[ 
246 J 
[ April 1; 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
ROYAL SOCIETY. 
HIS Society held four sittings in Feb. 
On the 3d, when Dr. Kidd’s paper 
“On the Anatomy of the Mole-cricket”’ 
was concluded ; and a notice read, “‘ on the 
Nerves of the Human Placenta;’’ by Sir 
EE. Home, bart., v.p.n.s. On the i0th, 
was read a ‘“‘ Notice of the Jguanodan a 
fossil herbivorous reptile found in the sand- 
stone of Tilgate forest ;’? by Gideon Man- 
tell, F.1.s.: communicated by Davies 
Gilbert, esq., V.P.R.S. On the l7thk 
a paper ‘‘ On the Maternal Foetal Circula- 
tion,” by Dayid Williams, M. D., was com- 
municated by Dr. John Thompson, Ff. R. s., 
and a part of it read. 
LINNAZAN SOCIETY. 
Feb. 1.—A paper by W. S. Me Leay, 
esq., A-M., F.L.S., “On the Structure of 
the Tarsus in Tetramerous and 'Trimerous 
Coleoptera of the French Entomologists,” 
was read ;—its object is to correct an error 
in the arrangement of Coleoptera; and to 
show that the trimerous (three-jointed) 
insects of the French are, in fact, tetrame- 
rous.. On the 15th Feb. the New Hol- 
land birds, presented by Mr. Icely, were 
exhibited. M. C. S.. Kunth, of Berlin, 
and Prof. Fr. A. Bonelli, of Turin, were 
proposed as foreign members. Messrs. 
Sheppard and.,Whitear’s paper “ On the 
Birds of Norfolk and Suffolk’? was read, in 
continuation ; as was, also, Dr. Hamilton’s 
“Commentary on the Hortus Malabaricus.”’ 
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
Jan. 21.—A paper was read, “ On the 
Fresh-water formations, recently discovered 
in the environs of Sete (Cette) at a short 
. distance from the Mediterranean, and below 
the level of that sea; by M. Marcel de 
Serres; Prof. Min. and Geol. to the Faculty 
of Sciences of-Montpellier: which have 
been examined by means of several wells, 
sunk near Sete, in the South of France. 
—On Feb. 4, the anniversary, the follow- 
ing were chosen officers and council for the 
year ensuing : 
President: Rey. W. Buckland, F.Rr.s, 
Prof. Geol. and -Min. Ouxford.—Vice-Pre- 
sidents: Sir A. Crichton, M.p., F.R. and 
L.§. Hon. Memb. Imp. Acad. St. Peters- 
burgh; .W H. Fitton, m. c., r. Rr. s. 3 C. 
Stokes, esq., F. k. A. and u.s.; H. War- 
burton, esq., F.R. s.—Secretaries : C. Lyell, 
esq.) F. L. S.; G. Poulett Scrope, esq. ; 
T. Webster, esq.—Sorcign Secretary : H. 
Heuland, esq-— Treasurer : J. Taylor, esq. 
—Council: Hon. H. Grey Bennett, m. v., 
r. RS. and H. s.; R. Bright, Mm. p. F.R.s. ; 
Sir H. Bunbury, bart.; H. Burton, esq. 
W. Clift, esq., ¥r. r.s.; H. T. Colebrooke, 
esq. F.R.S.L, and &.¥.t. and Asiat. S.; 
G. Bellas Greenough, esq. F. R..and L. s. ; 
T. Horsfield, ». v., r. t. s. ; Gideon Man- 
tell, esq., ¥.u.s.; Hugh, Dukeof Northum- 
berland, x. G., ¥,H.s.; W. Hasledine Pepys, 
esq., F.R.S., LS, and H.s.; J. Vetch, 
M.D. ; 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. B 
Feb. 1.—The silver medal was presented 
to Mr. G. Lindley, a ecerresponding mem- 
ber, fora paper “ On the Classification of 
Peaches;”? which has been printed in the 
Transactions of the Society. Papers, by 
T. A. Knight, esq., r.«.s., “ Upon the 
apparently beneficial effects of protecting 
the stems of Fruit Trees, from frost in early 
spring ;”’ and by Rey. G. Swayne, Cor. M. 
“On the management of Hot-house Flues, 
so as to keep up an equal temperature, 
during the night,” were read; and on 
Feb. 15, a paper, by Mr. T. Allen, “ On 
forcing established Cherry-trees, under 
glass.” 
ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 
Feb. 11.—The fifth annual general 
meeting (H. T. Colebrooke, esq., Presi- 
dent in the chair) was held at the Society’s 
rooms, Lincoln’s-Inn Fields. 
The Report was read by Dr. Gregory, 
and ordered to be printed. The Report 
congratulated the Society on its growing 
prosperity, and on the increasing evidence 
of its utility. It proceeded to state, that 
the council had deemed it desirable 
that tables of precession, aberration, and 
mutation should be computed. It then 
noticed the very valuable collection of as- 
tronomical tables lately published by Dr. 
Pearson, the Treasurer; which constitute 
only a part of a comprehensive _ treatise 
on Practical Astronomy, upon which 
Dr. P. is still engaged. It then adverted 
to the visit of Mr. Herschel (the foreign 
secretary) to Italy and Sicily, from which 
the society had derived increased facilities 
of communication with the continental as- 
tronomers, nearly the whole of whom 
are now numbered among its asso- 
ciates. After alluding to the acquired sta- 
bility and acknowledged utility of the insti- 
tution, the report stated that the expe- 
dieney of an application to the crown, for a 
charter of incorporation, would most pro- 
bably engage the consideration of the 
Council for the ensuing year: and con- 
cluded—* let the zeal, activity and 
talent of the members and associates for 
the next ten years but keep pace with the 
efforts of the last five, and the most inte- 
resting, brilliant and beneficial results may 
unhesitatingly be anticipated.” 
A list of the papers, followed by a nume- 
rous list of benefactors, and a gratifying 
statement of the society’s finances, was 
then read, after which the following officers 
for the ensuing year were duly elected. 
President: ¥. Baily, esq. F.R.s. and 
L. s.— Vice-Presidents: C. Babbage, esq., 
M.A. F.R.S.L.and £3; Rey. J. Brinkley, 
D.D., F.R.S. Pres. R.1.A4., And Prof. Ast. 
Univ. of Dublin; Davies Gilbert, esq., 
M.P. 
