May 23, 1907] 



NATURE 



93 



light spring for each loop, so as to keep it taut. The 

 lamp can then be used in any position. 



Tungsten seems to be the favourite metal, as it gives a 

 very high efficiency. It is probable the lamp of the future 

 will have an efficiency of nearly a candle per watt, and 

 this is promised by the use of tungsten. At the same 

 time, it must be admitted that to make a wire with a 

 resistance of 500 ohms small enough to give twenty 

 candles with 20 watts is a triumph of inventive skill. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge. — The board of anthropological studies re- 

 commends in a report to the Senate (i) that a diploma 

 in anthropology be established ; (2) that an advanced 

 student who has studied some branch of anthropology under 

 the direction of the board, and has presented a thesis, 

 which thesis has been approved for a certificate of research, 

 shall, on the payment of such fees as the Senate may 

 from time to time determine, be entitled to a diploma 

 testifying to his competent knowledge of anthropology ; 

 (3) that any member of the University having graduated 

 before the date of the establishment of the diploma, who 

 has piesented a thesis on some branch of anthropology, 

 which thesis has been approved by the board, shall, on the 

 payment of such fees as the Senate may from time to time 

 determine, be entitled to a diploma testifying to his com- 

 petent knowledge of anthropology. 



The John Winbolt prize for engineering for 1907 has 

 been awarded to J. E. Sears, St. John's College, for his 

 essay " On the Longitudinal Impact of Metal Rods with 

 Rounded Ends." 



The special board for biology and geology has nominated 

 Mr. A. E. Shipley the representative of the University on 

 the council of the Marine Biological Association from the 

 annual meeting of the association in 1907 to the annual 

 meeting in 1908. 



Manchester. — The provision for study and research in 

 metallurgy has been recently very materially increased. 

 The equipment for metallography, as also for the heat 

 treatment and mechanical testing of metals, has been 

 brought up to date. Dr. H. C. H. Carpenter, late of the 

 National Physical Laboratory, was elected professor of 

 metallurgy a short time ago, and Mr. C. .'\. Edwards 

 (Carnegie scholar of the Iron and Steel Institute) has just 

 been appointed demonstrator and research assistant. 



Sheffield. — The University council has appointed Mr. 

 Arthur Holden to the post of assistant lecturer and tutor 

 in mathematics. Mr. Holden, who was a scholar of 

 Queens' College, Cambridge, is at present lecturer in 

 mathematics at St. Mark's College, Chelsea. He will 

 enter upon his new duties next session. 



The plans for the restoration of the main building of 

 the Merchant Venturers' Technical College, Bristol, have 

 now been approved by the Society of Merchant Venturers ; 

 they involve very considerable changes in the arrangements 

 of the original building. From the description of the pro- 

 vision to be made in the new building, it appears that the 

 governors are concentrating the work of their college so 

 as to provide a much more extensive equipment for those 

 departments which train civil, mechanical, electrical, and 

 mining engineers, and prepare for the B.Sc. degrees of 

 the University of London in science and engineering. 

 With this en3 in view, they will discontinue certain por- 

 tions of the work formerly undertaken by the college. 



Representatives of the University of London to the 

 number of nearly a hundred are this week paying a visit 

 to the University of Paris. The party includes Sir Edward 

 Busk (Vice-Chancellor of the University), Sir Philip Magnus 

 (the Parliamentary representative of the University), Sir 

 .Arthur Riicker (the Principal), Dr. Pye-Smith (ex-Vice- 

 Chancellor), members of the Senate, Deans of the several 

 faculties, Mr. P. J. Hartog (Academic Registrar), and 

 other guests. On May 21 the visitors assembled in the 

 grand amphitheatre of the Sorbonne under the presi- 

 dency of M. Briand, Minister of Public Instruction, who 



with M. Liard, Vice-Rector of the University of Paris, 

 delivered addresses of welcome, and Sir Edward Busk 

 replied. Prof. Alfred Croiset and Prof. Gardner, Dean 

 of the Faculty of Arts of the University of London, also 

 spoke. Afterwards the English visitors were entertained 

 at lunch by the municipality of Paris, and in the afternoon 

 paid a visit to Versailles. A reception in honour of 

 the visitors was given by the British Ambassador in 

 the evening. On May 22 there was an excursion 

 to Chantilly. To-day is to be devoted to an inspec- 

 tion of the various departments and laboratories of the 

 Paris University; in the afternoon a reception will be 

 given in honour of the visitors at the Elys^e by the Presi- 

 dent of the Republic and Mme. Falliferes. In the evening 

 the English visitors will be the guests of the University of 

 Paris at dinner at the Sorbonne, when the French Ministers 

 of Public Worship and of Foreign Affairs are expected 

 to be present. The dinner will be followed by a concert 

 in the great hall, and a conversazione in the reception 

 rooms of the Sorbonne. The party will return to London 

 to-morrow. 



The urgent needs of the University of Oxford led to an 

 important meeting being held on May 16 to consider a 

 scheme for raising a fund to meet them. Lord Curzon, 

 Chancellor of the University, presided over a large and 

 distinguished assembly, and in the unavoidable absence of 

 the Lord Chancellor proposed a resolution : — " That a 

 fund be raised, entitled the Oxford University Appeal 

 Fund, to meet the needs of the University as set forth in 

 the letter signed by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, 

 which was published in the newspapers on May 2, 1907." 

 Speaking in support of the resolution. Lord Curzon 

 announced that the fund was being started with promises 

 and gifts amounting to 57.000/., which includes 10,000!. 

 from Mr. Brassey, 10,000!. from Mr. W. W. .'\stor, 2500!. 

 from Mr. W. F. D. Smith, 2000/. from Lord Curzon, and 

 five donations of looo/. Following the Chancellor's 

 eloquent appeal, the Chancellor of the Exchequer seconded 

 the resolution (which was eventually carried unanimously), 

 and took the opportunity to point out several directions in 

 which the work of Oxford L'niversity needed development 

 to keep the University abreast of modern needs. The 

 .Archbishop of Canterbury moved : — " That a body of 

 trustees of not less than nine, nor more than twelve, be 

 appointed for the administration of the fund, composed 

 of one-third resident and two-thirds non-resident members 

 of the University, and that the hebdomadal council be 

 requested by the Chancellor to nominate the University 

 representatives, and that the Chancellor and Vice- 

 Chancellor be authorised to consult with the leading sup- 

 porters of the movement as to the appointment of non- 

 resident trustees." Lord Milner seconded the resolution, 

 and it was carried. A further resolution was adopted 

 appointing a committee to consider the best means of 

 raising subscriptions to the fund. Though we are of 

 opinion that the provision of adequate funds for our uni- 

 versities is a State duty, we hope that until that duty 

 is recognised by the Government our men of wealth will 

 see to it that the work at Oxford is not hampered by the 

 want of what is really a modest amount when compared 

 with the greatness of the needs of the University. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Royal Society, February 14.— "The Purification and 

 Testing of Selenion." By R. Threlfall, F.R.S. 



The paper deals with the purification and testing of 

 considerable quantities of selenion with the object of 

 investigating the electrical constants of the element in 

 the pure state. It was found that Ekman's and Petter- 

 son's method is suitable and satisfactory as a means of 

 purification of selenion from other known elements, with 

 the possible exceptions of mercury, tellurium, and arsenic. 

 The analytical separation of selenion from tellurium was 

 investigated, and it was found that the most satisfactory 

 method is by fractional sublimation of the dioxides. It 

 is shown that a sharp separation can be made by sub- 

 liming a mixture of the oxides containing one part 



NO. i960, VOL. 76] 



