September i6, 1909] 



NA TURE 



341 



at public-house bars and retail counters in working- 

 class neighbourhoods of London and the principal 

 towns of the United Kingdom, as well as from the 

 booths at fairs and markets in West of Ireland dis- 

 tricts. " There was no evidence of any deleterious 

 substance or adulteration of any kind," remarks the 

 principal chemist. 



The work done for " other Government depart- 

 ments " covered a very wide range of products. 

 From gold-braid to African coinage; from cordite- 

 jelly to poisoned trout, almost every conceivable 

 variety of article was submitted for analysis. There 

 is an account of feeding-stuffs sold by a firm of 

 millers, and found to consist wholly of sawdust and 

 gypsum ; wherefore the millers were mulcted in heavy 

 penalties. There is a story of " a firm of traders 

 doing a considerable business " who were found 

 practising extensive frauds with postage stamps. 

 " Proof of the fraud was given by one of the chemists 

 of the department, first at the Mansion House, and 

 afterwards at the Old Bailey, where the accused 

 persons were duly convicted and sentenced." 



Glimpses of tragedv also appear here and there. 

 Thus we read about the analysis of the air from an 

 underground chamber in which a post-office employ^ 

 had been asphyxiated; and about the examination of 

 a paint which gave off certain fumes, and apparently 

 brought about, indirectly, the electrocution of a work- 

 man. 



Foodstuffs, of course, figure largely in the report. 

 As regards imported butter, it would appear that the 

 legal proceedings taken three or four years ago have 

 had a beneficial effect in eliminating much of the 

 adulteration that was then practised. A similar re- 

 sult is also recorded in respect of preservatives in 

 cream. 



The foregoing are a few examples indicating the 

 nature of the year's work, though not altogether its 

 scope. Questions of brewing and distilling, the use 

 of duty-rree alcohol in manufactures, the purity of 

 tobacco, the sale of patent medicines, the efficacy of 

 sheep-dips, the trustworthiness of disinfectants, the 

 materials used in dangerous industries, water suoply, 

 and many similar matters were also dealt with, and 

 are dulv chronicled in the report. 



In relinquishing his post, Sir Edward Thorpe can 

 look back upon fifteen years of eminently useful ser- 

 vice to the State. Large and conflicting interests are 

 involved in the duties of his department; and to have 

 held the scales evenly between the claims of _ the 

 public services on the one hand, and the various 

 sections of the trading community on the other, is no 

 mean achievement. One question, however, sug- 

 gests itself at this juncture. Is it any longer of public 

 utility to retain the present grouping of what are 

 really several laboratories under one head? Looking 

 at what is done in other countries, should not the 

 Board of Agriculture, for example, have its own 

 separate chemical establishment, with a freer hand 

 for investigation and development than is readily 

 practicable under the present conditions? 



TUE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT WINNIPEG. 



SUBJOINED is a synopsis of grants of money ap- 

 propriated for scientific purposes by the general 

 committee at the Winnipeg meeting. The names of 

 members entitled to call on the general treasurer for 

 the grants are prefixed to the respective research 

 committees. 



Recommended by Council. 



£ 



Gill, Sir D. — Measurement of Arc in South Africa ... loo 

 Glazebrook, Dr. R. T.— Electrical Standards Report... loo 



NO. 2081, VOL. 81] 



Section A. — Mathematical and Physical Science. £ 



Turner, Prof. H. H. — Seismological Observations 60 



Shaw, Dr. W. N. — Upper Atmosphere 25 



Precce, Sir VV. H. — Magnetic Observations at Fal- 

 mouth 25 



Gill, Sir David — Establishing a Solar Observatory in 



Australia 50 



Section B. — Chemistry. 



Divers, Prof. E. — Study of Hydro-aromatic Substances 25 



Armstrong, Prof. H. E. — Dynamic Isomerism 35 



Kipping, Prof. F. S. — Transformation of Aromatic 



Nitramines IS 



Kipping, Prof. F. S. — Electro-analysis 15* 



Section C. — Geology. 



Barker, Dr. .\. — Crystalline Rocks of Anglesey i 



Gregory, Prof. J. VV. — Faunal Succession in the 



Carboniferous Limestone in British Isles 10 



Tiddeman, R. H. — Erratic Blocks 10 



Lapworth, Prof. C. — Palaeozoic Rocks 10 



Watts, Prof. VV. W. — Composition of Charnwood 



Rocks 2 



Watts, Prof. VV. VV. — Igneous and Associated Sedi- 

 mentary Rocks of Glensaul 15 



Gregory, Prof. J. W. — South African Strata 5 



Geikie, Prof. — Geological Photographs 10 



Strahan, Dr. \. — Fossils of Midland Counties 25 



Section D. — Zoology. 



Woodward, Dr. H. — Index -Animalium 75 



Hickson. Prof. S. J. — Table at the Zoological Station 



at Naples 75 



llerdman, Prof. W. A. — Hereditary Experiments 15 



Shipley, A. E. — Feeding Habits of British Birds 5 



Vincent, Dr. Swale — Prairie Fauna 15 



Section F. — Economic Science and Statistics. 

 Palgrave, R. H. Inglis — Gold Coinage in Circulation 



in the United Kingdom 6 



Cannan, Prof. E. — .'Vmount and Distribution of Income 13 



Section G. — Engineering. 

 Preece, Sir VV. H. — Gaseous Explosions 75 



Section H. — Anthropology. 



Munro, Dr. R. — Glastonbury Lake Village 5 



Myres, Prof. J. L. — Excavations on Roman Sites in 



Britain 5 



Read, C. H. — Age of Stone Circles 30 



Read, C. H. — Anthropological Notes and Queries 40 



Hogarth. D. G. — Researches in Crete 70 



Xidgeway, Prof. VV. — Neolithic Sites in Greece 5 



Section I. — Physiology. 



Sihafer, Prof. E. A.— The Ductless Glands 40 



Sherrington, Prof. C. S. — Body Metabolism in Cancer 20 

 Hickson, Prof. S. J.— Table at the Zoological Station 



at Naples ^S 



Waller, Dr. A. D. — Electromotive Phenomena in 



Plants 'o 



Waller, Dr. A. D.— .Anaesthetics 25 



Starling, Prof. E. H.— Tissue Metabolism 25 



Sherrington, Prof. C. S.— Mental and Muscular 



Fatigue ^° 



Starling. Prof. E. H.— Dissociation of Oxy-hsemo- 



globin 'S 



Section K. — Botany- 

 Scott. Dr. D. H.— Structure of Fossil Plants 10 



Darwin, Dr. F. --Experimental Study of Heredity 30 



Blackman, Dr. F. F.— Symbiosis between Turbellarian 



Worms and A\gx 5 



Johnson, Prof. T.— Survey of Clare Island 30 



Section L. — Education. 

 Magnus, Sir P.— Studies suitable for Elementary 



Schools S 



Corresponding Societies Committee. 

 Whitaker, VV^.— For Preparation of Report 20 



Total ••■• 1249 



