THE ROYAL 
NATURE 
(Dee. 8, 1881 
Wallace presided on the occasion, accompanied by Lady Wallace, or three years, But there is nothing in the present undertaking 
and there was'a large company present. 
A TRAIN of Pullman carriages lighted by electricity has begun 
to run between London and Brighton. 
THE Risikopf, on which the landslip occurred that recently 
overwhelmed the village of Elm in Switzerland, is being bom- 
barded by heavy artillery in order that all the loose portions may 
be detached and thus prevent any future catastrophe. 
EISENACH is to have an electric railway from the station to 
the Wartburg Castle, if the Royal permission can be obtained. 
THE British Almanac and Companion for 1882 contains a 
summary of Science for 1881 by Mr. J. F. Iselin. It is neces- 
sarily meagre, but Mr. Iselin has selected some of the leading 
points ; the geography, is pretty full. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Black-eared Marmoset (Hafale fenictllata) 
from South-East Brazil, presented by Mrs. George Willins ; a 
Tawny Kagle (Aguila nevioides) from South Africa, presented 
by the Hon. — Southey; a Grey-breasted Parrakeet (Bo/ée- 
rhynchus monachus) from the Argentine Republic, a Black-headed 
Conure (Conurus nanday) from Paraguay, presented by Mr. J. 
Lloyd; two Talpacoti Ground Doves (Chamepelia talpacoti) | 
from Para, a Plumbeous Snake (Oxyrrhopus plumbeus), two 
Taraguira Lizards (7araguira smithi), a Tree Frog (Hy/a, 
sp. inc.) from Brazil, presented by Dr. A. Stradling, C.M.Z.S.; 
a Red-faced Spider Monkey (Aéeles aniscus) from Guiana, three 
Red-billed Tree Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) from South 
America, a Vinaceous Amazon (Chrysotis vinacea) from Brazil, 
a Redshank (7Zotanus calidris), two Dunlins (7ringa cinclus), 
two Razorbills (A/a forda), a Grey Plover (Sguatarola helvetica), 
a Curlew (Numenius argquatus), British, purchased ; a Geoffroy’s 
Dove (Peristera geoffroii), bred in the Gardens, 
SOCIETY—ADDRESS OF THE 
PRESIDENT 
Il. 
FTER the Congress one of the most remarkable events 
during the present year has undoubtedly been the Electrical 
Exhibition in Paris. Ido not of course purpose to describe it, 
as many of our Fellows visited it; and full descriptions have 
reached us through various channels. One point, however, must 
have struck those who examined any considerable number of the 
objects ; and this I mention, not as in any way disparaging 
them, but rather as illustrating the stage to which electrical 
science has attained ; namely, that while the assemblage of in- 
struments and appliances was in every way remarkable, and 
while very great ingenuity and skill had been expended on their 
contrivance and construction, yet the amount of novelty in the 
principles involved was comparatively small, Of new combina- 
tions, improved methods, and adaptations in detail there was 
abundance. Some of them even removed former inventions 
from the category of curiosities to that of instruments for practical 
employment ; or enlarged their sphere of utility from that of the 
laboratory to that of every-day use. But such is the mass of 
fruitful matter which science has furnished to the mechanician 
and constructor, that we might almost wish, from the point of 
view of the latter, that they may have time to work out more 
fully than has yet been done, the results of science, before they 
are called upon to elaborate any fresh materials. 
It is now proposed to repeat as far as may be this Exhibition 
at the Crystal Palace ; and the energy with which ‘the proposal 
has been taken up, and the response with which it has met in 
many quarters, appear to justify sanguine expectations of its 
success, at all events from a practical and popular point of view. 
From the side of science it would doubtless have been far more 
interesting to look forward to a fresh exhibition, either here or 
elsewhere, of the progress of electricity after an interval of two 
1 Address of William Spottiswoode, D.C.L., LL.D., the president, de- 
livered at the anniversary meeting of the Royal Society on Wednesday, | 
November 30, 1881. Continued from p. 119. | 
to interfere with the more advanced project, if, after some such 
period as that indicated, circumstances should prove favourable. 
In the mean time it must be remembered that there are very 
many persons to whom the Paris Exhibition would have proved 
both interesting and instructive, but who, from one cause or 
another, were prevented visiting it. Besides this, there are not 
a few commercial, and even municipal, bodies desirous of adopt- 
ing some of the modern applications of electricity, but who 
would be more ready to avail themselves of them after a personal 
inspection of the instruments and of their mode of action. From 
this point of view the exhibition may fairly be expected to give 
considerable impulse to the adoption of electrical appliances in 
fresh quarters. 
But even over and above this practical aspect of the under- 
taking there may still have been, at the epoch of the Paris Exhi- 
bition, some results on the eve of achievement, some remedies 
for defects, sufficient to transform a doubtful into a certain issue, 
or even a failure into a success ; some steps which may open out 
new questions, or serve as a departure for new investigations in 
the subject of electricity, If such should be the case, even 
ae may derive substantial benefit from the proposed under- 
taking. 
But the present year has been rendered generally remarkable, 
amongst other things, by the multiplicity of its congresses, 
Apart from those which are concerned with subjects not coming 
under the head of ‘‘ Natural Knowledge,” there have been held 
the annual meetings of the British Association, and of the Iron 
and Steel Institute; the International Medical Congress, in 
London ; the special Congresses on Electricity and on the 
Transit of Venus, in Paris (mentioned above) ; that on 
Geography in Venice ; that on Geology in Bologna, and others. 
Among all these the International Medical Congress, which 
this year met in London, stands conspicuous, The work of that 
meeting showed that the study of medicine by the real workers 
is, in every part, even the most practical, pursued in a thoroughly 
scientific spirit; that facts are industriously collected, and 
patiently grouped and compared ; and that conclusions are, if 
sometimes hastily drawn, yet very cautiously accepted. And 
there was ample evidence that help, whether in apparatus or in 
knowledge, is eagerly accepted from all the other sciences, 
whether their range be far from, or near to, the biological: In 
short, in the opinion of those best qualified to form a judgment, 
itis not too much to say that the whole tone of the proceedings 
of the Congress, though chiefly concerned with practical ques- 
tions, was, in the bet sense, even in the sense which the Koyal 
Society would give to the term, scientific. 
Several of the societies meeting annually, or at longer perfdds, 
have organisations which, during the intervals between two suc- 
cessive meetings, do useful work, But in all cases the meetings 
form the most prominent, if not the most important, feature of 
their life ; and, speaking particularly of the meetings themselves, 
the question has more than once been raised whether they con- 
tinue to justify the eflorts necessary to bring them about. It has 
been argued that, so many are the scientific periodicals in every 
civilised country, that all the papers of importance communicated 
to the meetings would under any circumstances be published in 
some place or other. Again, it has been urged that, so numerous 
are the centres of science, so many the means of communication 
both between places and between persons, that the necessity for 
these gatherings has, in the natural course of events, become 
superseded, The time which such meetings and the preparation 
for them involve, and the trouble which they entail on men al- 
ready burdened with much work, have also been pleaded on the 
same side, and objections have been taken on the ground of the 
useless and irrelevant matter which is too apt to crop up on these 
occasions. ‘These arguments are certainly not without weight ; 
but there is still another side to the question. It-is indeed quite 
probable tbat all the more important papers would be published 
even if the meetings never took place at all. But at these meet- 
ings there are usually a number of communications, many, but 
not all, of local origin, the production of which has been stimu- 
lated by the meeting itself ; and a fair number of these may be 
reckoned on the side of gain, Again, it is true that the original 
idea of a parade or march-past of science, valuable enongh when 
the provinces heard or saw little of science, has become less im- 
portant now that provincial centres are to he found in almost 
every large town in the country. Nevertheless, the mere presence 
of some of the leading men stimulates dormant powers and en- 
courages rising aspirations ; and this perhaps all the more the 
