Oct. 3, 1872] 



NATURE 



4DI 



in tlic Icctuie-rocm, and otiiers, Ihouglit such a piiisuit was 

 worth encouraging, and by-and-by the idea arose that a museum 

 would be of use, and the means were gradually forthcoming, at 

 first sparingly in small contributions, but gradually more liberally 

 in larger sums, until at this moment, after fourteen years only, 

 the museum at Cambridge stands in my estimation without 

 parallel in tlie world." This he followed up by a statement of 

 what could be done in a new country like California for the ad- 

 vancement of science : — "What would you think of the man 

 who would raise himself his food when he is engaged in the law 

 business or in the medical profession ? Vou would think he was 

 wasting his time. Now I say the scientific man is wasting his time 

 or is obliged to waste his time when he is not provided with the 

 ap[)liances with which he can work, and whicli he is capable of 

 producing. And I hold that it is one of the duties of those who 

 have tiie means to help those who have only their head, and who 

 go to work with an empty pocket. So I think that one of your 

 duties, besides fostering and nursing the interest you individually 

 feel for science, is to arouse that general interest in the com- 

 munity, which will make every true patriot, every lover of his 

 State, every philanthropist, every man who has the heart to 

 leave a good repute and an honourable memory, desirous of 

 contributing to your progress." We know there are men in 

 California who both can and will respond to this generous appeal. 



' Prof. Tyndall left England on Saturday last by the Russia 

 from Liverpool, on a visit to the United States. 



The Council of the Bedford (Ladies') College, Bedford Square, 

 have decided on attempting to introduce some branch of Natural 

 Science into the regular programme of the college studies, and 

 will make a commencement witli a class oi Vegetable Physiology 

 Mr. A. W. Bennett, who will conduct the class, will also give 

 the Introductory Lecture of the session on Wednesday, October 

 gtli, on " The Place of Natur.d Science in a Liberal Educa- 

 tion." 



A VACANCY has occurred in tlie staffof the l-loyal Observatory, 

 Greenwich, by the resignation of iSIr. James Carpenter, whoso 

 services have been transformed to a private engineering firm. 



From the second report of the Cambridge Natural Science 

 Club we learn that seven meetings have been held during the 

 long vacation, at which the following papers have been read : — 

 " On Turacin," by Mr. R. M. Lewis, B. A., Downing College ; 

 " On the old Glaciers of Wales," by Mr. G. E. Paget, Caius 

 College; " On Colour," by Mr. C. T. Whitmell, B.A,, B.Sc, 

 Trinity College ; " On Sponges," by Mr. A. F. Buxton, Trinity 

 College ; " On Thermo-Magnetism," by Mr. J. E. H. Gordon, 

 Caius College; "On Pcronospora iiifislans," by Mr. II. M. 

 Martin, M.B., D.Sc, Christ's College ; " On Absorption 

 Spectra," by Mr. R. M. Lewis, B.A., Downing College. The 

 club consists of twelve members, of whom seven or eight were 

 in residence during the Long. The attendance at the meetings 

 was good, averaging six or seven members, and two or three 

 visitors. The rule, requesting that members shall give " such 

 practical illustration as the subject admits of," has been very 

 well observed, as almost all the papers have been illustrated by 

 experiments or specimens. 



The opening (public) lecture of the Literary and Scientific 

 Society attached to the Whitechapel Foundation School, was 

 given on Tuesday evening last. Among the lectures to be 

 delivered during the session, will be one on the " Early History of 

 Man," by E. Clodd, F.R.A.S., and on one of the "Divisions of 

 Light," by W. Spottiswoode, F.R.S. 



Mr. K. Pkatt, late Master of the Oucen's School of Art, and 

 gold medalist of the Department of Science and Art, has been 

 elected Art-master in the Hartley institute, Southampton; and 



JMr. J. R. Brittle, AssDciate of King's College, London, and late 

 Whitworth Scholar, has been appointed Lecturer on Engineering 

 at the same institution. 



The following classes in connection with the Manchester 

 Mechanics' Institution have been commenced for the season, un- 

 der the management of Mr. Robert Routledge, B.Sc. : — Applied 

 Mechanics, Steam and the Steam Engine, Acoustics, Light and 

 Heat, Magnetism and Electricity, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic 

 Chemistry, and Practical Chemistry. 



The management of the Islington Youths' Institute has just 

 issued the programme for the winter session. Amongst the 

 various subjects taught at this Institution, those in connection 

 with the Science and Art Department form a conspicuous feature, 

 and six classes in Art and eight in Science are announced. 

 Among these we may mention Drawing (Freehand, Model, and 

 Geometrical), Building Construction, Machine Construction, 

 Geometry (Plane, Practical, and Solid), Electricity and Mag- 

 netism, Physical Geography, Physiology, Acoustics, Light and 

 Heat, and Inorganic Chemistry. At the examinations held in 

 May last, out of 129 who competed for the Government prizes, 

 only 13 failed to pass. 



The Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers have awarded 

 the following premiums and prizes for work done during the 

 session 1 87 1-2 : — A Telford medal and a Telford premium in 

 books to each of the following gentlemen : Bradford Leslie, for 

 his "Account of the Bridge over the Gorai River, on the 

 Goalundo Extension of the Eastern Bengal Railway ; " Carl 

 Siemens, for paper on "Pneumatic Despatch Tubes : the Circuit 

 .System ; " W. Bell, for paper on " The Stresses of Rigid .'Vrches, 

 Continuous Beams, and Curved Structures ; " J. II. Latham, 

 for description of " The Soonkcsala Canal of the Madras Irri- 

 gation and Canal Company ; " G. Gordon, for paper on "Tlie 

 Value of Water, and its Storage and Distribution in Southern 

 India;" A Telford premium in books to F. A. Abel, F.R.S., 

 for paper on "Explosive Agents applied to Industrial I'urposes ;" 

 and the same to Bashley Britten, for paper on " Tlie Construc- 

 tion of Heavy Artillery, with reference to Economy of the 

 Mechanical Forces Engaged." The Manby premium in books 

 to C. Andrews, for paper on " The Somerset Dock at Malta." 

 A Miller prize each to Oswald Brown, for paper on "Sewage 

 Utilisation;" A. T. Atchison, for paper on " Railway Bridges 

 of Great Span;" J. Addy, for paper on "The most suitable 

 Materials for, and the best mode of Formation of, the Surfaces 

 of the Streets of Large Towns;" A. E. Preston, for piper on 

 " Wood- Working Machinery ; " W. P. Orchard, for paper on 

 " The Education of a Civil Engineer." 



We are informed of the early publication of the first number 

 of the Tckoraphic Journal, a Monthly Illustrated Review of 

 Electrical Science. It will be edited by the Rev. William 

 Iliggs, M.A., sometime assistant to Sir Charles Wheatstone. 



The present autumn has been remarkable for the- appearance 

 in scattered localities all over the country of one of our rarest 

 and most beautiful butterflies, the Camberwell Beauty, Vanessa 

 Aiitiopa, very few British specimens of which exist in our 

 cabinets. The Entomologist records the capture of upwards of 

 200 specimens in all parts of the country, from the Channel 

 Islands to Aberdeen. It is very remarkable that they nearly all 

 differ in colouring to a perceptible extent from the Continental 

 variety, the border being creamy white instead of buff-coloured. 

 If they are genuine natives their spasmodic appearance in this 

 manner is very singular, and worthy of careful observation. 

 Several other rare butterflies, especially Argynnis Lathonia, 

 Picris DapUdicc, and CoUas Ilyale, have also been unusually 

 abundant this season. 



