NA TURE 



[July 2, 1896 



Museum and the Walker Art Gallery. The autumn 

 exhibition will be open in September, and the Arts Com- 

 mittee propose to admit members of the British Associa- 

 tion to the galleries during the week of the meeting on 

 presentation of their tickets of membership. 



.A new museum, given to the zoological department of 

 University College by the late Mr. (",corge Holt, has 

 been rapidly hurried on with the special \ iew of use at 

 this meeting, and will be available for the exhibition of 

 specimens, models, &c., brought in illustration of papers 

 read before the Sections, or for other objects of scientific 

 interest sent on loan. 



.-V number of the owners of works of manufacturing 

 and engineering interest have offered to open their build- 

 ings for inspection during the week. Several gentlemen 

 have intimated their intention of giving garden parties, 

 and a number of excursions to places of interest in the 

 neighbourhood of Liverpool have now been arranged, 

 including the following : Half-day excursions on Satur- 

 day, September 19 — (i) River excursion with the Mersey 

 Dock FJoard : (2) Overhead Electric Railway ; (3) Speke 

 Hall, Hale Hall, &c. ; (4) Thurstaston, Storeton Quarry 

 (where the reptilian footprints are found), and the Leasowe 

 Submarine Forest ; (5) Bidston Observatory ; (6) Chester 

 and Hawarden ; (7) Dredging e.xcursion with the Lanca- 

 shire Sea-Fisheries Steamer. Whole-day excursions on 

 Thursday, September 24— (i) Chester and Eaton Hall ; 

 (2) Rivington Water Works, &c. ; (3) Llandudno and 

 Beaumaris by sea ; (4) Manchester Ship Canal, &c. ; 

 (5) Prestatyn, Tremerchion Caves, and Corwen ; (6) 

 Northwich, Weaver Navigation, and Delamere Forest. 



-At the end of the meeting there will be longer excur- 

 sions, extending over several days, to the \'yrnwy Water 

 Works in Wales and to the English lakes ; and a specially 

 scientific excursion to the Isle of Man, for which a 

 separate programme has been prepared, covering five 

 days — Thursday to Monday inclusive. 



The Earl of Derby has invited a party to Knowsley, the 

 Duke of Westminster has also invited a party to Eaton Hall, 

 and Mr. Gladstone will receive another party at Hawarden. 

 In connection with the Isle of Man excursion, the (jovernor 

 of the island (Lord Henniker) has invited the members 

 to a reception at Government House, and will preside 

 at a dinner to be given on the concluding evening. 



The Publications Sub-Committee have drawn up a scien- 

 tific handbook to Liverpool and the neighbourhood, con- 

 taining articles on the history and antiquities, the geology, 

 the entomology, the marine biology, the botany, the 

 vertebrate fauna, the climate, the river and the tides, the 

 docks and other engineering works, the trade and com- 

 merce, and the chemical industries. K complete guide 

 to the various excursions is also in course of preparation. 



The Hospitality Sub-Committee have invited as guests 

 a large number of distinguished scientific men from the 

 continent and America, and although many have not 

 yet been able to give, at this early date, a decided answer, 

 a considerable number have already definitely accepted. 

 These include, atnongst others, Prof, van Rijckevorsel 

 (Rotterdam), M. J. Violle (Paris), Prof V. Bjerknes 

 (Stockholm), Prof. Lenard (Aachen), M. L. de la Rive 

 (Geneva), Prof. Knorr (Jena), Dr. Credner (Leipzig), 

 Prof Renard (Gand), Prof. Mcebius (Berlin), Prof. Julin 

 (Liege), Prof Gilson (Louvain), Prof. Minot (Boston), 

 Prof Le Conte (Berkeley), Graf von Pfeil (Vienna), Prof 

 Cohn (Gdttingen), Prof Stainier (Ciembloux), Prof. 

 Schroter (Munich), Prof Topinard (Paiis), Dr. E. Dubois 

 (Hague), Prof C. Bohr (Copenhagen), Prof. Goldmann 

 (Freiburg), Prof Schimper (Bonn), Prof Zacharias (Ham- 

 burg), and M. C. de Candolle ((Geneva). As a number 

 of others are still uncertain, and answers are now coming 

 in every day, this can only be regarded as a provisional 

 list. Probably the attendance of foreigners at this meet- 

 ing will be unusually large. The Hospitality Sub-Com- 

 mittee is now busily engaged in arranging private 



NO. 1302 VOL. 54] 



hospitality for the foreign guests, and also for as many 

 as possible of the home members of the Association -who 

 have intimated their intention of being present at the 

 meeting. W. A. Heruman. 



THE DA VY-FARADA Y RESEARCH 

 LABORATORY. 



C CIENTIFIC investigators have long needed a central 

 ^ laboratoiy where researches can be carried on witli- 

 out interruption, and have urged the establishment of a 

 national physical laboratory for the United Kingdom. 

 Twenty years ago the Duke of Devonshire's Commission 

 recognised the advantages which our national industries 

 would derive from physical and chemical investigations, 

 and pointed out the need of a more generous recognition 

 of such research by the .State. Since then the Physika- 

 lische Reichsanstalt, at Charlottenburg, has been estab- 

 lished, and, through the facilities it offers, Germany is 

 reaping a rich harvest of natural knowledge ; but, so far 

 as State recognition is concerned, we have made little 

 advancement. True, a Committee of the British Associa- 

 tion has considered the question of a national physical 

 laboratory, and another Committee is now reconsidering 

 it ; but there is no immediate prospect that any recom- 

 mendations they might make will induce the Govern- 

 ment to give a substantial grant, either for the extension 

 of an existing institution in the direction of facilities 

 for research, or for the establishment of an institu- 

 tion on the lines of the Reichsanstalt. For the per- 

 spicacity which sees in pure scientific research a means 

 of developing industries, and which is content with know- 

 ledge accumulated, whether the practical bearings are 

 apparent or not, we have to go to Cjcrmany, where many 

 of our national industries have gone as a consequence 

 of neglect by our Government. 



Fortunately for British science, individuals occasion- 

 ally arise who see how severely investigation is handi- 

 capped on account of the lack of organisation and 

 encouragement by the -State. One such benefactor is 

 Dr. Ludwig Mond, whose munificent gift to the Royal 

 Institution of a laboratory for physical and chemical re- 

 search was warmly announced in these columns two 

 years ago. We are now able to state that on June 12 

 Dr. Mond formally transferred to the managers of the 

 Royal Institution the freehold of No. 20 Albemarle 

 Street, adjoining that Institution, for the purpose 

 of the laboratory of research in pure and physical 

 chemistry referred to in our announcement, to be known 

 as the Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory of the Royal 

 Institution. In order to make the building suitable for 

 this purpose. Dr. Mond has carried out very extensive 

 alterations. He has also equipped the laboratory with 

 the necessary apparatus, appliances, &c., for carrying on 

 delicate investigations in physical and chemical science. 

 An idea of the generous nature of Dr. Mond's endow- 

 ment may be obtained from a statement of rooms included 

 in the new institute. 



The Laboratory contains : — 



On the Basement. — .A room for thermochemical re- 

 search ; a room for pyrochemital research ; mechanics' 

 workshop ; room for electrical work ; battery of twenty- 

 six accumulators ; constant temperature vaults ; boiler- 

 house and store-rooms. 



On the Ground Floor. — .A room for research in organic 

 chemistry ; a room for research in inorganic chemistry ; 

 a fire-proof room for experiments in sealed tubes ; a 

 balance room ; entrance hall and cloak-room. 



On the First Floor. — The Honorary Secretary's room : 

 a large double library connected with the library of the 

 Royal Institution. 



On the Second Floor. — A museum of apparatus. 



On the Third Floor. — Seven rooms for research in 

 physical chemistry. 



