let. 28, 1880] 



NATURE 



623 



an above recorded that there is in the spectrum of cyanogen a 

 jrcng shaded band coincident with the very characteristic dark 

 Laded band P, strengthens materially the evidence in favour of 

 fe existence of these bands in the solar spectrum ; the more so 

 f the series of lines at P has far more of the distinctive character 

 t the cyanogen spectrum than any other series ia the ultra- 

 polet part of the solar spectrum. 



; However that may be, they contend against the hypothesis 

 hat if prevent the bands can be due to any vapour of carbon 

 .ncombined in the upper cooler region of the chromosphere, 

 ^ne object of their investigations has been to determine the 

 lermanence of compounds of non-metallic elements and the sensi- 

 iveness of the spectroscopic test in regard to them. It appeared 

 irobable that if such compounds existed in the solar atmosphere 

 lieir presence would be most distinctly revealed in the more 

 efrangible part of the spectrum, and it seems sufficie.itly clear 

 hat the presence of nitrogen in the solar atmosphere may be 

 ecognised through cyanogen when free nitrogen might escape 

 ietection. 



UXIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Oxt'ORD. — The Millard Scholarship in Natural Science lately 

 ounded at Trinity College has been awarded for the first time, 

 rhe successful candidate is Mr. R. Bodey, from the Mining 

 >chool, Bristol, and from the Royal School of Mines. 



At Exeter College the Natural Science Scholarship has been 

 iwarded to Mr. B. Spencer, from King's College, London. 



According to the report of the Delegates for unattached 

 tudent-, the number of students not attached to any college or 

 lall has increased by twenty during the past year. Seventy 

 mattached students have become members of colleges or halls 

 luring the year. 



Cambridge. — The University of Cambridge Commissioners 

 lave apparently proposed their final arrangements as regards the 

 University. There are many modifications from the original 

 scheme in the direction of giving more freedom to the University, 

 md on the whole in favour of scientific objects. A general 

 inancial board is to manage all University property and expendi- 

 ure, and to control especially the college contributions. The 

 ■ating of the colleges for University purposes is modified in the 

 lirection of increased fairness. The common University Fund 

 terivcd from the colleges is to provide for all classes of Uni • 

 /ersity teachers, for the salaries of demonstrators, superin- 

 lendents, and curators, for the erection, maintenance, and 

 Tirniture of museums, laboratories, libraries, lecture-rooms; and 

 Q addition grants of money may be made from it for special 

 .vork in the way of research, and for investigations in any 

 branch of learning or science connected with the studies of the 

 University. The amount of payments for buildings, and their 

 maintenance, furniture, and apparatus, is not to exceed one-third 

 jf the income of the fund in any one year. 



Practically speaking, there may be available in each year to the 

 ;nd of 1884, 2,000/. a year for these latter purposes and 4,000/. 

 ror investigators and teachers, and the college payments will rise 

 iefiuitely to 30,000/., of which 10,000/. may be used for the pur- 

 poses of buildings, and 20,000/. for teachers of all kinds. 



It is no longer sought to force particular professors on 

 particular colleges ; the college may, if it prefers, pay the income 

 of a Professorial Fellowship to the common fund. There are to 

 be twenty-nine Professorial Fellowships, not assignable to par- 

 licular professors, but distributed among the colleges. 



The stipends of the Professors, payable by the University, are 

 :o have 200/. deducted from them if the Professor holds a 

 Professorial Fellowship or a Headship. The 'stipends of Pro- 

 fessors as now proposed are not so unequal as in the first 

 proposed statutes. The payments (subject to the above-men- 

 :ioned deduction) to the Regius Professor of Physic would be 

 700/., Professor of Chemistry and the Cavendish Professor of 

 Physics S50/. each, Physiology 800/., Pathology Soo/., Botany, 

 Zoolog)-, and Woodwardian of Geology 700/. each. Anatomy 

 Soo/. The new Professorships are to be for (i) Physiology, 

 (2) Pathology, (3) Mental Philosophy and Logic. The first two 

 professors are not to undertake the private practice of medicine 

 and surgery. ^Yhen these shall have been established, the 

 University may establish any other professorships it pleases, or 

 has funds for. 



The proposals for readerships are also to be remarkably modi- 



fied ; the minimum number of readers is now twenty. The sub- 

 jects are to be within the control of the University; the readers 

 are to be appointed as soon as funds can be provided conveniently 

 from the common University Fund or from other sources. 

 Readerships may be suppressed or created, according to the 

 needs of study. The stipend is to be 400/. The readers are to 

 be appointed by grace of the Senate on the recommendation of 

 the General Board of Studies now to be created ; but in each 

 case the special Board of Studies with which the readership is 

 connected must concur in the appointment, or it will lapse to the 

 Council of the Senate. 



University Lecturers (the next grade of teachers) may be 

 college lecturers who throw open their lectures to theUniversity, 

 or they may be other persons approved by the Boards of 

 Studies. 



The payment to these lecturers from the University must be 

 not less than 50/. The University may also appoint lecturers on 

 subjects not immediately connected with any special Board of 

 Studies, for shorter or longer terms. The separation of the 

 Board of Studies in Physics and Chemistry from that of Biology 

 and Geology is maintained. The constitution of the General 

 Board of .Studies is carefully and completely defined ; but 

 it is to do such work as the Senate commits to it, and in future 

 a general University budget is to be prepared and submitted to 

 the Senate. 



f- The Cambridge Museums and Lecture Rooms Syndicate find 

 the increase of annual gi'ant from the University from 1,500/. to 

 2,000/. a year inadequate, owing especially to new outlay on new 

 departments. They now have a balance of 821/. against them'; 

 and they ask for an additional 1,000/. per annum at once, feeling 

 quite unable otherwise to maintain the museums in moderate 

 efficiency with strict economy. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Journal of the Franklin Institute, September. — Experiments 

 on the compression of air by the direct action of water, by J. P. 

 Frizell. — Experiments on the strength of yellow pine, by R. H. 

 Thurston.— The absolute economy of electric lighting, by R. 

 Briggs. — Note on the artificial production of diamonds by the 

 processes of Despretz, by E. J. Houston. 



October. — Motion of \iscous fluids, by T. Craig. — The steam 

 yacht Anthracite and the Perkins system of high pressure steam, 

 by G. Deane. — Coal gas engineering, by R. Briggs. — Holman's 

 new illustration of cell-formation, by J. M. Child. — Joseph 

 Henry, by A. M, Mayer. 



American Naturalist, October. — S. A. Forbes, the food of 

 the darters. — J. C. Russell, on the former extent of the triassic 

 formation of the Atlantic slates. — C. C. Abbott, notes on stone 

 implements found in New Jersey. — S. Lockw iod, some note- 

 worthy birds. — W. K. Higley, on the microscopical crystals 

 contained in plants. — The editor's table. — Biology at the Ameri- 

 can Association at Boston. — Recent literature. — General notes. 

 — -Scientific news. 



Reale Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere. Retidiconti, 

 vol. xiii. fasc. xvi., July 2g. — On a particular univocal corre- 

 spondence between elements of space with three dimensions, by 

 F. Aschieri. — Case of unproductivity of corn, by G. Cantoni. — 

 On the thermal and luminous phenomena manifested by the 

 Leyden jar at the moment of its discharge, by E. Villari. — 

 Transformation of aspartic acid into fumaric acid, by G. Korner 

 and A. Menozzi. — First case of repeated peritoneal transfusion, 

 with new and happy success, in an oligocitemic insane jierson, 

 by C. Golgi and A. Raggi. — On the infirmity of Torquato Tasso, 

 by A. Corradi.— Meteorological summary of the year 1879, from 

 meteorological observations at the Brera Observatory, by P. 

 Frisiani. 



Rii'ista Sciiiilifico-Industriale, September 15.— Further experi- 

 ments with a Cronkes' tube, by A. Righi. — Histology of the 

 skin of Teleostean fishes, by A. Batelli. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 



Entomological Society, October 6.— H. T. Stainton, 



F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair.— Sir Arthur Scott of 



Birmingham and Mr. F. E. Robinson were elected as ordinary 



Member?.— Mr. McLachl.an slated that last year he had exhibited 



