MEMORANDA. 189 
wished to know who was the author of the genus, and where 
Bailey’s description was to be found, &c.; and I sent him a 
copy of my notice. Bailey gets the credit, perhaps properly 
according to rule, but I cannot help feeling waiving my 
having sug egested the name—that Shadbolt has the prior 
claim, as he read a paper on the subject, November 14th, 
1849 (‘Trans. Micr. Soc.,’ vol. ii, p. 49). I have an im- 
pression that the first specimens Bailey ever had were mine, 
forwarded to him by Mr. Marshall, who I am sure would 
have named to him the whole history. A matter of this kind 
is so trivial and insignificant that it is not worth discussion 
except on principle, and I cannot help thinking that it would 
be well if men advanced in scientific knowledge, and holding 
a deservedly high position im consequence, would encourage 
the smaller fry, by giving them every credit for their small 
but earnest labours and good intentions in the common 
cause. 
I suspect Mr. Tuffen West has done more with this genus 
than any other man in this country. 
At the time I wrote my notice all the Diatomacez were 
generally presumed to be animal, their anatomical structure 
was little known and seldom was any given, the name being 
supposed to convey a tolerably correct idea of the object.— 
Hy. Dranz, Clapham Common. 
Physical Influences exerted by living Organic and Inorganic 
Membranes upon Chemical Substances.—In a paper published 
in the ‘American Journal of the Medical Sciences,’ by Mr. 
Joseph Jones, he gives the following results of a series of 
experiments upon living animals and plants. 
“1. Cell-walls, like animal membranes, exert a physical 
influence upon the chemical substances held in solution pass- 
ing through them. This physical influence is capable of 
altermg the arrangement of the molecules of the precipitate 
formed within the cells, so that the precipitate which under 
ordinary circumstances consists of irregular granules, under 
the influence of the endosmotic action assumes a regular 
crystalline form. 
“2. The cells of different vegetables, like different animal 
membranes, change in different manners the arrangement 
of the molecules of the same substance. 
“It may yet be demonstrated, by experiment, that cells in 
the same plant, having different offices, elaborating different 
products, exert a different physical influence upon the same 
chemical substance. Or, in other words, the crystalline 
deposit of the same substance will vary in physical properties 
with different cells.” 
