August i8, 1910] 



NATURE 



>27 



hygiene and public health and of pathological chemistry 

 (post-graduate study). Prof. G. D. Thane is the dean 

 of the faculty, and Prof. J. P. Hill the vice-dean. The 

 calendar contains full particulars of the general arrange- 

 ments for the coming session and of the scholarships and 

 exhibitions open to competition. 



The following courses in illustration of recent progress 

 in various departments of physical investigation will be 

 delivered at the Royal College of Science (Imperial College 

 of Science and Technology), South Kensington, during the 

 autumn: — About ten lectures on "Colour Vision," by Sir 

 William De W. .-\bney, K.C.B., F.R.S., beginning on 

 Tuesday, November 8; about ten lectures on "Spectro- 

 scopy," by Assistant-Professor A. Fowler, F.R.S., 

 beginning on October lo ; about ten lectures on "The 

 Internal-combustion Engine, illustrated by a Study of the 

 Indicator Diagram," by Dr. \V. Watson, F.R.S., beginning 

 on October 13 ; about nine lectures on " Radio-activity and 

 Electric Discharge," by Prof, the Hon. R. J. Strutt, 

 F.R.S. The following courses, of about ten lectures each, 

 will be given after January 11, 191 1 (details to be 

 announced later) : — " Measurement of High Temperatures, 

 and Optical Pyrometry," by Prof. H. L. Callendar, 

 F.R.S. ; " Magnetic Properties of Metals and Alloys," by 

 Dr. S. W. J. Smith. 



On December 21, 1909, the London County Council 

 decided to make a maintenance grant of Soooi. to the 

 Imperial College of Science and Technology, South 

 Kensington. In return for this grant it secures the 

 privilege of nominating twenty-five students for one year's 

 free instruction at the Imperial College. These are now 

 to be filled for the first time. The instruction will be of 

 an advanced nature, and therefore only advanced students 

 who are qualified to enter on the fourth year of the course 

 should apply. There is no restriction as to income, but 

 intending candidates must be ordinarily resident in the 

 administrative county of London, and must be students at 

 an institution aided, maintained, or approved by the 

 Council. The free studentships do not entitle the holders 

 to any maintenance grants, but cover all ordinary tuition 

 fees. No examination will be adopted for the final selec- 

 tion of the students from the applications received. The 

 free studentships will be awarded on consideration of the 

 past records of the candidates, the recommendations of 

 their teachers, the course of study they intend to follow, 

 and generally upon their fitness for advanced study in 

 science applied to industry. It is quite possible that, in 

 special cases, the free places may be extended to two or 

 more years. Owing to the summer recess, it has been 

 decided to accept entries for the free places until Saturday, 

 October i. Application forms (T. 2/268) can be obtained 

 from the Education Officer, London County Council, 

 Victoria Embankment, London, W.C. 



The new University of Queensland is now inviting 

 applications in England and Australia for four professor- 

 ships, in classics, in mathematics and physics, in 

 chemistry, and in engineering. The selection committees 

 will enter on their duties at the end of this month, and 

 it is expected that the men who are to be the nucleus of 

 the first staff of the University will be ready to begin 

 work in the new year. The inauguration of the University 

 was held on the fifteenth of last December, the fiftieth 

 anniversary of the day when Queensland first became a 

 self-governing colony. The event was the occasion of a 

 very large gathering at Government House in Brisbane, 

 when the Premier, Mr. Kidston, announced that his 

 Government had set aside 50,000/. to meet initial costs ; 

 that 10,000!. a year was to be provided for working 

 charges ; that the historic building where the meeting was 

 held, together with its beautiful grounds and gardens, 

 was to be dedicated to university purposes ; and, finally, 

 that a large number of scholarships, including research 

 scholarships, were to be offered to students. The unveil- 

 ing of the commemorative tablet was one of the first acts 

 performed by Sir William MacGregor in his capacity as 

 Governor of Queensland. , With one exception, all the 

 Australasian States have now placed universities at the 

 head of their educational systems, and it is expected that 

 Western Australia wilt soon follow the example of her 

 sister colonies. Considering the youth of these States — 



NO. 2129, VOL. 84] 



Queensland herself is only celebrating her jubilee — this is 

 surely a very notable thing. Moreover, some of these 

 universities are magnificently endowed and equipped, and 

 all of them exercise considerable and fast-growing influence 

 over the thoughts and the material progress of the 

 countries which they serve. 



The address on schools of dyeing, delivered by Mr. 

 S. H. Higgins to the Manchester section of the Society 

 of Chemical Industry last March, has been reprinted from 

 the journal of the society, and a copy has reached us. 

 Mr. Higgins thinks that British schools compare very 

 favourably with those in other countries. England does 

 not, he maintains, occupy a second place to Continental 

 schools so far as equipment is concerned. Moreover, to 

 quote from the paper, he says, — " In Germany the schools 

 are not very particular as to the quality of the student 

 they admit; they make an effort to get as many as possible. 

 It has been said that students from the high schools pass 

 through the schools of the Crefeld type before entering 

 industry ; but such cases are exceptional, as these men 

 have other outlets for their training. A student from a 

 technical high school does sometimes find his way into a 

 trade school, and then the authorities show their delight ; 

 thev do not say anything as to the educational standard 

 of the bulk of their students. The technical high schools 

 themselves are known to accept in their specialised 

 technical chemical laboratories students who have had little 

 previous chemical training. The volunteer departments of 

 the German colour works are now much patronised in 

 place of the schools mentioned, but it must be remembered 

 that the training obtained in these departments, although 

 good, cannot be a substitute for attendance at technical 

 schools." The tone of the address is optimistic through- 

 out, and by way of summary the address states : — " The 

 dyeing schools of other countries do not compare with 

 those at, e.g., Leeds, Manchester, Bradford, and Glasgow, 

 and even with many others of lesser importance in these 

 islands. Just as we lead in the production, preparation, 

 dyeing, bleaching, printing, and finishing of textiles, so 

 also is this lead maintained as far as the technical instruc- 

 tion applied to these industries is concerned. -Mso it must 

 be said that there is little difference between the positions 

 of England, Germany, and America as regards _ the 

 appreciation which manufacturers show of the training 

 received at these institutions." In the discussion which 

 followed, the principal of the Manchester School of 

 Technology said he had more respect for the school at 

 Crefeld than Mr. Higgins, and went on to emphasise the 

 fact that in nine German technical high schools there 

 were 13,500 students, none of whom were under eighteen 

 vears of age, while in ninety-nine English institutions, 

 including the science sides of the universities, and students 

 from fifteen years of age and upwards, they did not reach 

 more than 5000 a few years ago. The greater number of 

 students in 'technical schools in Germany were undoubtedly 

 men who had passed the gymnasia or the Ober-Real 

 Schule, where they remained until they were at least 

 eighteen years of age. The technical schools in this 

 country had comparatively few students in the daytime. 

 The preparation of the student made all the difference. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Edinburgh. 

 Royal Society, Tuly 18.— Dr. R. H. Traquair, F.R.S., 

 vice-president, in the chair. — Francis J. Lewis : Plant 

 remains in the Scottish peat mosses, part iv. Four areas 

 are considered : (i) the Shetland Islands ; (2) Poolewe dis- 

 trict in Ross-shire; (31 Rhilochan district of east Suther- 

 landshire ; (4) raised beaches at Ardgour and Banavie, 

 with an appendix on some peat areas in south-west Iceland. 

 In the Shetland deposits there are two peat growths at 

 two distinct periods, the earlier being stratified, the newer 

 not. Special attention was paid to the position and the 

 flora of the forest bed, the wide distribution of_ well-grown 

 trees of birch, alder, and mountain ash in districts now 

 quite devoid of trees, indicating a decided change in meteor- 

 ological conditions. Evidence was brought forward that 

 the first and second Arctic beds and the lower and upper 

 forest are true datum lines traceable through extensive 

 areas in Scotland. The view is taken that the first Arctic 



