5° 



NATURE 



[Nov. 13, 1879 



M. Ferry, the Minister for Public Instruction, enabling him to 

 take with him a trained botanist. In his last address before the 

 Geographical Society of Paris he entered into many interesting 

 details showing that the negro populations of the region he is to 

 visit were half-civilised races susceptible of intercourse with 

 European nations. 



The public subscription for M. Miclucho-Maclay gives very 

 good results. On November I the sum had already reached, at 

 the Golos office alone, above 2,7S6 roubles (about 27S/.) 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCA TIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Cambridge. — The anniversary dinner of the Cambridge 

 Philosophical Society is to take place in the new hall of Pem- 

 broke College on November 29, at 7.15, under Prof. Newton's 

 presidency. The occasion will be clouded by many memories of 

 Professors Maxwell and Garrod. 



The Botanic Gardens Syndicate are to obtain plans and esti- 

 mates for the erection of a curator's house in the Garden. 



There is much questioning as to Dr. Power's justification for 

 regarding the coming changes as a " revolution," especially in 

 laying down the office of Vice-Chancellor. A reform in which 

 the University concurs to a great extent can hardly be regarded 

 with such grave anxiety. Dr. Power, in the speech referred to, 

 said that the new comparative anatomy buildings had been for a 

 considerable period in use, although the dispute as to the re- 

 spective liabilities of the Universily, the architect, and the con- 

 tractors for the accident to the roof and floors is not yet settled. 

 The recent addition to the rooms for human anatomy had proved 

 satisfactory. Dr. Power again warned the University of the 

 rapid rate of increase of permanent expenditure and the very 

 uncertain nature of the income, depending so largely on the fees 

 and dues from members of the University. He acknowledged 

 that the department of chemistry had been existing on a starva- 

 tion allowance, and that some professors and lecturers had been 

 paying heavy expenses out of the ! r own pockets rather than 

 make fresh deu.ands on the already overburdened finances of 

 the University. 



Dr. E. H. Perowne enjoys the singular felicity of having 

 become Master of Corpus Christi and Vice-Chancellor in one 

 year. Mr. G. F. Browne, the senior proctor, desires to main- 

 tain strongly the college system as against the lodging-house 

 system, especially in regard to discipline. But this would not 

 involve any diminution in the urgent need for more thorough 

 University science teaching, and the more complete recognition 

 as a duty, of banishing the mere schoolboy and the idler, or the 

 mere athlete, to the schools or elsewhere, instead of employing 

 such ability as is here set to lecture in the ABC of subjects. 



At Christ's College it is proposed to give open scholarships 

 and exhibitions in natural science for entrance in October, 18S0, 

 by examination on Friday, March 19, and following days. He 

 must show that he will probably be able to pass the "Little-go" 

 at latest by the end of his third term of residence. A candidate 

 may gain a scholarship for mathematics or classics in combina- 

 tion with natural science. No candidate will be admitted who 

 has kept any actual terms by residence, but there will be no 

 limitation of age- In mathematics there will be papers in 

 Euclid, algebra, plane trigonometry, and conic sections, geo- 

 metrical and analytical. Candidates for natural science scholar- 

 ships must all take chemistry, and also either physics or biology 

 in addition. The principles of spectrum analysis are included 

 in theoretical chemistry, physical measurements and manipula- 

 tions in physics ; also statics, dynamics, optics, heat, and elec- 

 tricity ; in biology the conditions are exceedingly well stated, 

 3.S— physiology : Fundamental principles of the chief physio- 

 logical proces-es of plants and animals ; general histology of their 

 principal organs ; Morphology : Fundamental principles of 

 morphology as illu-trated by forms representing the principal 

 classes of the vegetable and animal kingdoms ; principles of the 

 classification of plants and animals ; practical microscopical 

 examination of the various tissues ; dissection and description of 

 typical plants and animals. The examinations will be held in 

 common with those at Emmanuel and Sidney Sussex Colleges, 

 as before. 



The last Report of the Board of Natural Sciences Studies was 

 to be offered for confirmation to-day (Thursday), at 2 P.M., 

 and it was expected to be non-placeted, although it might be 

 carried on a division. 



Prof. Burdon-Sanderson announces that he will begin a 

 course of weekly lectures at University College, Gower Street, 

 to ladies, on physiology, on Friday (he 21st, at 4 P.M. The 

 first lecture will be public. 



Mr. P. R. Scott Lang, M.A., B.Sc, F.R.S.E., who has- 

 for some years been assistant to the Professor of Natural Philo- 

 sophy — Prof. Tait — in the University of Edinburgh, has been 

 appointed by the Queen to the chair of mathematics in the 

 University of St. Andrews. 



Mr. Mark Firth has signified his wish to found a chair of 

 chemistry in connection with Firth College, Sheffield. He pro- 

 poses to invest a sum sufficient to produce an annual income of 

 150/., and this, together with the fees of students, will amount, 

 it is believed, to a sufficient sum. Mr. Firth proposes that the 

 appointment shall be first filled by Dr. Carnelly, Owens College, 

 Manchester. 



Those of our readers interested in the higher education of 

 girls may be glad to know that a Calendar of Queen's College, 

 Harley Street, has been published. 



The Golos learns, according to the Times Berlin correspondent, 

 that the Russian Government intends thoroughly changing the 

 statutes of the University of Dorpat, in Livonia, that strong 1 

 bulwark of German science and culture. Among the proposed 

 alterations now under consideration in the Imperial Council, the 

 chief one aims at restricting certain liberties hitherto enjoyed by 

 German-speaking students and subjecting them to police sur- 

 veillance similar to that now in force at all other Russian 

 Universities. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The American Journal of Science and Arts, October. — An 

 examination of the chemical composition of amblygonite, by 

 Mr. Penfield, leads him to give a new and more simple formula 

 for the mineral. He shows that the hydroxyl group in ambly- 

 gonite is isomorphous with fluorine. — From general geological 

 sections in Iowa, Mr. McGee concludes that residuary clays and 

 others of equal compactness were ] assed over by a thick ice- 

 sheet with or without serious disturbance, and that the plane of 

 contact between glacial drift and subjacent residuary clay is not 

 always clearly defined. — Mr. Dale describes a peculiar fault at 

 Rondout. — The first portion of a research, by Mr. Gibbs, on the 

 vapour densities of peroxide of nitrogen, formic acid, acetic acid, 

 and perchloride of phosphorus, is given, and the two remaining 

 papers are from English publications (Crookes on radiant matter, 

 and Diaper on oxygen in the sun). 



The American Naturalist, October. — John A. Ryder, an account 

 of a newgenus of minute pauropod myriapod(with figures). — Wm. 

 Barbeck, on microscopical fungi attacking our cereals.— C. L. 

 Herrick, fresh-water entomostraca (describes and figures Diap- 

 tomus longicornis, n.sp.). — S. K. Lum, notes on the thrushes 

 of the Washington Territory. — John Ford, the leather-turtle. — 

 S. L. Frey, Were they mound-builders ? — Recent literature : 

 Proceedings of scientific societies. 



The American Quarterly Microscopical Journal, vol. i. No. 4. 

 — Prof. S. A. Forbes, on some sensory structures of young dog- 

 fishes.— Dr. C. L. Anderson, spores with a spore glossary.— Dr. 

 1. 1. Woodward, on the oblique illuminator, and on a new 

 apertometer. — F. H. Wenham, on Prof. Smith's apertometer. 

 — lohn Mayall, on measuring aperture. — R. Hitchcock, aper- 

 ture, angular and numerical. — J. D. Hyatt, on the tongue ot the 

 honey-bee. — Thomas Taylor, on oleomargarine and butter. — W. 

 C. Hubbard, Haeckel v. Virchow.— Prof. Stowell, the origin 

 and death of the red blood-corpuscle.— B. Eyfertb, on the 

 simplest forms of life. — An announcement from the publishers 

 states "that the existence of the Quarterly ceases with this 

 number." The editor found that it would be impossible for him. 

 to give the journal the necessary supervision during the coming 

 year, hence the necessity of this suspension. 



Journal of the Franklin Institute, October.— Prof. Thurston 

 here publishes an investigation of the strength of American 

 timber, several varieties of which (white and yellow pine, locust,, 

 black walnut, white ash, white and live oak) were submitted to 

 testing machines in the Stevens Institute. The results show 

 that American timber has a constructive value equal, if not 

 decidedly superior, to European timber. (The numbers were 

 almost invariably higher than those of Barlow, Tredgold, or 



