account of tlic laboratory and of sonni of the prin-
cijial apjiaratus and processes bcai’ing upon our
special liiu' of research is ahslracted iVom a c:ircl’ul
doscriiition jircparcd by Mr. Huchanan, which will
appear in full elsewlu'rc. IMie laboratory is 10 ft. l iii.
louii' hv oft. 3 in. wide and Oft. high. It is lighted
by a large sipiarc port and hy glass sashes in the
door and hulkhoad towards the inain-doek. The port
is closed by a Breneh window in two sashes opening
inwards. The littings consist of a AVorking bench, a
lockor-seat, a hlow-pipc table, a Avriting-tahle, and
drawers. The working bench lills up the space he-
tweon the port and the after bulkhead; it is 4ft.
long, 2 ft. Avide, and 3 ft. 10 in. high. It is built of
teak, the top in tAvo slabs 1^ in. thick, heloAV Avhicli
are arranged a nuinher of drawers and some shelves
for the reagents and apparatus in constant use. The
reagents are contained in bottles of four sizes, large
and small for liquids and large and small for solids,
Avith Hat stoppers. The large hold about 350 cc.
and the small 50 cc. The large bottles occupy three
draAvers divided into 18 compartments each, and the
small two draAvers each Avitli 60 compartments. A
number of small draAvers are fitted to receive the
everyday laboratory Avants,—filtering paper, bloAV-
pipe apparatus, corks, iiidia-ruhher, &c.; and one is
specially set apart for nails, screAvs, and hooks, things
not Avithout their uses in a laboratory on shore and
absolutely indispensable at sea, where every article,
even the smallest, must not only have its place but
must be secured in it.
The top of the bench is fitted Avith shifting battens
to keep things from falling off, and at one corner a
leaden sink is let inio it, eoinnmnienting witli the
sea, hy a pipe which passes tlirough a, sciifipor.
llie locker-scat stretches across the forward (uid of
the lahorntory. It is 5 ft. I) in. long, 2 ft. 6 in. wide,
and 2 (t. high, and is dividcsd into thrc(!compartments
for the storage of apparatus not in constant use.
I'lio top of the locker is cushioned, and serves for a
lounge; and above it arc two hook-shclvcs stocked
witli hooks of reference in chemistry, physics, and
geology.
The hlow-pipc table is 2 ft. 9 in. high and 17 in.
square, and carries a folding leaf The helloAvs are circular,
8 in. in diameter, and the table is so fixed near
the inner bulkhead that they can ho conveniently
Avorked from the locker-seat.
The w’riting-tahle can be raised for use or folded
down out of the w’ay at pleasure. It is close to the
Avindow, 2 ft. 6 in. long, hy 21 in. wide. Every available
wall space is occupied hy shelves, and when
standing at the working bench one has the glass
apparatus in ordinary use such as beakers, flasks,
test-tubes, &c., conveniently arranged on shelves to
the right hand and behind him. As in the natural
history work-room deep shelves are run along the
beams, and these serve for the stowage of glass
tubing, note-hooks, portfolios, and miscellaneous
articles. On Avall-spaces not adapted for shelves
small articles are fixed hy hooks or nails, or in Avhat-
ever way is most suitable, to he ready at hand. A
convenient way of stowdng glass tubes, small pipettes,
parts of larger apparatus, &c., as well as pens and
pencils, is to slit up a piece of india-rubber tubing
an inch or so long of suitable bore, and fix it to the