ing, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Marine; Geology; Botany; Physiology; Pathology; Bacteriology; Anatomy; Embryology; and the subjects of Medicine and Surgery in their numerous sub-divisions-received one endowment for a lectureship in Geology. Whereas in Arts subjects endowments were given for History and Archæology, Political Economy, French, German, Education and Constitutional Law and History, without regard to whether or not these subjects were taught with reference to the requirements of technical or commercial education. If this had been done genuinely in the interests of technical or commercial education, and Aberdeen in comparison with the other university centres had in this respect a specially urgent and pressing need, it would be only the discretion of the Trustees that was in dispute; but it was not. It is true that since the war the commercial community have realised the need of higher commercial education on a university level. These endowments were allocated long before the war, and the best proof that the needs of commercial education were not the consideration at the time of the allocation is that they are now being considered, and a Faculty of Commerce is in process of being brought into existence. The powers of the Trustees in law may be so great as to enable them to over-ride the claims of both science and technical or commercial education, in order to elevate Arts subjects that can in any way be regarded as cognate to the latter. But, if so, it would be sanguine to expect that anyone again will provide funds for the improvement and extension of the opportunities for scientific study and research in the universities of Scotland or in the efficacy of the law to accomplish the object when the funds are provided. The question being whether the Trust as constituted has in point of fact fulfilled the wishes and intentions of the founder, the second head of the Executive Committee's réply hardly calls for comment, except in so far as it raises a point of interest. At the date of the minute REMARKS BY PROFESSOR SODDY 229 7th January 1918-there were eight original nominated Trustees, and five subsequently appointed. The Rt. Hon. H. H. Asquith was appointed in 1909, W. J. Dundas, Esq., in 1914, the only three scientific members among the nominated Trustees having been appointed in 1917. There is still one vacancy, caused by the death of Lord Kinnear at the end of 1917, and when this has been filled up, it is hoped that the statement made to the effect that the vacancies have for the most part been filled by the appointment of men eminent in various branches of science-may continue to be true. FREDERICK SODDY. 9th February 1918. POSTSCRIPT ADDED BY PROFESSOR SODDY, "The papers announce that at the Annual Meeting of the Carnegie Trust held on 20th February 1918, the vacancy above referred to was filled by the appointment of Lord Sands, so that the British Science Guild will draw its own conclusion as to this misleading statement." F. S. |