84 NATURAL SCIENCE. February. 



(November) Mr. R. B. Newton has recorded the occurrence of this 

 genus in rocks from Gazaland, South East Africa. The specimens 

 come " from a large development of flesh-coloured limestone," but 

 further specimens and evidence are desirable. We have now, 

 therefore, suggestions of a much more extended range of the Nummu- 

 litic limestones of Eocene age, viz. : — England to China, England to 

 South East Africa, China to South Australia, in the Old World ; the 

 West Indies and United States in the New World. In vertical range 

 the genus is first found in Carboniferous rocks ; there is a record from 

 Cretaceous, but the main development of the genus was in the Eocene 

 period, after which it seems to have died out. 



Rank and Quality, and the Royal Society in 1778. 



In the correspondence of William Legge, second Earl of Dart- 

 mouth {Hist. MSS. Comiii. i^ih Report, App., Part i.) appear two 

 letters touching the Presidency of the Royal Society, which contain 

 matter of sufficient interest for quotation here. The first was written 

 by Dr. Charles Morton and dated " British Museum, 25 Sept. 1772 " 

 and is quoted as follows : — " By direction of Mr. Barrow, President 

 of the Royal Society, and many of the members, he writes to ask 

 Lord Dartmouth to allow himself to be Proposed as President. The 

 office includes a Commissionership of the Longitude, a Trusteeship 

 of the British Museum, and the first Visitorship of the Royal 

 Observatory." 



The second is from Nevil Maskelyne and is dated " Royal 

 Observatory at Greenwich, 22 Sept. 1778." It reads : — Your lord- 

 ship is doubtless apprised, were it only by the public prints, that Sir 

 John Pringle means to resign the office of president of the Royal 

 Society on the Anniversary election at St. Andrew's day next. I can 

 add, that, about a fortnight ago, he declared that resolution at a 

 council which he had summoned on purpose, without any person 

 being then mentioned either by himself or any other member of the 

 council, as eligible to succeed him. It was, doubtless, his intention 

 not merely to pay a compliment to the council, but rather to give the 

 members an opportunity of enquiring after a proper person to fill the 

 President's chair, and to make an opening for some person of 

 distinguished rank and character, like your Lordship, to offer their 

 service to the Royal Society on the day of their Anniversary election. 

 There is no person, who publicly declares himself as aspiring to the 

 Chair ; so that it is entirely open ; and from conversations which I 

 have had with several fellows of the Society on the propriety, and 

 even necessity, of prevailing on some nobleman to honour us by 

 accepting the office of President, it appears to me that they are 

 waiting for such an event, which would at the same time do most 

 honour to the Society, and be most advantageous to science ; for, 

 without rank in the chair, the Society itself will not be so much 



