is no pro- 

 vision for the examination of pupil teachers by Her Majesty's 

 Inspector in any branch of natural science, excepting that 

 geography is made to include a good deal of physical know- 

 ledge. 



Your Committee htfvi g r ,ec:i in 1- [obn Lubbock 



intended to move in parliament that it was desirable to allow 

 children to be presented for examination in any ef the recognised 

 class subjects, passed a resolution oflering him "their support in 

 asking that the three class subjects of Schedule II. of the New 

 Code, viz., English, Geography, and Elementary Science, 

 should be placed on the same footing." Sir John Lubbock, in 

 his speech, referred to the views of the British Association on 

 this point ; the debate which ensued was very favourable to the 

 claims of elementary science, and the Vice President promised 

 to give the subject further consideration, and to "submit it to 

 the Council of Her Majesty's Inspectors and the able men who 

 assisted him in framing the Code, and, if it was possible, he 

 should be happy to yield to the wishes which had been 

 expressed (see Tunes, April 4, 1882). 



Many of the Elementary Schools of this country are now 

 working under the New Code, and before the month of May, 

 1883, they will all be in that condition. In that month also the 

 Government inspection under this Code will commence, and it 

 will be possible to ascertain many points of interest, such as (1) 

 the quality of the object lessons in the infant schools ; (2) how 

 far the proposed improvements in the teaching of geography are 

 carried out in practice ; (3) to what extent elementary science is 

 taken up as a class subject, and whether the teachers generally 

 take it up as an introduction to the scientific specifie subjects, or 

 continue it as a class subject through ut the school ; and if so, 

 whether they have adopted some fuller scheme than that sug- 

 gested in the Second Schedule ; (4) whether the disemtinuance 

 of the teaching of specific subjects in Standard IV. is really a 

 gain or a loss to science. 



Your Committee, if reappointed, propose to obtain informa- 

 tion on these points, and to draw the attention of the Council to 

 any matters that may be necessary in connection with the work- 

 ing of the Code, or in respect of any future alterations. 



Preliminary Report on the Flora of the Halifax Hard Bed 

 Lower Coal-measures, by Prof . \V. C. Williamson, F.R.S., and 

 W. Cash. — The area examined is bounded by Bradford on the 

 north, and Sheffield on the south, many of the coal-pits are now 

 closed owing to low prices of coal, and to the iron-pyrites for- 

 merly worked being no longer used owing to the low rate at 

 which foreign sulphur is now imported. Fossils were obtained 

 from a bed nf inferior coal 2 feet 6 inches in thickness, studded 

 with "coal-balls," consisting of carbonate of lime and carbonate 

 of magnesia, which are filled with fossils, which exhibit the 

 most perfect condition of preservation, even to microscopical 

 structure, surpassing even the well-known beds of Oldham. 

 Much light has been thrown into the intimate structure of a large 

 amount of vegetable forms, though some are still doubtful. 



Tenth Report of the Committee, consisting 1 of Prof. J. Prest- 

 wich, Prof. T. McR. Hughes, Prof. IV. Boyd Dawkins, Prof. 

 T. G. Bonner, the Rev. H. IV. Crosskey, Dr. Deane, and 

 Afessrs. C. E. De Ranee, D. Mackintosh, R. H. Tiddeman, 

 J. E. Lee, fames Plant, IV. Pcngelly, IV. Molyneux, H. G. 

 Fordham, and IV. Terrill, appointed for the purpose of recording 

 lite position, height above the sea, lithological characters, size, and 

 origin of the Piratic Blocks of England, Wales, and Ireland, 

 reporting other matters of interest connected with the some, and 

 taking measuots for their preservation. Drawn up by the Rev. 

 II. W. Crosskey, Secretary. — The Committee have received the 

 following accounts of Erratic Blocks examined during the past 

 year : — 



Yorkshire. — Major Woodall has examined a number of 

 boulders brought from the bottom of the North Sea north of 

 Flamborough Head, and gives the following account of their 

 position and character : — 



North of Flamborough Head large numbers of boulders are 

 found strewing the bottom of the North Sea ; but they are 

 arranged very much in a belt, which is generally parallel to the 

 existing coast, at a distance of twenty to forty miles from the 

 land. The outer or eastern edge of this belt is not well de- 

 fined ; but on the western side it would appear to have a sharper 

 boundary, as the marks used by the trawlers to avoid the 

 boulders show that the line is well marked. 



While preserving a line parallel to the existing coast, it is 

 curious to note that just opposite to the mouth of the Tees the 

 inner edge of the "rough ground" — by which name this belt is 

 known to the fishermen — makes a sharp bend to the eastward, 

 coinciding almost exactly with a line drawn down the Tees 

 Valley. I would venture to suggest that this large belt of 



