March 5, 1908J 



NA TURE 



429 



a generous offer of support made by a member of the 

 University who wishes to remain anonymous. 



Convinced of the great importance of the subjects with 

 which such a professorship would be concerned, the 

 benefactor offers to pay to the University 30oi. a year for 

 five years, provided that the University establishes for that 

 period, and before June 30, 1908, a professorship of biology 

 of the minimum annual value of 50oi. 



The donor also offers to increase the 300Z. to 400/. for 

 any portion of the five years during which the professor 

 may be holding a professorial fellowship. The further 

 condition is made that it shall be the duty of the professor 

 or professors elected during the period of five years above 

 mentioned to teach and make researches in that branch 

 of biology now entitled genetics (heredity and variation). 



The author of this offer further suggests, though he 

 does not make it a condition, that the proposed temporary 

 professorship, if established, should be entitled the 

 " Darwin Professorship of Biology." The council of the 

 Senate, while giving full weight to this suggestion, in- 

 clines to the view that it would be more expedient to 

 reserve such a title until it shall have become clear that 

 the professorship can, from whatever source, be placed on 

 a permanent footing. 



The council is of opinion that the generous offer 

 anonymously made should be accepted, and that a pro- 

 fessorship of biology of the value of 700/. per annum 

 should be established, which will terminate at the end 

 of the Easter term, 1913, unless the University shall 

 previously have otherwise determined. The electors to the 

 professorship shall, so long as the professorship is only 

 temporary, be the council of the Senate, but if the pro- 

 fessorship shall be made permanent a board of electors 

 shall be constituted. 



It is proposed to make a grant of 30!. from the Worts 

 fund to Mr. A. R. Hinks, of Trinity College, towards 

 defraying his expenses in travelling on the continent of 

 Europe with the view of investigating the methods used 

 in the study of astronomy and geodesy in certain observa- 

 tories and institutions. 



It is proposed to continue for a further period of five 

 years, from Michaelmas. 1908, the Caley and Stokes 

 lectureships in mathematics, the annual stipend of 200/. 

 being attached to each lertureship. The general board is 

 -of opinion that, should the endowments for these two 

 lectureships prove to be insufficient to provide these 

 stipends, the University should undertake to make up for 

 the five years any deficiency which may result from this 

 insufficiency. This may involve a contribution from the 

 University of 80Z. a year. 



Mr. C. A. Barber and Mr. A. W. Rogers have been 

 approved by the general board of studies for the degree of 

 Doctor in Science. 



The syndicate appointed to obtain plans and estimates 

 for the extension of the chemical laboratory has issued 

 a second report, in which it is stated that last August a 

 contract was signed by the builder for erecting the build- 

 ing, which is now rising in Pembroke Street, at a cost 

 of '3,7,'io'- The syndicate now asks leave of the Senate 

 to expend a sum of 4S5/. for extras in the building, 

 245:;/. for benches, lecture tables, and other fittings, and 

 700Z. for instruments and apparatus. 



London. — The degree of D.Sc. in chemistry has been 

 granted to Mr. R. J. Caldwell, an internal student of the 

 Central Technical College. Mr. Caldwell presented a 

 thesis entitled " A. — Studies of the Processes Operative in 

 Solutions, part i., the Sucroclastic Action of .^cids as in- 

 fluenced by Salts and Non-electrolytes ; B. — The Hydrolysis 

 of Sugars," and other papers. 



The degree of D.Sc. in zoology has been granted to 

 Mr. D. H. de Souza, an internal student of University 

 College. Mr. de Souza presented a thesis entitled " The 

 Activation of Pancreatic Juice." 



The death is announced of Prof. Laurent, professor of 

 mathematical analysis in the Paris Ecole polytechnique 

 and Institut national agronomique. 



Miss E. N. Thom.as, assistant in the department of 

 botany, L'niversity College, has been appointed lecturer 



NO. 2001, VOL. •]']'\ 



and head of the department of botany, Bedford College lor 

 Women. 



M. Camille -Math. son has been appointed professor of 

 mineral chemistry at the College de France in succession 

 to M. H. Le Chatelier, who recently accepted the chair 

 of general chemistry at the Sorbonne. 



The governing body of the Imperial College of Science 

 and Technology has appointed as secretary Mr. .'\lexander 

 Gow, formerly scholar of Gonville and Caius College, 

 Cambridge, who for the last four years has occupied the 

 position of director of education and principal of the 

 Technical School, Blackburn. 



I.M the House of Commons on Monday Mr. Ramsay 

 Macdonald asked the President of the Board of Education 

 whether he proposed to appoint a Royal Commission to 

 inquire into the constitution of the University of London, 

 with a view to the University taking over the Imperial 

 School of Science and Technology, or whether, in the event 

 of no such commission being appointed and the school 

 being in consequence maintained as a separate foundation, 

 he would reconsider the constitution of the governing body 

 of the school so as to strengthen it on its industrial side 

 with the view of establishing a connection between it and 

 technological institutions of lower grades. In reply, Mr. 

 McKenna said that no representations had reached him 

 from the bodies principally concerned leading him to sup- 

 pose that the consideration of this question is urgently 

 desired, and that no commission would be appointed unless 

 these representations were made. 



The thirtieth annual meeting of the Institute of 

 Chemistry was held on Monday, March 2, Prof. P. F. 

 Frankland' F.R.S., president of the institute, being in 

 the chair. In the course of his address the president dealt 

 with the difficulties of students in deciding the most 

 advisable method of preparing for admission to the pro- 

 fession of chemistry. He is convinced that the usual 

 three j'ears' curriculum is wholly inadequate, for whilst' 

 the ground to be covered in the study of chemistry has 

 attained 'colossal dimensions compared with what it was 

 twenty-five years ago, and is continually being extended, 

 the student's time is no more protracted than before. 

 The limited time at the disposal of the student gives him 

 little opportunity to take proper advantage of the excellent 

 equipment now to be found in the universities and colleges, 

 and teachers are aware of the urgent necessity of increasing 

 the minimum length of the curriculum prior to gradua- 

 tion, but 00 university appears to have the courage to 

 initiate this reform. In the matter of students, it is 

 quality, not quantity, that universities require, for every 

 science student is a net loss financially, and the work of 

 the classes is too often hampered by a large proportion 

 of undesirables. 



The Board of Education has published (Cd. 3885) the 

 reports from those universities and university colleges in 

 Great Britain which participated during the year ended 

 March 31, 1907, in the annual Parliamentary grant, now 

 amounting to 100,000!. The reports deal with the work 

 of the colleges during the year 1905-6, and appear to be 

 reprinted just as they were received by the Board of 

 Education. The information is arranged, it is true, under 

 headings prescribed by the Board, such as land and build- 

 ings, staff and educational work, students, fees, finance, 

 and so on, and it is possible with much labour to institute 

 comparisons between the various institutions. The useful- 

 ness of the Blue-book would be increased greatly if, 

 following the practice adopted in many other of the Board's 

 publications and the custom which is fairly general in 

 American volumes of a similar kind, the statistics relating 

 to the various colleges were summarised and the totals 

 obtained for the different institutions classified and com- 

 pared. It would then be possible to coordiiiate the facts, 

 and to say, for instance, how the interest in higher educa- 

 tion in the north of England compares with that in the 

 Midlands or in Wales. If some such plan were adopted 

 much greater use would be made of what would then be 

 an interesting and serviceable volume. 



The interim report for the period January i to September 

 30, 1907, submitted on February 25 last to the trustees 

 by the executive committee of the Carnegie trust for the 



