literature of the day of everything that occurs in the domain of science, that it 

 would be easy for me to say much more on this subject than either my own space 

 or your patience will allow. Probably there is no branch of inquiry which can- 

 not point to some more or less important fruit, or at least healthy growth, which 

 the year has produced ; but I must not think of dwelling upon them, and I 

 ■will allude to only one or two questions of more than usual interest and impor- 

 tance which have occupied the scientific world. In connection with the subject 

 I may be allowed to c ill your attention to a valuable work by Mr. Mivart " On 

 the Genesis of Species" ; a work in which the writer emulates the calm, philoso- 

 phical tone, which is so charmingly displayed by aucther author, whose con- 

 clusions he criticises. 



Mr. Darwin's great theory of the Origin of Species still hangs in the balance, 

 as it is likely to do for some time to come ; but I think that, notwithstanding the 

 strong condemnations of it we hear from France, as well as from eminent 

 naturalists in America, it still holds its ground, or is rather gaining ground, 

 both in this country and in Germany, as being, if not the whole truth, still 

 an important portion of the truth. And we must all be anxious to receive 

 Mr. Darwin's additional chapter of his theory as applied to man, which has 

 been so long promised but so long delayed, 



We weie many of us no doubt startled for a time by the account of Dr. 

 Bastian's experiments made last year with reference to the important question of 

 spontaneous generation in conjunction with that able experimenter, Dr. Frank- 

 land. This great question will, I suppose, long remain, as it has been for many 

 years past, a vexed question ; for although Professor Huxley has pronounced 

 stroa^ly and decidedly against Dr. Bastian's conclusions, and although Dr. Frank- 

 land's recent experiments have not confirmed those conclusions, yet neither of 

 them has gone so far as to prove the negative side of the question ; and until 

 some positive evidence has been produced on the other side, I suppose we are 

 at liberty to hold any views we may be inclined to on the subject. 



There remains one other subject which has occupied a good deal of attention 

 this winter, upon which I must say a few words. I mean the late Splar Eclipse. 

 I believe it is generally cons'dered that the expeditions, which went to the various 

 stations in the south of E jrope to observe the eclipse, have returned unsuccessful, 

 owing to the unfavounble weather on the important day; but this is not 

 altogether the case ; that which has been done is not all that it was hoped 

 might be done, bat still a decided step has been made towards solving that vexed 

 question the niture of the sun's corona. The polariscope observation failed 

 emirely at all the stations, owing to the amount of vapour in the atmosphere, 

 even where clouds did not actually hide the sun ; but some observers with the 

 spectroscope were more fortunate. You are probably aware of the distinct object 

 proposed to be attained by the observers with the spectroscope. It was to deter- 

 mine whether thematerialof the corona proper is different from, or merely forms a 

 portion of, the lower stratum, or gaseous envelope, which immediately surrounda 



