July 19, 1906J 



NA TURE 



■in 



tained the true nature of the discharge due to quinine 

 sulphate. A. G. Gricr detected the magnetic devia- 

 tion of the & rays of thorium, 



Olliers have come to Montreal from afar, attracted 

 by the magnetic inlluence of Rutherford, such as 

 Dr. Godlewski, of Lemberg, in Poland, who investi- 

 gated in Montreal the products of actinium and some 

 notable properties of actinium and uranium. From 

 Frankfurt came Dr. llahn, discoverer of radio- 

 thorium in the laboratory of .Sir W'illiam Ramsay. Dr. 

 Hahn, whilst working at McCiill, also discovered radio- 

 actiniutn and a new product of thorium. Dr. Levin, 

 from Gottingen, and Dr. Bronson, from Yale, have 

 also done research work whilst at McGill, and the 

 latter has increased our accurate knowledge of various 

 radio-active constants by his modification of the elec- 

 trometer giving direct and immediate readings. All 

 these workers testify warmly to the inspiration kindled 

 by Rutherford. 



His own success as an investigator may be traced 

 to a few well-marked characteristics. The first is the 

 pertinacious and reiterated assault on the particular 

 problem in hand. He does not grope in the dark for 

 chance results, but bombards the particular point 

 which he wishes to attack. He has also an instinc- 

 tive insight which often makes his initial point of 

 view more trustworthy than the deliberate conclusions 

 of some befogged experimenter. He is not only an 

 industrious, he is also a very rapid worker, but his 

 experimental conditions are varied sufficiently to 

 eliminate error, and his observations are repeated 

 until he has perfect confidence in his results. Most 

 noteworthy of all is the extreme simplicity and direct- 

 ness of his experimental methods. Some observers 

 appear to grow happier as their apparatus becomes 

 more complex. Rutherford selects some ingenious, 

 straightforward attack, but the simplicity is supple- 

 mented bv the genius which has enabled him to make 

 such great contributions to our knowledge of the 

 mutabilitv of matter and of the atom in evolution. 



In conclusion, the writer, who is an Englishman 

 resident in Canada, ventures to emphasise the im- 

 portance of research laboratories, so well equipped 

 and so distributed that able men in Great Britain 

 may not find themselves hampered through want of 

 means and opportunity to pursue their work. The 

 gift of the Cavendish Laboratory to the L'niversitv 

 of Cambridge by the late Duke of Devonshire has 

 produced results which are recognised as holding 

 the first place in recent advances in physical science. 

 The Macdonald Physics Building has brilliantly 

 started on its career. But there are other universities 

 less fortunate, and there are other wealthy men. 



k. S. Eve. 



THE YORK MEETING OF THE BRITISH 

 ASSOCIATION. 

 Provision.al Progr.ammes of the Sections. 

 •T^HE local arrangements for this meeting, which 

 -'■ will be held at York from August i to 8, are pro- 

 gressing extremely satisfactorily, and a large assembly 

 is expected, as nearly 1200 persons from a distance 

 have already signified their intention to be present. 

 The evening meetings will be held in the large hall 

 of the Exhibition Building; 2200 numbered seats are 

 already arranged, while there is space behind, making 

 up a total accommodation of at least 5000 if neces- 

 sary. .All these will have a full view of the speaker, 

 and the lantern screen, though, of course, those 

 behind will be a considerable distance away. It will 

 be well, therefore, for visitors to bring their opera 

 glasses with them. 



NO. I916, VOL. 74] 



The neighbourhood of York affords many objects of 

 interest, archaeological, botanical, and geological, and 

 manv of these are more readily accessible by road than 

 railway. Cyclists are therefore recommended to 

 bring their machines with them, as the roads are 

 mostly good and level. Hotel and lodging list can, 

 as usual, be obtained of the local secretaries, Davy 

 Hall Chambers, York. The following provisional pro- 

 grainmes have been arranged by the committees of 

 the various sections : — 



Si:cnox A (M.vthkmatical and Physical Science). — 

 This section will, as usual in recent years, meet in three 

 departments. In the chief department a series of discus- 

 sions has been arranj^ed. Prof. Soddy will open one on 

 the evolution of the elements, and a number ol lead- 

 ing workers in radio-.ictivity, including Sir Wm. Ramsay, 

 arc expected to follow. Mr. J. Swinburne will discuss 

 the nature of the radiation from incandescent mantles ; 

 and Dr. H. Rubens, of Charlottcnburg, will expound his 

 views, and illustrate them experimentally. Representa- 

 tives of the Chemical Section will be deputed to attend 

 both these discussions. It is expected that! they will prove 

 of great value as well as of great interest. The Hon. 

 R. J. Strutt has consented to give an account of his recent 

 work on the internal structure of the earth as indicated 

 by the phenomena of radio-activity, and Prof. J. Milne 

 will also speak on it. It is probable that the Geological 

 Section will collaborate in this discussion ; hence it will 

 be treated from various points of view. There will be a 

 paper by the Earl of Berkeley on osmotic pressure, which 

 will lead probably to renewed debate on the ever-interest- 

 ing subject of the nature of solutions. Sir Wm. Ramsay 

 arid J. F. Spencer have presented a paper on chemical 

 and electrical changes induced by ultra-violet light, 

 which contains important new matter, as well as a sum- 

 mary of what is at present known on this subject. 



There will also be papers by H. Stansfield on photo- 

 graphs of thin liquid films (with experiments) ; Prof. 

 E. H. Barton and J. Penzer on photographic records of 

 a string's vibrations and responsive motions in the air ; 

 Mr. C. 'E. S. Phillips on the production of an electrically 

 conductive glass: and Prof. W. F. Barrett on entoptic 

 vision. In the Department of -Astronomy and Cosmical 

 Physics, a joint discussion has been arranged with Section 

 E '(Geography) on the necessity for the re-measurement 

 of the British geodetic arc. This will be opened by Major 

 E. H. Hills, R.E. In the Department of Mathematics, 

 Prof. A. R. Forsyth will read a paper on the different 

 kinds of integrals of partial differentia! equations. 

 Papers will also be read on a test for the convergence of 

 multiple series, bv Mr. T. J. Bromwjch ; on some notes 

 on finite groups, ' bv Harold Hilton; on Aleph numbers, 

 by Dr. E. W. Hobson ; and on the residues of hyper- 

 even numbers, by Lieut. -Colonel A. Cunningham. Prof. 

 Henrici will open a discussion on the notation and use 

 of vectors. 



Section C (Geology). — The following are among the 

 principal papers promised for this section : The problems 

 of the PalaDozoic glaciations of Australia and South Africa, 

 Prof. J. W. Gregory ; On a criterion of the glacial 

 erosion of lake-basins, R. D. Oldham ; Notes on recent 

 earthquakes, Prof. J. Milne; On anthropods from the Coal- 

 measures, Dr. Hy. Woodward ; On the Jurassic flora of 

 Yorkshire, -A. C. Seward ; Discussion on the origin of the 

 trias, opened by Prof. Bonney and Mr. J. Lomas ; On an 

 artesian boring at Lincoln, Prof. Hull ; On the post-Cre- 

 taceous stratigraphy of Southern Nigeria, J. Parkinson : 

 On a peculiar variety of sodalite showing colour-change, 

 T. H. Holland. Prof. P. F. Kendall will give a lecture 

 on the geology of the country round Y'ork. The presi- 

 dent's address will deal with the interglacial problem as it 

 applies to the British Is'es. A number of other papers 

 have also been promised — relating mainly to the geology of 

 the Yorkshire district. The following are among the 

 number : On the limestone knolls of Craven, and on an 

 intrusive rock near Grindleton in the West Riding. A. 

 Wilmore ; Notes on the glaciation of the Usk and Wye 

 Valleys, Rev. W Lower Carter ; On faults as a predis- 

 po-iing caii-;e nf the pntholi"^ on Ingleborough, H. Brod- 



