34 



NATURE 



\May 14, 1874 



subject in Nature, vol. vii. p. 457, and are glad to recognise 

 that the present Government show some symptom.s of paying 

 attention to the just claims of scientific men. 



The Senate of the University of Cambridge last week con- 

 ferred a great boon on students of Natural Science who intend 

 going to the University, by deciding to accept the certificate of 

 the Leaving Schools Examination in lieu of the Previous Exa- 

 mination. The student who obtains this certificate, passing the 

 examination with distinction, will be able to enter uninterrupt- 

 edly upon the pursuits of Natural Science as soon as he goes up 

 to the University, and will therefore be able to attain greater 

 proficiency than has hitherto been the case. The examination 

 is, we believe, likely to be a very thorough one, but the par- 

 ticulars can be obtained through the ' ' Regulations ol the Ox- 

 foidand Cambridge Schools E.xamination Board," which maybe 

 obtained for a shilling at any bookseller's. 



Trinity College, Cambridge, offers one or more foundation 

 scholarships of the value of 100/. per annum. The examination 

 will be open to all undergraduates of Cambridge who have passed 

 the Previous Examination. Also an exhibition of the value of 

 50/. per annum. This examination to be open to all persons 

 under 20 who have not commenced residence at the University. 

 The examination will commence on March 30, 1S75. Can- 

 didates must send certificates of age and moral character to one 

 of the Tutors of Trinity before March 13. 



The use of a leclure-room in the New Museums, Cambridge, 

 has been t;ranted to Dr. Carpenter for the purpose of giving a 

 lecture on some ol the results of the voyage of the Challenger. 



The visit of the C/ialleit^t-r to IMelbourne has been exceedingly 

 pleasant. Free passes have been granted by the railway com- 

 panie^ in the most liberal fashion, and excursions have been the 

 o-der of the day. Letters will reach the Challenger \{ directed 

 to Sydney, by the mails leaving London via Brindisi, May 15, 

 zia San Francisco, June 3. They will find the ship at Somerset, 

 Cape York, on August 16. Letters to Singapcre should be sent 

 via Souti^amptou, June 18, and July 16; via Brindisi, June 26, 

 an I July 24. 



The Council ol the Society of Arts has fixed Wednesday, 

 May 20, (or a general meeting on the subject of Public Museums 

 and Galleries. To it will be invited the Mayors of Corpora- 

 lions, Chairmen of Art and Science Scliools, and others inte- 

 rested in the question. The object of the meeting will be to 

 name a deputaiion to wait upon the Prime Minister, and urge 

 upon him the importance of bringing all National Museums and 

 Galleries under the authority of a Minister of the Crown, with 

 direct responsibility to Parliament ; and also of causing all such 

 museums to be madecondticive to the advancement of education 

 and technical instruction. Tlie chair will be taken by the Right 

 Hon. Lord Hampton, at 12 o'clock. 



The annual meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute was held 

 on the 6th, 7th, and Sth inst., under the presidency of Mr. J. Low- 

 thian Bell, M. P. The president's address as well as the papers 

 read were almost entirely of a technical nature. The Bessemer 

 medal founded by Mr. Bessemer since the last meeting of the 

 Institute, was awarded to Mr. Lowthian Bell. According to the 

 Report of the Council, the number of members was 644, showing 

 iia increase of 122 since the last annual meeting. In Friday's 

 sitting Mr. G. \V. Majnard re.-id a paper On the iron ores of the 

 Lake Champlain region. The author gave a topograiihical and 

 geographical description of the district, and placed before the 

 meeting a large amomit of information respecting the minerals 

 existing throughout the whole of the United States. 



We regret to learn the death of Dr. Meissner, the eminent 

 botanist, which took place on the 2nd inst. at Bale, in the 64th 

 year of his age, "apres de longues souffrances. " He was a 

 foreign member of the Linnean Society. 



Mr. Edward Bartlett has been appointed Curator of the 

 Maidstone Museum, which contains so many objects of interest 

 collected by the late Mr. Julius Brenchley in his numerous and 

 extended travels. 



In reply to a question on Monday in the House of Commons 

 Mr. Disraeli said that the claims of the late Dr. Livingstone' 

 family "will be considered by her Majesty's Government, and, 

 if they think they ought to be provided for, we shall not hesitate 

 to ask the House to grant such a vote as they think would be 

 proper under the circumstances." The ways of "her Majesty's 

 Government " are mysterious. Chumah and Susi, Dr. Living- 

 stone's two faithful servants, are expected to arrive at Southampton 

 in the next homeward-bound Indian mail steamer. 



The Rev. Charles New has just left England for the scene of 

 his former labours in Eastern Africa. After investigating some 

 of the less-known portions of the coast he purposes to press 

 forward into the interior in the direction of the sources of the 

 Nile. 



A sharp frost set in in many parts of France on May 4-6, and 

 destroyed a quantity of young plants, especially in vineyards. 

 The occurrence had been predicted by M. Sainte Claire-Deville, 

 who is now in Algeria for the purpose of organising meteoro- 

 logical observations in the remotest French desert stations. The 

 disasters are serious, although they do not endanger the future 

 crops and vintage. Several agricultural papers propose to pro- 

 tect young plants against cold spring nights by covering them 

 with canvas or burning substances which produce much smoke, 

 in order to create artificial clouds over the fields, It remains to 

 be seen with what success such schemes, which appear rather 

 rash, may be followed. 



We have received a few additional letters on the destruction 

 of flowers by birds, which we have forwarded to Mr. Darwin. 



At a meeting of the Alpine Club on the 5th inst., Mr. W. S. 

 Watts spoke of a proposed exploration of the Vatna Jokull, 

 Iceland. An exploration devoted to this purpose would, he 

 observed, possess peculiar interest, since the vast area known as 

 the Vatna Jokull, situated on the south-eastern side of the 

 island, is at present wholly unexplored. Mr. Watts visited 

 Vatna JiikuU and spent some time upon it in 1S71, in company 

 with his friend Mr. John Milne, F.G.S. So far as they could 

 determine, Vatna Jokull, with its surrounding jokulls, was an 

 aggregation of volcanoes and glaciers, encompassed on all sides 

 by a desert formed by the action of the sea, huge lava streams, 

 and fragmentary ejectments and detritus brought down by the 

 Hooded rivers incidental to volcanic eruptions. The object of the 

 proposed expedition is to cross and explore Vatna Jukull, to 

 reach, if possible, the seat of present volcanic activity, and to 

 determine the character and position of any other phenomena it 

 might contain. In order to accomplish this it is essential that 

 his party should not be less than six in number. Three gentlemen 

 have already promised to accompany him, and he hopes that 

 from the club, or others who might hear of his undertaking, 

 he may get four more to join him. He proposes to start 

 on May 31, and remain away about three months, and that 

 should his parly consist of eight the expenses would not exceed 

 50/. per man. 



A NEW drug from Brazil has appeared in France, under the 

 name of Jaborandi. It consists of the leaves aud small branches 

 of a shrub growing in the interior of some of the northern 

 provinces of Brazil, and from specimens which have come into 

 the hands of Prof. Baillon, it seems that the plant is the Pilo- 



