212 GENEVA SOCIETY OF PHYSICS AND NATURAL HISTORY. 



and labors abroad. In this way, Professor Gautier continued to keep the 

 society informed of the progress in astronomy, and in the physics of the 

 globe, by communications on various subjects, such as the jneparations 

 for the observation of the transit of Venus by the English expedition, 

 from the Annual Eeport of the Eoyal Astronomer; observations made 

 at the Itoraan College on magnetic variations and their relations with 

 the maxima and minima of solar spots ; appearance of the belts of Jupi- 

 ter, from a memoir published in the Monthly Notices; a new theory of the 

 aurora-borealis, from a memoir by M. Gronemann, inserted in the Astro- 

 nomische Naclirichten; a memoir of M. Montiguy on scintillation; the 

 orbit of Coggia's comet and the phenomena presented by it during its 

 apparition; the present state of our knowledge of the small planets; 

 finally, the work of P^re Eosa on the variableness of the solar diameter. 

 The same member, while announcing to the society the deaths of the as- 

 tronomers Argelander and Miidler, gave a sketch of the character and 

 works of these scientists. 



M. Soret gave a description of a new thermometer invented by Ne- 

 gretti in London, formeasuring the temperature of water at greatdepths, 

 without having recourse to the index ; the same ai)paratus, placed in 

 communication with an electric current, which reversed it at a deter- 

 mined instant, might serve to record the temperature, without neces- 

 sitating a direct reading at the same moment. M. Plantamour has sent 

 for one of these instruments, with which he proposes to measure the tem- 

 perature of the lake at different depths. 



Professor Wartmann presented a resume of M. Jamin's method for 

 the study of magnetism, and of some of the results obtained. M. E. Pic- 

 tet gave some details of the exceptionally great rise of the Nile in 1874. 

 The same member described Boulanger's teleometer. 



Professor Marignac gave an account of a work by Dr. Wagner on the 

 antiseptic properties of salycilic acid. 



M. E. Ador presented to the society a glass jar containing meat pre- 

 served for nearly two months by M. de Herzen's process; this meat was 

 as fresh as on the first day, and had undergone no change. 



Prof. A. Favre gave an account of a work by M. Zittel on the glacial 

 terrain of the south of Bavaria. 



M. E. Eavre mentioned a work on comj)arative geology by M. Stan- 

 islas Meunier, and a work by M. Stoppani on the glacial terrains of 

 the southern slopes of the Alps. The same member made a communi- 

 cation on some implements he had seen at Basle, at the residence of 

 M. Eutimeyer, and which were found in the lignites of Wetzikou. These 

 implements give evidence of the presence of men in Switzerland before 

 the second Glacial period. 



Professor Candolle, when presenting to the society his notice of M. 

 Meisner, accompanied it with some details relative to the botanist of 

 Basle. The same member gave a recapitulation of Mr. Asa Gray's work 

 on the natural extinction of varieties of fruit-trees, and also the results 



