36S 



NATURE 



[August 20, 1S96 



Ellerslie, and Ballingan Chapel. See Glen Darragh 

 Circle, and then back to Douglas. 



Saturday, 26. — Train at 9.30 am. to Castletown ; 

 arrive Castle Rushen 10.30. See Castle collection of 

 antiquities, &c. Train 12.22 for Port Erin. Lunch 1 p.m. 

 Visit Liverpool Marine Biological Station. Walk to 

 Neolithic Circle on Mcayll Hill, then to Cregneish (see 

 chasms), then to Port St. Mary (see Oghams and stand- 

 ing stones). Train to Douglas. 



Monday, 28. — Train at 9.35 a.m. to Ramsey. Stop at 

 -Sulby (Uen at 10. 42. Climb Cronk Sumark (see ancient 

 fort). Train to Ramsey, arriving at i.io p.m. After 

 lunch visit Masonic Rooms (see casts of crosses, flint 

 implements, iS:c.) Carriages to Laxey (see King Orry's 

 grave). Electric railway to Baldrine (see ancient fort 

 and " cloven stones "), Keeil Killane (lintel graves), then 

 on to Douglas. The four Sections will dine together at 

 fhe Sefton Hotel, Douglas, on Monday evening. 



Section IL— Geologist.s. 

 Leaders : Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins, G. W. Lamplugh. 



Thursday, 24. — Reception at Government House, &c., 

 as before. Headquarters at Douglas. 



Friday, 25. — Train at g 30 to Castletown, walk to 

 Castle Rushden, and then on to Stack of Scarlet, and 

 thence to Poyllvaaish (see carboniferous limestones and 

 contemporaneous volcanic series). Meet carriages at 

 Poyllvaaish, lunch at George Hotel, Castletown, and 

 drive to Langness (see base of carboniferous rocks 

 and Skiddaw slates), and then on to railway station at 

 Ballasalla. Train to Douglas. 



Saturday, 26.— Electric Railway at 9.30 a.m. to Laxey, 

 and on to Snaefell. (General view of island, and meta- 

 morphisni of Skiddaw slates). Meet carriages near the 

 Hut, and drive to Thoit-y-Will. Lunch I p.m., drive 

 down the Glen, stopping at various points (see crush- 

 conglomerates of Skiddaw rocks, &c.) on the way to 

 Ramsey. Steamer at 6 p.m. back to Douglas. 



Monday, 28. — Carriages at 9.30 a.m. for Crosby, Rock- 

 mount (see intrusive dykes in Skiddaws), Lhoob-y-Reeast, 

 Peel (see red sandstones, &c.). After lunch see Peel 

 Castle, &c. Drive to Foxdale (see lead mines and 

 granite outcrop), and then on to Douglas. Final dinner 

 with the other Sections. 



Section I H.— Zoologists. 

 Leaders : Prof. W. A. Herdman, L C. Thompson. 



Thursday, 24. — Reception at Government House, &c., 

 as before. Train at 5.10 p.m. for Port Erin. 



Friday, 25. — If the weather is suitable, the day will be 

 spent in dredging, &c., from a steamer, probably to the 

 west of the Isle of Man. If dredging is impossible there 

 is shore collecting, tow-netting in the bay, and work in 

 the Biological Station to fall back upon. 



Saturday, 26. — Train at 10.40 to Castletown (see Castle 

 Rushen). Return to Port Erin. Lunch at Bellevue 

 Hotel. Take Section L over Biological Station. Walk 

 with Sections L and IV. to Neolithic Circle on Meayll 

 Hill. See Cregneish, chasms, &c., and return to Port 

 Erin. 



Monday, 28. — If weather is suitable take steamer to 

 Ramsey, dredging on the way along the east side of 

 Island. Lunch at Ramsey, I p.m. (If time permits, join 

 Section I. in seeing collection at Masonic Rooms.) 

 Dredge from steamer on way back to Douglas. Final 

 dinner, and stay night at Douglas. 



Section \\. — Bot.\nists. 



Leaders : Prof F. E. Weiss, Rev. S. A. P. Kermode. 



Thursday, 24. — Reception at Government House, &c., 

 as before. See Mr. Okell's garden and collection of 

 Veronicas. Train at 5.10 (with III.) to Port Erin. 



Friday, 25. — Carriages 9.30 ; drive by " Round Table" 



NO. 1399, VOL. 54] 



to Peel over the mountains. Lunch (with I.) ; see Castle, 

 &c. Carriages to Foxdale, Malew, and back to Port 

 Erin. 



Saturday, 26. — Train (or walk, by shore) to Castletown. 

 See Castle Rushen (with I. and III.). Train to Port 

 Erin. Lunch (with I. and II I.). Visit Biological Station 

 and Port Erin Shore. Walk with I. and III. to Neolithic 

 Circle on Meayll Hill, on to chasms, and back to Port 

 Erin. There is good shore-collecting at Port Erin, at 

 Port St. Mary, and at various intermediate points. 



Monday, 28. — Train to Douglas ; carriages to Laxey. 

 Electric railway to Snaefell. Meet carriages near Hut ; 

 drive to Tholt-y-Will. Lunch i p.m. Drive down Glen 

 and through Curraghs (marsh plants) to Ballamooar, 

 Jurby (gardens, conifers, &.C.), back through Curraghs to 

 Ballaugh railway station. Train to Douglas. Final 

 dinner, and stay night at Douglas. 



Some changes are taking place in the list of foreign 

 guests. A few of those who had accepted, find them- 

 selves unable to be present ; but others who were not 

 expected, or were doubtful, are now coming, including 

 some foreign Professors of medicine, surgery, and allied 

 medical subjects — no doubt out of compliment to the 

 President-elect. The local medical men are organising 

 various arrangements in honour of Sir Joseph Lister. 



The Local Secretaries hope to secure Dr. Nansen's 

 presence at the meeting. Before he sailed in the Fram, 

 Nansen promised a Liverpool shipowner that he would 

 visit him immediately on his return. He has now been 

 reminded of that promise by telegram to \'ard6. 



It is becoming possible now to forecast to a consider- 

 able extent the scientific work which will be brought 

 before this meeting of the Association, and in a further 

 article next week we shall give a sketch of what will 

 probably be the leading features of the various Sections. 

 W. .\. Herii.vi.an. 



COUNTY COUNCILS AND AGRICULTURE. 



THE allocation of public money to County Councils 

 under the Local Taxation (Customs and Excise) 

 Act of 1890 has now been in progress for half-a-dozen 

 years. It was understood, though not expressly stipu- 

 lated, that this money — the proceeds of an additional tax 

 placed upon beer and spirits — should be devoted to the 

 furtherance of technical education, and in the case of 

 most County Councils it is to this object that the money 

 has been applied. With reference to the permanency of 

 the grant, the Duke of Devonshire (then Lord Harting- 

 ton), addressing a meeting on December 5, 1890, said : 

 " The best way of securing the fund will be to see that it 

 is used for the purpose for which it was originally 

 granted." And on the previous day, in the House of 

 Commons, Mr. Goschen, at that time Chancellor of the 

 Exchequer, said, in reply to a question ; " If County 

 Councils set themselves heartily to work to utilise the 

 grants for important educational purposes, it will probably 

 be difficult for any Minister to persuade Parliament to 

 divert them." Excepting in a few cases where some or all 

 of the grant has been applied to the relief of local rates, 

 the County Councils appear to have loyally adhered to the 

 understanding in accordance with which the money was 

 originally directed into the new channel. The particular 

 form of " important educational purposes" to which aid 

 has been extended has necessarily varied somewhat in 

 different localities, but, on account of the universal pur- 

 suit of the industry, agriculture perhaps has received 

 more wide-spread recognition than any other art. The 

 result has been the establishment within recent years of 

 new agricultural colleges and schools, or the grafting of 

 an agricultural department upon educational institutions 

 already in existence. To a third group may be assigned 



