June i8, 1908J 



NA TURE 



165 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridgi;. — The general board of studies will shortly 

 proceed to make the following appointments : — (i) A 

 reader in zoology, in succession to Jlr. Batcson ; stipend, 

 looL a year. (2) A reader in metallurgy ; the stipend is 

 the net income arising from the benefaction of 10,000/. 

 given for this purpose by the Goldsmiths' Company. 

 (3) A lecturer in economics, in succession to Prof. Pigou ; 

 stipend, looL a year. (4) A lecturer in historical and 

 economic geography ; stipend, 150/. a year. {5) A Royal 

 I .eographical .Society lecturer in regional and physical 

 geography ; stipend, 150L a year. (6) A Royal Geo- 

 graphical Society lecturer in surveying and cartography ; 

 stipend, 50/. a year. Candidates arc requested to send 

 their applications to the Vice-Chanccllor, with testimonials 

 if they think fit, on or before July 28. 



The electors to the Frank Smart studentship in botany 

 give notice that thev will shortly proceed to the election 

 of a student. .Any graduate of the Unis'ersity is eligible 

 for the studentship provided that not more than fourteen 

 complete terms have elapsed after his first term of resi- 

 dence. The Successful candidate must devote himself to 

 research in botany. The studentship is ordinarily tenable 

 for two vears. The value of the studentship is 100/. per 

 annum, or such larger or smaller annual sum as the fimd 

 may produce. A candidate must send his name, with a 

 statement of the course of research which he proposes to 

 undertake, and such evidence of his qualifications as he 

 thinks fit, to the Vice-Chancellor, Gonville and Caius 

 College Lodge, on or before Tuesday, June 23. 



The general board of studies has appointed Dr. .Ander- 

 son university lecturer in physiology, Mr. F. H. A. 

 Marshall universitv lecturer in agricultural physiolog}", 

 Mr. C. G. Lamb university lecturer in electrical engineer- 

 ing, and Mr. C. E. Inglis university lecturer in mechanical 

 engineering, all for five years. 



The first examination for the diploma in mining 

 engineering will be held in the Michaelmas term. The 

 examiners nominated are Mr. E. H. Liveing, formerly 

 professor of mining in the Yorkshire College. Leeds : Prof. 

 TL Louis, Armstrong College of the LTniversity of 

 Durham ; and Mr. C. T. Heycock, of King's College. 



Mr. R. C. Maclaurin. St. John's College, has been 

 approved bv the general board of studies for the degree of 

 Doctor in Science. 



f.ONDOS. — The assembly of the faculties of University 

 College has been fixed for Thursdav, Julv 2, at 3 o'clock, 

 when Prof. A. F. Pollard will read a report on the work 

 of the session, and the res dts of the L'niversitv, scholar- 

 ship .and class examinations will be announced. Scholars 

 and medallists will be presented to Sir Edward Fry, 

 F.R.S., who will deliver an address. 



Mrs. .A. D. Hall, director of the Rothamsted E.xperi- 

 mental Station, will deliver a course of lectures on July 

 13-1S at the Graduate School of Agriculture, which the 

 United States Department of .Agriculture is holding this 

 year at Cornell University. Mr. Hall will also deliver two 

 lectures at the Universitv of Illinois, Urbana, on Julv 7 

 and 8. 



In an address at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, 

 on Sunday, Mr. Bryce is reported by the Times to have 

 dwelt upon the useful relation which the State universities 

 of western America bear to the States, commenting on the 

 immense service rendered to scientific agriculture by the 

 University of Wisconsin in increasing the product of the 

 soil and the quality of the live-stock, making the farmer's 

 life more interesting, and checking the influx of the people 

 to the cities. It is wise, he remarked, not to allow prac- 

 tical subjects to oust theoretical physical science and 

 human subjects. Theoretical science is the source and 

 strength of progress in all industries and practical arts. 



One of the departments of the Hungarian Exhibition 

 at Earl's Court illustrates the progress and present position 

 of education in Hungary. Starting with a section devoted 

 to kindergartens and elementary schools, all the gr.ades of 

 education up to the universities, and colleges of universitv 

 standing, are explained by suitable exhibits. .A sketch of 



NO. 2016, VOL. 78] 



this part of the exhibition, which appeared in the Times of 

 June 12, says that in every one of the grades photographs 

 are on view illustrating the pupils and students at work 

 in their classes. A very interesting feature is the model 

 .State farming school, in which all branches of farm work 

 are taught to pupils between the ages of twelve and fifteen. 

 Nursery-gardening instruction forms part of the curriculum 

 at these schools also, and attention is paid to home and 

 industrial work. The age at which education in Hungary 

 is compulsory is in the kindergarten from three to six, 

 and in the ordinary elementary school from six to twelve, 

 while evening classes are given to pupils between the ages 

 of twelve and fifteen. A mininunn collection of implements 

 used in all elementary schools is on view, embracing a 

 wide selection of objects from chemical, mechanical, and 

 electrical appliances to natural history specimens. The 

 training college section contains excellent specimens of 

 woodwork, and equally fine articles of lace and embroidery. 

 Another feature is the attention paid to hygiene. So keen 

 are the State authorities on securing a high standard of 

 physical culture that every boy when he enters has his 

 height measured and his strength tested. These details 

 are entered in a register, which is kept as a record cf his 

 physical growth during his school years. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Royal Society, March 19 —" Secondary 18 Kays." By 

 Prof. J. .\. McClelland. Communicated by Prof. J. Jolv, 

 F.R.S. 



This paper deals with the secondary radiation of 6 

 particles from a plate exposed to the ;3 rays from radium. 

 It contains, in the first place, a detailed investigation of 

 the intensity of this secondary radiation in different direc- 

 tions in the plane of incidence of the primary rays, and 

 for different values of the angle of incidence. 



The results show that the secondary particles may be 

 divided into two parts. One portion of the radiation has 

 a maximum value in the direction of ordinary reflection, 

 and is referred to as the " reflected " rays. The reflected 

 rays differ very little in intensity for different substances. 



The author in previous papers has compared the intensity 

 of the secondary /3 rays from a large number of sub- 

 stances, and showed that it depends on the atomic weight 

 of the substance. The secondary radiation increases with 

 the atomic weight, and in such a way that the elements 

 fall into divisions corresponding to the chemical periods. 

 When the secondary radiation is analysed, as in the pre- 

 sent paper, and the observations so taken as to exclude 

 or reduce to a minimum the portion referred to above as 

 the reflected rays, the connection with the atomic weight 

 is brought out even more clearly than before. 



The reflected rays are a more important fraction of the 

 whole in the case of elements of low atomic weight, as 

 for these substances the other portion of the radiation — 

 the true secondary — is small. 



The reflected rays are more marked when the angle of 

 incidence is large. 



Further evidence that there is a decided difference 

 between the reflected rays and the other portion of the 

 secondary rays, is given by measurements of the absorption 

 in a direction in which the reflected rays are a maximum 

 and in a direction where they are absent or a minimum. 

 The reflected rays are similar in velocity to the primary 

 rays, and vary little with the substance emitting them ; the 

 velocity of the true secondary rays is less than that of the 

 primary rays, and depends on the substance emitting 

 them. 



The origin of the two parts of the secondary radiation 

 is discussed in the paper, and the view taken that the re- 

 flected ravs are some of the primary particles which in 

 their patli in the exposed plate have not entered into or 

 caused change of energy in any atomic systems, thus 

 retaining their original velocity and obeying approximately 

 the law of reflection. The true secondary rays, on the 

 other hand, are looked upon as /3 particles expelled from 

 the atoms of the exposed substance by the entry of the 

 primary particles. 



The paper further contains the results of measurements 

 with a hemispherical ionisation vessel which give the sura 



