220 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



[Oct. 1, 1868. 



Calabria, covered with very recent breccias, the 

 calcareous chain of the Apennines, the country of 

 Pignerol, the coasts of Portugal and Greece, those 

 of Peru and Terra Firma, afford striking proofs of 

 this fact. The globe, it may be said, is agitated 

 with the greater force in proportion as the surface 

 has a smaller number of funnels communicating 

 with the caverns of the interior. At Naples and at 

 Messina, at the foot of Cotopaxi and of Tunguragua, 

 earthquakes are dreaded only when vapours and 

 flames do not issue from the craters. In the king- 

 dom of Quito, the great catastrophe of Puobamba 

 led several well-informed persons to think that that 

 country would be less frequently disturbed if the 

 subterranean fire should break the porphyritic dome 

 of Chimborazo, and if that colossal mountain should 

 become a burning volcano. At all times analogous 

 facts have led to the same hypotheses. The Greeks, 

 who, like ourselves, attributed the oscillations of 

 the ground to the tension of elastic fluids, cited in 

 favour of their opinion the total cessation of the 

 shocks at the island of Eubcea, by the opening of a 

 crevice in the Lelantine plain. 



The phenomena of volcanoes, and those of earth- 

 quakes, have been considered of late as the effects 

 of voltaic electricity, developed by a particular 

 disposition of heterogeneous strata. It cannot be 

 denied that often, when violent shocks succeed 

 each other within the space of a few hours, the 

 electricity of the air sensibly increases at the instant 

 the ground is most agitated; but to explain this 

 phenomenon it is unnecessary to recur to an hypo- 

 thesis which is in direct contradiction to every- 

 thing hitherto observed respecting the structure 

 of our planet and the disposition of its strata. — 

 Personal Narrative. 



ASSOCIATION. 



f~^\ IVE a man a microscope, and banish him to a 

 " little country village, or inclose him like a 

 recluse in a cottage with a quarter of an acre of 

 garden ground, and he will soon cease to remember 

 that he is an exile or a recluse. If he should be an 

 active and an observant man he will soon consti- 

 tute himself the centre of a small universe. Shut 

 out from books, from friends, from associates, he 

 will plod on, day by day, seeing things he never saw 

 before, and observing what he had often seen, but 

 more closely and more minutely. In a little while 

 he will have accumulated a vast store of information, 

 have made numerous drawings, have unravelled 

 many a tangled skein of mystery, have accomplished 

 many discoveries. At the end of a year or two let 

 this recluse be brought out from his retirement to 

 compare notes with other workers in a like field, 

 and witness the result. One by one his discoveries 

 will upon comparison coincide with the observations 

 of others ; the mysteries he has puzzled over will 



be found solved by others ; his drawings and his 

 notes will many of them be only repetitions of what 

 other men have done ; and then he will, for the first 

 time perhaps, arrive at the conviction that by 

 living as a recluse and isolating himself from 

 everybody of kindred tastes he has been deceived. 

 The result of such an experiment will assuredly be 

 dissatisfaction at the amount of labour which has 

 been expended in vain, time lost in repeating what 

 has already been done; and, although it is im- 

 possible to spend as much time without some profit, 

 that profit will not be commensurate with the cost. 

 The penalty of seclusion will make itself felt. 



There are a few who wilfully seclude themselves, 

 either from a selfish or jealous disposition, who 

 work in secret, who study to conceal all they are 

 doing from their fellows, who wouldn't give a hint 

 towards helping a friend out of a difficulty for the 

 world. Such specimens of humanity are happily 

 rare, but the race is by no means extinct. 



To counteract the disadvantages of isolated 

 working, men with scientific pursuits have long 

 been accustomed to band themselves together in 

 associations. Entomologists, Geologists, Ornitho- 

 logists, Microscopists, and others have combined to 

 form societies for mutual help. All who love 

 science for itself, and these are the majority, set a 

 high value upon such companionship in arms. 

 Those who stand aloof do so foolishly, or selfishly, 

 thinking perhaps that they have more to communi- 

 cate than to learn, and only discover their mistake 

 when they are left behind — like Lot's wife — a pillar 

 of salt, or a petrifaction. 



It promises well for Microscopical Science in 

 London that several flourishing associations exist in 

 the metropolis. It is gratifying that the Royal 

 Microscopical Society is more vigorous than ever ; 

 may it go on and prosper, and satisfy the greatest 

 ambition of its best friends ! But, above all, the 

 success which has been achieved by the Quekett 

 Microscopical Club, within three years of its esta- 

 blishment, is so unprecedented that there is every 

 need for caution lest prosperity should not prove its 

 best friend . Men may act nobly under adversity, 

 but it is prosperity which tries their "mettle" most, 

 and if they act well when all goes well, there is 

 little fear of their actions in a day of ill. Hitherto 

 all has gone well with the Club, and the prospect is 

 as bright as ever, nay brighter ; may its brightest be 

 still to come ! 



A word or two upon the report which has re- 

 cently been distributed amongst the members, and 

 we have done. Each previous year we have made 

 this an opportunity for urging the claims of the 

 Club upon our readers. This year we accept the 

 excuse for writing, but intend leaving the pleading, 

 because the objects are so good, the meetings so 

 harmonious, the proceedings so satisfactory, and the 

 subscription so low that these are the best ad- 



