THE EVENING CLUB 347 



absolute temperature, and the non-correction of the indication of the thermometers 

 for the long column of mercury not immersed in the hot oil round the junction. 



As mentioned on p. 77 above, Tait's " First Approximation to the 

 Thermoelectric Diagram" was based on the experiments made by C. E. Greig 

 and myself according to a method which Tait's earlier experiments had 

 shown to be convenient and sufficiently accurate. The thermoelectric curves 

 when drawn were all very approximately parabolic ; but generally when 

 a well-marked vertex was obtained a slight lack of perfect symmetry was 

 observable. This lack of symmetry Tait regarded as due to the mercurial 

 thermometers not giving a scale of temperature accurately in harmony with 

 the absolute scale ; and, since the deviation from symmetry in any particular 

 case was always very slight, the matter was passed over as of comparatively 

 small moment in obtaining what Tait called the First Approximation. 

 Dickson's results, however, show that this asymmetry may be an essential 

 feature of the curve itself, and not due to any errors involved in the measure- 

 ment either of the temperature or of the electromotive force, for he gives 

 similar examples of inclined axis from Tait's work, as well as from the 

 work of other experimenters. 



THE EVENING CLUB. 



As already noted (see above, pp. 33 and 49) Tait mingled very little 

 in general society during the last twenty years of his life. To those who 

 knew him only in these later years he appeared to be more or less of a 

 recluse, and (except during his holiday months in St Andrews) could not 

 in any sense be regarded as a Club-man. Yet he was splendid company 

 when occasion offered ; and it is well in this connection to recall that he 

 was one of the founders of the Evening Club, which was organised in 1869 

 on the model of the "Cosmopolitan" and "Century" Clubs in London. 

 The original prospectus was signed by fourteen well known citizens who 

 formed themselves into a provisional committee. Their names in order of 

 signature were : Dr John Muir, Professor P. G. Tait, Professor David 

 Masson, James Drummond, R.S.A. 1 , J. Matthews Duncan, M.D., Robert 

 Wallace, D.D. 2 , Robert Cox, W.S., James Donaldson, LL.D.', A. Findlater, 



1 Curator of the National Gallery. 



2 Afterwards M.P. for Edinburgh. 



' At present Principal of St Andrews University. 



442 



