6o6 



NA TURE 



[October 19, 1905 



laboratory in India to stc readily the arrangements 

 which have commended themselves in Germany, and 

 the report directs attention to the modifications which 

 will be needed to adapt them to Indian conditions. 



Perhaps the details which strike an English 

 student most are the number and size of the lecture- 

 rooms, the accommodation provided for the museum, 

 and the absence of rooms specially designed for 

 elementary classes of large numbers. 



The Director-General deserves the gratitude of all 

 interested in the organisation of the teaching of 

 physics for having initiated this work, and Prof. 

 Kiichler is to be congratulated on the manner he 

 has carried out his task. Still, a companion volume 

 is needed. 



British physical laboratories of to-day have 

 many admirable points. .A book that described 



THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.' 



IN order to mark the completion of a quarter of a 

 century's scientific work in the county of Essex, 

 the above society has published the first issue of a 

 " Yearbook and Calendar " which will be found of 

 interest to all who follow the work of our local 

 scientific societies. This extremely active association 

 was founded in iSSo by .Mr. William Cole, the first 

 president being Prof. Meldola. The work of the club 

 has been noticed from time to time in our column--, 

 and the present " Yearbook " contains, as an appro- 

 priate opening chapter, a history of the society by 

 Mr. Miller Christy, who is now president. That the 

 club has carried out the objects for which it wa~ 

 founded, and that it has more' than justified its exi>t- 

 ence, is made perfectly clear in this introductory 



al History, Romford Road, .Stratford, Esse, 



the new laboratories at Liverpool, Manchester, 

 the Royal College of Science, and the McGill Uni- 

 versity at Montreal, to say nothing of the historic 

 laboratories in our two ancient universities, would 

 contain much to interest those inhabitants of India 

 to whom Prof. Kiichler's report appeals, while in 

 many respects, specially, perhaps, in the organisation 

 of the practical work for large classes, the arrange- 

 ments in the English laboratories seem to have the 

 advantage. 



In dealing with the last part of his subject, the 

 coiistruction and standardisation of instruments. 

 Prof. Kiichler again rightly directs attention to the 

 important services rendered to German industry by 

 the Reichsanstalt and the disadvantages under 

 which English manufacturers find themselves from 

 the incomplete equipment of the National Physical 

 Laboratory. 



chapter. As the author says, " there is in Essex no 

 other organised scientific body having the same or 

 similar aims." 



The actual scientific achievements of the club were 

 fully set forth in an address delivered by Prof. Meldola 

 at the annual meeting in igoi.- As regards publi- 

 cations, the output has been not only large in 

 quantity, but, what is more to the point, excellent in 

 quality and strictly appropriate to the functions of a 

 local society. Five volumes of Transactions and 

 Proceedings were published down to 1887, after which 

 the official publication was named the Essex 

 Xaliiralisl. The fourteenth volume of the latter is 



' " Veaihook and Calendar for 1905-6." Edited by William Cole. (The 

 Club's Headquarters, and Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent .ind Co., Ltd.) 



NO. 1877, VOL. 72] 



omingof Ageof the E 

 application to the He 

 :mford Road, Stratfoid 



:x Field Club •' (i-.o,) Copies can b 

 Ubr.iri.in, Mr. T. W. Reader, Esse 



