July 5, 1906] 



NA TURE 



233 



and professor's private room. In addilion, this department 

 has till- use of the flat roof over a portion of the floor 

 bplosv. This open space will be utilised for maceration 

 and similar purposes. Associated with the zoological de- 

 partment is the marine laboratory which is about to be 



INTERNA 77 ON A L SCIENCE} 



'T'HE pursuit of science has always joined in sympathy 

 ■*■ [lion of different nationalities, and, even before the 

 day of rapid letter-post and quick travelling, intercourse, 



reeled at Cullercoats, on the coast just north of Tyne- especiallv by correspondence, exercised a considerable in- 

 muuth (see p. 228). 1 lluence on scientific activity. Such intercourse was, how- 



The ventilation of the front wing is provided for by ever, of a personal and purely stimulating character, and 

 two electrically-driven fans in the tower, which exhaust only quite exceptionally was there any direct atternpt to 

 from the rooms on the several floors. The heating is Ijy organise investigations which required a combination of 

 means of steam on the new so-called atmospheric system, 

 and the lighting is by 240-volt electric l.imps, which can 

 either be supplied from the college central station or from 

 tlie town supply. Electric arc lanterns are provided in 

 several of the lecture rooms. 



The large public hall, in which the chief portion of the 

 opening ceremony is to take place, will accommodate, with 

 the gallery at the south-west end, an audience of about 

 800. 



The foundation-stone of the new buildings was laid by 

 Mr. T. G. Gibson, a member of council and the most 

 generous supporter of the college, on May 2, 1904, and the 



buildings have been erected to the designs and under the 

 supervision of Mr. W. H. Knowles, of Newcastle. 



The cost of the new buildings, together with the fittings, 

 has been nearly 80,000/. The funds have been provided by 

 public subscription, and since the buildings are intended 

 as a memorial to the first Lord Armstrong, one of New- 

 castle's most distinguished citizens and benefactors, the 

 name of the college was in 1904 changed from the Durham 

 College of Science to Armstrong College in the University 

 of Durham. The area of the grounds within which the 

 college stands is between five and six acres. The present 

 buildings occupy about two acres, and more than two acres, 

 excluding roads, &c., are available for the extensions 

 that are being projected. The accompanying photograph 

 shows the front of the college, which forms the west 

 wing. 



The number of day students attending the college last 

 session was 539, and in addition about iioo students 

 attended the evening and special Saturday classes. The 

 college forms an important part of the University of the 

 North of England. The degrees of Durham in science and 

 letters, and its diplomas in agriculture, engineering, and 

 mining are open to students of the college. The Warden 

 of the University (the Dean of Durham) is the president 

 of Armstrong College, Sir Isanibard Owen is the princip.il, 

 and Mr. F. H. Pruen is the secretarv. 



workers in different localities. Within the last century, 

 however, many problems became urgent which could not 

 be solved without some international agreement, and special 

 organisations came into life which have rendered a service 

 the importance of which cannot be exaggerated. 



.\t present we are confronted with a new difficulty. 

 International combination has become so necessary, and 

 organisations have in consequence increased to such an 

 extent, that they begin to overlap, and there has been 

 some danger of mutual interference. Fear has also been 

 expressed that any attempt to advance knowledge by an 

 organised combination of workers might discourage private 

 etTorts, and therefore do mischief 

 rather than good. It must be 

 .uknowledged that this danger 

 exists. The proper function of com- 

 bination must be clearly separated 

 from that of private enterprise, and 

 some general regulating control is 

 therefore called for. The time seems 

 ripe for a general review of the situ- 

 ation. 



We may distinguish between three 

 types of international organisations. 

 The first aims simply at collecting 

 information, the second is intended 

 to fix fundamental units or to 

 initiate agreements on matters in 

 which uniformity is desirable, while 

 by the third type of organisation a 

 more direct advance of knowledge 

 is aimed at, and research is carried 

 out according to a combined scheme- 

 Generally, an international associ- 

 ation does not entirely fall within 

 any single one of these divisions, 

 but it is useful to draw the distinc- 

 tion and classify the associations 

 according to the main object which 

 they are intended to serve. 



The best example of an organisa- 

 tion formed for the purpose of col- 

 lecting information is furnished by 

 the great undertaking initiated by our Royal Society, and 

 having for its object the systematic cataloguing of the scien- 

 tific literature of the world, both according to subjects 

 and authors. Twenty-nine countries (counting the four 

 Australian colonies s'eparately) are actively participating 

 in this work by furnishing slips containing the entries 

 which form the basis of "the catalogue. A still larger 

 number of countries assist by subscribing to the annual 

 volumes. 



The subjects included in the 

 according to seventeen branches of 



talogue are classified 

 ience as follows ; — 

 N Zoology 

 O Anaomy 

 P Anthropology 

 Q Physiology 

 R Bacteriology 



A Mathematics G Mineralogy 



B Mechanics H Geology 



C Physics T Geography 



D Chemistry K Palivantology 



E Astronomy L Biology 



F Meteorology M Bo' any 



Subscribers may either obtain complete sets or any of the 

 separate volumes. The relative popularity of the different 

 subjects is illustrated by the following table, which gives 

 in the different columns for each science the volumes 

 approximately required by each country. The figures are, 

 of course, subject to variations from year to year. The 

 first column shows the number of complete sets subscribed 

 1 Discourse delivered at the Royal Institution en Friday, May 18, by 

 Prof. Arthur Schuster, F.R.S. 



NO. IQI4. VOL. 74] 



