86 



NATURE 



[July 15, 1909 



so long. Thr whole difficulty is Ihe very prosaic difficulty, 

 I fear, of money and land. Tfie South Kensington area, 

 which now contains some of the most remarkable collections 

 and some of the most valuable buildings in the world, has 

 been very rapidly occupied. We cannot go south because 

 of the Natural History .Museum, and we are blocked on the 

 north by the Imperial Institute, the Royal College of 

 Science, and some of the other buildings, and I cannot at 

 the moment see in what direction it will be possible for us 

 to expand. The magnificent work which has been done in 

 the direction of art on the other side of the road certainlv 

 sets the pace, and I recognise with you that it is pressingly 

 necessary that we should have a new building for our 

 great science collection at the earliest possible date. The 

 question of funds is affected to some extent bv the hint 

 thrown out by Sir Henry Roscoe of assistance from the 

 1S51 Commissioners. I cannot imagine any better work 

 to which the Commissioners could devote their funds than 

 in giving assistance in the construction of new buildings. 

 For the moment I will say no more than that I will trans- 

 mit to my colleagues and lay before the Cabinet, the Prime 

 Minister, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer the verv 

 valuable statement which you made, and I will use my own 

 personal influence, for whatever it may be worth, to irnpress 

 on them the necessities of the case. 



ESKDALEMUIR OBSERVATOKY.' 

 ■yUE have received the annual report of the observatory 

 department of the National Physical Laboratory for 

 the year 1908, which is noteworthy as being the first report 

 issued since the establishment of the new magnetic and 

 meteorological observatory at liskdalemuir. Readers of 

 Nature will be aware that the advent of electric tramways 

 to the neighbourhood of the observatory at Kew has greatly 

 interfered with magnetic work there. The new establish- 

 ment in Dumfriesshire is far removed from all industrial 

 undertakings, and will thus be free from disturbing effects 

 due to artificial causes. 



So far as Eskdalemuir is concerned, the past year has 

 been one of installation and experiment, and the report 

 contains no results of observations. The superintendent, 

 Mr. G. W. Walker, went into residence on May ii, 1908,' 

 and was followed shortly after by his staff, comprising 

 observer, computer, mechanic, and inechanic's assistant. 

 The first instruments to be set up were the Elliot unifilar 

 magnetometer and the Dover dip circle, which were 

 given to the laboratory by Sir .Arthur Riicker. They are 

 the instruments which were used bv the donor and 'Prof. 

 Thorpe in their magnetic survey o'f the liritish Isles in 

 1890. The first absolute measurements of horizontal force, 

 declination, and inclination were made on May 29 and 

 were continued for eight weeks, when some changes 

 became necessary. Observations, made three times a week, 

 were resumed in October, and have since formed part of 

 the routine work of the observatory. The final determina- 

 tion of the azimuth of the fixed mark awaits the com- 

 pletion of the arrangements for the time signal. 



The recording apparatus consists of a set of Eschenhagen 

 magnetographs and a set of Kew pattern magnetographs 

 made for the observatory by Mr. P. Adie. The former 

 belong to the Admiralty, and are those used at the Dis- 

 covery's winter quarters in 1902-4. Owing to damp the 

 magnetic house could not be used immediately, and the 

 instruments had to be accommodated elsewhere. The 

 Eschenhagen recorders were set up temporarily in the 

 seismograph room. The Adie instruments were accommo- 

 dated in the general laboratory, but the warping of the 

 wooden supports has made satisfactory compensation for 

 temperature changes impossible, and the point will have 

 to be taken up again when the instruments are removed 

 to their permanent positions. 



For seismological work a twin-boom Milne seismograph 

 IS in use. Regular records have been obtained since 

 September 24. Provision has also been made for carry- 

 ing on the work of a meteorological observatory or station 

 of the first order. The photographic barograph and wet- 



' The.National Physical Laboratory. Rep.itt of the Ohserva'orv Ucrart- 

 mem_ Richmond, Surrey, and of the Observatory, Eskrlalemuir. Lmeholm 

 Uumlnesshire, for the Year 1908, with Appendices. Pp. 53. (Teddingloni 



NO. 2072, VOL. 81] 



and dry-bulb thermograph have been lent by the Meteor- 

 ological OtYice. They are the identical instruments which 

 were formerly in use at Fort William Observatory, the 

 base station of Ben Nevis. A Dines pressure-tube anemo- 

 meter, a Beckley autographic rain-gauge, a Campbell- 

 Stokes sunshine recorder, and barograph and thermograph 

 of Richard pattern complete the outfit of ordinary meteor- 

 ological instruments. Provision has, of course, been made 

 for the usual control readings and for eye observations of 

 weather phenomena. An .Angstrom compensation pyrhelio- 

 meter has also been set up, and preparation has been made 

 for recording the atmospheric electrical potential. 



At Kew the usual observing and testing work has been 

 continued. Summaries of the magnetic and meteorological 

 work are given in the appendix. The results of measure- 

 ments of solar radiation with an .Angstrom pvrheliometer, 

 and of the temperature of the soil at depths of i foot and 

 4 feet, are given for the first time. The examination of 

 the apparatus to be used at Eskdalemuir has formed an 

 important part of the year's work, and we note also that 

 Mr. W. Dubinsky, of the Pavlovsk Observatory, spent 

 some time at Kew for the purpose of making comparisons 

 between the Kew standard magnetometers and barometer 

 and the standards in use in Russia. These comparisons 

 were carried out in accordance with a general scheme for 

 the international comparison of standards approved by the 

 last International Meteorological Conference. The report 

 concludes with the usual summaries of the magnetic results 

 obtained at the observatories at Falmouth and Valencia. 



THE IMPERIAL CANCER RESEARCH FUND. 

 'X'HE annual meeting of the general committee of the 

 Imperial Cancer Research Fund was held on July 9 

 at Marlborough House, when the Prince of Wales, the 

 president of the organisation, took the chair. 



The follow-ing are extracts from the report, w'hich was 

 adopted at the meeting : — 



During the past year further correspondence took 

 place with the authorities of the International Society for 

 Cancer Research in Berlin, in which it has been suggested 

 that the executive committee should re-consider the atti- 

 tude hitherto adopted and join the International Society ; 

 and offering that the first International Congress should be 

 held in London. The executive committee is of opinion 

 that the decision arrived at is in the best interests of the 

 scientific investigation of cancer, and accordingly it adhered 

 to its position. At a subsequent date a petition was pre- 

 sented by the International Society for Cancer Research. in 

 Germany to the King, as patron of the Imperial Cancer 

 Research Fund, asking that the decision might be re- 

 viewed, but His Majesty, after considering the facts sub- ' 

 mitted to him through the Foreign Office, expressed the 

 view that the Imperial Cancer Research Fund has 

 cooperated freely in the past, both with German and other 

 foreign workers, and will continue to do so in the future. 



It may be well to recall in this connection the extent to 

 which the Imperial Cancer Research Fund has encouraged 

 the investigations of independent workers both at home 

 and abroad. As is well known, the material for experi- 

 mental research is difficult and costly to obtain, and is. 

 beyond the reach of many who, but for the help given 

 from this fund, would be debarred from participation in 

 this branch of the research. Recognising that such help 

 must be of the first importance, it has been the aim of the 

 general superintendent. Dr. E. F. Bashford, . with the 

 entire concurrence of the executive committee, to distribute 

 to all applicants who possess the necessary credentials the 

 material accumulated with much labour and expense. 



.\ satisfactory feature of the past year . has been the 

 recognition of the work of the fund by foreign investiga- 

 tors, as is shown by the number of applicants for per- 

 mission to work under the general superintendent. It has 

 been found impossible to . concede all the requests, but 

 gentlemen from Italy, Bukarest, Xew Vork. and Munich 

 have been accorded full .liberty to pursue their researches 

 In the laboratories supported from the fund, and every 

 facility has been given them. Special arrangements have 

 also been granted to other, workers to pursue certain 

 specific investigallons, and to certain foreign medical men 

 to study the methods during a short visit to this country. 



