154 Transactions of the Society. 



of that time, viz. Powell, Boss, and Smith.* Those by Powell and 

 Smith are still in our Cabinet, but the original Ross was exchanged 

 by the Society thirty-seven years ago for a then modern one. We 

 are now unable to find out what this original Ross Microscope was 

 like, which is to be greatly regretted, because the value of these 

 old instruments is to us solely an antiquarian one. (It should, 

 however, be noted that the coarse adjustments of these old Micro- 

 scopes are quite as good as anything now made, as also are the 

 low-power objectives. The Powell, for example, if only it had the 

 optical part of a modern wide-angled condenser fitted to it, in place 

 of the narrow-angled one it has, would work the widest angled oil- 

 immersion objective as efficiently as any modern Microscope, and a 

 great deal better than very many at present in use.) 



But to return to the Ross Microscope which has been presented 

 to the Society : we find that, although it is not dated, it is signed, aud 

 has the address, 33 Regent St., Piccadilly, engraved upon it. 



Now, it is known tbat Andrew Ross was at this address as early as 

 1838, and the first record we find of the Ross model as figured on 

 the frontispiece in the first edition of Quekett (1848) is in the London 

 Physiological Journal for December 1843 ; but we do not know if the 

 Microscope delivered by Ross to the Society on March 15th, 1843, 

 was the same as that represented on the frontispiece in the first 

 edition of Quekett, or if it was simiiar to that presented to the Society 

 by Messrs. Watson and Son, and which is figured in the Journal 

 (1899, p. 215, fig. 47). 



A very portable Microscope by Cary, figured and described in the 

 Journal (1898, p. 474, fig. 82), has been presented by Mr. Frank 

 Gleadow. A very early and unique example of a lens by Andrew 

 Ross, fitted with a primitive correctional adjustment, and which 

 formerly belonged to the second President of this Society, has been 

 very generously presented by his son, Lord Justice Liudley, the 

 Master of the Rolls. This lens must have been made between the 

 years 1837, when correctional adjustment was invented, and 1839, 

 when the screw collar was introduced ; it has been figured in the 

 Journal (1899, p. 437, fig. 103). A Grillett achromatic condenser by 

 the same author, dated 1849, and fitted with a correctional collar, has 

 also been presented. Finally, Miss Suffolk has generously given, as 

 a memorial of our late Treasurer, a cabinet containing 14U0 of his 

 preparations. 



This year a large number of new and important improvements in 

 the Microscope and apparatus have been exhibited and brought to the 

 notice of the Society. Among these may be mentioned a new form of 

 lever coarse and fine adjustment, acting on one and the same slide, 

 invented by Mr. Keith .Lucas. Mr. C. Baker exhibited a Microscope 



* The order was given to Smith on August 19th, 1840, and to Powell and Boss 

 on June 24th, 1841. Smith delivered his Microscope to the Society on November 

 24th, 1841, Powell his on December 22ud, 1841, and Ross his on March 15th, 1843. 



