September 21, 1905] 



NA TURE 



may have become the nucleus direct by a process of vacuo- 

 lation and differentiation within itself. 



In the case of the Cyanophycese I have already shown 

 that the central body is a vacuolar structure associated 

 with granules of chromatin, and that sometimes this 

 vacuolation becomes so pronounced in resting cells that 

 we get an appearance as of a limiting membrane between 

 it and the cytoplasm. The granules run together and be- 

 come associated in such a way as to simulate the spireme 

 thread of an ordinary nucleus. Further, we have in some 

 Cyanophycea* a differentiation of a nuclein-like substance 

 in the form of the red granules of Butschli at the peri- 

 phery of the central body, which may be an early stage in 

 the separation of a portion of its substance to perform the 

 special functions of the pyrenoid. The complete separ- 

 ation of this into a definite pyrenoid and the formation 

 around the remainder of a nuclear membrane would give 

 us a differentiation comparable to some extent to what we 

 find in Euglena viridis, where we have a reticulate nucleus 

 which divides by a rudimentary process of karyokinesis, in 

 which, so far as we know, there is no definite formation 

 of chromosomes and no longitudinal splitting. 



.\s to when or how the higher differentiation of the 

 nucleus, with its chromosomes, longitudinal division, and 

 spindle figure, arose we do not know. Possibly a careful 

 investigation of the lower forms of the fungi and algas 

 and such organisms as Euglena, and especially the pro- 

 tozoa, may throw light upon this difficult problem. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Sir Don.^ld Currie has promised to give ao.oooZ. to the 

 equipment fund of Queen's College, Belfast, provided an 

 equal sum is raised from other sources. It is understood 

 that a considerable portion of this amount has already been 

 promised. 



Mr. E. Towyn Jones, demonstrator in chemistry at 

 University College, Bangor, has been appointed assistant 

 lecturer and senior demonstrator in the department of 

 chemistry and physics of the Pharmaceutical Society of 

 Great Britain. 



It is announced that Mr. Bazil McCrea has given 

 6000!. to found a chair of experimental physics in Magee 

 College, Londonderry, and to provide two scholarships 

 in connection therewith. The gift is conditional upon funds 

 being provided by subscription within six weeks for the 

 erection of a suitable physical laboratory. 



We have received the year-book of the Michigan School 

 of Mines for 1904-5, and an album of views showing the 

 facilities for instruction afforded by the immediate 

 surroundings of the college. Established in 1885, the 

 college is situated at Houghton, in the heart of the great 

 copper mining region of Lake Superior, with the deepest 

 shafts in the world and the most powerful machinery ever 

 employed in mining. The students also have access to the 

 docks, railways, dressing plants, and smelting works. The 

 special facilities for practical training largely account for 

 the success which the institution has attained. There are 

 at the present time 223 students, their average age being 

 22j years. 



The metropolitan medical schools will -re-open for the 

 winter session on October 2 and October 3, and in many 

 of them inaugural addresses will be delivered. At Uni- 

 versity College the address will be given on October 2, at 

 4 p.m., by Prof. Kenwood on " Preventive Medicine: Past 

 and Present " ; at King's College on October 3, at 3 p.m., 

 by Prof. Clifford .Mlbutt, F.R.S., on " Medical Education 

 in Londoni" and an opening lecture on October 4, at 

 4 p.m., by Prof. Dendy on " The Study of Zoology "; at 

 Charing Cross Hospital on October 2, at 4 p.m., by Sir 

 James Crichton-Browne, F.R.S. ; at St. George's Hospital 

 on October 2, at 3 p.m., by Mr. Brudenell Carter; at 

 the Middlesex Hospital on October 2, at 3 p.m., bv Dr. 

 R. A. Young; at St. Mary's Hospital on October 2, at 

 3.30 p.m., by Dr. Wilfred Harris ; at the London (Royal 

 Free Hospital) School of Medicine for Women on 

 October 2, at 4 p.m., by Mrs. Bryant, D.Sc. ; at the 

 London School of Tropical Medicine on October 10, at 

 4 p.m., by Dr. Nuttall ; at the School of Pharmacy, 



NO. 1873, VOL. 72] 



Pharmaceutical Society, on October 2, at 3 p.m., by Sir 

 Boverton Redwood ; and at the Royal Veterinary College 

 on October 2, at 4 p.m., by Mr. W. Hunter. At Guy's, 

 the London, St. Thomas's, and Westminster hospitals there 

 will be no inaugural addresses, but at the first named 

 Prof. Osier, F.R.S., will open the session of the Pupils' 

 Physical Society with an address on " Some Reminiscences 

 of Sir Thomas Browne " on October 12, at 8 p.m. 



The second volume of the report of the Commissioner 

 of Education for the year 1903 has now been received from 

 W'ashington. The bulky volume of some 1300 pages is 

 largely concerned with statistics, full data being provided 

 concerning every grade of educational institution. Deal- 

 ing with the income of colleges and universities, the report 

 shows that in the United States the State and municipal 

 aid to higher education during 1903 amounted to 

 i,59i,oooL, of which 1,034,000/. was granted for current 

 expenses and 557,000/. for buildings and other special 

 purposes. The total value of all gifts and bequests re- 

 ported during the year to the commissioner by universities 

 and colleges amounted to 2,950,000/. The three institu- 

 tions receiving the largest sums for the year under con- 

 sideration were : — University of Chicago, 487,500/. ; 

 Harvard University, 351,300/. ; and Barnard College, 

 225,600/. The universities and colleges in the States of 

 the North Atlantic and North Central divisions continue 

 to receive the greater portion of benefactions, more than 

 90 per cent, of the total amount being reported by them 

 in 1903. Dr. John Eaton, who was formerly United States 

 Commissioner of Education, contributes biographical 

 sketches of American educational benefactors and of 

 American citizens whose lives were devoted to educational 

 work, and this brightly written section of the volume 

 affords another indication of the way in which the men 

 of wealth in the United States are encouraged by those in 

 authority to interest themselves in educational progress. 



The polytechnics and technical institutes of London will 

 open shortly for the winter session, and the issue of new 

 calendars and syllabuses has begun already. The session 

 of Birkbeck College will commence, we learn from its 

 new year-book, on October 2, when Sir Edward Frv will 

 deliver the inaugural address. Afterwards the class-rooms 

 and laboratories will be opened for inspection, and an 

 exhibition of work will be held in the school of art. The 

 work of Birkbeck College is conducted in close relation 

 with the University of London, courses of study for 

 examinations of the university being provided under 

 recognised teachers of the university. In addition to 

 evening classes in almost every department of learning, 

 there are day courses of work which give instruction in 

 practical and theoretical science, in classics, in modern 

 languages, in commercial subjects, and in English litera- 

 ture. The moderate fees will enable students of limited 

 means to take advantage of the lectures and laboratory 

 work which have been arranged at this central institution. 

 The syllabus of classes at the Sir John Cass Technical 

 Institute has also been received, and supplies gratifying 

 evidence of the e.xcellent provision of scientific and technical 

 instruction which is available in Aldgate. It is satis- 

 factory to find that in addition to systematic courses of 

 lectures, special attention is given to laboratory work 

 with a view to bring home to students the general and 

 fundamental principles of science in association with the 

 work and products with which they are more immediately 

 concerned in their daily life. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



London. 



Royal Society, July 20.—" A New Formation of Diamond " 

 By Sir William Crookes, F.R.S. 



•Assuming the following data for carbon — boiling point 

 3870° ab., melting point 4400°, critical temperature 5800°, 

 critical pressure 2320 ats. — the Rankine or Van der Waals 

 formula calculated from the boiling point and critical data 

 gives for a temperature of 4400° ab. a pressure of i6-6 ats. 

 as the melting-point pressure. 



Making similar estimates for other temperatures, it 

 appears that above a temperature of 5800° ab. no amount 

 of pressure will cause carbon vapour to assume liquid 

 form, whilst at 4400° ab. a pressure of above 17 atmo- 



