44 



NATURE 



[May 14, 1908 



pany, which has presented 10,000/. for the purpose of 

 founding and endowing a readership in metallurgy. The 

 board is of opinion that the generous offer of the Gold- 

 smiths' Company should be accepted, that a readership 

 in metallurgy should be established, that the readership 

 should be associated with the name of the company, and 

 tliat among the principal duties of the reader should be 

 that of research and other work in the precious metals 

 and of instruction in the theory and practice of assaying. 

 The board is of opinion, further, that the stipend attached 

 to the readership should be 300/. a year, or such larger 

 or smaller sum as the capital may produce. The board 

 has consulted the professor of chemistry, and finds he is 

 of opinion that there is suitable and sufficient accommoda- 

 tion in the present chemical laboratory to enable the reader 

 to carry out the special duties of his office, but if the 

 metallurgy of the commoner metals is to be studied 

 accommodation will have to be provided on another site 

 more suitable for the purpose. 



London. — Sir Arthur RCicker, principal of the University, 

 was unfortunately absent through illness on Presentation 

 Day, May 6, and was therefore unable to deliver his 

 valedictory address. The principal's report, read by the 

 secretary to the Senate, showed continued progress. 

 Matriculation candidates were 7356 in 1907-8, compared 

 with 7112 in 1906-7 and 7036 in 1905-6; of the 7356, 

 however, only 3277 were admitted to the University. 

 Eighty-five graduates of other universities and others 

 similarly qualified have taken advantage of Statutes 113 

 and 129, and are now studying in London as internal 

 students with the view of taking a higher degree of the 

 University of London. Gifts amounting to 24,667/. had 

 been received by the University during the past year. In 

 concluding his report, the principal said : — " For three- 

 quarters of a century all efforts for the establishment of 

 university education in London were spasmodic, discon- 

 nected, and sometimes even avowedly antagonistic. Eight 

 years of an attempt to substitute for this condition of 

 chaos a common policy and such common government as 

 may be compatible with the free play of individual effort 

 have justified those who supported and carried the great 

 reform which took effect in the autumn of 1900." The 

 presentees included eleven Doctors of Science (eight in 

 science, one in engineering, and two in economics), thirty- 

 three Doctors of Medicine and eight Masters of Surgery, 

 one Doctor of Literature, and one Doctor of Divinity. 



The University exhibit at the Franco-British Exhibition 

 promises to be very interesting and comprehensive. It 

 will consist mainly of photographs, publications, and 

 charts. An exhibit representing medical education in 

 London, and another illustrating the social and athletic 

 life of the students, have been specially organised. One 

 of the most valuable exhibits is a collection of publica- 

 tions by teachers of the University and their students in 

 the year 1907 ; a special catalogue of this collection is to 

 be published. The University will publish a special hand- 

 book containing a catalogue of the University exhibit. 

 The medical schools have prepared a large and fully illus- 

 trated handbook on medical education in London, and the 

 students' representative council has published a students' 

 handbook dealing especially with the social and athletic 

 life of the student. Copies of all these publications will be 

 available for visitors to the exhibition. 



Admission is free to the following lectures addressed to 

 advanced students of the University and others interested 

 in the subject of the lectures : — Eight Mercers' Company 

 lectures on " Recent .\dvances in Physiology," Prof. 

 E. H. Starling, F.R.S. ; four lectures (under the Chad- 

 wick benefaction) on " The Engineering .\spect of 

 Recent .Advances in connection with Sewering," \V. D. 

 Scott-Moncrieff ; eight lectures on "Cholesterol and Leci- 

 thin : from the Chemical and Physiological Standpoints," 

 .1. \. Gardner; three lectures on "The Early Development 

 of Mammalia," Prof. J. P. Hill; eight lectures on " Fossil 

 Ferns and Allied Seed Plants," Dr. D. H. Scott, F.R.S. ; 

 three lectures on " The Thames and its Tributaries," Prof. 

 H. G. Seeley, F.R.S. ; and four lectures on " Recent 

 Advances in the Determination of Minerals by Optical 

 Methods," Dr. J. W. Evans. Particulars as to the lectures 

 can be obtained from the academic registrar of the 

 University. 



NO. 201 I, VOL. 78] 



Oxford. — The following is the text of the speech 

 delivered by Prof. Love in presenting Prof. \\". James for 

 the degree of D.Sc, honoris causa, on May 12 : — 



Adest Willelmus James, in Academia Harvardensi Pro- 

 fessor emeritus, novi rerum ordinis in Psychologia inventor. 

 Qui vir, quo magis eam scientiam promoveret quae mentis 

 humanre agitationes, cogitationis memoriaeque rationem, 

 sentiendi, percipiendi modos complectitur, nulla fere dis- 

 ciplina non institutus est. N'eque enim solum acuto, ut 

 philosophus, ingenio, sed usu et scientia, ut medicus. 

 peritia etiam experimentis parta, ut physiologus, pra;stabat. 

 .^ccessit, quod caput est, mira qusedam divinandi facultas. 

 Qua; renuntiat suis oculis assecutus est, vir non Icgendo 

 sed intuendo doctus : idem admirabili dicendi genere inventa 

 explicat. Mox a psychologia ad philosophi.ani conversus 

 fecit ut ha?c studia in omni orbis terrarum parte 

 revivescerent. His quidem diebus apud nos de philosophia 

 luculenter contionatus magno iuniorum seniorumque con- 

 ventu .'\cademiam nostram maxime delectavit. 



The Court of Glasgow L^niversity has decided to est' "ish' 

 a lectureship in geography at the University. ' 



The King has consented to visit Leeds in July, accom- 

 panied by the Queen, for the purpose of opening the new 

 university buildings. 



Viscount Morley of Bl.uckbvrn has been elected 

 Chancellor of the LTniversity of Manchester in succession 

 to the late Duke of Devonshire. 



Armstrong College, Newcastle, has accepted with 

 thanks an offer from Lord Barnard to pl.ace the sum of 

 1000/. in trust for the benefit of the agriculture depart- 

 ment of the college. 



The public bequests announced under the will of the 

 late Mr. T. Webb include ; — University College, London, 

 5000/., to be used and applied, so far as is practicable, 

 for the purposes of physical research ; University College 

 of South Wales and Monmouthshire, 5000/., also to be 

 applied, so far as is practicable, for the purposes of physical 

 research. 



At a meeting of the Bristol City Council, held on 

 May 5, a resolution was passed in favour of the proposal 

 " to establish a university for Bristol and the west of 

 England, and agreeing to give financial assistance to such 

 university in the event of a charter for its establishment 

 being obtained, provided arrangements as to the constitu- 

 tion of the university satisfactory to the council have been 

 made." 



In the House of Lords on Tuesday, Lord Stanley of 

 .Alderley moved the second reading of a Bill the main 

 object of which was to make thirteen the minimum age 

 at which a child can be exempted from the obligation to 

 attend school. The second reading was rejected, not 

 because any argument against the Bill could be put for- 

 ward from the point of the physical and mental welfare 

 of the nation, but because, to use the words of Lord 

 Tweedmouth. " a sudden change in the law would cause 

 a very considerable amount of inconvenience, especially to 

 the agricultural interest, to the cotton interest, and to 

 some extent to the woollen interest." .So the healthy 

 development of the body and mind of the child has to be 

 sacrificed to these various interests. Meanwhile, the 

 Education Bill for Scotland, read a second time in the 

 House of Commons on May 5, makes fourteen the normal 

 age of leaving the primary school. Evidently, we have to 

 look to the north for advance in educational stnndards. 



Prof. Ainsworth D.wis has been appointed principal 

 of the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. The 

 college was founded in 1845, and has hitherto been con- 

 ducted without the least aid from Government or local 

 authorities. It has been decided, however, to re-constitute 

 the college, making it a public institution with a repre- 

 sentative governing body, in association with the county 

 councils of Gloucestershire and the adjoining counties. 

 In addition to providing courses for pupils proposing U 

 become farmers or manage estates, it is proposed to hold 

 vacation courses for village schoolmasters desiring to 

 become qualified to teach rural subjects. Forty acres of 

 land are attached to the college, and, in addition, thr 

 students have access to a farm, arable and pasture, of 

 more than 450 acres. Great attention is directed to 



