241 



The President read a letter from the Croydon Microscopical Society, 

 thanking the members of the Quekett Club for the assistance given on the 

 occasion of their recent soiree. 



Mr. Henry Cronch read a paper on "Microscopy in the United States of 

 America," and also placed npon the table for inspection some beautiful 

 specimens of double stained vegetable tissues prepared by Dr. Hunt, of 

 Philadelphia. 



The President expressed his high appreciation of the value of these 

 inter-communications, which he thought could not fail to be of great use. 

 With regard to the microscope from Japan, which had been mentioned in 

 the paper, he was very glad to find that an interest in such things was being 

 excited amongst that remarkable people. He hoped that at the next Soiree 

 of the Club the Japanese Ambassador would be present, in which case he 

 felt sure a deep interest would be shown in the great number of instru- 

 ments and objects that would be brought under his notice. 



At the invitation of the President, Mr. Hickie made some remarks 

 (which were of a somewhat disparaging character) upon American 

 objectives. 



Dr. Matthews followed with some instances of the neglect of some of our 

 ordinary appliances by Continental observers. 



Dr. Foulerton said that in America hardly any town was found without a 

 society similar to their own; showing how much interest was taken in 

 scientific study. In San Francisco — which was pretty far west — there was 

 a very excellent Microscopical Society, and some very competent observers 

 belonging to it. 



Mr. Ingpen referred to the beautiful double-stained vegetable preparations 

 of Dr. J. G. Hunt, which Mr. Crouch had exhibited. The process of bleach- 

 ing by chlorinated soda, though published several years since, did not seem to 

 have attracted much attention till recently. Mr. Crouch had informed him 

 that Dr. Hunt might perhaps be induced to send them a paper upon the 

 subject. 



Mr. W. H. Gilburt called attention to a specimen of Juncus communis, 

 exhibited by himself, and prepared by Dr. Beattie's process, which had been 

 described in " Science Gossip " of August last. The double staining was 

 with magenta and purple. 



Mr. Crouch said he hoped it would be thoroughly understood that in his 

 remarks upon the productions of the American opticians, he spoke not as a 

 maker but entirely as an individual observer. So far as he had an opportu- 

 nity of forming an opinion he thought that Mr. Tolles and other American 

 opticians turned out some work that was very good, and differed from 

 others only in some few peculiarities. His impression was that Mr. Tolles 

 pushed the angle of aperture too far, and, in many instances, to the 

 positive detriment of his glasses. He had, however, seen some of this 

 maker's objectives, which he had not seen equalled elsewhere. With regard 

 to the microscope s of the better class, he believed that those produced in 

 America were in every respect as good as those of English make ; but the 

 prices were far higher. 



U 



