242 



NATURE 



{Jan. 27, 1876 



tone to the " Principles " of his friend and fellow-labourer 

 Lyell. 



Two years after the " Considerations " appeared, Mr. 

 Scrope published his great monograph on the volcanic 

 districts of Central France — a work which placed him in 

 a high rank as an accurate and philosophical observer, 

 and one which did more, perhaps, than any other of its 

 day, to destroy the Wernerian prejudice against volcanoes, 

 and to establish the true volcanic origin of basalt rocks 

 of every age. In another respect it marked an epoch in 

 geological literature, inasmuch as it brought forward clear 

 and detailed proofs of the gradual excavation of valleys 

 by the action of the rivers still flowing in them — a doc- 

 trine taught indeed by Hutton, but for which there were 

 still needed those very proofs which Mr. Scrope's memoir 

 so admirably supplied. 



After this early promise of an active and brilliant scien- 

 tific career, Mr. Scrope's energies passed over into another 

 and wholly different mode of life. He entered Parlia- 

 ment, and continued an active member for some thirty- 

 four years. So thoroughly did he give himself up to 

 political questions, that for fully a quarter of a century he 

 seems to have retired from science altogether. About 

 twenty years ago (1856), finding that the old notion of 

 Humboldt and Von Buch about volcanic craters being 

 merely big tumours or blisters pushed out by the expan- 

 sion of the subterranean vapours, was still sufficiently in 

 vogue to call forth an active opposition from Lyell, Mr. 

 Scrope, who had long before exposed the untenability of 

 this dogma, returned to his first love, and produced a 

 paper upon " Craters and the Nature and Liquidity of 

 Lavas." Other papers of a similar kind followed. In 

 1858 he brought out a second and revised edition of his 

 memoir on the Auvergne volcanic region, and in 1862 he 

 published a second — much altered and improved — edition 

 of his general work on volcanoes. Since then he has 

 communicated from time to time numerous brief letters 

 and notices on his favourite subjects, showing how fully 

 he retained his firm grasp of all that related to volcanic 

 geology, and how young and fresh he could keep his 

 powers. 



This brief notice of his labours may fitly end with a 

 tribute to that courtesy and kindliness which ever marked 

 his relations with other men. A more leal-hearted friend 

 could not be. How gladly would he say a kind word 

 when a kind word would be of service ! How ready, too, 

 to help with more than words ! 



The founders of English geology have been truly a 

 noble band — generous, helpful, and enthusiastic ; but few of 

 them will be more sincerely mourned than George Poulett 

 Scrope. A. G. 



SOMERSET HOUSE AND THE PUBLIC 

 ANALYSTS 



EVER since the proposal was first made that disputed 

 cases under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act should 

 be referred to the analysts of the Board of Inland Revenue 

 as adjudicators, there has been a strong feeling in the 

 minds of most persons competent to form an opinion on 

 the subject, that should such a course be ultimately 

 adopted, the probable results would be great dissatisfac- 

 tion on all sides. It was foreseen that the gentlemen 



most meritoriously engaged at Somerset House in testing 

 the strength of alcoholic Hquors, in examining the genuine- 

 ness or otherwise of tobacco, tea, and excisable articles 

 generally, and such like pursuits, would have great cause 

 for complaint if work out of their ordinary department 

 were thrust upon them, in the performance of which, 

 even if no discredit should accrue to them by mistakes 

 almost unavoidable in inexperienced hands, a consider- 

 able amount of professional odium would be probably 

 incurred. It was clearly evident that the Public Analysts 

 would be unjustly dealt with by the establishment of a 

 system whereby the reports of men, frequently well knc. - 

 in the scientific world, and of great skill and experici 

 in the special work requisite, would be liable to be super- 

 seded by those furnished by Government employes of far 

 less professional and scientific standing, and specially 

 qualified to a much lower extent. Finally, it was an- 

 ticipated that a considerable injury to the public at 

 large would be imminent, from the high probability th t 

 such an arrangement would lead to results not at all 

 harmony with the object of the Act. The checks on acl 

 teration, it was feared, would be greatly diminished, par 

 through the bringing into more or less discredit 1 

 analysts appointed under the Act, and thus render 

 their existence a far less effectual moral deterrent ; a; ■> 

 partly through the probable resignation of the higher 

 class of analysts, and hence through the deprivation of 

 the public of the special skill and experience acquired by 

 these gentlemen. 



That these dismal forebodings were not wholly ground- 

 less is shown by a recent case in the Southwark Police 

 Court, the first, it may be mentioned, in which the 

 Inland Revenue analysts have been appealed to under 

 the new Act. On the 14th of last month, a large 

 cheesemonger in the Borough appeared to answer a 

 summons charging him with selling as butter a sub- 

 stance alleged to contain no butter, but to be a mixture 

 of foreign fats not injurious to health. The proof of the ] 

 purchase of the substance, and of the delivery of a sampi' ' 

 to Dr. Muter, Public Analyst for the district, and the 

 tificate of Dr. Muter to the above effect, were then given 

 The defendant demurring to the certificate, the case wa; 

 adjourned in order that the third portion of the sampi 

 might be forwarded to Somerset House for examinatioi 

 by the Inland Revenue officers. On the i8th inst. t 

 case came on for further hearing, and a certificate fi\ 

 Mr. Bell, of the Inland Revenue, was put in, stating 1' 

 in his opinion the substance in question was genu; 

 butter. This certificate was objected to by the presid; 

 magistrate (Mr. Partridge) as being "extremely va 

 and unsatisfactory," inasmuch as it did not indicate '' 

 any analysis at all had been made, but only a curs 

 inspection. Mr. Bell thereupon gave an explanation 

 his certificate, stating that he had found the sample 

 contain water, 9*83 ; salt, 370; casein, o'93 ; and • 

 85'54 per cent ; that the fat yielded over 88 per cent, 

 fatty acids, and possessed the same specific gravity 

 butter fat, whence he concluded that there was no c 

 dence of adulteration. In answer to questions, howev^ 

 Mr. Bell admitted that although he had previously ex 

 mined sundry specimens of genuine butter, and had see 

 some samples of " Bosh," he had never tested ar 

 specimen of the various artificial butters sold under t 



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