ON THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. XIH 



of the reality of the so-called spiritual manifestations, a somewhat 

 lengthy investigation was entered into. The parties in question em- 

 braced four scientific gentlemen from Cambridge, a number of the 

 most celebrated mediums from different sections of the country, and a 

 few observers, friends of both parties. The published award of the 

 Committee was as follows : " The Committee decide that the party 

 accepting the challenge having failed to produce before them an agent 

 or medium who " communicated a word imparted to the spirits in an 

 adjoining room," " who read a word in English written inside a book 

 or folded sheet of paper," who answered any question " which the 

 superior intelligences must be able to answer," " who tilted a piano 

 without touching it, or caused a chair to move a foot ; " and having 

 failed to exhibit to the Committee any phenomenon which, under the 

 widest latitude of interpretation, could be regarded as equivalent to 

 either of these proposed tests, or any phenomenon which required for 

 its production, or in any manner indicated a force which could tech- 

 nically be denominated Spiritual, or which was hitherto unknown to 

 science, or a phenomenon of which the cause was not palpable to the 

 Committee, is, therefore, not entitled to claim the proposed premium 

 of $500. 



" It is the opinion of the Committee, derived from observation, that 

 any connection with spiritualistic circles, so called, corrupts the morals 

 and degrades the intellect. They therefore deem it their solemn duty 

 to warn the community against this contaminating influence, which 

 surely tends to lessen the truth of man and the purity of woman." 



The defenders of the reality and truth of the " Spiritual phenom- 

 ena " on the other hand assert that the investigation was conducted 

 unfairly, and in such a way as to prevent any successful issue on their 

 part." As regards the two conclusions, the least that can be said is, 

 that the public is about evenly divided in their judgments. It is much 

 to be regretted that the investigation should have thus resulted, and 

 that the Committee, while charging imposture and delusion should fail 

 to prove it beyond a doubt, or possibility of error. 



The Annual Prizes awarded by the French Academy for the past 

 year, were principally as follows : * 



The great prize for mathematical science was given to a German, 

 M. Kummer, for his Researches on complex numbers consisting of 

 roots of unity and of whole numbers. One of the grand prizes in 

 physical science was given to Professor Bronn at Heidelberg, for an 

 extensive work made in reply to the following questions:--!. What 

 are the laws of distribution of fossil organized bodies in the different 

 sedimentary strata as regards their order of superposition. 2. What as 



* Derived from the foreign correspondence of Silliman's Journal. 



