110 Transactions, &c. — Annual Address. 



was published in the Journal for June, 1870, with drawings of 

 an apparatus employed to collect the particles, and of the objects 

 he found, and he has furnished us with further particulars.* 

 Dr. Maddox lives near Southampton, and the result of examin- 

 ing the collections of atmospheric particles for forty days, showed 

 that " the air cannot be considered as loaded with microscopic 

 germs ; the largest number visible and counted as such on one 

 cover being twenty-one (not including bacteroid bodies)." In the 

 August (1870) number of the Journal, Mr. Metcalfe Johnson, of 

 Lancaster, described an "Air-Sieve," and stated that he found vary- 

 ing quantities of Monas lens, and of organic matter. The presence 

 of monads he found best ascertained by examining the surface of 

 the distilled water, which in his apparatus trickles slowly over a glass 

 plate in contact with the air. In the same number, Dr. Sigerson 

 describes results of his examinations, and gives a variety of instruct- 

 ing particulars coinciding in the main with the researches of Pouchet. 

 In ii'on-works he found curious little bodies, minute bombs or 

 balloons, from 1 — 500" to 1 — 5000'' in diameter. One of his con- 

 clusions is, that " the theory of the panspermists seems unfounded 

 on fact — that there are no hosts of germs ahvays floating about in 

 the atmosphere, invisible and maleficent as genii in Eastern stories." 

 Several times he " came upon atmospheres where a sunbeam could 

 not be seen for want of motes." He considers contagions to consist 

 of albumenized matter in a state of motor change, and he speaks of 

 gi-anules, resembhng exudation granules, found in a fever atmo- 

 sphere. 



In the 'Proceedings of the Bristol NaturaHsts' Society' for 1869, 

 is a paper by Mr. Stoddart, on the contents of rain water collected 

 in Bristol, showing the matter brought down from the atmosphere 

 by descending showers. One specimen collected in North Street con- 

 tained 10 '31 grains of solid matter per gallon, including sulphates 

 and chlorides of ammonia and soda, nitrate of ammonia, pure sul- 

 phuric acid and carbonaceous matter and greasy organic matter, the 

 last to the extent of 2 " 63. A gallon collected in King's Square 

 yielded 6*76 grains of sohd matter, the "greasy organic matter " 

 amountmg to 1 • 43. It is to be regretted that Mr. Stoddart did 

 not add the results of a microscopic examination. 



From the consideration of the matters floating in air, we pass 

 naturally to the question of Spontaneous Generation, or as it is 

 better to call it, Heterogenesis, which still engages the attention of 

 many microscopists, and cannot be afiirmed to be decided. Professor 

 Huxley made this subject the topic of the Address he dehvered to 

 the British Association last September, in Liverpool ; and although 

 it would certainly be possible to place the evidence adduced by the 

 " Abiogenists " in a stronger position than he has done, the ma- 

 * See Journal for February. 



