lloO 



be devoted to scientific exploring expeditions. Schultz, Bip., read 

 an interesting paper ' On the Development of the Natural Sciences 

 from the Middle of the Sixteenth Century until the Middle of the 

 Nineteenth.' He assumed three periods : — 1st, The period when 

 knowledge was handed down by oral tradition ; 2nd, When it was 

 propagated by writing ; and, 3rd, When perpetuated by printing. 

 The present time he looks upon as the commencement of a fourth 

 period, when, by the intimate international intercourse and the power 

 of steam, knowledge is rapidly diffused. Dove, of Berlin, gave a 

 comprehensive account of the present state of meteorology, and a very 

 clear explanation of the causes which determine the weather of Europe. 

 Carnal spoke on the importance of salt, gold, and coal, — three mono- 

 syllables playing an important part in the affairs of the world. He 

 complained of the ignorance prevailing in England on the subject of 

 German coal, and quoted a conversation he had with an Englishman 

 of scientific standing, who asked him whether there were any coal in 

 Germany ? — a question he answered by stating that not only had 

 Germany enough coal for her own use, but could supply England 

 and all the world, at the rate coal is now used, for 500 years to come. 

 Fraas gave an account of the oldest inhabitants of the Swabian Alps. 

 It appears that a few years ago fossil teeth were found which some at 

 once declared to be those of man. This determination, however, was 

 called into question, as no human teeth of the mammoth period had 

 ever been found in any part of the globe. Again, these teeth were 

 exhibited last year in Wiesbaden, by Jaeger, when they were gene- 

 rally admitted to be human teeth ; one was even sent to Owen, who 

 agreed with the Wiesbaden meeting in pronouncing them to belong 

 to man. The discovery of several almost perfect skulls has set the 

 matter finally at rest : there was a race of men living simultaneously 

 with the mammoth and other huge antediluvian animals. Gumbel 

 read a paper on Mosses, explaining their importance in the economy 

 of Nature, their great use to man, with whom they appeared together 

 npon the earth. Veesenmeyer gave a spirited sketch of the Kirguises, 

 and with a power of language reminding one of Humboldt's ' Views 

 of Nature,' he described their relation towards plants and animals. 



The sectional meetings were well attended. In the section for 

 Chemistry and Pharmacology there were Fehling, Schlossberger, 

 Leube, Babo, Weidenbusch, Ammermuller, Fresenius, Weltzien, H. 

 Rose, &c. ; Fehling and Rose alternately presided. In the section 

 for Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy, we noticed Wolfers, Osann, 

 Reusch, Dove, Ilollzmann, Guglcr, &c. ; Dove and Osann presided. 



