Bibliography. 443 
ee a little alumina, and some iron and magnesia. Microscopically 
it was found by Ehrenberg to contain 63 organic forms, 
allied to those a found by him in atmospheric dust, without 
= marine s 
13. De sliaahial and Inclination of the Magnetic Needle at Paris, 
(L’Institut, No. 940.)—On the 16th of November, 1851 1, at J) Qm p, M., 
the declination of the needle at the Paris Observatory, in the pavilion 
situated at the south extremity of the terrace, was 20° 25’ 0”; and on 
the 20th of November, 1851, at 24 30™ p. m. the inclination observed 
with a compass and two stellt of Gambey, gave as the mean of sev- 
eral determinations, 66° 55’. According to the results obtained at 
the Observato x during the preceding Afteen a the annual diminu- 
tion in the inclination is very closely 3’. e mean of the results gave 
the inclination 6? 9’ for the Ist of ac 1841. ; 
OBITUARY. 
Witu1am Toompson.—The friends of science will be pained to learn 
the death of Mr. William Thompson of Belfast, Ireland. Having gone 
to London for the purpose chiefly of making arrangements for the ap- 
proaching meeting of the British Association in Belfast, he died there 
suddenly on Urea Feb. 17, 1852, in the forty-seventh year of his 
age. At the time of his death, Mr. Thompson was President of the 
Natural Cues Society of oy and one of the Vice Presidents of 
the British Amnaiaian for the Advancement of Science. He was an 
early friend of the Association, and took a deep and active interest in 
all the objects which it sought-to accomplish. Though all branches of 
Natural pened received his careful attention, it was to zoology that he 
devoted himself with the greatest ardor. His various papers published 
in the Ansa and Magazine of Natural History, attest his great dili- 
gence and the value of his labors in this department of science. In 
“¢ Reports on the Fauna of Ireland,”—the first on the Vertebrata, read 
before the British Association, on published in extenso in the Proceed- 
ings of 1840; the second on the Invertebrata, in 1843;—and “ The 
Birds of Ireland.” The Birds 7 Ireland form the first part of a great 
work which he had planned on the Natural History of that island. It 
is understood that another pounce of the work, the Fishes, was nearly 
ready for the press. Previous to his death, Mr. Thompson had made 
arrangements by will for ibe obaalon of his < eotagl in the event 
his not living to complete his great undertaki e manuscripts 
are in charge of two gentlemen of Belfast, and they will re given to 
the world without unnecessary delay. 
VIL. Bretiocrapny. 
1. Knapp’ s Chemistry Applied to the Arts and Manufactures. Vol.. 
III. London and New York: H. Bailliere. 8vo, pp. 498, with 9 cop- 
per plates.—The third volume of Knapp, in its English dress, is, we 
understand, in advance of the German issue. It treats of those branches 
of chemical industry including the production of food and related to 
agriculture. Water forms an appropriate introduction to these topics. 
