232 . NATURAL SCIENCE. April, 1897. 



continent described by Mr. Smith and by Gustav Eisen tends to 

 prove the distinctness of the Nearctic region so far as concerns these 

 animals, though this was doubted (previously, however, to much that 

 has been made known lately by these two observers) by Beddard in 

 his Monograph of the Oligochaeta. 



The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle-on-Tyne. 



In 1793 this society began its existence, and quite recently 

 Dr. Robert Spence Watson has published its "History" from 1793 

 to 1896. The foundation of this venerable Society was due to the 

 Rev. William Turner, an Unitarian minister, who was one of a circle 

 of friends who met together for conversation and debate. Mr. Turner 

 was asked to draw up a scheme for a permanent Institution and read 

 a paper in the winter of 1792, called "Speculations on a Literary 

 Society." This created no small interest, and a meeting was held on 

 January 24, 1793, to further consider the subject. A committee was 

 formed and at a second meeting on February 7, the proposal took 

 definite shape, and the " Literary and Philosophical Society of 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne " was founded. In the early days of the Society 

 Mr. Turner was the most prominent member, lecturing for 30 years 

 on all branches of science. He delivered the address on the occasion 

 of the opening of the present buildings in 1822, and finally resigned 

 his official connection with the Society in 1833. It is a noteworthy 

 fact that many of the discussions and papers dealt with important 

 local economics, such as : — the embankment of Jarrow Slake ; the 

 improvement of the river Tyne ; new quays ; deepening of the tide- 

 way; chemical and manufacturing subjects; and agriculture. No less 

 than 3,000 lectures have been arranged by the Society since its 

 inauguration, and the value of the work done by it from an educational 

 point of view is incalculable. 



In 1793 a library was established and despite a disastrous fire in 

 1893, ^^s '^ow grown to be of considerable value. A museum was 

 founded about the same time, and has grown into the collection now 

 housed at Barras Bridge. Among the long list of bodies that have 

 owed their origin to this parent society, we may refer to " The Natural 

 History Society of the Counties of Northumberland, Durham, and 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne," " The North of England Institute of Mining 

 Engineers," and " The Farmer's Club for Newcastle." It also 

 in 1806 practically founded the Royal Jubilee School, which provided 

 free teaching for the poor of Newcastle. Dr. Watson has done well 

 to record the history of a Society which has done so much to advance 

 the education and interests of so important a centre. 



