288 
NATURE 
[Marc 3, 1923 

Finally, the new data by Wood (Philosophical 
Magazine, 44, 538, 1922) on the extended Balmer 
series makes possible a new computation of Ry. I 
find that these new measurements are entirely con- 
sistent with the previous data, and yield 109,677-6, 
with an assumed intensity ratio of 5 to 4. (AItor 
ratio lowers this result 0-08.) There seems to be 
no question that the two fine structure components, 
with the exception of Ha and Hg, are of nearly equal 
intensity. I am _ therefore inclined to consider 
109,677°6 as a preferable value for Ry, and this 
yields 1-758 for e/m, a value for which the probable 
error is fully 0-5 per cent. The point I should like 
to emphasise is that the newer experimental results 
for hydrogen indicate that Rue- Ru must have a 
larger value than that computed by Paschen, and 
hence e/m must be smaller, but that the probable error 
is much greater than that assumed by Paschen. I 
have previously (Physical Review, 14, 363, 1919) used 
1'773 as the most probable value of e/m, and while. 
this value may be slightly too large, I still feel that it 
is more trustworthy than the spectroscopic value of 
1-758. Without a considerable advance in our 
experimental knowledge of the fine structure of the 
hydrogen lines, it is scarcely possible to diminish 
appreciably the uncertainty in this latter value. 
New experimental data on the value of e/m, derived 
from deflection experiments or from the Zeeman 
effect, are greatly to be desired. 
RaymonpD T. BIRGE. 
University of California, 
January 11. 

Sir Christopher Wren’s Science Museum. 
At the present time, when the thoughts of all are 
being directed to the fifty churches and innumerable 
other buildings that are associated with the name of 
Wren, reference may appropriately be made in NATURE 
to his epoch-making work for science during the 
best twenty years of his life, to his scientific instru- 
ments, and to his Science Museum (Fig. 1). His 
V- 
~~ 
ey 
ee 
ie 
2 
; Ree 
& 
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te 
a 
Fic. 1.—Wren's Science Museum at Oxford. 
instruments, after having been piously preserved for 
many years in the repository of the Royal Society 
at Gresham College, have now vanished, but his build- 
ing, the Old Ashmolean Museum, is still standing, 
though no longer used for the purpose for which it 
was intended. 
NO..2783, VOL. 127] 


(After Mackenzie and Le Keux, Memorials, 1834.) 
| 
| 
Since the destruction in 1767 of Gresham College, 
the venerable seat of learning and science, where the 
original members of the Royal Society used to hold 
their meetings, no existing building is more closely 
associated with the spirit of the time of the foundation 
of that society than is the Old Ashmolean Museum. 
On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the 
birth of Ashmole, this building was described in 
Nature of May 17, 1917, as our first public Museum 
of Natural History, and now, on the occasion of the 
bicentenary celebrations in honour of Sir Christopher 
Wren, we would emphasise the intimate connexion it 
has with the great architect, who owed much of his 
surpassing merit in the arts to the preliminary train- 
ing that he had in Oxford as a man of science. | 
Elmes, in his ‘‘ Life of Wren ’’ (1823), attributes 
the Ashmolean Museum to him, but as some recent 
writers have cast a doubt upon the matter, I have 
examined all available materials, and have come 
to the conclusion that there is every reason for 
upholding the correctness of Elmes’ attribution. 
According to the Vice-Chancellor’s Accounts, the 
building of Dr. Ashmole’s Repository took about 
four years (1679-83), during part of which time 
Wren was engaged on other important works in 
Oxford. It was erected only a few yards from the 
Sheldonian Theatre, his earlier work: a science 
museum would scarcely have been placed so near 
without having consulted Wren. There is no record 
of any fee having been paid to him, but he would 
have known that the University was barely able to 
meet the building expenses of the new Museum, and 
it is known that on occasions he gave his services 
free. As president of the Royal Society, and as 
builder of some half-dozen churches in London, he 
was fully occupied elsewhere during the construction ; 
and the work of supervision was entrusted to Mr. 
Davis, the University Bailiff, who received 80/. for 
this service. Wood, the stone-cutter, received 
1912/. 5s. 5a. for the masonry work, and the accounts 
of the carpenters, plaisterer, plumber, painter, and 
glazier were settled separately. 
A finely designed portal, flanked 
by columns and opening under 
a richly ornamented canopy, leads 
into a large room running the 
whole length of the building, 
about 58 ft. 6 in. long by 24 ft. 
io in. wide. It is lit by five 
high windows on the north side. 
On the upper floor a similar room 
has been divided into two, which 
are perhaps the best lit rooms 
in Oxford, having large windows 
on three sides, N., S., and E. 
or W. It is necessary to em- 
phasise this point, because a 
contrary statement, disparaging 
Wren’s building, appeared in the 
Times for December 2, 1922. 
The windows are about tro ft. 
high by 4 ft. 6 in. wide, and there 
are no dark corners anywhere. 
The illustration printed with 
this letter shows the balustrade 
round the roof of the building. It 
is the counterpart of the contem- 
poraneous work at Christ Church, 
and of the earlier work on the Sheldonian Theatre. 
Wren was very partial to balustrades. Moreover, it 
stands within the railing that was undoubtedly 
designed by him. 
When recalling the connexion of the Museum with 
two of the first fellows of the Royal Society—Wren 
iceman diesel 
oar + 
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