July 19, 1883] 



NA TURE 



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introduction as a means of illumination was very gradual and 

 slow in Greece, yet by the end of the fifth century B.C. they 

 were probably in general use at least among the upper ranks of 

 society. The lamp of which Herodotus speaks, which we have 

 mentioned above, differed in no respect from that in use at Rome, 

 the wick (dpvaWii) being mane from the woolly leaves of an in- 

 digenous plant, which was passed through the nose {fivKTijp) of 

 the lamp into the crude olive oil. 



So much for the methods of lighting in use in ancient times. 



It is worthy of notice how the two elements of fire and light 

 have ever been invested wiih divine attributes and set up for 

 worship. The Persian monarchs have silver fire trays borne 

 before them into battle. The Lychnokaie, the lamp feast of the 

 Egyptians, referred to above, has a representative in the Chinese 

 feast of lanterns, which takes place on the 15th of the first month. 

 Not only this, but lamp festivals have been common to all 

 nations. The Greeks had their Aa/iwaSiy-S/xWa, the Romans 

 their Lupercalia, the latter of which gave way to the institution 

 of Pope Gelasius, Candlemas, unless it be, as some have it, that 

 Virgilius supplanted the Pro erpina by this festival, but in any 

 case they are both candle festivals. We learn from Pliny's 

 " Natural History " that the Romans used wax candles in certain 

 rites. They lighted lamps too in honour of Prometheus, who 

 caught fire from heaven ; of Minerva, who gave them oil ; and 

 of Vulcan, the originator of lamps ; they had their/^.r belli, the 

 war torch, the fax nuptialis, the marriage emblem. 



Lamps, too, filled with scented oil were placed on the tombs 

 of the dead. An oracular statue of Hermes in Achaia was 

 "worked" by lighting a lamp before him and placing a small 

 coin at his feet. Then there is the eternal lamp of Vesta, which 

 was tended by damsels of establi bed reputation, the ever-lighted 

 lamps of Mahomet's tomb, Aaron's tabernacle, and Roman 

 Catholic churches. Again there are those lamps in tombs 

 said to have been found burning after the lapse of centuries. 

 Boyle made a series of experiments with the air-pump which 

 demonstrate the absurdity of such a belief. Mr. Field, how- 

 ever, suggests the possibility of an asbestos wick communicating 

 with a supply of light naphtha burning in a tomb not absolutely 

 air-tight as a way out of the difficulty, and concludes by indors- 

 ing Lamb's opinion of our badly-illuminated forefathers, that 

 "one can never hear mention of them without an accompanying 

 feeling as though a palpable obscure had dimmed the face of 

 things, and that our ancestors wandered to and fro — groping." 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 

 "THE second annual meeting of the Royal Society of Canada 

 •*■ was held at Ottawa during May 22-25. The officers who 

 had been elected at the close of the la-t meeting were all present, 

 viz : — President, Principal Dawson, C.M.G., F.R.S. ; Vice- 

 President, Hon. P. 1. O. Chauveau, LL. D. ; Hon. Secretary, J. G. 

 Bourinot, B.A. ; Hon. Treasurer, J. A. Grant, M.D. Besides 

 the members of the Society, there were present also delegates 

 from the various local literary and scientific societies of Canada 

 and from several British and foreign societies. Interesting 

 inaugural addresses were delivered by His Excellency the 

 Governor-General, who is Patron and Honorary President, by 

 Principal Dawson, and by the Hon. Dr. Chauveau. 



The report of the Council show ed that a favourable answer 

 bad been received to the memorial to her Majesty the Queen, 

 asking her gracious permission to name the Society the Royal 

 Society of Canada ; that an Act of Incorporation had accord- 

 ingly been passed by the Dominion Parliament, and a sum of 

 1000/. sterling voted to assist in the payment of the expenses of 

 publishing Transactions ; and that stej.s had already been taken 

 towards the formation of a national museum. 



A considerable portion of the time of the Society was occupied 

 by the discussion of a draft constitution which was submitted by 

 the Council. 



An address was presented by the Society to His Excellency 

 the Marquis of Lome expressive of the gratitude of the members 

 of the Society to him for the efforts he has made during the 

 time of his Governor-Generalship to further the interests of 

 literature, science, and art. 



Several interesting papers were read in the French and English 

 Literature, History and Archoeology Sections. 



Section of Mathematical, Physical, and Chemical 



Sciences 

 The following papers were read in this Section, which was 

 presided over by T. Sterry Hunt, F.R.S. :— (1) Prof. J. G. 



MacGregor, D.Sc, Halifax, N.S., on "Experiments showing 

 that the Polarisation of Electrodes is independent of their Differ- 

 ence of Potential." The same current was passed through two 

 electrolytic cells (in series) containing dilute sulphuric acid and 

 platinum electrodes. The cells had the same section but 

 differed in length. The electrodes, therefore, differed in poten- 

 tial during ihe passage of the current, while the current had in 

 both ceils the same density. Curves showing the variation with 

 time of the electromotive force of the respective cells after the 

 cessation of the polarising current were draw n, and were found 

 to coincide. The measurements of difference of potential were 

 made by means of the quadrant electrometer. (2) Prof. B. J. 

 Harrington, Ph.D., Montreal, on "An Analysis of two Minerals 

 recently discovered in Canada— Meneghinite and Tennantite." 

 During the discussion of this paper Dr. J. H. Ellis, of Toronto, 

 exhibited a specimen of tellurium which he had extracted from 

 the gold ores of Lake Superior. (3) C. BaiJlarge, C. E., Quebec, 

 on "Hints to Young Geometers." (4) Prof. E. Haanel, Ph.D., 

 Cobourg, on " Hydriodic Acid as a Blowpipe Reagent." The 

 author had already proposed to use hjdriodic acid as a blowpipe 

 reagent in the case of four metals. This paper described the results 

 of experiments made to extend its employment to others. Instead 

 of charcoal he used flat plates of plaster of Pari*, and in the 

 case of all the metals which had been at the author's .disposal, 

 the blowpipe brought out on these plates easily distinguishable 

 characteristic colours. Owing to the difference of volatility 

 (chiefly) of the products of decomposition, three or four metals 

 could be detected as present in a mineral by a single test, so 

 distinctive are the colours of the iodides and other compounds 

 formed. Prof. Haanel gave mo t successful experimental illus- 

 trations of the new method before the Section. (5) Prof. Cole- 

 man, Cobourg, on "The Spectra of certain of the Characteristic 

 Colours of Prof. Haanel's Method of Blowpipe Analysis." 

 (6) Prof. N. F. Dupuis, A.M., Kingston, on "The Construc- 

 tion ofa Clock intended to show both Mean and Sidereal Time." 

 The author had constructed the clock described ; it gave a much 

 closer approximation to accuracy than any such instrument 

 hitherto proposed. (7) E. Deville, C.E., Ottawa, on "The 

 Measurement of Terrestrial Distances by Astronomical Observa- 

 tions." The author deduced expres ions fur such distances in 

 terms of differences of latitude and of azimuth respectively, and 

 showed the influence of various sources of error in the use of 

 these expressions. (8) T. McFarlane, M.E., Montreal, on 

 "The Reduction of Sulphate of Soda by Carbon." (9) C. 

 Baillarge, C.E., Quebec, on "Simplified Solutions of two of 

 the more difficult cases in Hydrographic Surveying," and on 

 " The Measurement of Surveys by Spherical Triangles and 

 Polygons on a Sphere of any Radius." (10) Sandford Fleming, 

 C.M.G., Ottawa, on "The Adoption ofa Universal Meridian 

 for the Regulation of Time." The author showed that the pro- 

 posal he had made some years ago was meeting with a favourable 

 reception. In connection with this paper the Section adopted 

 a resolution urging the Society to memorialise the Governor- 

 General, asking that he use his influence to induce the Imperial 

 Government to grant representation to Canada at the Inter- 

 national Conference on Standard Time to be held at the invita- 

 tion of the President of the United States. (11) Reports by 

 Prof. A. Johnson, LL. D., Montreal, and C. H. Carpmall, 

 M.A., Toroi to, Superintendent of the Meteorological Service, 

 on "The Preparations made for the Observation of the Transit 

 of Venus in Canada, and on the Observations which had been 

 made." (12) Dr. J. H. Ellis, Toronto, on "A Remarkable 

 Sulphur Spring near Port Stanley," and on " A Method by which 

 the Tannin Determination of Lowenthal might be utilised for 

 the Detection of Impurities or Adulterations in Spices." (13) 

 F. W. Gisborne, Esq., Ottawa, on " Recent Improvements in 

 Practical Telegraphy." (14) T. McFarlane, M.E., Montreal, 

 on " The Decomposition of Zinc Sulphate by Common Salt." 

 (15) T. Sterry Flunt, F.R.S., on "The Mechanical Transfer of 

 Matter in the process of Segregation." 



Prof. Cherriman, M.A., Ottawa, was elected president, Mr. 

 T. McFarlane vice-president, and Prof. A. Johnson secretary of 

 the Section for the next year. 



Section of Geological and Biological Sciences 

 A. R. C. Selwyn, F.R.S., Director of the Geological Survey 

 of Canada, presided over this section. The following papers 

 were read : — (1) Dr. Selwyn, on " Notes on the Geology of 

 Lake Superior. " The points in-isted on were : the conformity 

 of the Laurentian and lluronian divisions of the older crystalline 

 rocks; the Lower Cambrian age of the upper copper-bearing 



