Dec. 23, 1886] 



NATURE 



179 



other necessaries could be conveyed. Now, by Masai 

 Land it is all but certain that camels could be utilised, 

 and these animals could find their own provender. With 

 30 or 40 camels and 60 donkeys, very substantial relief 

 could be taken to Emin Pasha, 'indeed, the whole route, 

 at least to the borders of Emin Pasha's province, is so 

 comparatively level that Cape wagons could be taken, 

 though in such an e.xpedition it would not be advisable to 

 try the experiment. The important thing is that there 

 should be no further delay in starting at least one expe- 

 dition, whoever the leader is to be. 



ISIr. Stanley was to arrive at Southampton yesterday, 

 and we may be sure that if there is any delay in getting 

 an expedition under way he will not be to blame. 



NOTES 



On the iSth inst. a meeting was held of the Association for 

 Promoting a Teaching University for London, when the Com- 

 mittee presented their second report. At a meeting held in 

 December 1885, the Committee were instructed to open com- 

 munications with the governing bodies of the University of 

 London, University College, King's College, the Royal College 

 of Physicians of London, the Royal College of Surgeons of 

 England, and the various Medical Schools of London, as well as 

 with the Council of Legal Education, for the purpose of pro- 

 moting the objects of the Association on the basis of that report. 

 The Committee have been informed by the Senate of the Uni- 

 versity of London and by the Councils of University College 

 and King's College, that committees of those bodies had been 

 appointed to consider the objects and proposals of the Associa- 

 tion. The Council of King's College have adopted a resolution 

 to the effect that "the Council, while reserving their opinion as 

 to the details of the scheme laid before them by your Committee, 

 approve generally of the objects which the Association has in 

 view." The subject having been brought before the Council of 

 University College, they adopted a resolution to the following 

 eftect : — " That this Council do express a general approval of 

 the objects of the Association, which are as follows : — (i) The 

 organisation of University teaching in and for London, in the 

 form of a teaching University, with Faculties of Arts, Science, 

 Medicine, and Laws ; (2) the association of University 

 examination with University teaching, and direction of both 

 by the same authorities ; (3) the conferring of a sub- 

 stantive voice in the government of the University upon 

 those engaged in the work of University teaching and exa- 

 mination ; (4) existing institutions in London, of University 

 rank, not to be abolished or 1 ignored, but to be taken as 

 the basei or component parts of the University, and either 

 partially or completely incorporated, with the minimum of 

 internal change ; (5) an alliance to be established between the 

 University and the Professional Corporations, the Council of 

 Legal Education as representing the Inns of Court, and the 

 Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Surgeons of London." A 

 conference between the deputation of the Committee named in 

 that behalf and the Committee of the Senate of the University 

 of London was held on November 23 at the University of 

 London ; and, at the conclusion of a long and important dis- 



ission, the Vice-Chancellor gave to the deputation the" assur- 

 ance that the general disposition of those present was to move 

 lu the direction indicated by the Association. Various other 

 institutions have virtually expressed approval of the object of the 

 Association, and, while awaiting some further com uuuication from 

 ihe Senate of the University of London, which it is understood 

 will be made, either to them, or in an independent way to the 

 Univerdty teachers of London, the Committee propose to take 

 steps for bringing to the notice of Her Majesty's Government 

 the need which exists for the co-operation of the Government 



and of the Legislature, in order to place University teaching in 

 London on a more satisfactory basis. 



L\ connection with the report referred to above, the Uni- 

 vosity CoIl-«c Gazette of December 17 contains a long 

 article sketching briefly the career of University College, and 

 alluding specially to the results of its severance from the Uni- 

 versity. The University, the article maintains, has carried out 

 with great success, and to the great benefit of many workers, its 

 design of a testing machinery that should enable it to throw its 

 degrees open to all the world, without restrictions of any sort. 

 It has grown to be a great Imperial University. Whatever faults 

 there may be in its imperial system are of a kind to be corrected 

 in the ordinary course of administration as time proves the need. 

 On the side of the University of London, there is leisure now to 

 go back to the point of separation from the Colleges, and having 

 done one part of its work well, see that it does not leave the other 

 undone. On the side of the Colleges, and of London itself, 

 there is now a determination that the chief city of the 

 world, abounding in the best elements of a true Uni- 

 versity life, shall not remain without a teaching University. 

 The first aim of University College, the article goes on to say, 

 is to form an alliance with the present University, by large ex- 

 pansion of its powers. "The desired work can be done so 

 much more thoroughly by the Univer-ity in concert with the 

 College, and the issues are so important for their influence on 

 the London of the future, that, if the result of the present de- 

 liberations at the London University were but faintly satisfac- 

 tory, effort towards united action should be steadily continued 

 by our College. Not until it has been proved (apart from rash 

 assumptioni that the desired concert cannot be obtained, should 

 we consider that the time had come for advancing our next 

 line of battle. Then it must be our resolve to apply all our 

 powers to the creation of a separate teaching University 

 in London ; to the resuming of our first battle, and recovering 

 for University College the position it gave up on conditions that 

 are no longer fulfilled. King's College will join forces with us, 

 but with or without allies we must press on to victory, and in 

 this form of the battle, should we be forced to it, we depend on 

 ourselves ; we shall have public feeling with us, and the fault 

 will be ours if we fail." 



The death is announced, on Friday last, of Sir Douglas 

 Forsyth, at the age of fifty-nine years. He will be best known 

 to science as the leader of the mission to Kashgar,, the report on 

 which, only recently conpleted, forms so valuable a contribution 

 to the natural history of Central Asia. 



It is evident that at Rodriguez, a small dependency of 

 Maiu-itius, the indigenous plants are threatened with extinction 

 from an enemy of a peculiar character. In the Annual Report 

 of the Acting Civil Commissioner on Crown Lands and Forests 

 for 1885 it is stated:— "In my report for the year 1S84, I 

 pointed out the existence of a kind of white lice, commonly 

 called here ' cocheniUe,' which had in a very short time multi- 

 plied enormously, and threatened to destroy the forests of 

 Rodriguez. During the year 1885 matters looked more alarm- 

 ing stitl. It was reported to me that these insects had begun 

 to'attack the maize, manioc, and bean plantations : I myself 

 while visiting the mountain ascertained the correctness of the 

 report. However the bean harvest had not been bad, and the 

 inhabitants had not to sufter from any scarcity of food. As 

 regards the citron, lemon, and orange trees, for which this 

 island has long been famous, hundreds of them have been killed 

 by these insects. The mango and cooanut trees felt their 

 baneful influence, and yielded sour and unsavoury fruits. One 

 of the best forest trees which grow here, the ' Bois puant ' 

 {Fatidia mauritiana), seems una'ble to resist their attack, and I 

 am afraid that there will not be one of these trees left within a 



