564 
NATURE 
[JULY 30, 1914 
tion of many modern conclusi=ns on evolution and | 
the germ theory of disease. The booklet itself had 
been’ sent, early in. 1913, 10 the: later. AL Uke 
Wallace by a Mr. B. R. Miller, who stated that ~ 
he had bought it at a second-hand book store in 
1891 or 1892. Prof. Poulton had also heard of 
the existence of three other copies in the posses- 
sion of the author’s son, Mr. J. F. Sleeper. It 
was pointed out in last year’s address that the 
work was not registered, as stated; that the word 
“agnostic,” introduced by Huxley in 1869, was 
used in its pages; and that there was no reference 
to it in an undoubtedly genuine but commonplace 
pamphlet published by the author in _ 1860. 
Nevertheless, the get-up of the booklet appeared 
to be so genuine and the style so convincing that 
many critical authorities were by no means con- 
vinced that it was a forgery. 
Prof. Poulton, having directed attention to the 
subject, felt that he must make every effort to 
produce a body of evidence which would finally 
decide the question. The investigation, which 
could not be hurried, was only complete by Easter 
of the present year, and its results were communi- 
cated to the Linnean Society in the anniversary 
address on May 25 last. The evidence then pre- 
sented to the Fellows will doubtless lead to the 
undisputed conclusion that the work is a forgery, 
and probably a very late forgery. 
The Type.—Mr. J. W. Phinney, manager of the 
American Typefounders’ Company, Boston, after 
an exhaustive inquiry, concluded that it was “im- 
possible that the title-page could have been set at 
the date claimed for it.” 
The Contract with the Printer.—This document, 
forwarded by Mr. J. F. Sleeper, satisfied many 
authorities, but aroused the suspicions of Prof. 
C. H. Firth and afterwards of Sir Frederick 
Kenyon and Sir George Warner. The printer’s 
signature, dated 1890, kindly sent by his daughter, 
Mrs. Endicott, was similar to that appended to the 
contract. It was submitted to Sir George 
Warner, who thought it “very remarkable that 
after so long an interval as forty years the signa- 
tures should be so precisely identical,” and con- 
sidered it “‘almost easier to believe that the early 
one is a forgery from a considerably later ex- 
ample.” ») An ‘litthe. later Mirs: 
1856 and 1858, in both of which the B of Bense 
was very differently formed. It was evident, as 
Sir George Warner had predicted, that the signa- 
ture of the contract had been copied from a late 
signature of the printer, W. Bense. 
Other evidence of falsification was also sub- 
mitted to the meeting, and will appear in the 
pages of the Society’s Proceedings. It was sug- 
gested in conclusion that the author, self-deceived 
as to the importance of his own ideas, really be- | 
lieved that he had forestalled many conclusions of 
modern science. In this way he might defend the 
falsification of evidence as the only means by 
which justice could be done not only to himself 
but to the history of thought. 
NO: 22235 0,02) 
Endicott succeeded | 
in finding another late signature also similar to | 
that of the contract, and two early ones, dated | 
A similar interpretation might be offered if we 
suppose—and many reasons were given for the 
belief—that the forgery was committed after the 
author’s death by one who knew his feelings and 
shared his delusion that he was the victim of 
injustice. 
THE LANGLEY FLYING MACHINE: 
3 XPERIMENTS. made in May last, at Ham- 
~ mondeport, U.S.A., recall the great share 
which Prof. S. P. Langley had in the development 
of aviation, the occasion being the testing of a 
power-driven man-carrying aeroplane designed 
and constructed by Langley many years ago. The 
aeroplane was completed in 1903, and in Septem- 
ber and December of that year two attempts were 
made to launch it from the top of a house-boat on 
the Potomac River, but owing to defective appa- 
ratus the aeroplane and pilot fell into the river. 
The experiments were discontinued owing to lack 
of financial support, and the rescued flying 
machine was carefully cleaned and preserved in 
the Smithsonian Institution. Now, eleven years 
later, with floats added to replace the launching 
apparatus, actual flight has been obtained on the 
aeroplane substantially as designed except for the 
floats. The engine weighed only 125 lbs., and 
actually developed 52 horse-power, a relation of 
weight to horse-power roughly equivalent to 
that of the first successful Gnome engine. 
The actual flights have so far not exceeded 
ten seconds, and cannot therefore be considered as 
| conclusive evidence of the satisfactory nature of 
the Langley design; the results must, however, 
| be considered in reference to the alterations made 
| this year preparatory to the new tests. The design 
was for a man-carrying aeroplane having a total 
weight, including pilot, of 830 lbs., whilst the 
_ addition of floats and the necessary structure to 
| support them raised the weight to 1170 lbs., and 
appreciably increased the head resistance. If a 
_ launching device of the character first used by the 
Wright Brothers had been adopted, it is probable 
that to Langley would have gone the credit for 
the first successful aeroplane. 
NOTES. 
WE regret to have to record the death, in his sixty- 
sixth year, of Dr. R. J. Anderson, professor of 
Natural History, Geology, and Mineralogy at 
(Queen’s) University College, Galway. 
Lorp WELBy has been elected president of the Royal 
Statistical Society for the session 1914-15. 
Mr. Marconr has had the order of the Honorary 
Grand Cross of the Victorian Order conferred upon 
him. 
Tue Council of the Royal Society of Arts has re- 
ceived from Mr. R. Le Neve Foster a donation of 
| tool. for the purpose of founding a prize in memory 
of his father, the late Mr. Peter Le Neve Foster, who 
was secretary of the society from 1853 to 1879. 
cman pap eee os 
“naowert. 
