NATURE 
[May 2, 1912 
far more doublets in the CO spectrum than he pub- 
lished, but, owing to the difficulty of producing the 
spectrum bright enough to photograph, and the 
admixture of other lines, he could not be absolutely 
certain of them. As the comet spectrum seems to 
be of nearly pure origin, it will probably serve as a 
key in the problem of recognising the CO doublets 
in the laboratory spectrum. The discrepancies in 
wave-length are probably produced by the difficulty 
of determining the wave-iengths accurately in the 
cometary spectrum. Prof. Fowler thinks the identi- 
fication of their A 4846 doublet with his ‘indication 
of a faint band”’ at A 4887, 4916 is a mistake on the 
part of MM. Pluvinel and Baldet, and shows, by 
computation from his observed data, that in a 
brighter laboratory spectrum there should be a CO 
band at A 4843. 
He also suggests that the less refrangible doublets 
included by MM. Pluvinel and Baldet in their brighter 
series (A) should be placed in a distinct series by 
themselves, and, on this assumption, calculates wave- 
lengths which fit their observations equally well, 
while representing the blue bands with much greater 
accuracy. 
We reproduce a photograph 
from which it will 
Morehouse’s comet (1908c). a, Direct photograph, 4 hrs.; 4, Objective-prism spectrogram, 7 hrs. : H. D. Curtis, 
Santiago, March 20, 1909. ¢, Spectrum of carbon-monoxide at oor mm. pressure : Prof. A. Fowler, South Kensington. 
readily be seen how conclusive is the agreement 
between the CO doublets and those photographed in 
the spectrum of Morehouse’s comet by Dr. H. D. 
Curtis at Santiago, Chile, on March 20, 1909. The 
strong band on the left of the laboratory spectrum 
is due to an impurity of nitrogen, and is suitably 
represented by a single band in the cometary spec- 
trum, whereas those due to CO are double. As will 
be seen, the latter are represented, in this comet, 
both in the head and the tail, but in several other 
comets they occur in the tail only, and should be 
regarded as characteristic of that part of the comet. 
THE Sprrat Neputa.—An interesting article on 
spiral nebulz is published by M. Puiseux in No. 14 
of the Revue Scientifique. In it the author reviews, 
popularly, the history of the observations of these 
important structures, and shows how our knowledge 
of them has steadily increased since Marius directed 
attention to the great Andromeda nebula in 1612. 
But there are many questions, as to their structure 
and their position in sidereal evolution, still outstand- 
ing, and it is with reserve that M. Puiseux advances 
the opinion that they are huge agglomerations of 
stars, set at enormous distances from us in space, 
from which the condensations are moving outwards. 
NO. 2218, VOL. 89] 
| 
LEEDS UNIVERSITY: NEW TEXTILES 
EXTENSION. 
"| HE Leeds University has gained in reputation by 
the worl of its technological departments. 
One of the principal and earliest of these is that of 
textile industries, founded in 1874 as part of the 
Yorkshire College of Science, the institution which 
has developed into the Leeds University. Textile 
teaching was then regarded by literary and scien- 
tific men, and also by manufacturers and those 
associated with the weaving industries, as a doubtful 
educational experiment. It had to be proved in what 
way a course of textile study could be formulated 
which would contribute to industrial progress. Such 
has been, however, the growth of this department, 
the widening of the curriculum of study, and the 
success of the students trained, that the late Vice- 
Chancellor of the University (Sir Nathan Bodington) 
asserted that the expansion of the University as a 
whole has been largely influenced by the prosperity 
of the textile industries department. 
A recent important extension of the spinning 
section was formally opened on April 26 by the 
Master of the Clothworkers’ Company (Mr. F. G. 
Fitch, J.P.), and pre- 
sented to the University. 
On behalf of the Uni- 
versity, the buildings 
were accepted by the 
Chancellor (his Grace the 
Duke of Devonshire). 
Provision has been made 
in the equipment for ex- 
perimental instruction in 
the methods of producing 
worsted yarns on the 
Continental system, and 
also for research in the 
use of wool and other 
fibres in manufacturing. 
Machinery and apparatus 
have been designed and 
arranged primarily in re- 
gard to educational 
utility, but the practical 
character of the opera- 
tions of yarn construc- 
tion has also been attained. Hitherto it has been 
possible in the department to treat wool and other 
fibres by the woollen system of machinery and by 
two standard English systems of worsted yarn 
manufacture. The various grades of cross-bred and 
Merino wools may be treated from the raw condition 
to the manufactured fabric. 
The new addition affords facilities for experiment 
in a method of worsted yarn making not extensively 
practised by British spinners. One feature is that in 
the processes only a small percentage of oil is 
applied, and that removed after the processes of 
combing. This necessitates the employment of 
apparatus for humidifying the atmosphere, to 
minimise the electrification of the fibres, and to 
impart a quality of adhesiveness which is essential 
in the preparation of the material and in the spinning 
of the yarn on this principle. 
Equipment has been provided for various opera- 
tions of yarn production, and humidifying plant, a 
section for carbonising, garnetting, and other 
machines, and also class-rooms for colour-matching, 
testing, and machine drawing. 
The building has been erected at a cost of 5000. 
The Clothworkers’ Company of London has now 
contributed for buildings and for equipment at the 
ee Lae 
a 
