230 



NATURE 



[April 22, 19^9 



such different material, cannot be adequately administered 

 by a single governing body. 



(4) These remarks apply equally to the remarkable 

 regulation according to which the director of the Natural 

 History Museum is subject to the direction of the prin- 

 cipal librarian. This arrangement, by which the director 

 of the largest and most complex natural science institution 

 in the country is subordinate, not merely theoretically, but 

 actually, to a literary man at Bloomsbury, with no scien- 

 titic knowledge, is so extraordinary, and has had such 

 baleful effects, that we must devote a few words to it. 

 Quite apart from the welfare of the Natural History 

 Museum, it seems unfair to expect of the principal librarian 

 that he should be responsible for the institution in Crom- 

 well Road in addition to his other heavy responsibilities ; 

 but it is when we look at the other side of the question 

 that the faultiness of the arrangement becomes fully 

 obvious. To choose as director at South Kensington a 

 man distinguished for his technical knowledge, and then 

 to fail to give him reasonable freedom in the employment 

 of his training and experience, seems as bad a plan as it 

 is possible to conceive. We think it is clear that at one 

 time the trustees were of this opinion. Sir VViliam Flower 

 was in 1884 granted a large amount of independence, and 

 this might have been greater had he not declined part 

 of the responsibilitv offered him. When the late director 

 was appointed this freedom was curtailed. It was, we 

 think, unavoidable that in these circumstances difficulties 

 should arise, and we feel very strongly that the recurrence 

 of such difficulties ought to be made im|X>ssible ; and this 

 can only be done with certainty by making the Natural 

 History Museum an independent unit. 



The Prime Minister, in his reply to the deputation on 

 this subject which waited upon him last July, said that 

 the trustees were men of wide experience and equally 

 cognisant of natural history and archt-Eology. These state- 

 ments are doubtless true, but the question is, are they 

 competent to interfere in the management (as apart from 

 the general supervision and financial control) of a great 

 institution like the Natural History Museum, as complex 

 and highly technical in its constitution as a modern labora- 

 tory or observatory? In our opinion, and in that of others 

 who have looked into the question, they are not com- 

 petent to do this. Yet they do interfere in details of 

 management, not only on their own initiative, but also 

 ■under the guidance, not of their own " director " especially 

 appointed for his knowledge of museum work and of the 

 larger needs of science, but of a librarian who makes no 

 claim to knowledge under either of these heads. .A pro- 

 posal to place an eminent man of letters or an arch.neologist 

 at the head of the National Observatory or of the National 

 Physical Laboratory would justly excite the ridicule of 

 the literary no less than of the scientific world, yet under 

 the present system, based upon an Act of Parliament of 

 the eighteenth centurv, the librarian at Bloomsbury is 

 forced into just such a position with regard to the National 

 Museum of Natural History. 



These are some of the principal defects in the present 

 system of administration of the museum. There are others 

 to which, had we space, we should like to direct atten- 

 tion, but we have said enough to sho\v that the present 

 system of administration is defective in important par- 

 ticulars, which it is very desirable in the interests of 

 science and education to remedy without delay. 



In conclusion, we may point out that, in addressing this 

 letter to vou .at the present moment, we cannot be accused 

 of acting in haste. The defects to which we have directed 

 attention have long been known to men of science, and 

 many attempts have been made to remedy them. K short 

 liistory of these attempts from 1864 to iSqS, in which 

 every distinguished man of science has participated, is 

 appended to this letter. The present attempt originated 

 Tn September. 1907. when the professors of zoologv of the 

 United Kingdom addressed a petition to the Prime Minister 

 ■asking for an inauirv into the methods of administration 

 ■which, as they subsequently explained by a detailed state- 

 ment m.ide in a deputation to the Prime Minister in July, 

 TonS, had had such lamentable results. 



It onlv remains to be added that this last effort has 

 aonarently been as devoid of result as have been its pre- 

 decessors, and it has therefore become necessary to place 



NO. 2060, VOT.. 80] 



before the public the main facts of the case. That public 

 pays the cost of the Natural History Museum to the tune 

 of 6o,oooi. a year. It does so presumably because it 

 regards the museum as an absolutely efficient and well- 

 organised scientific institution, having the full confidence 

 of the scientific experts of the country. It is, therefore, 

 necessary that the public should realise that, in the 

 opinion of the professional naturalists, a continuance of 

 that confidence is being gravely jeopardised by the con- 

 tinued refusal of those in authority to bring up to date 

 its administrative methods. What we demand is an 

 inquiry by a Royal Commission into the present adminis- 

 tration of the Natural History Museum. The way would 

 then be open for the establishment of a satisfactory scheme 

 of reconstruction. 



J. C. EWART. 



A. Seogwick. 

 Sydney J. Hickson. 

 Gilbert C. Bourne. 

 April 17. 



DAYLIGHT AND DARKNESS. 

 A MEETING in support of the Summer Season Time 

 ■^"^ Bill, otherwise known as the Daylight Saving Bill, 

 was held at the Guildhall on Tuesday, April 20, when the 

 following resolution was adopted : — " That the passing of 

 the Daylight Saving Bill would improve the physical, 

 mental, moral, and financial welfare of the nation, and 

 that it is deserving of the support of all classes of the 

 community." 



The chief speaker at the meeting was Sir Robert Ball, 

 who referred to the effect of latitude upon duration of 

 d.aylight, and described the zone system of time reckon- 

 ing. It is difficult to understand, however, how his 

 remarks can be considered to give support to the pro- 

 posals of the Bill. The fact that different meridians are 

 used in different parts of the world as standards of time- 

 reckoning, or that a date-line exists about longitude 180°, 

 provides no reason for a seasonal change of the standard 

 meridian. The reference to the difference in the duration 

 of daylight in different latitudes was also unfortunate ; for 

 when the difference of latitude is taken into considera- 

 tion we find that the people in North Britain already 

 enjoy about an extra hour of daylight in summer com- 

 pared with those in the south, so that they do not need 

 legislative action to obtain it. 



As much misconception appears to exist as to the system 

 of time-reckoning and the effect of latitude upon the 

 length of day, it may be of interest to state a few 

 elementary facts relating to them. The number of hours 

 the sun is above the horizon of different latitudes within 

 the limits of the British Isles is shown in the subjoined 

 table for the ends of the months from April to .August : — 



56" 



53° 



April 30. 

 May 30 . 

 Tune 30 . 

 July 30 . 

 Aug. 30 . 



14 37 

 16 o 

 16 iS 16 40 



15 iS 

 13 35 



IS 16 IS 33 15 .■;' 



17 5 17 34 18 8 



17 32 tS 5 18 4S 



15 34 15 5° i^ 1° i^ 32 16 "i^ 



3 42 13 50 13 58 14 8 14 19 



4 40 IS 2 

 16 18 16 40 

 17 



In this table no account is taken of the lengths 01 

 dawn and twilight, which vary both with the season and 

 the latitude. Twilight lasts until the sun is .ibout 18° 

 below the horizon, and where the apparent diurnal path 

 does not descend to this point there is twilight all night. 

 Thus defined, at the end of .April places in our islands 

 between latitudes 57° and 60° have twilight all night ; 

 during June the sun does not get 18° below the horizon 

 of any place in our islands, and all places north of Edin- 

 burgh have twilight all night from about the end of April 

 to the end of July. It is not suggested that work or 

 recreation can be carried on without artificial light during 

 the whole duration of twilight, but even if half this 

 duration be taken it will be found that over a large part 

 of our islands there is sufficient natural light for these 

 purposes up to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. 



