NATURE 



[May 23. 1895 



but, nevertheless, a perusal of the controversy between 

 Mendcleeff and Meyer shows, I think, that Meyer arrived 

 at the fundamental conception of the periodic law in- 

 dependently of Mendeleeff. Those who arc interested 

 in such controversies will find papers by Mendeleeff and 

 Meyer in Berichti xiii. pp. 259, 1796, 2043 [iSSo]. 



In his discourse to the German Chemical Society on 

 May 29, 1S93, " L'eber den \'ortrag der unorganischen 

 Chemie nach dem natiirlichen Systeme der Elemcnte," 

 Meyer quotes the words which Laurent had used fifty 

 years before concerning o;-ganic chemistry, and applies 

 them to the teaching of inorganic chemistrj- at the presen 

 time ; — que rarhilrairc y rc}^ne sans partiit^c. If these 

 words can be applied to the teaching of inorganic and 

 general chemistry to-day, how much more fully and 

 literally were they applicable at the time when the first 

 edition of Meyer^s " Die Modernen Theorien" appeared 

 thirty years ago ! That book has probably done more 

 than any other publication within the twenty years after 

 1864 to advance the study of comparative chemistry ; its 

 influence on the conception of chemistry as an accurate 

 and orderly body of facts and principles has been ver>' 

 great, and has been wholly good. The labour bestowed 

 on the preparation of the first edition of the " .Modern 

 Theories " must have been immense. The author speaks 

 in his preface of rewriting the MS. three times. It is 

 true that thirty years ago physical chemistrj- was practi- 

 cally non-existent, that the facts of organic chemisti7 

 could be mastered and held by a man with an ordinary 

 memory, and that one might be a chemist without first 

 being a mathematical physicist. But it is also true that 

 the facts of inorganic chemistry had not been coordinated 

 by the luminous conception of the periodic law, that 

 there was a lack of clearness in the notions of most 

 chemists about the structure of organic compounds — for 

 Kekule had not yet made his famous ride on the top of 

 the Clapham omnibus — and that the many isolated facts 

 regarding the influence of temperature, time, and the 

 masses of the reacting bodies, on chemical changes had 

 not been gathered together and illuminated by the law of 

 mass action and the conceptions arising from the appli- 

 cations of this law. It was then that " Die Modernen 

 Theorien " appeared ; and at once a flood of light was 

 thrown on the whole domain of chemical science. Old 

 problems were made clear, and new problems were 

 suggested. Chemistry entered on its modem phase. 



As the study of comparative chemistry progressed 

 — a study which was introduced by the enunciation of 

 the periodic law — it became ncccssan' to know with 

 accuracy the analytical bases whereon rested the values 

 accepted for the atomic weights of the elements. Hence 

 Lothar Meyer was induced to devote a large amount of 

 labour to the somewhat thankless task of recalculating 

 these values ; the result of this work, carried out with 

 the help of his colleague Prof Seubcrt, appeared in 1883. 

 This work received additional v.ilue from the fact that 

 it appeared almost at the same time as Clarke's " Re- 

 calculation of the .Atomic Weights." Every worker in 

 this fitpartment has the datJi of all previous workers 

 brought to his hand, and presented in the most manage- 

 able form. 



IJcsidcs these two treatises bearing on general 

 chemistry, Lothar Meyer was an investigator in the 

 sphere of experimental chemistry. He has published 

 memoirs on subjects in almost every branch of the 

 science ; on the atomic weight of beryllium, on determi- 

 nations of vapour densities, on the combustion of carbon 

 monoxide, on the preparation of hydriodic acid, on the 

 transpir.iiion of gases, on \arious organic compounds, 

 and on niher matters. 



A gre.it chemist has passed away from us ; his work 

 r»-tii . r - .rwl that work will ever be held in remembrance. 



M. M. I'ATTISON MUIR. 



NO. 1334, VOL. 52] 



NOTES. 

 The Institutt of France has decided to solicit subscriptio 

 for the erection of a statue to L,ivoisier at Paris. It is intenik- 

 to make the ap|K-al an international one, so that all admirers of 

 Lavoisier may do honour to the memory of one of the crcaloi-s 

 of modern science. Subscriptions may be sent to the Treasurer 

 of the Committee for the Lavoisier Memorial, 55 quai des Grands- 

 Augustins, Paris. 



The centenarj- of the Institute of France is to be celebrated 

 next October. The Times states that on the 24th of that month 

 (he foreign representatives invited to the celebration will be 

 received, and the Minister of Education will hold a reception. 

 On the following day M. Faure will attend a ceremony at the 

 Sorbonne, and a banquet will be held. There will also Ix: a 

 dramatic entertainment and a reception at the Elysce. Chantilly, 

 the future proi>erty of the Institute, will be visited on the 27th, 

 by permission of the Due d'Aumale. 



Liverpool, determined that the visit of the British .Vssociation 

 in 1896 shall be a success, has taken time by the forelock, .-\t 

 an influential meeting held in the Town ILall last week, it was 

 announced that an execuli\e working committee had been ap- 

 pointed thoroughly representative of the inhabit.-ints of Liverpo<il 

 and the neighbonrhootl. The Chairman is the Right Hon. the 

 Lord Mayor of Liverpool, the Vice-Chairmen are Sir W. B. 

 Forwood and Mr. E. K. Muspratl ; the Hon. Treasurer, 

 Reginald Bushell, and the Hon. Secretaries, Prof \V. h. 

 llcrdman, F.R.S., .Mr. J. C. Thompson, and .Mr. W. F. 

 Willink. The meeting was very enthusiastic, and the ke)- 

 note running through the various speeches was to the effect that 

 the welcome extended to the members of the British .\ssix:iation 

 should not in any direction be allowed to compare unfavourably 

 with that at the meeting at Manchester in 1887, which in the 

 matter of subscriptions at present holds the record. From the 

 short statement made by the Hon. Treasurer, this hope .seeni^ 

 likely to be realised. Without making any public appeal for 

 funds, but simply imlllng the matter before a few of his more 

 induential friends, the Hon. Tre.isurer was able to make the 

 gratifying statement that no less than ^£^1350 had been suli- 

 scribed. The Committee preferred a subscription list to a 

 guarantee fimd, and in this they are no doubt well advised. 

 .\ donor, however, is not entitled to any privileges as a member 

 of the British Association, by reason of his subscription, but i" 

 every subscriber of ^10 a member's ticket or two associate 

 tickets will be given, and one associate ticket to subscribers of 

 C^. With this early start. Liverpool ought to have no ditViculty 

 in raising the ;^50oo which Sir VV. l-'orwood regards as the 

 minimum sum re<)uired for a successful and record meeting. 



This year's conversazione of the Society of .\rls will be held 

 in the South Kensington Museum on Wednesday evening, 

 June 19. 



Dk. Tmorne Thorne, C.H., F.R.S., has been ap|X)inted a 

 mcmlier of ihe General Medical Council for five years, in place 

 of Sir John Simon, resigned. 



Mr. Gkorce MfRRAV has been appointed Keeper of Botany 

 in Ihe British Museum, in succession to .Mr. Carruthers, who 

 retires on su|>erannuation. 



I The death is announced of Dr. II. F. C. Cleghorn, well 

 known for his work in connection with the organisation and 



I ilcvelopmcnt of the Forest De|)artinent of India. He w.as for 

 .some years president of Ihe Royal Scottish Arboricullural 

 Society, and examiner in forestry lo the Highland Society. He 

 also look a leading part in the foun<ling of the forestry lecUire* 

 .ship in the University of Edinburgh. 



