624 The Smithsonian Institution 



was not without value to chemistry. It created at once an 

 interest in the study of the air, and from every part of the 

 world papers were sent to the Smithsonian Institution in 

 competition for the prizes. Of the 218 papers submitted to 

 the jury for consideration, that by Lord Rayleigh and Profes- 

 sor William Ramsay, descriptive of their magnificent dis- 

 covery of a hitherto unknown element in the atmosphere, 

 received the first prize of $10,000. Under the title of 

 "Argon, a New Constituent of the Atmosphere," the origi- 

 nal memoir, as submitted by the authors, was published in 

 May, 1896. It forms one of the papers contained in Volume 

 xxix of the " Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." In 

 it are found the reasons that led the authors to suspect the 

 existence of a new element, and the steps in the investiga- 

 tion that developed the suspicion into belief and conviction, 

 culminating in the absolute proof by several methods, of the 

 presence of a hitherto unknown gas in the atmosphere, which, 

 owing to its chemical inactivity, was called argon. 



The third prize, of $1,000, was awarded to Doctor Henri 

 de Varigny for his popular treatise entitled " L'Air et la Vie," 

 which, under the title of " Air and Life," has been published 

 by the Smithsonian Institution. It is an admirable summary 

 of our knowledge of the atmosphere, chemical and otherwise, 

 written in a pleasant style. 



The paper by F. A. R. Russell on " The Atmosphere in 

 Relation to Human Life and Health," which was honorably 

 mentioned and received one of the Hodgkins silver medals, is 

 also of a popular character. Among the papers that re- 

 ceived honorable mention is one on " Atmospheric Actinome- 

 try and the Actinic Constitution of the Atmosphere," by E. 

 Duclaux, of Paris, France. It was recommended by the award 

 committee for publication, and is included in Volume xxix 

 of the "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." It is here 



