220 Annals of the Philosophical Club 



found that the snow had melted from patches of rock facing" 

 the south, on which al pen-roses x and other mountain plants 

 were in full bloom. Dr. Giinther said that in winter insecti- 

 vorous birds abounded in the Alps at heights of some 

 5000 feet, since insects were very numerous about that level 

 on the sunny faces of precipices. 



April 24th, 3i5th meeting. Professor Huxley referred 

 to the recent death of Charles Darwin, 2 stating that when 

 the intelligence reached the Royal Society, the President 

 (Dr. Spottiswoode) at once communicated with the Dean of 

 Westminster in order that this great leader in science might 

 be laid in the Abbey. He spoke of the ceremony, and of 

 the cordial recognition of the nobility of Darwin's character 

 and the far-reaching influence of his work by leaders of 

 public opinion, including several representatives of orthodox 

 theology. 



May 25th, 3i6th meeting. Captain Noble gave an 

 account of some experiments on which Professor Abel and 

 himself had been recently engaged. Their object was to- 

 ascertain (i) to what degree, if any, the erosive action of 

 gunpowder, so serious with the large charges now used, 

 depended on the chemical condition of the powder, (2) 

 whether the tensions developed by the different compositions 

 used in the experiments were materially different, and 

 whether the pressures exerted by the larger charges, now 

 used, were much greater than those of smaller charges. 

 They experimented with five descriptions of powder, (a) one 

 of the ordinary composition, (6) one in which the proportion 

 of saltpetre was reduced, but those of sulphur and carbon 

 increased, (c) one with the proportion of sulphur halved, 

 (d) and (e) without any sulphur ; these having been tried 

 at the suggestion of Sir W. Armstrong, who thought that 

 its presence might cause the formation of iron sulphide and 



1 This can hardly be accurate as regards the alpen-roses, for the rhodo- 

 dendron, even at about 5000 feet, does not flower till July. 



2 Charles Darwin died April igth, 1882. A memorial presented to Dr. 

 Bradley, Dean of Westminster, is printed in Life and Letters of Charles 

 Darwin, vol. iii. pages 360-1. The funeral took place on April 26th, tha 

 grave being a few feet from that of Isaac Newton. 



