134 



SCIENTIFIC NEV^^S. 



[Feb. 10, l£ 



fined to regions where fish of doubtful quality forms an 

 important part of the food of the inhabitants. This, 

 however, is a question which we must leave to our 

 medical contemporaries. 



A second product of these fisheries is manure. The 

 heads and backbones of all the cods, dried and salted, 

 and the entire bodies of inferior and damaged fishes, are 

 not, as formerly, thrown into the sea, but are collected 

 by small steamers which go round among the fleet of 

 fishing-boats and bring both this refuse and the livers at 

 once to shore. Here the refuse is thrown into mal- 

 odorous heaps until it can be attended to. For conver- 

 sion into manure it is dried, pressed strongly to extract 

 a coarse oil, and converted by grinding and sifting into a 

 powder. As there is no one to raise any objection, no 

 complaints are made concerning the somewhat offensive 

 nature of this process, and no deodorising substances are 

 employed. 



Judging from its composition, this fish-manure should 

 be about equal in efficacy to Peruvian guano in its earlier 

 days. Like guano, its ultimate source is fish. The only 

 difference is that Peruvian guano has been elaborated in 

 the digestive organs of sea-fowl, while the Norwegian 

 fish-manure has merely been pulverised by machinery. 



The third chief product obtained from the fisheries is 

 oil of two main kinds. There is the coarse, brown, evil- 

 smelling oil extracted by strong pressure from refuse 

 fish, and used principally by curriers ; and there is the 

 medicinal oil, colourless and scentless, obtained from the 

 livers of the fish. 



As regards cod-liver oil, there prevail a few misappre- 

 hensions. The oil, as it exists in the cells of the liver, 

 whilst perfectly fresh, is clear and colourless as water, 

 and is capable of being extracted in this state, if Laken in 

 hand at once ; but if the livers are allowed to lie and 

 enter into decomposition the oil first becomes of a light 

 brown, and then of a dark brown, and at the same time 

 it acquires an acrid, rancid taste. 



Here we find an explanation of the superiority of the 

 Norwegian cod-liver oil over that from Newfoundland. 

 The fisheries in the Lofotens are carried on often within 

 half an hour's sail of the land, and thus the livers of the 

 fish find their way to the manufactories before any 

 decomposition has set in, and the oil is drawn in its 

 original colourless, sweet condition. Such oil, it must be 

 admitted, is not always to be had in the retail trade. In 

 the hands of importers and dealers it undergoes certain 

 additions and manipulations, which improve neither its 

 taste nor its medicinal virtues. 



The Newfoundland fishing-smacks are often engaged 

 at the distance of a couple of days' sail from the coast, 

 and, as no collecting vessels go round the fleet to receive 

 the livers, these, if they reach land, are already turning 

 rancid. In addition, the extraction of the oil is not con- 

 ducted as carefully as it is done in Norway. There can 

 be, however, no doubt that the oil from Newfoundland 

 would equal the Norwegian make in quality if the livers 

 were collected with the same promptitude and if the 

 extraction were carried on with the same skill. 



About the end of January, or the earlier part of 

 February, the great army of cod-fish leave the Lofotens, 

 and appear at more northern places along the coast, 

 round the North Cape, and into the White Sea. The 

 fishermen follow, and we are told that there exists a 

 floating oil factory, which follows in their track. 



It is curious that mosquitoes should be troublesome 

 even on such storm-beaten rocks as the Lofotens. 



TRAINED INTELLIGENCE. 



THE competition of the present day has been well 

 defined as the competition of trained intelligence, 

 and it may be added that all the outcry which is now 

 being made in connection with technical and commercial 

 education has for its object the promotion of this trained 

 intelligence. There is no scarcity of intelligent workmen 

 in our isles, but the greater number of them are intelli- 

 gent by nature rather than by training. They have all 

 the knowledge of detail given them by experience and 

 practice, but have little of the knowledge of theory and 

 principle gained by education and scientific training. 

 Much has been said in disparagement of the British 

 workman of all callings and of all grades, and without 

 doubt many of the adverse reflections are in far too many 

 cases well merited. Most of us can recall instances of 

 leaks in roofs caused by men called in to mend them, of 

 drains arranged so as to flood our houses with sewer- 

 gas, of hot-water pipes and boilers admirably calculated 

 to explode violently, and so on. These are the results 

 of the want of trained intelligence, and it is for the 

 avoidance of these blunders that technical training is so 

 persistently advocated. In the meantime we can do 

 nothing but try to promote the cause of industrial educa- 

 tion as much as possible, and patiently await the advent 

 of the British workman of the future — the outcome of 

 technical training. 



PROPOSED TEACHING UNIVERSITY 

 FOR LONDON. 



The text of the petition to the Queen for the incorporation 

 of a Teaching University for London is now before the 

 public. The principal objects aimed at for the new 

 university are : — 



(i) The organization of University teaching in and for 

 London, in the form of a Teaching University, with 

 faculties of arts, science, laws, and medicine. 



(2) The association of University examinations with 

 University teaching and the direction of both by the same 

 authorities. 



(3) The conferring of a substantive voice in the govern- 

 ment of the University upon those engaged in the work 

 of University teaching and examination. 



(4) Existing institutions in London of University rank 

 not to be abolished or ignored, but to be taken as the 

 basis or component parts of the University, and either 

 partially or completely incorporated with the minimum 

 of internal change. 



(5) An alliance to be established between the Univer- 

 sity and the professional societies or corporations, the 

 Council of Legal Education as representing the Inns of 

 Court, the Royal College of Physicians of London, and 

 the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 



The petitioners pray in particular that a University 

 may be constituted in and for London, having power to 

 grant its own degrees in the faculties of arts, science, 

 laws, and medicine, and that your Majesty will be pleased 

 to make such orders in the premises as to your Majesty, 

 in your Royal wisdom and justice, may seem meet. 

 — "-i^i^K^^tf^ — 



The Largest Dynamo. — We learn from Iron that 

 what will prove to be the largest dynamo yet built is 

 shortly to be constructed in America for central station 

 electric lighting. It is to have an armature 42 feet in 

 diameter, and an output of 3,000,000 watts. 



