April 2, 1908J 



NA TURE 



521 



THE NiTIOXAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY 

 DLRISG 1907. 



'PHE report for 1907 of the National Physical Labora- 

 tory, presented 10 .he general board on the occasion 

 of the annual meeting and inspection of the laboratory on 

 March 20, contains abundant evidence of the rapid growth 

 and extension of its activities during the past few years, 

 as well as of the usefulness and importance of the research 

 work which such an institution is able to undertake. 

 Following closely upon the report of the Treasury Com- 

 mittee, which has done valuable service, both to the labora- 

 tory and to the public, in defining more precisely the limits 

 to be set and the conditions to be observed in regard to 

 the acceptance of certain classes of test work, this account 

 of the past year's work affords conclusive evidence that 

 the org:misation of special departments for the verifica- 

 tion of instruments and examination of materials need be 

 no hindrance to the concurrent prosecution of those re- 

 searches which constitute the most important part of the 

 laboratory's work. 



It is interesting to nolo Ihe changes effected since the 

 opening of tlic 

 laboratory in 190 1. 

 Apart from the 

 observatory depart- 

 ment at Richmond, 

 t h e laboratory 



originally comprised 

 a physics depart- 

 ment at Bushy 

 House and an 

 engineering depart- 

 ment housed in an 

 adjoining building 

 of two bays. At 

 the present time 

 the accommodation 

 afforded in Bushy 

 House is supple- 

 mented by that of 

 three other build- 

 ings, together 

 covering an area at 

 least double that of 

 Bushy House itself, 

 in addition to a 

 smaller building 

 mainly devoted to 

 the test work for 

 the Indian Govern- 

 ment, transferred to 

 the laboratory from 

 Coopers Hill, and 

 a special building 

 erected for the War 

 Office standard lead- 

 ing screw lathe. 

 Of the three larger 

 buildings, the 



engineering building is now nearly doubled in size; 

 the building for electrotechnics and photometry was 

 completed in 1905, and considerable progress has been 

 made with its ecjuipment, which is described in a special 

 appendix to the report, referred to below ; while the build- 

 ing for metrology has been more recently erected, and 

 the transference to it of the comparators and apparatus 

 for measurements of length is only now being begun. 

 One special feature of the metrology building is a long 

 passage arranged for the verification of 50-metre survey- 

 ing tapes and wires, whether on the flat or in catenary. 



Of general public as well as of special scientific interest 

 is the completion of the new magnetic observatory at 

 Eskdalemuir, in Dumfriesshire. Primarily intended for 

 the resumption of the magnetic work interrupted at Kew 

 by the coming of the electric tram, it will be equipped 

 generally w"ith the recording and other apparatus necessary 

 to a first-class meteorological station, and w-ill maintain 

 a close connection with its parent institution at Rich- 

 mond. Dr. Chree's admirable w'ork in the analysis and 

 interpretation of the Kew records will thus be continued 



NO. 2005, VOL. y/l 



and extended. Eskdalemuir is situated towards the head 

 of the Esk valley, some eighteen miles from Lockerbie on 

 the Caledonian, and from Langholm on the North British 

 Railway, sufliciently far from the nearest point of either 

 line to be secure from magnetic disturbance. The locality 

 promises to be no less free from social perturbations, and 

 the relief measures to be adopted in the event of a severe 

 winter will no doubt engage the attention of the com- 

 mittee at an early date. Mr. G. W. Walker, of Trinity 

 College, Cambridge, and Glasgow University, is the first 

 superintendent. 



.\mong other matters of general interest, one or two 

 branches of work recently undertaken by the laboratory 

 may be referred to shortly. The transference to the 

 laboratory of the Indian Government test work has led 

 to the formation of a new department, of which Mr. 

 Rosenhain is superintendent. The equipment of the new 

 building in which the work is carried out has been 

 systematically planned with the view of securing ease and 

 rapidity of working ; a description of the arrangements and 

 of the methods of analysis employed is given in the report 

 of the department. 



oflarge bay of Eiectrotechn1c.1l Building, looking; l.i5 . 



The testing of taximeters, undertaken for the Coin- 

 missioner of Police, has aroused a good deal of public 

 attention. The tests applied consist of an e.xhaustive 

 examination both in the laboratory and on the road of one 

 instrument of a type, and of its mechanism, and of a 

 simpler verification of the accuracy of each individual 

 instrument. The tests are carried out at the laboratory, 

 but a building has been erected in the Lambeth Road for 

 the reception of taximeters for re-examination after use. 



The testing of glow-lamps under the specification issued 

 by the Engineering Standards Committee may also be 

 mentioned here. The Lamp-testing Bureau of New York 

 is responsible for reporting annually on some 13,000,000 

 lamps, to the benefit alike of the manufacturer and the 

 consumer. Indications are not wanting of a demand for 

 such tests in this country ; increased facilities for the work 

 are being provided in the photometry department. 



Turning now to research, the papers published during 

 the year include some of the most important work carried 

 out by the laboratory. Foremost among these must be 

 mentioned the three papers on the fundamental electrical 



