64 



The essays and papers read before us from month to month 

 in the past have manifested great talent, and much patient research 

 on the part of the writers ; and during the discussions that have 

 followed, facts have been elicited, and opinions have been expressed 

 that have added materially to the general information, as well as 

 to the quick perception of even those who have Ustened without 

 joining in the intellectual conflict. A few months since we were 

 favoured with a paper by Mr. B. Lomax on the " The Constancy 

 t)f Certain Numbers in Nature," and it proved to be far more 

 interesting than the title indicated and gave many of us some new 

 ideas to think about. Soon after that our excellent friend, Mr. E. 

 A. Pankhurst, favoured us with one of his thoroughly instructive 

 lectures, taking as his subject, " Solar Physics," introducing us to 

 our warm friend, the Sun, and not merely talking about him, but 

 showing us (by the aid of the lime-light) truthful photographs of 

 his fine open countenance, and telling us of some of liis 

 eccentricities. 



If time permitted I should indeed like to recall a few of the 

 salient points of his admirable address. I had purposed alluding 

 to the majestic size of the sim — more than a million times the 

 size of our earth — to its attractive power, as being seven himdred 

 and fifty times the weight of all the planets which circle round it 

 — to the opinions held as to the cause of its light and heat — to 

 its depressed sun spots and its elevated " f acute " — its bright 

 corona and rose-colom-ed protubei-ances Avhile under eclipse, and 

 to the enormous space occupied by many of these solar phenomena, 

 as carefully explained by our lecturer. But I must forbear, and 

 only say that the importance of the suljject matter, the l^eauty of 

 the diagrams, and the clearness of their definition left nothing to 

 l)e desired; and I allude the more to this that I may set you 

 longing to hear the lecture that Mr. Pankhurst has so kindly 

 promised to give us this evening on " Comets and Nebulae," in 

 listening to Avhich I can safely promise you a rich treat. At our 

 ordinary meeting last month, Ave had the very great pleasure of 

 listening to a carefully-prepared paper, which had the great 



