400 



NATURE 



[December 5, 1913 



It is announced in Science that Mr. George F. 

 Baker, president of the First National Bank ot New 

 York City, has given a large sum, reported to be 

 400,000/., to bring about an alliance between the New 

 York Hospital and the Cornell Medical College. From 

 the same source we learn that Dr. Arthur T. Cabot, 

 a fellow of Harvard University, has bequeathed 

 20,oooL to the Harvard Medical School and the larger 

 part of his estate, estimated at loo.oooL, to Harvard 

 University, after the death of Mrs. Cabot. It is re- 

 ported also that from the estate of George Crocker, 

 Columbia University receives 315,00^ for the Crocker 

 Cancer Research Fund, and that at the University of 

 Rochester 52,500/. has been contributed to the 

 endowment fund by old students living elsewhere. 



For some years past Prof. M. J. M. Hill, F.R.S., 

 has been endeavouring to bring into general use a 

 modification of Euclid's method of treating the theory 

 of proportion, in which one of the two distinct 

 methods which Euclid employs to prove his proposi- 

 tions is shown to be sufficient to prove them all. The 

 indirectness and consequent difficultv of Euclid's 

 proofs then disappear. He has set forth his ideas in 

 some detail in the July and October numbers of The 

 Mathematical Gazette of this year, and he has ar- 

 ranged to give ten lectures, specially devised to meet 

 the needs of teachers, on the subject, at University 

 College, Gower Street, after Christmas. The lectures 

 will be delivered on Tuesdays at 6 p.m., commencing 

 on January 14, igi,^. They are in connection with 

 the London Countv Council, and are open on payment 

 of a registration fee of 15. to all teachers in schools 

 and other educational institutions in the administra- 

 tive county of London. Application for admission to 

 the lectures should be made by January i. 



The current session at University College, Notting- 

 ham, is the thirt^r-second since the foundation of the 

 institution in 18S1. The calendar for 1912-13, which 

 has reached us, gives detailed information of courses 

 of instruction for students desirous of graduating in 

 one of the faculties of the University of London, and 

 of classes arranged for technical instruction allied to 

 the industries of the neighbourhood. The college 

 confers the title of associate of L'niversitv College, 

 Nottincham, on students who have attended satisfac- 

 torily for three years any systematic degree or diploma 

 course, and have passed the appropriate examinations, 

 and on students who have passed the examinations 

 ot the three-vears' course required bv the Oxford and 

 Cambridge .'MfiHation Scheme. College diplomas are 

 awarded to those students who have followed the pre- 

 scribed courses in engineering or mining, and passed 

 the final examinations. Oxford and Cambridge 

 affiliation certificates are awarded to students who, 

 for three sessions, have received at least four hours' 

 tuition 'weeklv at the college, and have passed satis- 

 factorily examinations approved bv the University. 

 The Universities of Cambridge and Oxford both grant 

 certain privileges to students holding these certificates, 

 who may subsequently enter either University. The 

 diploma in mining has been approved by the Home 

 Secretary for students qualifying for the Colliery 

 Managers' Certificate. 



A LF.TTRR has been sent on behalf of the General 

 Council of Edinburgh University to all the Scottish 

 members of Parliament protesting against the action 

 of the Treasury in respect of fees at the four Scotti.sh 

 universities. The Treasury has attached to the in- 

 reased grants to the universities the condition that 

 -o far as class fees are concerned, an inclusive fee be 

 substituted for the individual fees hitherto charced. 

 In the statement addressed to the Scottish members 



NO. 2249, vor. 90] 



of Parliament, we learn from The Times, the follow- 

 ing paragraph occurs : — " In claiming that our ancient 

 universities should be free we have no intention what- 

 ever of suggesting that they should not be required 

 to give an account of how they spend public money. 

 But the obligation to render such an account is a 

 very different thing from the submission of the univer- 

 sities to the edicts of a State Department to which 

 Parliament has assigned no right of interference with 

 their internal affairs. The General Council protests 

 against this extension of bureaucratic government to 

 the Scottish universities. It is the first step towards 

 a system which would in time de'stroy the true spirit 

 of university education in Scotland." After reviewing 

 French experience of State supervision of universities 

 and contrasting it with the principle of academic 

 freedom in German universities, the memorandum 

 concludes: — "The plain teaching of history is not to 

 be ignored. The universities of Scotland must remain 

 free in respect both of their teaching and of their 

 internal administration. The members of the General 

 Council accordingly look with confidence to the Scot- 

 tish members of Parliament to maintain this freedom, 

 and to use their influence towards securing that the 

 Treasury shall pay the grant to the universities, with- 

 out deduction, and without conditions other than those 

 laid down bv I^ord Elgin's Committee." 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Royal Society, November 21. — Sir .Archibald Geikie, 

 K.C.B., president, in the chair. — A. S. Russell and R. 

 Rossi : An investigation of the spectrum of ionium. 

 The arc spectrum of an active preparation of ionium 

 oxide mixed with thorium, separated bv Prof. B. B. 

 Boltwood from the pitchblende residues loaned to 

 Prof. Rutherford by the Royal Society, has been m- 

 vestigated with a large Rowland grating. The com- 

 plete spectrum of thoriuin was obtained, but no new 

 lines were observed that could be attributed to ionium. 

 It was deduced that if ionium were half transformed 

 in 100,000 years, the preparation should contain about 

 16 per cent, of ionium oxide. By adding cerium and 

 uranium to the preparation, it was found that i per 

 cent, of the former and 2 per cent, of the latter could 

 be easily detected spectroscopically. It was conse- 

 quently concluded that the period of ionium cannot 

 exceed 12,000 years. This result, taken in conjunction 

 with Soddy's results on the period of ionium, points 

 to the existence of at least one new, comparatively 

 long-lived body between uranium and ionium in the 

 disintegration series. — J. A. Gray : A note on the 

 absorption of (3 rays. — J. .'\. Gray : The similarity in 

 nature of X and primary 7 rays, (i) Absorption ex- 

 periments show that there is no fundamental difference 

 in the absorption of X and 7 rays. (2) The primary 

 y rays of radiinn E excite the characteristic radiations 

 (series K) of silver, tin, barium, cerium, praseodymium 

 and neodymium. C3) The scattering of the primary 

 7 rays of radium E is probably similar in character 

 and magnitude to that of ordinary X-rays. — J. Crosby 

 Chapman : The spectra of fluorescent Rontgen 

 radiations. Radiations belonging to groups K L have 

 been investigated as regards their X-ray properties. 

 The absorption of the various radiations of both 

 groups in copper, silver, and platinum has b-^en found. 

 In all cases it is shown that, if radiations from 

 different groups suffer the same absorption in 

 aluminium, then Ihev are eoually absorbed in any 

 other element.- Dr. Walter Wahl : Optical investiga- 

 tion of solidified gases. II., the crystallographic pro- 

 perties of hydrogen and oxygen. — R. E. Slade : .An 

 electric furnace for experiments in 7'aciio at tem- 



