40 Annals of the Philosophical Club 



in Mathematics at Oxford, and was elected in 1827 Savilian Professor 

 in Geometry, which post he held till his death on January nth, 

 1860. Ordained in 1820, he wrote on theological as well as mathe- 

 matical subjects, and was prosecuted (without success) for a contri- 

 bution to Essays and Reviews. 



MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH ELLISON PORTLOCK was born at Gosport 

 on September 3oth, 1794, and obtained in 1813 a commission in the 

 Royal Engineers. After good service in the Canada war, he returned 

 to England in 1822, and was employed in surveying Ireland, paying 

 much attention to its geology and zoology. Then, after employment 

 in Corfu, he returned to Ireland in command of the Cork district. 

 In 1851 he became Inspector of Studies at Woolwich, doing good 

 work as an educational reformer, till he retired with the rank of 

 Major-General in November, 1857. He was M.R.I. A. as well as 

 F.R.S., and died at Blackrock, near Dublin, on Feb. 14th, 1864. 



A letter from Sir R. I. Murchison to Lord Raglan was 

 read, which stated that the Presidents of the Geological 

 and Linnean Societies, with Dr. Hooker, Col. Portlock, and 

 himself, were empowered to request H.M. Government to 

 attach a few competent men of science to the army under 

 his command, which was about to be sent to the east of 

 Europe or to the immediately adjacent countries. This, as 

 the letter pointed out, had been done by the French Govern- 

 ment in past times, with valuable results, and by that of the 

 United States, both along the Rocky Mountains and in 

 Southern California. The writers, however, were anxious 

 to ascertain Lord Raglan's views on the question before 

 applying to the Duke of Newcastle, Secretary of State for 

 War. Lord Raglan's secretary had replied that it would 

 be better, in his Lordship's opinion, to wait till the destina- 

 tion of the army had been settled, and it had been some 

 little time in the field, when he hoped to be able to forward 

 their views on the subject. 



Reverting on May 25th to the housing of scientific 

 societies, Lord Rosse stated that Sir W. Molesworth, to 

 whom he had applied, had informed him he had no doubt the 

 Government, though it had not officially stated its intentions 

 in regard to Burlington House, intended to provide in it 

 for the accommodation of the scientific societies. Colonel 

 Sabine recommended that the three societies (Royal, 



