Al'RIL 30, 1908] 



NA TURE 



609 



afternoon, and those evenings on which discourses 

 are not held, free for entertainments of a social kind. 

 Of the latter, not a few are already promised, in- 

 cluding garden-parties by their Excellencies the Lord 

 Lieutenant and the Countess of Aberdeen, by Lord 

 and Lady Ardilaun, and bv the provost and senior 

 fellows of Trinity College ; evening receptions are 

 also to be held by the \'iscount and Viscountess 

 Iveagh, by the Royal Dublin Society, and bv the 

 Royal Irish Academy. The Lord Mayor and Lady 

 Ma^'oress will be " At Home '" at the Mansion House, 

 to members of the association, on the afternoon of 

 the opening day of the meeting. 



The work of the Dublin meeting will be transacted 

 in twelve sections, which, with their respective presi- 

 dents, are as follows : — Mathematical and Phvsical 

 Science (Dr. W. N. Shaw, F.R.S.); Chemistry (Prof. 

 F. S. Kipping, F.R.S.); Geology (Prof. J. Jolv, 

 F.R.S.); Zoology (Dr. S. F. Harmer, F.R.S.); Geo- 

 graphy (.Major E. H. Hills, R.E.); Economic Science 

 and Statistics (Mr. W. iNL .\cworLh) ; Subsection Agri- 

 culture (Sir Horace Plunkett, K.C.V.O., F.R.S.); 

 Engineering (Mr. Dugald Clerk, F.R.S.); Anthro- 

 pology (Prof. W. Ridgewav) ; Physiology (Dr. J. S. 

 Haldane, F.R.S. ; Botany' (Dr. F. F. Blackman, 

 F.R.S.); Educational Science" (Prof. L. C. Miall, 

 F.R.S.). To increase the general interest in the 

 doings of the association, these sections have been 

 distributed over various institutions in the city, the 

 governing bodies of which have kindly undertaken 

 to provide suitable accommodation. Thus, Trinitv 

 College, the Royal University, the Royal College of 

 Science, University College, the Royal Colleges of 

 Physicians and Surgeons, the Royal Irish .\cademv, 

 and the Royal Dublin .Society all vie with each other 

 in this respect. 



The reception room and administrative offices 

 during the meeting will be located in Trinity College. 

 Until then, offices for the local reception committee 

 have been kindly provided at the Royal University by 

 permission of the Senate. 



The official handbook is being prepared by Mr. 

 R. Lloyd Praeger (author of " Irish Topographical 

 Botany '") and Prof. Grenville A. J. Cole, under the 

 auspices of the Handbook Committee. It will com- 

 prise sections on local geology, botany, zoology, 

 history and archjeology, commerce and industries, 

 and the usual official information. Among the 

 articles will be one on glacial phenomena, by Mr. 

 J. R. Kilroe, and another on mineralogy, by Mr. 

 H. J. Seymour, both of the Geological Survej*. Mr. 

 Nathaniel Colgan, author of " Flora of Co. Dublin " 

 and one of the editors of " Cybele Hibernica," will 

 deal with botanical subjects. The zoology section 

 will be prepared by Prof. G. H. Carpenter, and will 

 comprise an essay on Irish mammals, by Dr. Scharff; 

 birds, by Mr. R. M. Barrington (author of " Migra- 

 tion of Birds ") ; and numerous other special articles. 



The history and archaeology of the district round 

 Dublin will be in charge of Mr. C. Litton Falkiner, 

 secretary to the council of the Royal Irish Academy, 

 and Mr. Elrington Ball (author of " History of the 

 " Flora of Co. Dublin " and one of the editors of 

 Murray's " Guide to Ireland ") will deal with the 

 prehistoric and other antiquities of the Bovne \alley, 

 including the famous tumuli of Knowth, Dowth, aiid 

 Newgrange, and with Dublin churches. There will 

 also be articles by Mr. J. Westropo on the medieval 

 and ecclesiastical antiquities of Dublin and Wicklow ; 

 by Count Plunkett, the new director of the Dublin 

 Museum, on old Dublin houses; and by Dr. Cosgrave, 

 on old views of Dublin. 



Dublin possesses attractions which verv few capital 

 NO. 2009, VOL. 77] 



cities can rival. Situated in the centre of Dublin Bav, 

 its beautiful and prosperous suburbs extend north- 

 wards on to the promontory of Howth and south- 

 wards to Kingstown, Dalkey, and the far-famed Bay 

 of Killiney, which, closed in by the Wicklow Moun- 

 tains, presents an aspect of unsurpassed beauty. 



A somewhat unusual element of local colour will be 

 given to this year's Dublin meeting by the large 

 number of bilingual street name-plates and sign- 

 posts (an outcome of the Gaelic revival), on which 

 the historic names are given in both Irish and English 

 character and spelling. The well-known cordiality 

 and hospitality of the Irish people may be trusted to 

 render this year's visit of the devotees of science one 

 of particularlv agreeable memories. 



E. E. F. 



THE SCIENCE COURT OF THE FRANCO- 

 BRITISH EXHIBITION. 



'T'HE fact that pure science will take a recognised 

 ^ part in the scheme of the forthcoming Franco- 

 British Exhibition, and that it is being assigned a 

 court specially for this subject, has already been re- 

 corded in these columns. It is believed that this is the 

 first large exhibition at which such distinct recognition 

 of the claims of pure science has been made, and it 

 may be welcomed as being an example which should 

 be followed at all future exhibitions. 



The scheme of the court has been arranged so as 

 to show apparatus and processes of historical value 

 in the various sciences, and also, so far as possible, 

 to illustrate various researches in science, both in 

 th-; laboratory and in the factory, which have been 

 and are being carried on. The exhibits will be ar- 

 ranged under the head of each of the great sciences, 

 with subdivisions where necessary. Arrangements 

 have also been made to illustrate the nature of the 

 scientific work which is being carried on under the 

 head of the exploration of the heavens, the air, the 

 sea, and the land, which come naturally under the 

 sciences of astronomy, meteorologv, oceanography, 

 geography, and geology. In this way it is hoped 

 that a fairly complete review of all the important 

 sciences will be obtained. 



In the previous article in Natiire, the constitution 

 and names of the full committee and of the various 

 subcommittees were given. The preliminary arrange- 

 ments and discussion of the principles to be followed, 

 and the nature of exhibits to be asked for, occupied 

 the committee several months, but the work of 

 actually collecting the exhibits in each science which 

 are to be shown was handed over by the committee to 

 the various subcommittees and their respective Con- 

 veners, as they are the best and most appropriate 

 judges of what exhibits are available. These sub- 

 committees and their Conveners have reallv had a 

 hard and difficult task in making representative and 

 interesting collections, but they jiave, on the whcle, 

 been most successful. 



The usual difficulties in securing historically 

 valuable apparatus have been experienced, and manv 

 individuals and institutions have not found them- 

 selves able to allow such apparatus to pass out of 

 their own custody. Further difficulties have also 

 arisen, as is usual in such cases, in the matter of 

 space and funds, for both have had to be provided 

 by the exhibition itself, as no public funds have been 

 forthcoming. The executive committee has generouslv 

 given a court, comprising the space of about 14,000 

 square feet, free of cost, for the science exhibits, and 

 has placed at the disposal of the science committee 



