OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 187 



noticed in October, 1S52, and as yet he could give no satisfac- 

 tory explanation of it, nor of the singular shape of the shadow, 

 the convexity of which was towards the ball, instead of from 

 it, as it might be expected to be. His observations were 

 made with the great Cambridge Refractor in the years 1852, 

 1854, and 1855. 



Four liundred and t'welftli meeting. 



March 13, 1855. — Monthly Meeting. 



The President in the chair. 



Professor Lovering alluded to the fact, that at a previous 

 meeting the opinion of Arago had been referred to as favorable 

 to making the subject of " Table-moving," so called, a matter 

 of scientific investigation. Since that meeting he had him- 

 self examined the new edition of Arago's complete works, 

 and had found nothing to justify such a conclusion ; on the 

 contrary, he found that Arago declared himself satisfied that 

 the appearances in question are founded in imposture. 



Four hundred and tliirteeutli meeting. 



April 10, 1855. — Monthly Meeting. 



The President in the chair. 



After the record of the preceding meeting was read and 

 approved. Professor Agassiz confirmed from his own knowl- 

 edge the statement of Professor Lovering at the preceding 

 meeting concerning Arago's opinions of the so-called " Spir- 

 itual Manifestations." And yet, he said, notwithstanding the 

 unanimous opinion of the committee of the French Acad- 

 emy, to which the subject had been referred, that the whole 

 thing is a matter of imposture, the authority of that learned 

 body and that great philosopher is constantly appealed to as 

 favorable to the alleged reality of the appearances in question. 



Professor Agassiz made a communication on the subject of 

 the classification of Polyps. He remarked that Cuvier in- 



