206 



July 24th, 1885. — Annual Meeting. 



Dr. W. B. Carpenter, C.B., F.R.S., &c, &c, President, in 



the Chair. 



The minutes of the preceding meeting were read and confirmed. 



The following gentlemen were balloted for and duly elected members of 

 the Club :— Mr. A. G. Sadgrove, Mr. J. A. D. Parker, and Mr. J. L. M. 

 Porter. 



The following additions to the Library were announced : — 



" The Proceedings of the Geological Association " ... In Exchange. 



1 The Proceedings of the Koyal Society" ,, „ 



»> 



" The Journal of Microscopy and Natural Science " » 



(Postal Microscopical Journal) ) 



" The American Monthly Microscopical Journal" ... ,, ,, 



' American Naturalist " ... ... ... ... ... „ ,, 



" Bulletin de la Societe Beige de Microscopie"... ... „ „ 



" Geological and Natural History of Canada (Report ) p ± a 



of Progress 1882-3-4" 1 



" Van Heurck's Diatomacie de Belgique" ... ... Purchased. 



A short communication from Mr. Kitton " On the Mysterious Appear- 

 ance of a Diatom," was read by Mr. Hailes. 



The President said as there were no remarks made on the paper he would 

 propose a vote of thanks to Mr. Kitton, with the expression of a hope that 

 he would follow up these observations, because the point that he had raised 

 was a very interesting one : whether there are microbes so minute as to pass 

 through a filtering paper that stops particles of emery so small as the 

 50,000th of an inch. He might mention that, when he was engaged in sound- 

 ing, bringing up specimens of water from the bottom of the Mediterranean, 

 on which a very fine mud is constantly being deposited, the particles were so 

 fine as to be quite unrecognisable in the ordinary water of the Mediterranean. 

 When this settled down after being diffused by winds and currents, the water 

 brought up from the bottom wps quite white, and he found that the best 

 ordinary filtering paper was quite incapable of stopping these particles — 

 they passed through it. He had a particular reason for wishing to clear the 

 water, and it was necessary to pass it through the same filter several times, 

 so that the pores of the paper becoming clogged by that very fine sediment, 

 the water came out pretty clear. The very best filtering paper did allow 

 very fine particles to pass through, as every chemist knows, and it was to be 

 hoped that Mr. Kitton would endeavour to ascertain by repeated experiments 

 whether the appearance of these diatoms was due to the passage of micro- 

 spores, which we did not know as a general product of diatoms, through 

 the fine substance of the filter. 



Announcements of meetings, &c. for the ensuing month were then made 

 and the ordinary meeting terminated. 



The meeting was then made special in order to proceed with the business 



