October io, 1907J 



NA TURE 



605 



'' Venient annis saecula seris, 

 Quibus Oceanus vincula rerum 

 Laxet, et ingens pateat tellus, 

 Tethysque novos detegat orbes, 

 Nee sit terris ultima Thule." 

 Interim velut ultimam Thulen hodie nobis repraesenlai 

 doctoruni nostrorum illustrium in serie supremus, poli 

 arctoi indagator audax, Alfredus Gabriel Nathorst. 



Mr. Augustine Henry, reader in forestry, will deliver 

 his inaugural lecture in the Botany School lecture theatre 

 on Tuesday, October 15, at 5 p.m. 



On the nomination of the special board for mathematics. 

 Dr. Glaisher has been appointed an elector to the Isaac 

 Newton studentships until September 30, igii. 



Oxford. — In the Convocation held on September 30 the 

 degree of D.Sc, honoris causa, was conferred upon a 

 number of distinguished foreign geologists who had 

 attended the centenary celebration of the Geological 

 Society, and also upon Dr. Ludwig Mond, who was 

 nominated by the Chancellor for the degree at the last 

 <;ommemoration, but was at that time unable to attend. 

 The following is the text of the speeches delivered by Prof. 

 Love in presenting them for the degree : — 



I'kof. C. Barrois. 



-Vristoteles auctor est ubi hodie terra sit fuisse pontum, 

 ubi pontus terram. Has vicissitudines lestantur ipsa c 

 quibus terra constat elementa, (pu>vi]tvTa ^vvirotai, sed 

 multorum operam rei ubique incumbentium requirentia ut 

 recte intelligantur. Cum harum rerum investigatores 

 unum in locum aliquando congregari soleant, quo melius 

 quid profectum sit recognoscant, quid egendum sit 

 deliberent, paucos ex eiusmodi conventu laudem singularem 

 adeptos hodie ornat .'\cademia nostra. 



Inter Gallos qui geologise student fere illustrissimus est 

 Carolus Barrois. Qui vir cum longos saxorum tractus 

 scrutaretur, aliam superficiei structuram esse vidit, aliam 

 medullarum : unde duo saxorum genera distinguere potuit, 

 haec ignea vi conflata, ilia sub vadis, quibus Galliae pars 

 magna olim opplebatur, sensim concreta. Idem cretae 

 naturam rimatus, quje apud nos et apud Gallos perexiguo 

 freto divisos invenitur, nova indicia nactus est unde maris 

 lati et profundi, quo utraque terra olim tegebatur, et 

 incessum et regrcssum lentum ostenderet. 



Prof. A. Heim. 

 Qui hodie de vi occulta qua montium iuga super 

 planitiem elata fuerint optime disserunt auctorem sequuntur 

 Albertum Heim. Hie ille est Alpium suarum investigator 

 qui, cum singulorum iugorum, -i quibus haec vasta com- 

 pages constat, anfractus ramosque perlustrasset, terra; 

 defectus quibus hx regiones aliquando vexantur, concretas 

 glaciei moles quibus superiora vallium obsidentur, prona 

 montium obteguntur, diligentissime observasset, descrip- 

 tionem .Alpium tabulis pulcherrimis expressam confecit, 

 laboris et fructum et testimonium non peenitendum. 



Prof. .\. Lacroix. 

 Saxorum ignea vi conflatorum varia genera distinguere 

 et_ quasi in classes distribuere potuit .Alfredus Lacroix. 

 Hie ille est qui quattuor abhinc annos monte Peleo vi 

 immani convulso a Gallia; gubernatoribus eo missus est ut 

 nubium ardentium naturam cognosceret : qua in legatione 

 valde periculosa cum appropinquanti exitium flammae 

 minarentur, mariti virtutem aequavit coniux, quam honoris 

 causa nomino, periculorum olim, nunc laudis socia. Ne 

 multa. Felicissime rem egit vir fortis et sagax, qui 

 "harum nebularuni nntura bene explorata reversus est. 



Prof. X. Penxk. 

 Intereessisse tempora qua;dam cum terra summo frigore 

 •oppressa fuerit nemo nescit. Ultimam quidem ex his quasi 

 periodis, quae una erat e pluribus quas hie orbis terra; 

 passus est, ex quo animantium sscula exorta sunt, plurimi 

 pertractaverunt, nemo ex his qui hodie Europam incolunt 

 melius quam .\lbertus Penck. Cum enim hac periodo 

 cxeunte hominem super agros caput extulisse constet, hie 

 noster exstitit qui humani generis vetustatem ultimam 



NO. iq8o, vol. 76] 



illustraret, cum inter variarum gentium instrumentis 

 lapideis utentium tempora et eventus quibus vasti Europse 

 tractus glacie purgarentur rationem intercedere doceret. 



Prof. H. Reusch. 



De Scandinavian geologia optime egit Hans Reusch. 

 Qui vir, cum in Norvegia saxa qua;dam invenirentur 

 innumerabilibus ante saeculis mari terram operiente sensim 

 concreta, deinde vi ignea adeo liquefacta et mutata ut 

 nulla omnino animalium vestigia exhiberent, ipse rationes 

 novas commentatus eiusmodi indicia deprehendit, unde 

 saxorum aetatem colligere potuit. Ostendit etiam Nor- 

 vegiam vastissimis glaciei molibus antiquitus fere obtectam 

 esse, ex quo patet etiam in vetustate ultima magnis caloris 

 et frigoris vicibus obnoxiam fuisse terram. 



Prof. F. Zirkel. 



Qui illud Scientias Naturalis genus perlractant quod ad 

 metailorum saxorumque structuram pertinet Ferdinand© 

 Zirkel fere omnia accepta referenda censent, cum micro- 

 scopo, ut cum physicis loquar, hac in re primus usus sit. 

 Xeque satis erat ei nova huic rei studentibus subsidia 

 parare, ipse enim in hoc genere plurimum profecit, cuius 

 doctrinam et peritiam testatur maximus ille de Petrologia 

 liber luculentissime conscriptus. 



Dr. L. Moxd. 



" Magnum vectigal est parsimonia " dixit Tullius, quod 

 etiam in Chemia valere sensit Ludovicus Mond. Cum 

 enim id agunt chemici ut certum aliquod elementum a 

 ceteris secernant, restant tanquam rediviva qujedam, quae 

 saepe magni pretii sunt. Multos iam annos hie vir varios 

 modos commentatus est, quibus corpuscula ab aliis spreta, 

 tanquam inutilia, in usum converteret. Ita parcendo dives 

 factus Scientiam Naturalem omni liberalitatis genere 

 coluit. Maximum I.ondinii laboratorium Ilumphredo Davy 

 et Michaeli Faraday, Chemiai et Physica; auctoribus 

 clarissimis dedicatum, aedificavit et muneribus locupletavit : 

 idem .Societati Regali catalogum maximum, in quo omnia 

 ab omnibus in quovis scientise genere his centum annis 

 reperta continerentur, confieiendum et typis iniprimendum 

 curanti pecunia subvenit. 



The .Association of Technical Institutions offers two 

 prizes, each of 25/., for the two best essays, one on " The 

 Bearing of Technical Education on Industrial Progress," 

 and the other on " The Bearing of Technical Education 

 on .Agriculture and on Industries of a Rural Character." 

 Particulars of the conditions may be obtained from Dr. 

 Clay, Northern Polytechnic, Holloway, London, N. 



.A COL-RSE of eight lectures on " Certain Fundamental 

 Problems in Physiology common to .Animals and Plants" 

 will be given by Dr. \V. M. Bayliss, F.R.S., at University 

 College (University of London) on Wednesdays, at 5 p.m., 

 beginning October 23. The lectures are open to all 

 students of the University of London ; also to qualified 

 medical men and to such other persons as are specially 

 admitted. 



Prof. W. C. McIxtosii, F.R.S., professor of natural 

 history in the University of St. .\ndrews, in July last pre- 

 sented the University museum with 3150 spirit prepar- 

 ations, large and small. The preparations consist of (i) 

 a named series (about 1150 in number) illustrating the 

 marine zoologv of St. .Andrews — the types of the " In- 

 vertebrate Marine Fauna and Fishes " of St. Andrews, 

 1875 : (2) a glazed cabinet illustrating the development 

 and life-history of the salmon of the Tay in ninety-five 

 preparations ; (3) a reference series (265 in number) from 

 the trawling expeditions of 1884, each station showing 

 both fishes and invertebrates ; (4) a general zoological 

 collection in spirit (consisting of about 159^ specimens), 

 chiefly marine, from Shetland to the Channel Islands, but 

 also including a considerable number of amphibians, 

 reptiles, birds, and mammals ; ii) forty-five typical 

 botanical preparations, including a fine series of pitcher 

 plants with their fnsects. 



