September 29, 19 10] 



NATURE 



405 



called structural facts, and they are to be regarded as 

 facts irrespective of any theory. So long as such facts 

 may be gathered, as a rule, at every ancient site, there 

 seems to be no valid reason why they should not be 

 treated as of first importance in any examination of 

 ancient monuments. Opinions may differ greatly as to 

 the value of deductions from the facts, but no difference 

 of opinion can possibly justify a policy of turning a deaf 

 ear to the positive testimony of the monuments themselves. 



The sharpest distinction should be made between the 

 testimony of a structure and that of any " finds," and 

 the commission's chief object is to make an inventory of 

 structures. Judging a structure by the finds alone, the 

 popular epithet " sepulchral " is often tolerable, but the 

 epithet does not explain the structure even of a hermetic- 

 ally closed tist, which everybody would regard as 

 sepulchral. Now, " grave goods " have been given a 

 place in the commission's schedule, and for that reason 

 alone one would claim recognition of the structural facts. 

 The relation of a burial to the surface soil is particularised, 

 and such details show that the structural facts, in a way, 

 are included in the schedule. The facts I have chiefly 

 in mind are measures, both angular and linear. Some 

 measures of the sort, of course, are given in ordinary 

 reports and plans of monuments, but measures made on 

 the lines of a working theory, based on the sum of know- 

 ledge already gained by measurements, must be much 

 more to the point than any measures made with abso- 

 lutely no theory in view. Even when a working theory 

 is adopted, some technical knowledge is indispensable for 

 making the required measures. 



The subject, I understand, has been considered by the 

 commission. Some information bearing on the astro- 

 nomical inquiry, which I had the honour of submitting at 

 the Cardiff meeting, was accepted. I understand, further, 

 that some arrangemenis have been, or are being, made for 

 making measures. The report, however, gives us no light 

 on the matter. There is not- even a recommendation of 

 the inquiry. We are told what features of ancient 

 churches are to be observed, but not a word about the one 

 feature which usually gives character to the whole, 

 orientation. 



If measures of monuments have any meaning — and if 

 they were and likely to remain meaningless, to ignore 

 them w'ould be a reckless accommodation to our ignor- 

 ance — that meaning must be the verte'oral column of any 

 body of information about them. In most, if not all, 

 branches of scientific inquiry measurements take pre- 

 cedence of any other data. If such a commission were 

 appointed to gather anthropological data, is it likely th.at 

 anthropometry would be given a second place in the 

 inquiry? .A similar method for archsological research has 

 been devised in w'hich measurement forms the first and 

 best basis for a classification of monuments, all apart 

 from any theory as to the significance of the measure;;. 

 To those who are in the habit of regarding measures as 

 constituting the very soul of a monument, the preserva- 

 tion of measures is the best possible preservation of a 

 monument. 



One can easily understand why a representative body of 

 archteologists should hesitate a little before giving its 

 endorsement to a line of inquiry which has to make its 

 own way into favour. Probably at a mixed gathering of 

 archaeologists a majority might be found in favour of 

 keeping it in abeyance. The commission might justify 

 its silence, if not inaction, in such a matter, to such an 

 audience, by referring to the element of prejudice w-hich 

 unfortunately is not confined to non-scientific bodies. 

 There is, however, no evidence, so far as the commission 

 is concerned, of such a slavish subjection of what should 

 be a free, open, and thorough inquiry to the idiosyncrasies 

 of the human equation. Just as the commission seeks the 

 sympathetic cooperation of the Welsh public in its work, 

 it is to be hoped that a representation of this kind will 

 receive an equally sympathetic treatment by the com- 

 mission itself. 



The task of sifting and. sorting the contents of the vast 

 drag-net which the commission has cast over Wales is not 

 an enviable one, but a better master of method in handling 

 such materials could hardly be found than the secretary, 

 Mr. Edward Owen. John Griffith. 



.-lA'A'L'.IL REPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT 

 LABORATORY. 



'F'HE report of the principal chemist of the Government 

 Laboratory, London, upon the work of the department 

 during the last fiscal year, contains, as usual, a mass of 

 information respecting the chemical examinations and 

 inquiries made for the various branches of the executive. 

 On former occasions we have described the general work 

 of the laboratory in some detail, and will therefore, in the 

 present instance, merely note a few of the many mis- 

 cellaneous points of interest mentioned in the report. 



Conformably to the provisions of the W'hite Phosphorus 

 Matches Prohibition Act, 1908, ^vhich came into operation 

 on January i this year, a number of samples of imported 

 matches were examined in order to ascertain whether thev 

 were free from the white or poisonous form of phosphorus. 

 In only seven instances, however, out of 647, was white 

 phosphorus found to be present. The importation of the 

 matches in these consignments was prohibited. They were 

 but an insignificant proportion of the total matches im- 

 ported. Only doubtful cases are dealt with in the 

 laboratory, as the absence of white phosphorus is shown in 

 the great majority of cases by simple tests which have been 

 devised for application by the local customs officials. The 

 effect of the Act already has been to stamp out the use of 

 white phosphorus in imported matches ; and as regards 

 matches made in the United Kingdom, samples of the 

 paste used for " tipping " have been taken from the 

 factories, but in no case has the use of white phosphorus 

 been detected. 



A number of samples of beer and brewing materials were 

 found to contain arsenic in excess of the limits laid down 

 by the Royal Commission on .Arsenical Poisoning. One 

 sample of malt contained as much as one-eighth of a grain 

 of arsenic per lb., and the beer brewed from it showed a 

 considerable excess of the poison. The brewers were 

 immediatelv warned of the danger of allowing such beer 

 to go into consumption. On investigation, the presence of 

 the arsenic was traced to the fuel used for kiln-drying the 

 malt. 



Articles of food taken from the canteens on board naval 

 vessels were not in all cases free from objection. Thus, of 

 four samples of " l.Trd," one consisted of cocoa-nut oil, one 

 was considerably adulterated with cotlon-seed oil and beef 

 stearine, and the remaining two gave evidence of slight 

 contamination with cotton-seed oil ; and out of four samples 

 of condensed milk, one was found to be a " skimmed " 

 product and another was deficient in fat. The general 

 Admiralty supplies, however, were found to be usually 

 satisfactory. 



The tendency of makers of foodstuffs to work down to a 

 "standard." when one has been fi.xed, is exemplified by a 

 remark which the principal chemist makes in regard to the 

 proportion of water in imported colonial butter. Since the 

 fixing of the limit of water at 16 per cent., " the quantity 

 of w'ater in colonial butter, formerly exceptionally low, is 

 now nearer the limit, and occasionally exceeds it." Two 

 samples of imported " pastry margarine " were found to 

 contain solid paraffin, in one case as much as 10 per cent. 

 Amongst miscellaneous samples analysed may be mentioned 

 certain feeding-meals which were examined in connection 

 v/ith alleged poisoning of cattle; in some instances the 

 meal w^as found to contain Java or Rangoon beans, which, 

 on digestion with water, produce prussic acid through the 

 influence of an enzyme. In another case of cattle poison- 

 ing, the food was found to have been contaminated with 

 an arsenic-paste sheep dip. 



In connection with lead poisoning in the pottery industry, 

 a large number of samples were examined. From works 

 in which cases of plumbism had occurred, thirty-six speci- 

 mens of glaze were taken. The proportion of lead oxide 

 in these glazes varied from i2'6 to 47'5 per cent., and it is 

 noteworthy that, with one exception, the lead was almost 

 wholly present as a soluble compound. 



Samples of air from certain mines in Scotland were 

 found to be very impure, proportions of carbon dioxide as 

 high as 35 per cent, being shown, and as much as 16 per 

 cent of rnethane ; whilst the oxygen in one sample had been 

 reduced to isi per cent. 



Arising out of suspected frauds in connection with claims 



NO. 2135, VOL. 84] 



