Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 881 



the opinions of natural philosophers and geologists, upon the inter- 

 pretation of this passage, formed the next subject of inquiry. It 

 was stated that there are three prevailing opinions in regard to the 

 Mosaic account of creation, arising out of three different views with 

 respect to the period when those strata were formed which con- 

 tain organic remains. One opinion is, that these strata were form- 

 ed at a period altogether antecedent to the events described in the 

 second and succeeding verses of Genesis. A second opinion is, that 

 the strata were formed during the very epoch embraced in the 

 Mosaic narrative ; and a third, that they were formed subsequent 

 to that epoch. In both of the latter views, the description of the 

 state of the earth is considered as applicable to its original condi- 

 tion when first created. The author seems to lean to the second 

 opinion, and infers that the primitive condition of the earth was 

 probably gaseous. 



2. On the Result of Experiments on the Weight, Height, 

 and Strength, of above 800 individuals. By Professor 

 Forbes. 



These experiments were made upon students in the University 

 of Edinburgh, chiefly between the ages of 14 and 25, and were in- 

 tended to illustrate the general inquiry as to the law of physical 

 development with age, but more particularly to afford data for in- 

 stituting comparisons between different nations. For this purpose, 

 throughout these experiments, natives of Scotland, England, and 

 Ireland, were distinguished ; and though the numbers belonging to 

 the two latter countries were comparatively small, still the general 

 coincidence of results, as to the three elements of weight, height, 

 and strength, gives some confidence even in that part of the in- 

 quiry. 



The weights were expressed in pounds including clothes ; the 

 heights in inches, including shoes ; the strength was determined in 

 pounds by Regnier's dynamometer. 



All these data for different ages were expressed by projection 

 upon ruled paper, and interpolating curves used to deduce the mean 

 results, which were then tabulated. A comparison was instituted 

 with M. Quetelet's conclusions, from experiments on a similar class 

 of individuals in Belgium. The following deductions were made : 



1. That, in respect of weight, height, and strength, there is a 

 general coincidence in the form of the curves with those of M. 

 Quetelet. 



2. In Britain, the progress towards maturity seems greater in 



