July 4, 1907 



NA TURE 



by this inquiry into the posiliun and prospects of chemical 

 research is, that the position here is liy no means as 

 satisfactory as we could wish — that much more might be 

 done if the conditions were made more favourable for 

 our active workers. In view of the actual achievements, 

 accomplished in spite of the existing disabilities, it appears 

 that the prospects for this country as a home of chemical 

 research have been improving during the last decade with 

 greater rapidity than at any previous period in the history 

 of our society. But it is also obvious that there is much 

 work yet ahead of us before the environment in which 

 our Workers find themselves is properly cleared from 

 obstructions. 



UNIVERSITY. AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford. — A large and brilliant company assembled in 

 the Sheldonian Theatre on Wednesday, June 26, to 

 celebrate the Encjenia. The recently elected Chancellor, 

 Lord Curzon, presided. Reverting to a practice which has 

 . been discontinued for some years, the authorities reserved 

 a portion of the upper gallery for undergraduates. 

 Honorary degrees were conferred upon a number of men of 

 distinguished eminence. The following is the text of the 

 speeches delivered by Prof. Love in presenting the 

 recipients of the degree of D.Sc. honoris causa. Dr. 

 Ludwig JNIond, F.R..S., upon whom the honorary degree 

 of D.Sc. was to have been conferred, was unable to be 

 present. 



Sir RicH.iRD Douglas Powell, Bart., K.C.V.O. 



Humani generis defensor contra phthisim, pestem 

 omnium tteterrimam, inventus est Ricardus Douglas 

 Powell. Qui vir cum- medicinte se dedisset, ac prssertim 

 huius morbi causas cognosceret, remedia excogitaret, 

 curandi modos quos optimos esse iudicarat re probaret, 

 5ummam gloriam et scicntia et scriptis assecutus est. 

 Difficile est pro meritis eum laudare qui nihil in vita 

 egerit nisi ut labprantibus salutcm afferat : illud brevissime 

 dixerim hunc esse quo ne rcges quidem nostri carere 

 possint, seu adversa valeiudine utantur, sive prospera. 

 Fuit enim Reginse Victori;e nobis nuper ereptce medicus 

 ordinarius, et nunc Edwardo, regi nostro dilectissimo, 

 medicus e.xtra ordintm est. Viri merita declarat 

 coUegarum iudicium, a quibus Rcgalis Collegii Medicorum 

 Praeses factus est ; declarant honores inusitati a rectoribus 

 nostris collati, qui eum Baroneltum et amplissimi ordinis 

 Victorian! militem commendatorem creaverunt ; declarant 

 tacita; tonuiorum gratia;, quorum necessitatibus in maximis 

 Londinii valetudinariis hie medicorum princeps ministrat. 



Sir Norman Lockver, K.C.B., F.R.S. 

 Inter eos qui solis stellarumque natura quae sit optime 

 docuerunt primarium fere locum occupat Josephus Norman 

 Lockyer. Dies me deficiat si miracula ab eo prolata de 

 mundorum origine, de ratione qute inter solis maculas et 

 orbis terrsE tempestates intercedat, si legationes solis 

 defectus observandi causa in loca remotissima missas 

 enumerare coner. E.x tot rebus gestis sumam duas 

 tantum. Quadraginta abhinc annos duo viri, uterque suo 

 Marte frctus, Jannssen in Gallia, in Britannia hie noster, 

 instrunienta effinxerunt quibus usi flammas illas ingentes, 

 quas e sole e.xcurrere videmus quando eius orbi luna 

 officit, sole non obscurato cernerent. Cum ex harum 

 flammarum observatione multum de materia e qua sol 

 constat colligi possit, res tanti habita est ab .^cademia 

 Gallica ut numismate impresso insigniretur. Altera huius 

 viri laus est singularis quod Acta Hebdomadalia, in quibus 

 quicquid novi in omni .Scientife Naturalis genere a viris 

 doctis uhique repertum est enarratur, conscribenda curabit : 

 qua in re cum summam diligentiam et peritiam pra^staret, 

 de omnibus qui scicnti;e promovendas student optime 

 meritus est. 



Sir William Rams.w, K.C.B., F.R.S. 

 In tenebris fere incognitis quae inter Chemise et Physic.t 

 fines intercedunt nemo certius insistit quam Willclmus 

 Ramsay. Testis est ilia Baronis Rayleigh vox in hac 

 urbe tredecim abhinc annos audita, qui, cum vaporem 

 incognitum quendam in acre esse confirmaret, hunc virum 

 invent! socium esse dixit. Rariora poslhac metallorum 



NO. 1966, VOL. 76] 



genera hie noster perscrutalus est, si qua huius vaporis 

 vestigia deprehenderet ; invenit autem non ipsum quidem 

 vaporem sed metallum quoddam quod Helium vocant : hoc 

 in sole exstare iam notum crat, nemo uUa eius apud nos 

 indicia umquam odoratus est : mo.x cum de a^ris natura 

 subtilius quaereret, tres vapores novos detexit. His annis 

 mirae^ eius metalli quod Radium appellatur virtutes et 

 mutationes mullorum animos commoverunt : hie vir 

 exstitit qui stabile illud, quod ex his mutationibus gignitur. 

 Helium esse ostenderet : quo facto causas quibus solis calnr 

 atque lumen per sa;cula innumerabilia alitur illustrare 

 potuit. 



Sir William Henry Perkin, F.R.S. 

 E conchis, radicibus, plantis, inscctis antiqui pignienta 

 extrahebant, WiUelmus Henricus Perkin inventus est qui 

 ex carbonibus decoctis idem faccret, tanto successu ut 

 hodie vel plantis vel animalibus supersederi fere possit. 

 Quid? Nitidissimi calores quibus fulgent tot formosse, 

 quae circumsedunt, domin;e. Doctorumque nostrorum vestes, 

 qua; avium silvas Indicas incolentium plumas jemulantur, 

 unde, qu^so, hie splendor omnis profectus est nisi e.x 

 invento quod hie noster fecit, cum puer esset annos 

 septendecim natus? Multi sunt, ut hunc omittam, qui ex 

 hoc reperto divitias comparaverint, in Germania pracsertim, 

 ubi mercatores ita doctrina instituti sint ut inventa in 

 usum convertere possint, et ea sit vectigalium ratio ut 

 artificia nova pecuniis publicis adiuventur. Inventor ipse 

 sails iam locupletatus se sciential totum dedit : lucis 

 quidem repercussje et ex alia re in aliam conversai rationem 

 et vim occultam nemo magis intcllegit. 



Prof. W-vtson Cheyne, C.B., F.R.S. 



Rationum Listerianarum, ut ctim chirurgis loquar, quasi 

 personam gerit Willelmus Watson Cheyne, qui et in his 

 constituendis inventoris socius fucrit et in exercendis multo 

 longius progressus sit. Rebus in .Africa Australi turbatis 

 hie ad bellum profectus est civilis chirurgus cuius ope et 

 cura milites uterentur. Dolendum est eius peritise tantum 

 tum patuisse campum, medendi rationibus tantum fuisse 

 opus : illud profecto gaudendum, hunc virum presto fuisse 

 qui sauciorum cruciatus leniret, quique chirurgiae ratione 

 usuque omni instructus multoruin vitam conservare posset : 

 nullo quidem in bello antea geslo tot e vulneratis redire 

 potuisse notum est. Hodie pace confirmata chirurgiae 

 rationes optimas exponit, dumque multitudinibus in magnas 

 urbes congregatis succurrit, diligentiam peritiamque suam 

 difficillimo belli tempore probatam vir strenuus praestat. 



Manxhester. — .At the annual degree ceremony on 

 June 2q the honorary degrees were conferred upon Baron 

 D. Kikuchi and Prof. G. E. Hale, the presentation 

 addresses being delivered by Prof. A. Schuster, F.R.S. 

 Baron Kikuchi worthily upholds the spirit of open-minded 

 fraternity which unites the universities of the world. A 

 graduate of Cambridge, he has occupied the chair of mathe- 

 matics in the Imperial University of Tokyo, and through 

 his studies of the older mathematicians of Japan he has 

 taught us interesting facts as to their methods of investi- 

 gation. He has held the position of president of the 

 Imperial University, and of Minister of Education; he has 

 represented his country at important international con- 

 ferences, and taken an active part in introducing a scientific 

 svstem of weights and measures into Japan. Prof. G. E. 

 Hale was formerly director of the famous observatory of 

 the University of Chicago, built and equipped by the late 

 Mr. Yerkes, and is the organiser and director of the 

 Mount Wilson Solar Observatory, on the crest of the Sierra 

 Nevada. 



It is of interest to note that the M.Sc. degree was con- 

 ferred upon the exceptionally large number of sixty-three 

 candidates. Under the new regulations, the master's 

 degree in science is only obtainable upon satisfactory com- 

 pletion of post-graduate study or research, and there is 

 thus every indication of the success of the scheme in 

 increasing the spirit of research in the University. 



Mr. J. Struthf.rs, lecturer in agriculture and chemistry 

 in the West of Scotland Agricultural College, Glasgow, 

 has been appointed secretary and agricultural chemist in 

 Japan to the .Asociaci6n Salitrera, and leaves in -August 

 to take up his new duties in Tokyo. 



