The establishment of a chair of naval architecture in this country would certainly be a novel idea. If such a professorship existed in one of our universities, its incumbent might as an expert give valuable advice to the American Congress, which at present is at a great loss to suggest a plan for resuscitating the industry of American ship-building. Such a professorship would be more appropriate however at one of our technical schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Great Britain at least has a professorship of this sort and Mr. Francis Elgar, naval architect of the city of London, has recently been unanimously elected to the chair of naval architecture in the University of Glasgow, which was recently endowed by Mr. John Elder. Mr. Elgar is a Fellow of the late Royal School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and a member of the Council of the Institution of Naval Architects. He has had great experience in the design and construction of war ships for the British and foreign navies, and also of mercantile vessels. He investigated the causes of the disasters which befell the Daphne and Austral; and upon his evidence the rulings were based at the official inquiries in both cases. The new professor is the first who has been appointed to a university chair in Great Britain on account of his attainments in the science of naval architecture.