214 Notes and Comments. 
on that condition. The Government, however, threatened to 
withdraw grants if the Museum were kept open during the 
war. The only Museum of any quality or importance in the 
whole of England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales to be closed on 
account of the war was the British Museum. He was afraid 
however, that it was hopeless to attempt to do anything in 
the matter. Professor Boulger asked if they could not apply 
to the High Court for a writ of mandamus against Sir Henry 
and the other Trustees to compel them to re-open the Museum ? 
Sir Henry Howorth replied that if the speaker liked to go 
round with the hat and collect five or six thousand pounds to 
pay for the legal proceedings he might do sc, 
RADIOLEUM. 
Of somewhat exceptional and certainly extraordinary 
character, was the exhibit by Mrs. W. Dickinson, of Brighton, 
which was in the temporary Museum at the Technical Institute. 
By an appalling series of photographs, mysterious crystals 
in tubes, microscope slides and so on, Mrs. Dickinson explained 
the wonderful properties of her discovery known as Radioleum. 
This, it is claimed, ‘ works entirely by nature, and is a radio- 
active agent of purely vegetal origin, which effects many 
wonderful changes, comparable with those produced by radium.’ 
From a pamphlet which was distributed, it seems that among 
many other things, Radioleuam makes ‘pure radio-active 
water ; it produces radiole fibres or threads, radiole stars, the 
brilliant specks, radiole crystals, sometimes snow-like; it 
produces X-ray photography; it is a substitute for yeast ; 
it separates and purifies any mineral, gives greater heating 
power with slower combustion to coal, producing no waste ; 
it produces an egenitic fertilizer for pure vegetation from soil ; 
it cleans wool direct from the sheep in a few hours, ready for 
the weaver ; it produces active iris rays in glass, also gaseous 
rays in brilliant colourings ; it purifies and reduces waste paper 
into pulp in a few minutes ready for re-manufacture ; produces 
a substitute for ice from flour, etc.’ 
THE BASIS. 
Apparently the substitute is derived from an oil from the 
East, which was exhibited, and which we understood Mrs. 
Dickinson to say was something like 2,000 years old, possibly 
more. Any scepticism a visitor might have was dispelled by 
Mrs. Dickinson’s persuasive -personality, which was most 
convincing. In the short time available it was not possible to 
fathom the mysteries of the results of Mrs. Dickinson’s six 
years’ hard work. In one respect, howeyer, the present 
writer must express a little disappointment. He was assured 
that Radioleum would considerably reduce his weight, but 
there was no great difference in his bulk when he left Tunbridge 
Wells. Possibly the fair scientist had not proper opportunity 
Naturalist,” 

