Candlegrease.

P. W. Robertson read a paper at the meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science on "the Distillation of Fatty Acids in the Manufacture of Candles," a subject not suggestive of anything but candlegrease and darkness to our ears. The President of the Association, however, seems to have regarded the paper as quite a luminous document. In the course of an interview with a "Lyttelton Times" reporter, Professor David is reported to have said that amount the papers dealing with pure science, one that attracted much attention in the chemistry section was contributed by Mr. Robertson, a young student at Victoria College, Wellington. The general impression was, said the Professor, that Mr. Robertson might have before him a career not less brilliant than that of the famous physicist produced by New Zealand—Professor Rutherford. Since that Robertson has been elected a member of the Chemical Society of London. This must be all very gratifying to Professor Easterfield—but we think the Secretary of the "Spike," when writing papers, should be a little more careful in his choice of subject.