May 7, 1908] 



NA TURE 



1 1 



de Vries found at Hilversum and observed his classical 

 series of mutations in. 



Three of these strains, from widely different 

 sourc<^s, may be referred to. 



In September, 1904, Mr. E. P. Bicknell, of 

 Nantucket City, sent two sheets of dried material to 

 the Botanic Garden at New York. The seeds of 

 these specimens were sown in sterilised soil in 

 November of the same year, and amongst the seed- 

 lings raised six corresponded exactly to the mutant 

 GL. albida raised by de Vries. 



Amongst the seedlings raised from a packet of 

 seed supplied by MM. Vilmorin et Cie. , of Paris, there 

 were one tE. lata, one nanella, and one albida. 



Lastly, some plants and seeds of a form provision- 

 ally called CEiiotltera " biennis " (Linnaeus) wert' 

 sent over from this country by Mr. H. Stuart 

 Thompson, who had collected the actual seed he 

 sent near Bidston Junction, not far from Liverpool. 

 The plants raised from these seeds proved to be 

 identical with the Qinotliera Lamarckiana of de Vries, 

 and the strain turned out, like that studied by de 



A. Ko^^tit oi Qinaincra lata, four months _old, separate leaves of the same 

 age. B. Rosette of GLnothcra albida, four months old, and separate 

 leaves of the same age. 



Vries, to be in a mutable state, for it gave rise to no 

 less than four of the mutants which appeared at 

 Amsterdam — namely, CE, lata, oblonga, albida, and 

 rubrinervis. A. D. D. 



THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE. 



T N a recent article on the Jubilee of the Calcutta 

 •»■ University it was shown that considerable efforts 

 have been made in Bengal during the last few years 

 to raise the level and tone of university education, and 

 to render it more thorough and practical. Similar 

 efforts are also being made in other parts of India 

 by the llniversities of Madras, Bombav, the Punjab 

 and Allahabad, so that it may be hoped that a fairly 

 high standard of university education will be main- 

 tained in future in India. Other indications also show 



NO. 2010, VOL. 78] 



that India is becoming alive to the necessity of 

 modelling its educational system on the most modern 

 European lines from the lower forms up to the very 

 highest. The Indian Institute of Science, which is 

 now being started at Bangalore, in Southern India, is 

 an instance in point, and shows how the most ad- 

 vanced of the thinkers in India have grasped the 

 necessity for the prosecution of the very highest forms 

 of post-graduate work. Bangalore, which has been 

 finally chosen for the site of the new institute, has 

 (for India) a most e.xcellent climate; it is situated 

 about 3000 feet above sea-level, and the temperature 

 there is never excessive, so that the conditions for 

 work will be most favourable. 



The institute owes its inception to the munificent 

 generosity of the late Mr. J. N. Tata, a Parsee mil- 

 lionaire, who gave (during his lifetime) property 

 which brings in an annual income of about 

 Rs. 1,25,000 (8333/.) for the creation of an institute 

 to be devoted to original research. Before the arrange- 

 ments as to the endowment had been completed Mr. 

 J. N. Tata died, but his two sons, Mr. D. J. Tata 

 and Mr. R. J. Tata, have generously continued the 

 arrangements made by their father. 



Considerable discussion ensued as to the best 

 method of utilising this endowment, and a committee 

 was first formed in India to discuss it. Later Sir 

 W illiam Ramsay was asked by Mr. Tata to visit India 

 and advise on the subject, and still later a committee 

 consisting of Prof. Masson and Col. Clibborn made 

 a report as to the best site for the institute and the 

 best scheme of work. The final scheme, however, 

 has been largely worked out by Dr. Morris VV. 

 Trav-ers, F.R.S., who was appointed director of the 

 institute about two years ago. 



The actual starting of the institute has been much 

 f.'tcilitated by two munificent gifts from H.H. the 

 Maharajah of Mysore, who has made a grant of half 

 a square mile of land at Bangalore (in Mysore) for 

 the purpose of the institute, and has also given an 

 annual endowment of half a lakh of rupees (3333L). 

 This has also been supplemented by an annual grant 

 of Rs. 87,500 (about 5833/.) from the Government of 

 India, so that the institute will have an annual income 

 of at least Rs. 2,62,500 (nearly i8,oooZ.) for its work. 



In addition, too, the Maharajah of Mysore has 

 given five lakhs of rupees, and the Government of 

 India two and a half lakhs, for the erection of build- 

 ings, and these sums, together with the accumulations 

 of interest, will give about ten lakhs of rupees 

 (66,666/.), and the buildings are to be proceeded with 

 at once. 



The constitution of the governing body has been 

 decided on, and the greater part of the detailed initia- 

 tive has been left to a local committee, consisting 

 largely of the director of the institute and professors 

 of the staft'. Practically only post-graduate work and 

 research will be carried on in the institute, and from 

 its nature and position it will be able to attract the 

 cream of the graduates and intellect of India. Pro- 

 vision is to be made for about sixty students to be 

 at work. The subjects which will be taken up are 

 those which are likely to have an important influence 

 in the development of the various arts and industries 

 of India. To begin the work of the institute, for the 

 present five subjects have been decided on : pure 

 and applied chemistry, organic chemistry, bacteriologv 

 and the study of fermentation processes, and electrical 

 technology. Probably a sixth (metallurgy) will be 

 added shortly. 



India is thus bringing itself into line with the most 

 advanced European countries in the matter of high 

 education, and it may be hoped that every possible 

 success will attend the new institute in its work. 



