PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
251 
Brighton and Sussex Natural History Society. 
September 27tb. — Microscopical Meeting. Mr. G. Scott, Presi- 
dent, in the chair. 
Mr. Wonfor announced that the Lewes Natural History Society 
would bold a Microscopical Soiree on the following Monday, to which 
members of the Brighton Society were invited. He hoped some would 
be able to attend with their microscopes, and return the kindness 
rendered by the Lewes Society at the British Association Soirees. 
Mr. Wonfor then remarked that Dr. Carpenter, F.R.S., very kindly 
gave him a small quantity of the Atlantic chalk dredged up in the 
Porcupine Expedition. Some of this he had brought down for dis- 
tribution, and, if time allowed, he would show that it contained 
foraminifera identical with those obtained from the Chalk Downs. 
Mr. Hennah then drew attention to a new series of objectives 
constructed by Mr. Wenham. Some would recollect seeing the new 
patent objectives at the Association Soirees ; but Mr. Wenham kindly 
promised to send some down for exhibition to the Society. They 
were on a perfectly new method of construction, two or three of the 
lenses of the older construction being dispensed with, and a single 
front and back lens used. It was hoped thus to obtain a cheaper 
series of object-glasses ; but that would be no advantage unless better 
performance was also secured. 
Those sent down were all very good, — the high powers were 
especially so ; but he would advise the members to wait for still 
greater improvements. The T b th was an exquisite glass when pro- 
perly adjusted, which, except in the hands of an experienced micro- 
scopist, was not easy of accomplishment. He considered the T Vth a 
perfect glass, with a good working distance. They could be used as 
dry or immersion lenses. At present there was an inequality, for, 
while very good as dry on some objects, they were not so good when 
wet, and vice versa ; but on some objects the performance was equally 
good, whether wet or dry. 
He had written to Mr. Wenham on the subject of an objective 
with moderate angle of aperture for naturalists’ work, because he did 
not believe in the high-angled glasses at present in use, and he would 
read what Mr. Wenham said : — “ I agree with you that a -^th of 
about 95°, with corrected aperture (I do not mean a large aperture 
cut down to 95°), but a system just worked up to that aperture, so as 
to have a long focal distance, say ^tli of an inch, would be a valuable 
glass in the hands of the naturalist, enabling him to see into things 
instead of a mere surface observation of a few diatoms, for the sake of 
performing the feat of defining the difficult marking of some half 
dozen of them, and this is only what such a glass is at present used 
for.” 
He considered this a wonderful admission, and any new system 
which would give them objectives for physiological and natural his- 
tory investigations would be a great advance in the utility of the 
microscope. Another altogether perfect objective sent down for exhi- 
bition was a 5 -inch. While the magnifying power was very great, 
