ture correction were considerably in error the consequence could hardly be a regular annual variation, but merely an increased probable error in each individual observation. A second source of uncertainty is that the probable error in an absolute observation and its comparison with the corresponding curve value is somewhat large compared to the annual inequality it is desired to measure. The number of observations, some twenty, on which the mean for each month of the mean year depends may seem sufficiently large to render any mere observational error insignificant. It must be remembered, however, that on a considerable number of the days of absolute observation there proves to have been a good deal of magnetic movement. Sometimes the disturbance has been such as to render it necessary to discard the observation entirely, and in other cases there is appreciable uncertainty as to what is the true length of the curve ordinate to be taken as answering to the observed absolute value. This will be readily understood of the horizontal force, an absolute observation of which lasts usually over an hour. The result of the absolute observation is a species of mean value, to which some portions of the time occupied by the observation contribute more than others. The determinations of the declination are less subject to uncertainties of this sort; but on the other hand the range of its annual inequality seems to bear a much smaller ratio to the secular variation than in the case of the horizontal force. § 18. The natural outcome of the second class of errors would obviously be a series of fictitious discontinuities in passing from one month to another of a year. As a matter of fact there did appear an unnatural amount of fluctuation in the figures obtained for the annual inequalities from the mean values answering to the middle of the months. To get rid of this I have deduced the annual inequalities in the following table, X., from a series of values, each of which is the arithmetic mean of the actually observed means of two consecutive months. These arithmetic means are attributed to the first day of the second month of the two. The first two columns of the table give the departures from the mean for the year of the actually observed means for the individual months; so that anyone who prefers to deduce the annual inequalities from these can easily do so. I ought to explain that in calculating Table X. some slight differences were introduced from the declination results for 1890 published in the Kew •Report.' The declination curves for that year had been standardised by treating as a whole the absolute observations and corresponding curve measurements throughout the year, instead of taking each month separately. I have thought it best to remove this peculiarity of treatment, referring for the purpose to the absolute observations for the year, of which, of course, the record remained. The numerically greatest and least values in the annual inequality columns are in heavy type. The ranges given by Table X. for the annual inequalities, viz., 1'-22 for the declination and 10-6 × 129 for the horizontal force, would be increased to 1'52 and 10-6 x 141 respectively if the monthly means, for the middle of each month, were taken and corrected for secular variation. § 19. The results obtained for the annual inequalities are much smoother and more consistent than might have been expected; but taking into account the smallness of the apparent ranges, and the fact that the TABLE X.-Differences from Mean for Year commencing on January 1. measurement of the curves proceeds only to the nearest 0'1 in the case of the declination, and to the nearest 1 x 10-5 in the case of the horizontal force, I do not think too much confidence should be placed upon details. The results for the annual inequality of declination show unquestionably a good general agreement with those deduced by General Sabine 1 from the undisturbed readings of the Kew magnetograph during the five years 1858-62. General Sabine's own paper treated each week of the mean year separately; but a summary giving mean results for the several months appears on p. 76 of Walker's 'Terrestrial and Cosmical Magnetism,' where there is an interesting discussion of the question. According to the summary, General Sabine's results made the annual inequality negative from May to August inclusive, and positive throughout the rest of the year, the range amounting to almost exactly 2'. From General Sabine's own table one would deduce a principal maximum of westerly declination in the latter half of October, with a second and only slightly smaller maximum early in December, whilst the easterly movement was conspicuously largest about the middle of July. The times at which General Sabine observed the inequality to change sign are substantially in accord with Table X.; and if the range he observed was decidedly larger, this might be associated with the fact that the secular variation during the epoch he dealt with was greater than during 1890-94. In case this agreement should be referred to identity of apparatus, it may be as well to mention that the declination magnet employed for the absolute observations at Kew of late years came into use only in the beginning of 1890. A comparison of the declination results with those at other British stations is unfortunately by no means so reassuring. For Dublin the annual inequality got out from the mean of the years 1842-50 by Dr. Lloyd 2 makes the westerly declination below the mean from December to June, and gives a range exceeding 4'. There are also conspicuous differences between Table X. and the Greenwich results obtained by Sir Phil. Trans. for 1863, p. 292. 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. 2 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 :— |