58 
NATURE 
[Wov. 11, 1869 
that day, and who are so greedy for instruction that on a 
summer evening, instead of playing at some game during their 
only hours of leisure, they will spend one part of it in reading, 
and the other part in listening to a lecturer, the intricacies of 
whose demonstrations require the most unhalting attention. 
Suppose I were to start a lecture on some scientific subject at 
Cambridge, probably none, or at most a score, would come. I 
am not setting this down to their blame, for the truth is that 
they have not the same need, for they have many men able to 
teach them anything they could possibly want to learn. Iam 
not here stating the reasons why there should be so small a demand 
for scientific teaching at the University ; the reasons are various 
and complicated, although we have not to go far toseek them ; but 
the fact is certain. Now all this ought not to be so. There is a 
supply without a demand, and a demand without a supply; and 
the matter calls for the gravest consideration of those scientific 
men who care that the benefits which are to be got from the true 
study of science should be diffused among the people of this 
country. Of all things in the world, this is a demand which, 
wherever it exists, it is right to foster and encourage, and it can 
only be successfully fostered and encouraged by men whose 
intimate acquaintance with the subjects with which they deal 
yenders them competent for a task at once of such magnitude 
and of such importance. It is not any want of teachers at the 
University, but the almost absolute want of teaching and teachers 
for those classes that presses upon us. 
JaMEs STUART 
Trinity College, Cambridge, Nov. 8 
Fertilisation of Winter-flowering Plants 
Mr. DARWIN has done me the honour of calling my attention 
to one or two points in my paper, published in your last number, 
*©On the Fertilisation of Winter-flowering Plants.” He thinks 
there must be some error in my including Vizca major among the 
plants of which the pollen is discharged in the bud, as he ‘‘knows 
from experiment that some species of Vica absolutely require 
insect aid for fertilisation.” On referring to my notes, I find 
them perfectly clear with respect to the time at which the pollen 
is discharged. My observation, however, so far agrees with Mr. 
Darwin’s, that I find no record of any fruit being produced in 
January; it was, in fact, the absence of capsules on the Vinca 
which induced me to qualify the sentence on this subject, and 
to say ‘‘in searly all these cases, abundance of fully formed seed- 
bearing capsules were observed.” It is worthy of remark, that 
the Vinca is the only species in my list of apparently bud- 
fertilised plants not indigenous to this country. The second 
pont relates to the white dead-nettle, with respect to which Mr. 
arwin says, ‘‘I covered up Lamzium al um early in June, and 
the plants produced no seed, although s trrounding plants pro- 
duced plenty.” This again would agree with my conjecture that 
it is only the flowers produced in winter that are self-fertilised. 
I may, however, be permitted to suggest that the test of covering 
up a plant with a bell-glass is not conclusive on the point of 
cross-fertilisation, as it is quite probable that with plants that are 
ordinarily self-fertilised, the mere fact of a complete stoppage of a 
free circulation of air may prevent the impregnation taking place. 
Has the experiment ever been tried with grasses, which, according 
to the French observer, M. Bidard are necessarily self-fertilised ? 
ALFRED W._BENNETT 
3, Park Village East, Nov. 8, 1869 
A Meteor 
THIS evening, at 6.50, Greenwich time, I was called to my 
door by the letter-carrier, who pointed out a serpentine band in 
the sky, having a brightness rather above that of the Milky Way. 
It was about 3° in greatest breadth, and 20° in length. Its 
longest axis was in the line from the north-west point of the 
horizon to the pole star, from which, where nearest, it was about 
20° distant. Its other extremity was very near the Milky Way, 
and surpassed every other part in brightness. Its pole-ward 
termination was faint, filmy, and bifurcated. 
The postman said, “About five minutes ago,” #.¢. 6.45 p.m., 
‘whilst waiting at another house, I suddenly became aware of a 
great light, but on looking up, instead of a shooting star, as I 
expected, I saw a fixed crooked line, as broad as my finger, and 
quite as bright as that star” (pointing to Jupiter). It gradually 
became broader and fainter, but not longer; and I came on here 
as fast as I could to Jet you know about it.” 
I observed it at intervals of five minutes ; and observed that it 
gradually grew fainter and straighter, and moved slowly towards 
the north-east, its axis remaining apparently parallel to itself 
throughout. I saw it distinctly at 7.35, but was not satisfied that 
I did so at 7.40. It must have remained visible from 50 to 55 
minutes. W. PENGELLY 
Lamorna, Torquay, Nov. 6, 1869 
[It is to be hoped that advantage was taken of this almost 
unprecedented opportunity to bring the spectroscope to bear 
upon a meteor cloud. From other accounts the meteor itself 
appears to have been exceptionally brilliant, and to have burst 
with noise, as of a rocket (Falmouth); to have changed its colour 
from yellowish red and lurid red to briliiant green at the moment 
of explosion, and then from violet to orange (Birmingham.) 
Another account (Wimborne) states, that at the moment of ex- 
plosion the colour was dazzling purple and blueish, fading into 
white at its upperextremity. The cloud was observed to assume 
a serpentine form both at Bristol and Stokesay. Mr. Pengelly’s 
50 or 55 minutes’ duration was most nearly equalled at the latter 
place, where it was observed for half an hour. There are ample 
elements for the determination of the meteor’s path.—Eb. | 
Tempel’s Comet 
I ENCLOSE an orbit for the comet discovered by Tempel on 
October 11, of which no elements have yet been published in the 
Astronomische Nachrichten. ndeed, but for an observation 
kindly sent me by Dr. Winnecke, and not yet printed, it would 
not have been practicable to work out an orbit. 
Elements of the Orbit of Tempel’s Comet, 1869, Oct. 11. 
Elements calculated from an observation at Bonn, Oct. 12, one 
by Dr. Winnecke, at Carlsruhe, Oct. 17, and a third at Leipzig, 
Oct. 23:— 
Perihelion Passage, 1869, Oct. 84421 Greenwich M. T. 
Longitude of Perihelion 124°"41' 1” ) 
a Ascending Node 311°'24' 4” { 
Inclination to Ecliptic. . . 68°48 8” 
Log. perihelion distance . 0° 08995 
Heliocentric Motion Retrograde. 
The above orbit does not resemble that of any comet previously 
computed. J. R. Hinp 
Observatory, Twickenham, Noy. 8. 
From appt. Equinox, 
NOTES 
THE argument that British manufacturing and commercial 
superiority cannot be maintained unless the means of a sound 
scientific education be placed within the reach of allclasses all over 
the kingdom, seems likely to be put to the proof. Oxford and 
Cambridge local examinations, the examinations by the Society of 
Arts and the South Kensington Museum, we are told, only serve 
to show how backward we are in real knowledge, and that we 
want more schools, more places of instruction. Well, by act 
of parliament, a number of our Public. Schools are to be ruled 
by new “Governing Bodies,” the members of which are to be 
appointed by different authorities ; but we confine ourselves here 
to the fact that among those authorities are ‘‘ the President and 
Council of the Royal Society.” These gentlemen, the very head 
and front of British science, are to nominate a member of the 
-*Governing Body” of each of seven schools, namely, West- 
minster, Eton, Winchester, Harrow, Charterhouse, Rugby, and 
Shrewsbury. Here is, indeed, an innovation! The President 
and Council of the Royal Society will of course nominate men of 
science. Consequently, science will be taught in all those schools, 
side by side with the classics. Can the two runtogether? If science 
goes up, will Greek and Latin and scholarship go down? We 
hope not; but these are questions for the future to answer. 
Meanwhile, we have much pleasure in stating that the two 
nominations already made by the Council of the Royal Society 
are such as will command universal approval. Prof. G. G, 
Stokes, Secretary of the Royal Society and President of the 
British Association, has been nominated for Eton School, and 
Mr. W. Spottiswoode, F.R.S., for Westminster School. The 
interests of science could not be in better hands than these, and 
