metals was concemfd. Bub although they did not 

 succeed ia finding a universal panacea for sick- 

 ness or something to prolong lifn, or to make man 

 immortal, they had enriched the world and science 

 with a mass of observation and a mass of ex- 

 perience, which, to this day, was of great value. 

 The first great foundation of chemistry was laid 

 very early in the ISth century by Stahl.who estab- 

 lished what was called the Phlogistic theory. Stahl 

 assumed that all combustible bodies contained 

 one, and the same principle of combustion called 

 Phlogiston, the escape of which from a heated 

 combustible b >dy was supposed to produce the 

 phenomenon of combustion, and its addition to an 

 already burnt body was assumed to restore the 

 combustibility of that body. It was amusing to 

 think that a man of Stahl's ability should have 

 ignored the fact that the burning of metals rather 

 added to their weight, and so far as there being 

 any escape of matter that it was -just the other way 

 about. In spite of all the devices which the 

 alchemists had, they wanted a balance — that 

 instrument to which all chemical study was to be 

 submitted — so indispensable that the construction 

 of the balance at the present day was the first 

 and last thought to any student of chemistry. It 

 must be of the most accurate description, its replies 

 to all questions must be unfalfcerino, and any 

 answersgiven by the instrument should beaccepted 

 as final. The student's results must tally with the 

 truths told by his balance, and he must credit 

 himself with failure if the balance told him he was 

 wrong. Several English workers followed in the 

 foot-teps of Stahl. He would mention four — Hales, 

 Black, Priestley, and Cavendish. Hales investi- 

 gated gases and vapours ; Black showed that the 

 gases given off from decomposing chalk differed 

 from atmospheric air ; Priestley made himself im- 

 mortal by discovering oxygen ; and Cavendish 

 was the first to distinguish hydrogen and to dis- 

 cover the formation nf carbonic acid from burning 

 charcoal. Besides these there were several Con- 

 tinental philosophers who laboured in similar 



directions with equal success. After alluding to 

 the starting of an anti-phlogistic theory, the 

 lecturer went on to say that they were now 

 brought to the time of the French revolution, and 

 here they were met with a remarkable case where 

 a country did its best to sweep away anything 

 like scientific progress, the result of the labours of 

 other ccuntries, to revolutionize the calendar, to 

 make the ten day period replace the seven day 

 period, to alter the commencement of the year, 

 imposing a new system of weights and measures, 

 besides disputing the privileges of the Christian 

 Church and expelling the clergy. France deter- 

 mined to start afresh with new theories, and 

 among other things was a new chemical science. 

 Passing on to the approach of the 19th century, 

 the President observed that they noted the 

 appearance of a whole army of illustrious workers, 

 among whom might be mentioned their own 

 c >untrymen who stood pre-eminent, viz , Dalton, 

 Davy, Faraday, and WoUaston. In concluding his 

 address Mr. Harvey dilated upon the present day 

 aspect of chemical science, and alluded to the 

 periodic law established by Newlands and other 

 English chemists in 1864. He also referred to the 

 beneficial effects of science upon every branch of 

 modern life, and impressed upon his hearers the 

 fact that for much of their progress they were 

 indebted to the old alchemists and scientists. 



At the close of the address a very hearty vote 

 of thanks was accorded to the President on the 

 motion of Dr. Pittock, seconded by Mr,W. Cozens. 



An interesting collection of exhibits was shown. 

 Mr. W. P. Mann, who was unable to be present, 

 owing to illness, sent a series of exhibits, under 

 the supi^rintendenceof Mr.Leeming; Mr.Hammond 

 shewed some botanical exhibits and also an album 

 with several hundreds of photographs, showing the 

 development of the egg of the Botys hyaiinua, 

 from its earliest stages to the complete caterpillar. 

 Mr. Lander exhibited some wireless telegraphy, 

 X rays, and high frequency apparatus; and Mr. 

 Gard also Home wireless telegraphy apparatus. 



SECOND WINTER MEETING— NOVEMBER 14th, 1905. 



'SECRETS OF THE EARTH. "—By Mk. W. COZENS. 



The members were on the 14th inst. treated to 

 a most interesting address by Mr.Walter Cozens, 

 the title of which was " Secrets of the Earth, or 

 Amateur Geology." Mr. Sidney Harvey, P.C S., 

 F.I.C., presided over a large attendance. Mr. 

 Cozens, whose paper^was illustrated by means of 

 excellent lantern views and a number of splendid 

 specimens, etc., explained that his remarks were 

 intended solely to arrest the attention or to awaken 

 interest on the part of their younger friends in 

 this most fascinating study. 



Sun — Astronomers tell us the earth was once 

 part of the sun. The elements of creation were 



scattered in space as a luminous cloud of gaseous 

 matter called Nebula (Latin for cloud). In course 

 of concentration and gravitation, through the 

 peculiar form of the cloud, rotation set up, and as 

 the mass drew together, portions were thrown off, 

 forming the planets of our system, so that the sun 

 was once as large as the orbit of our outermost 

 planet, and after throwing off Neptune, parted 

 with Uranus, then Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the 

 next effort being our earth and all it contains of 

 every sort, including the material for our houses 

 and our bodies ; Venus and Mercury have followed 

 since, and the sun is by no means exhausted. 



