286 



NA rURE 



{Alts;. 13, 1S74 



matic colours which it hnd in ihe north disappear, and the whole 

 mass, except under peculiar circumstances, looks like a mountain 

 of soda. At rare intervals, however, during a gorgeous sunset, 

 the tinted clouds are reflected on its sides, and their various 

 colours flash across like tlie shades of a rich shot silk, but in- 

 finitely more beautiful, eliciting terms of admiration alike from 

 the sentimental dandy or the rough emigrant. 



The cause of their early appearance so far south this spring is 

 a mystery ; m.iny attribute it to a mild season. As I have 

 before stated, I cannot concur in this opinion. No man can with 

 certainty assert that in the Arctic regions a [anuary temperature 

 can cause the fracture of such masses from their original beds. 



Celtic, July 2S Wm. W. Kiddle 



Science at Cambridge 



In an article on the Public .Schools Commission published in 

 Nature (vol. x. p. 219), the following passage occurs : — " Now 

 it is acknowledged on all hands that tlie teaching of a subject at 

 school and its recognition at the universities are inseparably 

 connected, and especially with regard to science. The Colleges 

 say, We cannot give more scholarships, because a sufficient num- 

 ber of men of good attainments do not present themselves ; and 

 the Schools reply, We cannot spend our time on subjects for 

 which there are so few rewards. Both profess willingness, but 

 each calls on the other to take the initiative." It is implied by 

 this that the schools and universities each shelter themselves in 

 their conservatism by throwing the blame on the other. With 

 respect to the University of Cambridge, at least, I think this is 

 unfair. King's College offered scholarships (of So/, a year for 

 three years) for natural or jihysical science in the years 1S72 and 

 1873 ; on both occasions the examiners (who were in no way 

 connected with the college) reported that no candidates of suffi- 

 cient merit had presented themselves. At length, in the present 

 year, they have awarded a scholarship in these subjects. 



Everyone who is conversant with Cambridge knows that the 

 colleges are anxious to reward proficiency in science, and that 

 the tendency is distinctly to award scholarships therein on easier 

 terms than in other subjects, but that there is a dearth of candi- 

 dates. Although the valuable science scholarships at Trinity 

 have always been o[)en to members of all colleges of either uni- 

 versity, the number of those who have tried has always been very 

 small. 



I maintain, then, that Cambridge has taken the initiative as 

 far as it is desirable to do so. It would be a lamentable thing 

 to award piizes too profusely, as we should thereby be stocking 

 the University with an inferior staff of teachers, who would 

 transmit their inferiority to the succeeding generation. 



George Darwin 



Trinity College, Cambridge, July 30 



Circulation of Apparatus and Scientific Works 

 The letter of Mr. H. W. Lloyd Tanner (Naturf, vol. x. 

 p. 244) has opened up a subject of importance to all science 

 teachers, and surely there are no insuperable difficulties in the 

 way of the Kensington authorities sending out for loan, under 

 proper conditions, apparatus and scientific works. Already there 

 are loan collections of apparatus to be obtained from Soutli Ken- 

 sington by any recognised science class, but the cost of getting up 

 and sending them out must be far greater than necessary. We 

 were much amused last winter by receiving from the Department 

 of Science and Art, as a loan, five huge boxes of elementary 

 chemical apparatus. When these were opened we were quite 

 disappointed, for only a few pieces proved useful in our class. 

 We did not want a lot of big bell jars, glass retoris, Florence 

 flasks, and bits of glass tubing stuck through wretched corks. 

 Anyone can easily understand that it is simply waste of money 

 to send to a science clnss apparatus on loan that the class already 

 possesses. Why are not teachers allowed to choose the ajipa- 

 ratus ? In furtherance of the object mentioned by Mr. Tanner, 

 may I be allowed to offer the following suggestions : — 



1. That a collection of scientific apparatus and standard works 

 for loan be made at Kensii'.gton. 



2. That science teachers desirous of using books and apf a- 

 ratus pay a subscription, say, of los, per annum. 



3. That lists of apparatus and books be published, and sold 

 to subscribers at a reasonable figure. 



4. That books and apparatus (from list) be lent for a term to 

 subscribers (subject, of course, lo coirditions of return in good 

 ordtr). 



5. That the Department pay the carriage to and from Ken- 

 sington. 



Perhaps other readers of Nature will kindly give further 

 suggestions. 



To such as myself, anything like the above would be a boon 

 indeed. Living in a small country town in which there is neither 

 public reading-room nor library, and being daily engaged in 

 teaching science, and, withal, intensely fond of the study of it, I 

 am thrown almost entirely upon my own resources to provide 

 scientific books and apparatus. Vet I am better olT than num- 

 bers of science teachers. The trustees of our schools have lately 

 granted 5/. a year for scientific apparatus, and to this we get the 

 Government grant of 50 per cent, added. Further, I can at any 

 time borrow a good microscope, and have access to several pri- 

 vate libraries belonging to gentlemen of scientific tastes. Still, 

 frequently, the very mformation wanted is not to be obtained, 

 and I for one should be glad to avail myself of any scheme like 

 the one I have suggested. 



Dunstable A. P. W. 



Sounding Flames 



In the summer of 1842 I attended the lectures of Dr. William 

 Reid, brother of Dr. David Boswell Reid, the celebrated venti- 

 lator of the House of Commons, in the great barn like class- 

 rooms of the latter chemist. In the practical class we produced 

 sonorous flame vibrations in iron tubes three or four inches in 

 diameter and about 2 ft. long, held over similar tubes covered 

 with wire gauze. These instruments were the jiroperty of Dr. 

 D. B. Reid, and produced a noise like the roar of a lion. 



Edinburgh, Aug. 7 T. Strethill Wright 



THE FRENCH ASSOCIATION FOR THE AD- 

 VANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 



'HP HIS Association, as w^e have already intimated, meets 

 ■*- at Lille on Aug. 20, and thus its meetings will be 

 held contemporaneously with those of the British Asso- 

 ciation ; this is perhaps to be regretted, as some of the 

 members of the two Associations might wish to attend 

 the meetings of both. The Lille session promises to be 

 as brilliant as either of the two precedmg ones. The 

 proximity of Lille to Paris is very likely to attract a 

 greater number of members than was gathered at Bor- 

 deaux or Lyons. A considerable number of foreigners 

 have promised to " assist " at this year's meeting ; among 

 whom we notice the names of Prof. Sylvester and Dr. 

 Odling. 



The session will be opened at three o'clock on the after- 

 noon of the 20th, by the inaugural address of M. Wurtz, 

 the president for 1874, and also by an address by Lieut.- 

 Col. Laussedat, Professor at the Conservatoire des Arts 

 et Metiers, general secretary of the Association for 1874. 

 There will, of course, be the usual sectional meetings, and 

 several public lectures have been arranged for. Excur- 

 sions always form an important part of the proceedings of 

 the French Association, and three have been organised 

 for this year ; the first excursion, on Aug. 23, will be to 

 Boulogne ; the second on Aug. 25, to the coal-mines of the 

 " Compagnie d'Anzin;" the third excursion commences 

 on the 28th, after the conclusion of the meetings, and 

 will probably be to Brussels and Anvers, lasting several 

 days. 



To show the magnitude to which this Association has 

 already attained, we may state that about 150 names are 

 down as readers of papers in the various sections, several 

 of whom are to read more than one paper. M. Cornu is 

 to describe a new optic spherometer. Several papers are 

 to be read by M. Marcel Deprez on improvements in 

 electrical apparatus and on certain theoretical aspects of 

 steam-engines. Prof. Giard, of Lille, is to make several 

 communications in Zoology, and M. llamy in Anthro- 

 pology ; Prof. Houzeau, ot Rouen, is down for a paper 

 on Concentrated Ozone ; and M. Lallemand, of Poitiers, 

 will describe his researches relative to the Diffusion of 

 L'ght. M. G. Lemoir.c will read two papers, one on 



