The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-01 00:00:00

GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL.

The Lord President of the Privy Council acknow-
ledges the importance of the question of some amend-
ment of the laws which regulate the medical profes-
sion. A letter on the subject from Mr. John Simon,
on behalf of the medical department of the Privy Coun-
cil has been addressed to the President of the General
Medical Council which is now sitting. The Lord
President expresses his pleasure in any prospect of
State co-operation with the Council with regard to
any matters tending to promote the development of
the medical profession, but at the same time he will not
bring any bill before Parliament, unless he is sure that it
will ensure a settlement of the question. His lord-
ship's opinion on the chief points to be discussed
seems to be identical with that of the Council. He
advocates the raising of the standard of examination
for the admission of candidates to a qualification for
legal practice. When it is considered that the raising
of standard means nothing less than the saving
of countless lives, and the diminution of a large
amount of suffering, the importance of the powers
conferred on this Council will be recognised by all.

rttit the --of £150,000 hai been
increased by rents and interest to the extent of
£20,809. After the payment of necessary expenses,
there remained in hand at the end of last year
£175,079. The second donation of £200,000 has
been increased by interest to the extent of £9,471,
and under the provisions of the two trusts, land
has been purchased in Spitalfields, Islington, Shad-
well, Westminster, Chelsea, Brixton, and South-
wark. The first five of these sites are already occu-
pied by dwellings. The third donation of £150,000
will not become available until 1873. These dwell-
ings are doing very good work. At Shadwell trade
is depressed, and many apartments are vacant ;
but in every other district the demand for accommo-
dation is in excess of the supply. The four groups of
buildings under the first trust supply habitations for
498 families.

THE ROAD STEAMER.
Mr. R. W. Thomson, C.E., of Edinburgh, has in-
vented a road steamer, whose operations are thus
described :—lt runs over hard roads and paved
streets without jolting, over soft roads without sink-
ing, and over muddy roads without slipping. It can
run with equal ease over grass fields, through
ploughed fields, upon ice, through loose sand, and over
frozen snow. Though small and light itself, it climbs
the severest gradients and draws enormous loads. The
wheels, which are of great width, are surrounded by
tires of vulcanised india-rubber. These thick bands
of india-rubber enable the road-steamer to float over
the surface of the ground without the slightest
damage to the road, while they likewise protect the
machinery from all concussion. .The intervention of
the elastic tires between the wheel and the road acts,
in fact, in the same way as if the en4ize were running
over a tramway of india-rubber.

A SCH OOL FOR TELEGRAPHY.
The postal authorities have established a new
school for telegraphy. The aim is to turn out a
number of highly-trained telegraphists, it having been
found that external tuition is not so trustworthy as it
might be. A preliminary examination in general
educational acquirements has to be submitted to by
entrants, and nominations will in future be through
the Postmaster-General. The Princess Claudine of
Teck has paid, a visit to the school.