July 8, 1909] 



NA TURE 



55 



Carleton College, Northfield (Minn.), in 1877, but retains 

 the co-editorship of Popular Astronomy. Dr. H. Wilson, 

 his co-worker, has been appointed to the professorship. 



Dr. C. Gordon Hewitt has accepted the appointment 

 as entomologist to the Dominion of Canada in succession 

 to the late Dr. James Fletcher, and has resigned, in con- 

 sequence, his post as lecturer in economic zoology in the 

 University of Manchester. He will leave England in 

 September to take up his new duties at Ottawa. 



We learn from the Westmiiisfer Gazette that the heirs 

 of the late Herr Heinrich Lanz, head of the Mannheim 

 engineering firm, have given a million marks for the 

 establishment of an academy of sciences at Heidelberg, 

 which will stand in the same relation to the university 

 as the similar institutions in Leipzig and Gottingen stand 

 to the universities in those cities. 



Lord Str.xtucona has just presented the sum of 

 ioo,oooi. to the McGiU University, Montreal, of which 

 he is Chancellor. Of this amount, 90,000!. is needed to 

 complete and equip the new medical buildings, the old 

 buildings having been destroyed by fire in 1907. The 

 remaining io,oooZ. is intended as a subscription to the 

 fund for increasing salaries throughout the University. 



At the meeting on June 2S of the council of the Uni- 

 versity of Paris, the rector, M. Liard, announced, we 

 learn from the Revue scientifique, a gift by M. Henry 

 Deutsch of 500,000 francs, and an annual grant of 15,000 

 francs, towards a scheme for the creation of an aero- 

 technical institute. He also announced a donation from 

 M. Basil Zakaroff of 700,000 francs for the foundation of 

 a chair of aviation in the faculty of sciences of the 

 LTniversity. 



The Belfast University Commissioners have made the 

 following, among other, appointments to professorships 

 and lectureships in the Queen's University of Belfast : — 

 professor of economics, Mr. Thomas Jones ; professor of 

 botany, Mr. D. T. Gwynne-Vaughan ; lecturer in organic 

 chemistry, Dr. A. W. Stewart ; lecturer in physics, Dr. 

 Robert jack; lecturer in bio-chemistry, Dr. J. A. Milroy ; 

 lecturer in geology and geography, Dr. A. R. Dwerry- 

 house ; lecturer on hygiene, Dr. W. James Wilson. 



New buildings in connection with the Merchant 

 ^■enturers' Technical College, Bristol, were opened by 

 Lord Reay on June 24. The college will, for the future, 

 provide the faculty of engineering in the newly established 

 University of Bristol, and in consequence of this arrange- 

 ment certain changes in the curriculum and time-table will 

 in all probability come into effect at the beginning of 

 next session. These probable modifications are outlined in 

 a short illustrated prospectus of the day classes of the 

 college which was published recently. There are depart- 

 ments for the study of many branches of engineering, 

 including civil, mechanical, electrical, mining, and motor- 

 car engineering, the last-named subject being in charge of 

 a special professor. 



A NEW departure has been made in connection with the 

 faculty of engineering of the University of Liverpool, h 

 special course on refrigeration has been introduced into 

 the honours school of mechanical engineering. The 

 general theory and actual testing of refrigerating machines 

 is included in the course on heat engines, but, in the 

 final year of an honours student's four years' work, a 

 course of lectures and laboratory work on heat engines 

 and refrigerators is provided. In addition, a special 

 optional course has been arranged on refrigerating 

 machinery and cold storages, comprising the design of 

 refrigerating machinery, the construction of cold storages, 

 ice-making plants, and the general practice of refrigeration. 

 This experiment, which constitutes, it is stated, the first 

 attempt in this country to establish special instruction on 

 refrigeration, will be watched with interest. 



The programme of the Summer School of University 

 Extension Students, which is to be held this year at 

 Oxford from July 30 to .August 23, covers a sufficient 

 range of subjects to appeal to the most diverse tastes. 

 Pure science scarcely takes the prominent place accorded 

 to it in previous years ; we notice, however, that one 

 section of the work arranged is entitled " Italy's Contribu- 

 NO. 2071, VOL. 81] 



tion to Science," and will include lectures on Galileo, 

 Vesalius and others, by such well-known authorities as 

 Prof. Osier, Prof. .\. Macalister, and Mr. Marconi. In 

 addition to the general course on Italy, lectures and classes 

 have been organised for economic and political science, and 

 a special class on practical map-making will be conducted 

 by Mr. N. F. MacKenzie. Application for tickets, and 

 all inquiries in connection with the meeting, should be 

 addressed to Mr. J. A. R. Marriott, University Extension 

 Office, Examination Schools, Oxford. 



We learn from the Pioneer Mail that a vesting order 

 relating to the Tata Research Institute has been issued. 

 The order recapitulates the bequests of the late Mr. Tata, 

 and enumerates other gifts which have been made for the 

 purposes of the institute ; it then proceeds to outline the 

 scheme for the government of the institute. The Viceroy 

 is to be an ex-officio patron, and the heads of local 

 Governments of India are included as vice-patrons. There 

 will be also a court of visitors, on which the Government 

 of India and the Government of Mysore will be repre- 

 sented, and Messrs. Tata, the sons of the benefactor, will 

 be members during their lives. The director-general of 

 education, the directors of public instruction to local 

 Governments, and professors of the institute will be ex- 

 oljicio members. There will be a council of twelve, a 

 senate, and a standing committee of the court of visitors. 

 The council, on which four professors will serve, will be 

 the executive body of the institute, its proceedings being 

 subject, however, to review by the standing committee 

 referred to. There are now, we learn from the same 

 source, ample resources at the disposal of the governing 

 bodv of the institute. The sum available for initial ex- 

 penditure includes building grants of 5 lakhs and 25 lakhs 

 respectively from the Mysore Durbar and the Government 

 of India 'respectively, with il lakhs from the Madras 

 Government to be spread over three years, and there are 

 in all 13 lakhs practically in Kand. As the endowment 

 is on a 'liberal scale, the 'financial future of the institute 

 is assured. It mav be added that the actual buildings are 

 estimated to cost Rs. 6,57,000. 



The new buildings of the University of Birmingham 

 were opened by the King and Queen yesterday as we went 

 to press. The following message upon this development 

 of university work has been sent by Mr. Chamberlain to 

 the Birmingham Gazette : — " The University formally 

 opened by their Majesties in person to-day is the crown- 

 ing point' of the work undertaken by our city, and endows 

 us" with an institution we have long contemplated.^ His 

 Majesty's consent, to perform the opening ceremony is one 

 more example of his constant interest in all that concerns 

 the welfare of his subjects. It singularly enhances the 

 importance of the occasion and distinguishes with his 

 Royal approval the work which has thus been accom- 

 plished. Nothing in the history of education in this 

 countrv is more surprising than the recent growth of 

 university institutions. Formerly our ancestors were 

 satisfied with the three universities of Oxford, Cambridge, 

 and Durham in the whole of England and Wales ; now 

 in the last twenty years we have added to them other 

 universities to provide for the wants of the towns and 

 districts which are of provincial importance, and we have 

 found that with the growth of these bodies has come the 

 demand for instruction of the higher kind. .Accordingly 

 in many towns a fully equipped university has been 

 established, and higher education has been placed within 

 reach of all. By the generosity of our citizens and the 

 munificence of some personal friends we in Birmingham 

 have been enabled to provide and equip the principal 

 technical departments of our university on a scale which 

 previously has been unattempted in this country ; but what 

 we have accomplished is only the beginning. Much still 

 remains to be done. The buildings are complete, and the 

 endowments are altogether Inadequate ; the foundations 

 have been laid, but the building up of the structure lies 

 with the citizens of Birmingham." 



A SCHEME is being developed to provide an interchange 

 of University students between the LTnited Kingdom. 

 Canada, and the United States. The object is to provide 

 opportunities for as many as possible of the educated 

 youth of these countries to obtain soine real insight into 



