1

G. B. Airy from the two periods 1841-47 and 1848-57. The results for these two periods, however, it must be said, differ widely between themselves, the range deduced from the first being nearly thrice that deduced from the second period.

Thinking more light desirable in the face of these discordances, I got out the annual inequality for the mean of the five years 1887-91 from the results published annually in Table XI. of the Greenwich Magnetical and Meteorological Observations.' Proceeding as in Table X., i.e. taking means for the first of each month, and applying the secular correction 6'4 deduced from the Greenwich tables, I obtain an inequality whose resemblances to that shown in Table X. are not more conspicuous than the divergences.

The largest easterly declination appears in April-May, the largest westerly declination in September-October, and the range, 0'6, is even smaller than in Table X. Against these comparative agreements must, however, be set the fact that the first three months of the year show an easterly departure from the mean.

The divergences in the results obtained for the annual inequality of declination do not, of course, necessarily imply that any of them are erroneous. The phenomena at any one station might not unnaturally present considerable variations-at least in range-from year to year; and it is conceivable that local influences may be more effective in this than in other phenomena. It has also to be borne in mind that the data employed at the several stations were selected on different principles. Still, I am doubtful whether any more definite conclusion should be drawn than that the annual inequality of declination near London is at present a very small quantity.

6

§ 20. The annual inequality of horizontal force shown in Table X. is, comparatively speaking, large and unmistakable; its range is a large fraction of the secular variation. In this instance there is a very fair agreement with the results given on pp. 166, 167 of Lloyd's Treatise' for Dublin on the mean of the years 1841-50, the most conspicuous difference being that the Dublin range was some 50 per cent. in excess of that given by Table X.

The only previous determinations, so far as I know, of the annual variation of the horizontal force at Kew are those of General Sabine 2 and Dr. Balfour Stewart,3 for the epochs 1857-62 and 1863-68 respectively. The former found the horizontal force, corrected for secular change, to be on an average about 00012 C.G.S. units higher in summer than in winter, while the latter found no difference. This divergence might be attributed to the epochs considered being different; but I feel considerable doubt as to the data employed having being adequate. They appear to have been in both cases simply the results of the absolute observations, uncorrected by reference either to the magnetograph curves or to the diurnal variation.

In conclusion, I have much pleasure in acknowledging my indebtedness to Mr. T. W. Baker, chief assistant, and Mr. R. S. Whipple, librarian at Kew Observatory, for explanations as to the methods of standardising the magnetic curves at Kew, and for other valuable information and assistance.

1 Phil. Trans. for 1863, p. 314.

Phil. Trans. for 1863, pp. 298, 299. Proc. Roy. Soc., vol. xviii. 1870, pp. 238, 239.

The Teaching of Science in Elementary Schools.-Report of the Committee, consisting of Dr. J. H. GLADSTONE (Chairman), Professor H. E. ARMSTRONG (Secretary), Professor W. R. DUNSTAN, Mr. GEORGE GLADSTONE, Sir JOHN LUBBOCK, Sir PHILIP MAGNUS, Sir H. E. ROSCOE, and Professor S. P. THOMPSON.

Ar the meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, held at Sheffield in 1879, a Committee was appointed with reference to the examination in the scientific specific subjects of the Code in Elementary Schools. Mr. Mundella was the first Chairman, but he was unable to continue such, as he shortly afterwards became Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education. The Committee was reappointed next year, with the object of reporting on the manner in which rudimentary science should be taught, as well as examined. In 1881 the Committee was again reappointed to watch and report on the working of the proposed Revised New Code, and of other legislation affecting the teaching of science in Elementary Schools. In November of that year the Committee agreed upon certain recommendations, which were adopted by the Council of the Association and transmitted to the Education Department. The Government adopted some of these recommendations in whole or in part. Since that date the Committee has been continued annually, and has regularly reported on the progress of the teaching of natural science in Elementary Schools. It has also used its influence in respect of the great question of technical instruction, the formation of school museums, Evening Continuation Schools, and other matters that have come before the Legislature. When the Royal Commission on Elementary Education was sitting, the Council of the British Association adopted a Resolution of this Committee, authorising one of its members to give evidence before the Commission, which was done accordingly. The question of the method of teaching science to classes of young children has also been considered recently, and formed part of the Report of the Committee. As the object of this Committee more directly affects those sections which deal with natural science, it was reappointed last year under the auspices of Section B.

With regard to the progress of scientific instruction in Elementary Schools, the number of departments of schools in which the following class subjects were examined by Her Majesty's Inspector during the eight years 1882 to 1890, when English was obligatory, were as follows:

Class Subjects.-Departments 1882-83 1883-84 1884-85 1885-86 1886-87 1887-88 1888-89 1889--90

The numbers during the last four years, when managers and teachers

have had full liberty of choice, have been as follows:

It will be noticed that during the former period, while the study of English Grammar increased with the natural increase of schools, the study of scientific subjects positively decreased; but since that time, while Grammar has steadily declined, Geography and Elementary Science have increased.

The number of departments in 'schools for older scholars' for the year 1893-94 was 22,779, of which 111 did not take any class subject, leaving 22,668 as the number of departments with which the foregoing table has to deal. But it must be borne in mind that History is taken in 2,972, and Needlework (for girls) in 7,675 departments, making, with the other three subjects in the table, 44,144 in all. This shows an average of nearly two class subjects to each department. As, however, there were no less than 5,975 departments in which only one class subject was taken, it is evident that the plan of teaching one subject in the lower division of a school and another subject in the upper division, thus counting twice over in the statistical table, is largely adopted. This is further borne out by the fact that, while only two class subjects are allowed to be taken by any individual scholar, there are 4,388 departments in which three, and 197 in which four or five, of these class subjects are taught. That Elementary Science is taught in 1,215 departments must, therefore, be accepted with the reservation that, in many cases perhaps, it is only a portion of the school that gets the benefit of this instruction.

The number of scholars examined in the scientific specific subjects during the eight years 1882-90 has been as follows:

Specific Subjects.-Children 1882-83 1883-84 1884-85 1885-86 1886-87 1887-88 1888-89 1889-90

The numbers in the last column of table on p. 230 reveal a general advance ; but the most marked proportional increase is to be found in the number of scholars taking Chemistry and Magnetism and Electricity. The numbers during the last four years are :—

With regard to the teaching of Mechanics, which has attained a development, within the last few years, far greater in proportion than any other of the scientific subjects, it is very satisfactory to note that of the 21,532 scholars above enumerated, no less than 3,407 had reached the third stage of the syllabus, while 7,296 were examined in the second stage. Considering how rapidly the elder children drop out of school after they have passed the legal Standard of exemption, these figures augur well for the value placed upon the instruction in this subject, which has become almost a speciality of the London, Liverpool, Birmingham, and some of the other large School Boards, and which is almost entirely carried on by special instructors on the peripatetic system.

The sudden rise of more than 50 per cent. in the last two years in the number of students in Chemistry does not admit of any such proportion being found in the later stages; but considerably over one-fourth of the whole were examined in the second and third stages. The recognition of the importance of experimental teaching is leading to the establishment of well-appointed laboratories by some of the School Boards, such as those of Hove and Handsworth, which can be made to serve also for the teaching of this science in the Evening Continuation Schools.

Estimating the number of scholars in Standards V., VI., and VII. at 570,000, the percentage of the number examined in these specific subjects as compared with the number of children qualified to take them is 20.9; but it should be remembered that many of the children take more than one subject for examination. The following table gives the percentage for each year since 1882 :

The returns of the Education Department given above refer to the whole of England and Wales, and are for the school years ending with August 31. The statistics of the London School Board are brought up to the year ending with Lady Day, 1895. They also illustrate the great advance that has been made in the teaching of Elementary Science as a class subject, and they give the number of children as well as the number of departments.

The total number of departments for 'older scholars' under the London School Board at the last-named date was 820, so that in just over onefourth of the whole the teaching of Elementary Science has been introduced into the curriculum.

The number of schools under the London School Board that are now working in accordance with the syllabus of Elementary Physics and Chemistry given in the day and evening schools Codes is steadily increasing, and the work as it becomes better understood by the teachers is naturally being better taught. About thirty schools under the Board will be engaged in this work after the summer vacation, all of which are supplied with the necessary apparatus. The old system of peripatetic experimental lectures by a demonstrator has been practically superseded in the divisions of Tower Hamlets and Hackney. The scholars are not now dependent on a brief inspection of apparatus once a fortnight or three weeks, but can use it at any opportunity given by the master of the class.

The enormous size of the classes-often 120-is, however, a serious obstacle to the success of a scheme designed to cultivate the reasoning faculties rather than the acquirement of knowledge of scientific facts and theories; in this sense it cannot be said that the scheme has yet had a fair trial. Very much depends on the individual ability and enthusiasm of the teacher, much more so than under the old system; so that in most cases the work is not satisfactorily carried on if the teacher himself has not been through the whole course practically before he begins to teach it; in fact, the Science and Art system has left its mark so deeply engraved on many teachers' minds that it takes some time to instil more modern notions into them.

The alteration in the system of inspection, though beneficial in all subjects of school curriculum, will have an especially useful effect in the teaching of science. Under the new conditions the work must be done more thoroughly, and the subjects of the syllabus evenly distributed over the year, thus preventing the rush and cram of revision in the period immediately preceding the annual examination.

The training of teachers being, as above stated, the all-important factor in securing the success of this scheme, more facilities are required for bringing together the older teachers to form normal practical classes. In considering the establishment of such classes it must be remembered that teachers, already out of their training course, give their time volun