March 2, 1905] 



NA TURE 



415 



A Large Indian Sea-Perch. 



The dimensions and weight of a sea-perch caught in 

 December last by some native fishermen near Diamond 

 Harbour in the River Hooghly seem to me to be worth 

 recording. 



Its length is nearly seven and a half feet, its girth just 

 behind the shoulder is a little more than five feet nine 

 inches, and its weight, the day after its capture, was four 

 hundred and sixty pounds. 



The fish is so old and worn that its specific iden- 

 tity must remain in doubt, but it agrees fairly well with 

 Day's description, in the " Fauna of British India," of 

 Efiinephelus lanccolatiis, Bloch. 



The largest Indian sea-perch of which I can find any 

 record is the one mentioned by Russell (quoted by Day 

 under Epinephclus pantherinus and malabaricus), which 

 was taken at Vjzagapatam in January, 1786, and measured 

 seven feet in length, five feet in girth, and weighed up- 

 wards of three hundred pounds. 



The scales of the Diamond Harbour monster are so 

 altered by deposit that their accretion lines are very diflficult 

 to follow ; but in a large scale from the shoulder I can 

 count between 500 and 600 such lines, which are sometimes 

 grouped in series of about eight, but oftener show no 

 grouping at all. A. .'\lcock. 



Indian Museum, Calcutta, February 2. 



Attractions of Teneriffe. 

 Those members of the British Association who visit South 

 Africa this year will probably desire to spend as much time 

 as they can near their journey's end. But it is just worth 

 mentioning that some of the oceanic islands en route have 

 very special attractions. For instance, I write from 

 Teneriffe, which has igneous rocks, cinder cones, and lava 

 streams for the geologist ; and for the botanist all zones 

 of vegetation from the subtropics to the snows. The 

 scientific literature of the island i,s at present more in Ger- 

 man than in English. A single dav's excursion, 2000ft. up 

 into the hills by electric tram, is possible whilst the steamer 

 waits to coal. A week would allow of a short tour to 

 Orotava and across the mountains to Guimar, through some 

 of the most interesting parts of the island. 



Hugh Rich.-vrdson. 



SAMUEL PEPYS AND THE ROYAL SOCIETY. 

 ]yrAGDALENE COLLEGE, Cambridge, with 

 •^'-'- which the name of Samuel Pepys is indis- 

 solubly associated, held in his memory at the 

 college on Thursday last, his birthday, a reunion 

 which may become an annual event. Some of the 

 institutions with which he was more especially con- 

 nected were invited to send delegates to this gather- 

 ing. Thus the Royal Society was represented by 

 one of its secretaries and its foreign secretary. 

 From the immortal Diary it appears that the first 

 proposal that Pepys should join that Society was 

 made to him in the spring of the year 1662 by his 

 friend Dr. Timothy Clerke, who offered to bring 

 him " into the College of Virtuosos and my Lord 

 Brouncker's [P.R.S.] acquaintance, and to show me 

 some anatomy ; which makes me very glad, and I 

 shall endeavour it when I come to London." Two 

 years, however, elapsed before his election. From 

 the minute-books of the Society it appears that he 

 was unanimously elected and admitted on the same 

 day (February 15, 1664) — a rapidity of procedure 

 which contrasts with the much more leisurely action 

 of the present day. He records that he " was this 

 day admitted by signing a book and being taken 

 by the hand bv the President, my Lord Brunkard, 

 and some words of admittance said to me. But it 

 is a most acceptable thing to hear their discourse 

 and see their experiments. . . . After this being 

 done they to the Crowne Taverne, behind the 

 'Change, and there my Lord and most of the 

 company to a club-supper." 



NO. 1844, VOL 71] 



The meetings of the Royal Society in those days 

 must have been a good deal more lively than they 

 are at present. Robert Hooke, the most fertile and 

 inventive genius of his time, was then " Curator of 

 Experiments," and brought forward at each meeting 

 either some ingenious contrivance of his own or 

 some device provided by one of the iiiembers. This 

 constant and exciting variety of practical demonstra- 

 tion would be entirely after Pepys' heart, gratifying 

 his spirit of curiosity and his keen desire to increase 

 his knowledge in every direction. Another feature 

 of the ineetings could not but gratify one of his 

 most characteristic proclivities — his sociability and 

 love of congenial company. The evening adjourn- 

 ments to the " club-supper " at the Crowne Taverne 

 behind the 'Change or to the Devil Taverne in 

 Fleet Street would end off his day as he always 

 delighted that it should end. These meetings for 

 supper contained the germ of the Royal Society 

 Club, the oldest extant records of which do not go 

 back further than 1743. This club consists of a 

 limited selection of fellows of the Society who still 

 dine together at some restaurant on the evenings of 

 the Society's meetings. 



At the time of Pepys' election the Society met at 

 Gresham College, but a few years afterwards moved 

 to Arundel House. An effort was then being made 

 to raise money for the purpose of building a house 

 in which the " virtuosos " might hold their meetings 

 and place their library and apparatus. Among the 

 other fellows, Pepys was applied to for a subscrip- 

 tion. Under date April 2, 1668, he writes, " with 

 Lord Brouncker to the Royall Society, where they 

 were just done; but there I was forced to subscribe 

 to the building of a College and did give 40L"— 

 certainly a generous donation at that time. He 

 evidently had some reluctance to join in the scheme, 

 for he thought that this canvassing for money " may 

 spoil the Societv for it breeds faction and ill will, 

 and becomes burdensome to some that cannot or 

 would not do it." 



The Royal Society held its annual meeting for the 

 election of the council and officers on St. .Andrew's 

 Day, November 30 — a date which is still kept sacred 

 for the same purpose. But some of the usages that 

 were formerly in vogue have disappeared. Thus 

 Pepys writes on November 30, 1668, "To Arundel 

 Hoiase and there I did see them choosing their 

 Council, it being St. Andrew's Day; and I had 

 his cross in my hat, as the rest had, and cost 

 me 2s." The diarist himself had already been 

 nearly selected to serve on the council, so well did 

 he stand in the esteem of his fellow members. Only 

 three years and a half after his admission into the 

 Society he records that " I was near being chosen 

 of the' Council, but am glad I was not, for I could 

 not have attended, though, above all things, I could 

 wish it; and do take it'as a mighty respect to have 

 been named there." 



-f^t last, at the end of twenty years from the time 

 of his entry into the Royal Society, his associates 

 showed the estimation in' which they held him by 

 electing him President on December i, 1684. He 

 was the sixth who filled that office in the history of 

 the society. The council minute-book shows that he 

 obtained 'twentv-nine votes out of thirty-nine, and 

 that he was sworn in upon December 10. The 

 council included at that time Sir Christopher Wren, 

 Dr. Martin Lister, Robert Hooke, E. Halley, John 

 Flamsteed (Astronomer Royal), John Evelyn, and Sir 

 John Hoskyns. The difficulty which Pepys would have 

 had in attending the ineetings of council appears to 

 have still continued after his election to the presidency, 

 for he was only occasionally able to be present. Un- 

 fortunately, the Diary, which gives such a full and 



