April 21, 1881] 



NATURE 



593 



ten and a half and twelve-yearly periods into which the eleven- 

 yearly period may perhaps be analysed, may be in reality beat 

 periods for shorter distm'bances ? Is it not therefor; pis4ble 

 that a study of these shorter periods may give us information 

 regarding the nature of the eleven-yearly period, whether for 

 sun-spots or declination ranges, whicli the small series of actual 

 observations is incompetent to afford ? 



We beg to take this opportunity of thanking Mr. William 

 Strond for the help he has given us in this investigation. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Cambridge. — At Trinity College the following distingui-hed 

 graduates of the College have been elected Honorary Fellows : — 

 Lord Rayleigh, M.A., F.R.S., Professor of Experiaiental 

 Physics; Mr. Heniy Sidgwick, M.A., Pra-lector in Moral and 

 Political Philosophy, the author of "The Method of Ethics"; 

 Mr. Edward Herbert Bunbury, M.A., author of "A History of 

 Ancient Geography," &c. ; and Mr, William Henry Waddington, 

 B.A., Member of the French Institute, late President of the 

 Council, and Minister of Foreign Affairs in France. 



The Adams Prize is to be given in 1SS3 for a general investi- 

 gation of the action upon each other nf two closed vortices in a 

 perfect incompressible fluid. In particular it is suggested that 

 the case of two linked vortices should be fully discussed, with 

 the view of determining (i) whether any steady motion is 

 possible, and (2) whether any motion can occur in which there 

 are periodical changes in the forms and dimensions nf the 

 vortices. Each essay should be accompanied by a full and 

 careful abstract pointing out the parts which the author con- 

 siders to be new, and indicating the parts which are to be 

 regarded as of more importance than the rest. The competition 

 is open to all graduates of Cambrid>je ; essays must be sent in 

 on or before December 16, i8Sf. Essays must not be \\rnten 

 in the candidate's own hand. The successful candidate will 

 receive about 170/. He must print the essay at his own expense. 

 The examiners are the Vice-Chancellor, and Messrs. A. Free- 

 man, W. H. Besant, and E. J. Routh. 



Victoria University. — The following summary of draft 

 regulations on degrees, examinations, and courses of study has 

 been issued : — I. These regulations are, with the exception of 

 certain general proposals with reference to University Matricu- 

 lation, confined to the subjects of Degrees, Examinati ms, and 

 Courses of Study in the Faculties of Arts and Science. 2. 

 According to the proposals in the Report any certified student 

 of a College incorporated in the University may matriculate at 

 certain times in the year, the definition of College siudentshio 

 being left to the College or Colleges, subject in each case to the 

 approval of the University. No Universiryexaminaiion~ leading 

 to a degree w'ill be open to any persons w-ho are not matriculated 

 students. 3. According to the proposals in the Report there 

 are to be two distinct Faculties of Arts and of Science. The 

 degrees in these faculties are to be those of B.A. and M.A., 

 B. Sc. and M.Sc, and a Doctorate common to the t«o Faculties 

 and valuing as a Doctorate of Literature, of Philosophy, nnd of 

 Science. 4. In consonance with a main principle of the Univer- 

 sity Charter, the degrees of B.A. or of B.Sc. are to be conferred 

 upon students who have passed certain prescribed University 

 examinations, and who have attended certain prescritied Univer- 

 sity courses of study in a College of the University. 5. In the 

 examinations for the degrees of B.A. and B.Sc, and in the 

 privileges ■ confeiTed by these degrees, a distinction is to be 

 drawn between the Ordinary B.A. or B.Sc. degree, and the 

 B.A, or B,Sc. degree with Honours. 6. The regular period of 

 study required of candidates for the dei/rees of B.A, and B.Sc, 

 is to be three years, of which two shall be after the date of their 

 passing the i^reliminary Examination (see § 7 of thi^ summary) ; 

 but students who have passed the Preliminary Examination (see 

 § 7 of this summary) next in date after their matriculation, and 

 have been placed in the first division of the list of successful 

 candidates, sh^U be allowed to proceed to their degree in two 

 years. 7. All candidates for the degrees of B.A. or B.Sc. are 

 required to pass a general examination called the Preliminary 

 Examination, and to present themselves for this examinaiion not 

 later than two years from the date of their matriculation. 

 Regular first year courses of study are arranged as preparatory 

 for this Examination, to be taken by all students except those 

 who pass it immediately after matriculation (see § 6 above), or 

 who go through the first year's course of one of the Honours 



Schools approved by the University, 8, The subjects of the 

 Preliminary Examination are arranged in two groups (A and B), 

 in one of which every candidate must pass. The essential 

 difference between the two groups is that in A, Latin and Greek 

 are compulsory, but that a choice is given between four subjects, 

 including two modern languages and two elementary sciences ; 

 while in B a choice is given lietween the alternatives of two 

 languages (ancient or modern) and one elementary science, or 

 two sciences and one language (ancient or modern). In B the 

 requirements in modern Languages and mathematics are rather 

 greater than in A, 9, The other examinations for the 

 degrees of B,A. and B.Sc. will be open to such students 

 only as have passed the Preliminary Examination, and as 

 have attended the prescribed University courses of study 

 in a College of the University. These further examina- 

 tions will differ itx students intending to present themselves 

 for an Ordinary B.A. degree and for those desirous of a B.A. 

 degree with Honours. 10. The degree of B.A. with Honours 

 is to imply that a student has attended, during three years, pre- 

 scribed courses of study (approved by the University) in a 

 distinct branch of learning or science forming the subject of one 

 of the Honours Schools of the Faculties of Arts and Science, 

 and that he has passed a prescribed examination in such Honours 

 School after attending its third year's course. The Honours 

 Schools recommended in the Report for immediate establish- 

 ment in the University are those of (l) Classics, (2) English, 

 (3) History, (4) Philosophy, (5) Mathematics, (6) Engineering, 

 (7) Chemistr)-, (S) Zoology, (9) Physiology, and (10) Geology, 

 Mineralogy, nd Paljeontology. For all of these Honours Schools 

 the Owens College is prepared to supply classes meeting the 

 proposed requirements of the several Schools. 11. The Ordi- 

 nary degree of B.A. or B.Sc. is to imply that a student has 

 attended, during at least two years, prescribed courses of study 

 (approved of by the University) forming a connected whole, and 

 that he has passed an examination corresponding to the earlier 

 year's course, to be called the Intermediate Examination, and an 

 examination corresponding to the later year's course, to be called 

 the Final Examination. 12. The courses of study, and the 

 corresponding examinations, prescribed for the Ordinary degrees 

 of B.A. and B.Sc, and open to the choice of candidates who 

 have passed either group of the Preliminary Examination, vary 

 according to the predominance in each course (with its examin- 

 ations) of one branch of learning or science. This predomin- 

 ance is not however such as to warrant the maintenance of the 

 designations given (for convenience' sake) in the Draft Regula- 

 tions of "mainly Classical, Historical, English, Philosophical, 

 Mathematical, Engineering, Experimental .Science, and Biologi- 

 cal." Candidates for an Ordinary B.A. or B.Sc. degree may 

 choose any of these groups, but must go through the whole two 

 years' course, and pass both the examinations of the group 

 chosen. The examinations and classes however largely coincide 

 in particular portions of the several groups. 13. With a view- 

 to encourage m'lre advanced study in special branches of learning 

 or science in students whose bent has been determined, or whose 

 capabdnies have been developed, at a later stage of their Uni- 

 versity career, students who have passed the Final Examination 

 for an t irdinary B.A. or B.Sc. degree, are to be allowed to 

 present themselves for examination for a B.A. or B.Sc. degree 

 with Honours, after attending the third, or second and third, 

 year's Honours Course, only in one of the Honours Schiols. 

 14. The degree of Master of Arts or of Science is to be con- 

 ferred u|ion Bachelors of Arts of three years' standing, after 

 not le s than six years from the date of their matriculation. 

 B.A.s v>ho have graduated with Honours are not to be required 

 to pa-s any further examination for the M. A. degree ; those who 

 have taken he Ordinary B.A. or B.Sc. degree are to be required 

 to pa^s an examination in some portion of one of the Honours 

 Schools Examinations. 15, The Doctor's degree in the Facul- 

 ties of Arts or Science is to be conferred upon M.A.s or M.Sc.s 

 who have furnished evidence of special research or learning, to 

 be su)ipleniented when desirable by an examination test. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Builelin cie rAcndhnie Imperiale ties Sciences deSt. Petersboiirg, 

 t. xxvd.. No. I, February, 1881. — On the results of experiments on 

 the resistance of the air and their application to the solution of pro- 

 blem- of firing, by M. Mayevski. — On variations of the fur and on 

 the geographical distribution of the sea-otter [Enliydris marina), 

 by M. Brandt. — On the integration of partial equations of the 

 first order w ith several variables whose co-efficients are constant. 



