December 23, 1909] 



NA TURE 



233 



irace descent. It is from this point of view tliat the 

 English school of anatomy has been directed, and this has 

 led to a close union with fossil botany, the direct investi- 

 gation of the historical documents of the roclcs, so often 

 3est recorded in anatomical characters. In this way the 

 modern study of fossil botany, based chiefly on structure 

 rather than on the often deceptive external' appearances of 

 the fossils, has been active in an advantageous way in 

 recent times, and has given it a more truly comparative 

 jnd evolutionary character than it ever had before. .Mter 

 referring to physiology, ecology, and cytology, Dr. Scott 

 expressed the view that genetics, the study of variation 

 and hereditv, is probably the leading subject of all at the 

 present dav'. It is the subject by which this age will be 

 remembered, though the study is only actively beginning 

 now. The impetus given by Darwin, already felt in many 

 ather directions, is only beginning to be felt in this par- 

 ticular direction. 



A vote of thanks was moved by Lord Reay (chairman 

 of the college committee) and seconded by Prof. F. W. 

 Oliver, who, on behalf of the members of the department 

 of botany, presented to Mrs. D. H. Scott a piece of 

 jewellery as a souvenir of the occasion. 



The opening ceremony was attended by a numerous com- 

 pany of botanists, members of the University Senate, 

 college committee, and professorial board. The exhibits 

 shown in the roonjB of the new department included por- 

 traits of former members of the staff, a selection of 

 records connected with the ecological work of the depart- 

 ment at the Erquy station, fossil plants from the groups 

 0' the Pteridospermeee and Cycadophyta, and other work 

 [lonnected w'ith the work of the department. 



The following is a description of the new department, 

 which takes the place of a series of inconvenient and 

 indifferently lighted laboratories in the central building. 



The suite of rooms now allotted for the accommodation 

 of the department of botany has become available through 

 the transfer of the department of physiology to new 

 quarters in the south quadrangle. Built in 1878, under 

 the supervision of the late Sir J. Burdon Sanderson, for 

 purposes closely similar to those to which they are now 

 being put, it has not been found necessary to make any 

 structural alterations of moment. 



In all, fifteen rooms are included in the department ; they 

 are situated on either side of a corridor which runs the 

 whole length of the fop floor of the north wing of the 

 college. The rooms have been allocated as follows ; — 



On the north side, following the lecture-room, is the 

 professor's laboratory, and adjoining this the elementary 

 and advanced laboratories. These two rooms have been 

 thoroughly overhauled, and staging has been erected so 

 that the working tables get the full benefit of the excellent 

 lighting. The benches are arranged in four tiers, and are 

 fitted with water, gas, and electric lamps. Each of these 

 laboratories has seating capacity for forty students. Beyond 

 these rooms is a large room set apart for original investi- 

 gations, especially in anatomical and microscopic work. 

 The available space is increased by the existence of a 

 gallery along the south side with separate windows. Com- 

 municating with the research room is the chemical physio- 

 logy room, with benches equipped for twenty-four workers. 

 As in the research room, there is a gallery lighted from 

 the south, and suitable for special investigations. 



On the south side of the corridor the rooms are all top- 

 lighted in order to conform with the stylo of architecture 

 in which the facade of the college has been built. The 

 first room on this side has been fitted up as a departmental 

 library, in which the collection of pamphlets, numbering 

 about 4000, has just been classified, and is now about to 

 be catalogued. 



Next the library comes the large apse room, which will 

 be used as a herbarium and ecology room. Here are being 

 .Trranged the ecological collections and photographs, vegeta- 

 tion charts, &c., connected with the field work of the 

 department at Erquy and elsewhere, together with bio- 

 logical specimens generally. The overhead lighting of this 

 room makes it very suitable for the examination and 

 exhibition of specimens, and for maoping and similar pur- 

 poses. The concave apsidal end of this room has been 

 fitted with a continuous, semi-circular desk for demonstra- 

 N'O. 2095, VOL. 82] 



tions and temporary exhibits— a purpose for which it is 

 well suited. 



Next to the ecology room, the old animal room has been 

 converted into a central store for preserved material of all 

 sorts. On one side of this store potting benches have 

 been erected for the service of a small conservatory which 

 lies beyond. This greenhouse will be used as an adjunct 

 to physiological work and for raising plants for class 

 purposes. 



IXDIAN GUILD OF SCIENCE AND 

 TECHNOLOGY. 

 (~\ X Saturday, December 18, a large number of Indian 

 ^-^ students assembled at the University of Leeds to 

 inaugurate an Indian Guild of Science and Technology. 

 This movement is the outcome of the noteworthy migration 

 of Indian students during the past three or four years to 

 countries where they seek to equip themselves with scien- 

 tific and technical knowledge to aid in the development of 

 Indian industries. The object of the Guild is to promote 

 intercourse between these students and to assist them in 

 every possible way to attain their common aim. The 

 members hope, by associating themselves in this way, to 

 assist other incoming students, and to cooperate, when they 

 return, in promoting science and its applications to indus- 

 try and sanitation. They hope also to stimulate an 

 organised movement in India with these objects. 



The meetings on December iS were attended by students 

 from a considerable number of centres of higher educa- 

 tion, and the proceedings were marked by unanimity and 

 enthusiasm. At a preliminary meeting the general con- 

 stitution of the Guild was drawn up. In the afternoon 

 the inaugural meeting was held, when Prof. .'\. Smithells, 

 K.R.S., was elected president for the year, and delivered an 

 address. Prof. Smithells outlined the work which he thought 

 the Guild might accomplish, and enlarged upon the import- 

 ance of science in relation to the development of the re- 

 sources of India and the improvement of the condition of 

 the people. He insisted upon the importance of not allow- 

 ing an educational system to arise which should lead 

 intelligent Indians mainly to the destiny of lawyers and 

 clerks, and he maintained that India could not at this 

 day develop its industries without a much greater applica- 

 tion of science than there had been in the early days, or 

 was even at the present time in Great Britain. Though 

 there were many signs of scientific activity in India, and 

 much excellent work was being done by the Government, 

 he thought that a national effort among the younger rnen 

 of the country might do much towards aiding the existing 

 agencies. 



Lord .Airedale, as a representative of the iron and steel 

 industries, who for more than half a century had been 

 associated with a large manufacturing concern, made 

 an interesting speech, in which he recalled examples of 

 the benefits conferred bv science upon industry. He urged 

 his hearers not to let their poetic imaginations run away 

 with them, but to apply themselves practically and in- 

 dustrially to the attainment of scientific knowledge, and 

 then to concentrate on one or two definite objects. 



.'Vmong speeches made by the students was an eloquent 

 plea, by Mr. R. N. Sen, for regaining the lost glory of 

 India bv the assimilation of allthat is best in western 

 scientific and technological knowledge. 



In the evening the members of the Guild assembled at 

 an inaugural dinner. Manv encouraging messages had 

 been received from men of science, including the presidents 

 of the Roval Societv, the British Association, the Institute 

 of Chemistry, Sir Henry Roscoe, Prof. Witt, of Charlotten- 

 burg. Prof. P. C. Rav, of Calcutta, Sir Alex. Pedler, 

 Prof. Meldola, Prof. Diinstan. and others. Lord Airedale, 

 Sir Henry Roscoe, Sir W. Ramsay, K.C.B., and Prof. 

 O. N. Witt were elected patrons, and the following 

 were elected sectional hon. presidents : — Prof. Schiifer, 

 F.R.S. (Edinburgh), Prof. Barr (Glasgow), Prof. Procter 

 (Leeds), Prof. Cadman (Birmingham), Prof. Knecht 

 (Manchester). 



The subscription to the Guild is 105. entrance fee and 

 los. annual subscription. The secretary is Mr. M. A. R. 

 Paniker, The University, Leeds. 



