238 NATURAL SCIENCE. March. 1893. 



The Croonian Lecture for 1893 will be delivered before the Royal Society of 

 London on March i6, by Professor Rudolph Virchow, of Berlin. The subject is 

 " The Position of Pathology among the Biological Sciences." 



Natural Science is represented in the programme of the Royal Dublin 



Society's afternooon lectures by Professor W. J. Sollas and Dr. V. Ball, the former 



of whom is to speak on "The New Geology," and the latter on "The Scilly 

 Islands." 



The study of ethnology and anthropology is being taken up in Ireland with 

 some enthusiasm. An anthropometric laboratory has been, for several months, 

 established in Trinity College, Dublin ; it is under the supervision of Professor 

 D. J. Cunningham and Mr. C. R. Browne. The latter observer joined Professor 

 A. C. Haddon last autumn on an ethnological expedition to the Aran Islands, in 

 Galway Bay, when numerous measurements of the islanders were obtained. Pro- 

 fessor Haddon and Mr. Browne have lately contributed their results to the Royal 

 Irish Academy. A course of popular evening lectures on Anthropology is in 

 progress at the Royal College of Science, Dublin, by Professor Haddon, who has 

 also been lecturing on the subject at Belfast. 



The Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-on- 

 Tyne has organised a series of popular Saturday evening lectures, delivered in its 

 Museum. Dr. Embleton, Canon Tristram, Professor G. 8. Brady, and Professor 

 M. C. Potter are among the lecturers, and the public are taking full advantage of 

 the facilities afforded them. 



The hundredth anniversary of the foundation of the Literary and Philosophical 

 Society of Newcastle-on-Tyne was celebrated by a Conversazione on February 7. 

 The President (Lord Armstrong) performed and explained some electrical experi- 

 ments illustrating his recent researches ; and the senior Secretary (Dr. R. Spence 

 Watson) read a brief historical sketch of the Society. Next to the Literary and 

 Philosophical Society of Manchester, which was founded in 1781, that of Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne is the oldest in Britain. At the time of its foundation, there were, even in 

 London, few learned bodies. The Royal Society was a hundred years old, and the 

 Society of Antiquaries and the Society of Arts were at work, but the Linnean 

 Society, founded in 17SS, was the only association in England devoted to the investi- 

 gation of any single branch of natural science. During the century of its existence 

 the Newcastle Society had formed a great library, containing many almost unique 

 works, and it is sad to have to relate that, on the morning after the Conversazione, 

 nearly the whole of this library, except the Reference Department, was destroyed 

 by fire. 



At the anniversary meeting of the Geological Society of London, held on 

 Friday, February 17, Mr. Hudleston was re-elected president, and Mr. J. J. H. 

 Teall elected secretary, in the room of Dr. Hicks retiring. Owing to the feeble 

 health of the President, the ordinary official annual dinner was not held this year. 

 In view of our remarks in January on " Scientific Dinners," we are glad to observe 

 that Dr. Henry Woodward, a vice-president of the Society, initiated a less costly 

 entertainment, which, we understand, was quite informal, and was attended by no 

 less than 90 Fellows and their friends. Dr. Woodward occupied the chair, and 

 was supported by Sir A. Geikie, Sir H. H. Howorth, Professor Maskelyne, Dr. 

 Hinde, Professor Rupert Jones, Professor Lapworth, and the secretaries of the 

 Geological Society. 



