1900] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 227 



Batb. The scheme met from the very first with much more 

 support than had been anticipated, a code of rules was 

 quickly drawn up, and in September of that year the So- 

 ciety came into existence with a roll of 36 members. Mr. 

 A. Akinson, of Brigg, the writer of the original letter, was 

 fittingly made the first President, and was succeeded in 

 due course by the late Mr. Tuffen West, with whose name 

 every microscopist is familiar. By that time the Society 

 numbered, we believe, over 100 members, and the mem- 

 bership subsequently increased in an even greater degree. 

 The leading spirit of the Society was, however, Mr. Allen 

 himself, and in 1882 he added largely to the usefulness 

 and status of the Society by publishing at monthly and 

 quarterly intervals the well-known "International Jour- 

 nal of Microscopy and Natural Science," which, besides 

 acting as the Society's medium, contained many valuable 

 scientific papers. It is understood that the journal was 

 not self-supporting, but Mr. Allen himself willingly un- 

 dertook its publication until failing health obliged him to 

 discontinue its issue in 1897, after fifteen years of labor 

 thereon. Mr. Allen's death in the following year (March 

 24, 1898) was a severe blow to the Society, and it was for 

 a time, we believe, practically in abeyance, until the ap- 

 pointment of a new Hon. Secretary, Miss Florence Phil- 

 lips, commenced what we hoped will prove to be a new 

 lease of life. Unfortunately, since Mr. Allen's death and 

 the cessation of his journal, the Society has had no recog- 

 nized medium for publishing the many interesting notes 

 that are entered in MS. memorandum-books that have cir- 

 culated with the slides sent round amongst the members. 

 In consequence, the Editor of Science- Gossip communica- 

 ted with the Secretary and President of the Society, and 

 offered to place at its disposal a portion of the space in 

 this journal for the publication of such notes. This sug- 

 gestion has met with approval, and it is intended to oc- 

 cupy at least one page monthly, in the section set apart 



