Oct. 29, 1885] 
NATURE 
639 
to the aversion of Sir William Jones to zoological studies, and 
it was only about 1828 that the papers of Dr. Falconer, Col. 
Tickell, and others began to occupy an important position on 
behalf of zoology in the Society’s transactions. With Indian 
botany, geography, and ethnology are connected many names of 
world-wide fame. With regard to chemistry, it may be said 
practically there is no chemical research in the Society's publica- 
tions. Chemistry, as Baboo Bose explains, can onty be studied 
in the laboratory, and until recently India had but few labora- 
tories, and few competent men with leisure to devote to the 
subject. A curious statement, by the way, creeps into the ac- 
count of Mr. Piddington, who studied Indian storms, and gave 
an account of every cyclone in the East between 1839 and 1851. 
Baboo Bose says his experience was most varied, and then quotes 
the following from some unnamed source :—‘‘ He was one of the 
few who escaped from the massacre of Amboyna.” Now, as the 
massacre of Englishmen by the Dutch Governor of Amboyna 
took place in 1622, Mr. Piddington, if he was observing storms 
in India in 1850, could hardly have been in the Eastern Archi- 
pelago two centuries and a quarter previously. Many other 
portions of this volume, such as the chapters on coins, on ancient 
Indian alphabets, on the study of the languages and literature of 
India, and on ‘the study of Indian antiquities, are of deep in- 
terest, but we have confined ourselves to the chapters on natural 
science. 
The dominant feeling produced by an examination of this 
volume is one of satisfaction that so much has been done by this 
single society towards investigating the past and the present of 
(or, in the words of Sir William Jones, ‘‘man and nature in”) 
our great dependency. For the most part this has been done 
by private individuals, but on more than one critical occasion 
the directors of the East India Company, in accordance with 
their generous traditions, came to the aid of the Society with 
large contributions ; otherwise there appeared no way out of 
the difficulty except the dissolution of the Society and the 
abandonment of the works in which they were engaged. If 
this were the place it would be interesting to compare this 
method of practically leaving everything to private initiative, with 
that adopted by the French in Indo-China, of the Government 
undertaking a series of literary, artistic, and scientific investiga- 
tions through competent specialists into a new possession. Not- 
withstanding the great and marked success of the Asiatic Society 
of Bengal, the French plan has advantages which cannot be 
overlooked. 
ONIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE 
CAMBRIDGE.—Among the more noticeable Natural Science 
Courses this term are Prof. Dewar’s on Dissociation and Thermal 
Chemistry ; Prof. Newton’s, on Evolution in the Animal King- 
dom; Dr. Gadow’s on Human Embryology; Dr. Vines’s, on 
the Physiology of Plants; and Prof. Macalister’s, on the 
Peripheral Nervous System. 
Prof. Hughes is lecturing on Methods of Geological Survey- 
ing ; Dr. R. D. Roberts, on Principles of Geology ; Mr. Marr, 
on Elementary Stratigraphy; Mr, T. Roberts, on Palceonto- 
logy; and Mr. Hawker, on Elementary Petrology; all at the 
Woodwardian Museum. 
Prof. Roy is lecturing on General Pathology, and also con- 
ducting a Practical Course in Morbid Anatomy and Histology. 
Prof. Stokes is lecturing on Hydrodynamics ; Prof. Cayley, 
on Higher Algebra; Prof. Darwin, on Orbits and Perturba- 
tions ; Mr. Glazebrook, on Waves and Sound ; Mr. Hobson, on 
Planetary Theory; Mr. Macaulay, on Theory of Structures ; 
and Mr. Forsyth on Abel’s Theorem. Numerous other courses 
on higher mathematics, open to the University, are being given 
by college lecturers. 
We are glad to notice that Mr. A. Sheridan Lea, M.A., Lec- 
turer on Physiology, and formerly Scholar, of Trinity College, 
has been elected to a Fellowship at Gonville and Caius College. 
Mr. Lea’s work in connection with Prof. Michael Foster's 
*Text-Book of Physiology” is well known. Mr. Lea was 
placed in the First Class in the Natural Science Tripos in 1875, 
and has since been continuously engaged in the University 
teaching of Physiology. 
Dr. S, Richemann has been appointed assistant to Prof. 
~ Dewar, Jacksonian Professor. 
Messrs. E. W. Hobson and A. R. Forsyth are appointed 
Moderators, and Mr, C. H. Prior Examiner, for the next 
Mathematical Tripos. 
King’s College offers a Vintner Exhibition of 70/. per annum 
for Natural Science. The examination begins on December Io. 
St. John’s College offers several scholarships, exhibitions, and 
sizarships for competition on December to. Candidates may 
offer any of the subjects of the Natural Sciences Tripos except 
Mineralogy, and may be elected on the ground of special pro- 
ficiency in one only. Particulars will be furnished by the 
tutors. 
A joint examination for Natural Science Scholarships at 
Emmanuel, Christ’s, and Sidney Sussex Colleges will be held 
on January 5, 1886, and following days. ‘The subjects are 
Chemistry, Physics, Elementary Biology, Geology, and Mine- 
ralogy. Further particulars will be given by the tutors of either 
college. 
Out of the 875 freshmen whose names have appeared in the 
preliminary lists, about 1o4 have announced their intention of 
studying medicine in the University. A few more may be added 
when the results of the October Previous Examination are 
known. The Anatomy School is attended by over 130 students, 
for whom an exceptionally abundant supply of dissecting mate- 
rialis in hand. The Demonstration Lectures have to be re- 
peated from lack of room ; indeed, the necessity for increased 
accommodation in this department is becoming extremely urgent. 
Lonpon.—We have received a circular stating that ‘‘In 
view of the adjourned extraordinary meeting of Convoca- 
tion (of London University) to be held on Tuesday, Novem- 
ber 3, a number of graduates met on Wednesday last to 
consider the proposed scheme for the establishment of a 
Teaching University for London. As the result of their de- 
liberations it was thought desirable that attention should be 
called to some of the more striking objections to the proposed 
scheme ; and that, having regard to the grave importance of the 
questions to be submitted to the members of Convocation affect- 
ing the very existence of the University as at present constituted, 
they should be especially requested to attend on Tuesday next, 
and to give their support to Mr. Bone’s amendment, to receive 
the report submitted by Lord Justice Fry, without adopting tt ‘ en 
bloc.’ Should this amendment be carried, the following reso- 
lutions, expressing what is believed to be the feeling of the 
majority of the graduates, will be moved :—(1) ‘ That Convo- 
cation, whilst affirming the general principles of the desirable- 
ness of bringing the teachers and the examiners of the University 
into closer relationship with one another and with the Senate, 
and of modifying the constitution of the Senate in accordance 
with the previous recommendations of Convocation, and without 
giving to the teachers an undue share of representation on the 
governing body of the University, refers back the scheme to the 
Special Committee for further consideration.’ (2) ‘ That the 
number of members on the Special Committee be increased by 
one-half.’ ” 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
SYDNEY 
Linnean Society of New South Wales, July 29.—The 
following papers were read:—A monograph of the Australian 
sponges, part 5, the Aulenine, by R. von Lendenfeld, Ph.D. 
Several sponges from various localities in the Australian region 
have been included by the author in this new sub-family, the 
members of which are characterised by a very peculiar structure 
not met with in any other sponges. The new sub-family 
Aulening is placed in the family Spongidz, and consists of the 
two new genera Aulena and Halme, with three species in all. 
The anatomy and histology of these is accurately described and 
illustrated by numerous plates. The Auleninze form honey- 
combed or complicated reticulate structures ; the cavities form a 
kind of vestibule and are simple in Halme, where an outer 
lamella surrounds the whole sponge, or subdivided into numerous 
small compartments, as in Aulena, where no outer lamella exists. 
Into the system of Vestibule-Lacunz both the inhalent and the 
exhalent canals of the sponge open. The skeleton of Halme is 
composed of thick main fibres rich in sand, thin, simple and 
clean connecting fibres, and a hard cortex of sand cemented 
with spongiolin. The skeleton of Aulena is very peculiar. It 
consists of a regular network of fine horny threads in the joining 
points of which large sand grains are found. In the membranes 
of the Vestibule-Lacunz of this genus nervous elements, 
