540 



NA TURE 



lApril 7, 1 88 1 



authority of that great man who was guided by a never- 

 erring instinct of truth. I thought that the best I could 

 do for his memory was to recall to the minds of the men, 

 by the energy and intelligence of whom chemistry has 

 undergone its modern astonishing development, what im- 

 portant treasures of knowledge lie still hidden in the works 

 of that wonderful genius. I am not sufficiently acquainted 

 with chemistry to be confident that I have given the right 

 interpretation, that interpretation which Faraday himself 

 would have given perhaps, if he had known the law of 

 chemical quantivalence, if he had had the experimental 

 means of ascertaining how large the extent, how unexcep- 

 tional the accuracy of his law really is ; and if he had 

 known the precise formulation of the law of energy ap- 

 plied to chemical work, and of the laws which determine 

 the distribution of electric forces in space as well as in 

 ponderable bodies transmitting electric current or forming 

 condensers. I shall consider my work of to-day well re- 

 warded if I have succeeded in kindling anew the interest 

 of chemists for the electro-chemical part of their science. 



At the conclusion of the lecture Prof. Roscoe made the 

 following remarks : — 



" The pleasing duty now devolves upon me of proposing 

 a vote of thanks to our distinguished friend for his inter- 

 esting, suggestive, and most appropriate address. 



"Prof. Helmholtz has shown us that Faraday's concep- 

 tion of electricity is in exact accordance with the most 

 modem developments of this science. He has told us that 

 although Faraday was unacquainted with the technical 

 details of mathematics, all his conclusions are capable of 

 the most exact mathematical expression, and that our 

 great experimentalist possessed the spirit and thoughts 

 characteristic of a truly mathematical mind. But our 

 lecturer has gone further, for upon Faraday's well-known 

 law of electrolysis he has founded a new electro-chemical 

 theory, which reveals to us chemists, conclusions of the 

 utmost importance. He tells us as the results of 

 the application of the modern theory of electricity 

 to Faraday's great experimental law, that the atom of 

 every chemical element is always united with a definite 

 unvarying quantity of electricity. jMoreover — and this is 

 most important — that this definite amount of electiicity 

 attached to each atom stands in close connection with the 

 combining power of the atom which modern chemistry 

 terms quantivalence. For if the amount of electricity 

 belonging to the monad atom be taken as the unit, theii 

 that of the dyad atom is two, of the triad atom three, and 

 so on. 



" Hence then, thanks first to Faraday and now to 

 Helmholtz, chemists have now a new and unlooked-for 

 confirmation of one of Iheir most important doctrines 

 from the science of electricity. 



" These, Ladies and Gentlemen, are indeed sufficient 

 grounds for our claiming Prof. Helmholtz as a chemist, 

 and justify me in requesting that he will allow his name 

 to be placed on the list of Honorary Fellows of the Che- 

 mical Society. 



" I have much pleasure in proposing a hearty vote of 

 thanks to the Faraday Lecturer for the year." 



This proposal was seconded by Prof. Tyndall. 



NOTES 



Mr. Clarence King has resigned his position as Director of 

 the Geological Survey of the United States. It has long been 

 no secret that he wished to retire from an appointment which 

 confined him chiefly to executive functions, left him with practically 

 no time for independent scientific work, and hampered him in 

 those mining and other financial operations in w^hich he is 

 understood to have large investments. In a letter dated the 12th 

 ult., addressed to the President of the United States, he says 



that he believes he " can render more important service to 

 science as an investigator than as the head of an executive 

 bureau." All well-wishers to the cause of geology must hope 

 that this belief hIU be fully jastified ; that the relief he obtains 

 from official trammels will enable him once more to devote to 

 geological research the energy and experience which have already 

 borne such good fruit. His tenure of office in the Geological 

 Survey has hardly been long enough to enable him fully to de- 

 velop the plans he had sketched out for the vigorous prosecution 

 of the Survey as a truly national undertaking, alike creditable to 

 the scientific spirit of the Republic and important to the develop- 

 ment of its industrial resources. But he will be held in honour- 

 able remembrance as the first head of the National Survey, and 

 as having taken a leading share in its initial organisation. It is 

 reported that Mr. J. W. Powell, so long and well known for his 

 work in the Rio Colorado basin, is to be the new director. 



A WISH having been expressed by certain members of the 

 Torquay Natural History Society to have a portrait of Mr. 

 William Pengelly, F.R.S., &c., and he having kindly consented 

 to sit for the same, a committee has been formed for carrying 

 the suggestion into effect. The portrait will, at Mr. Pengelly's 

 request, be placed in the museum of the Society, Torquay. It 

 was at first proposed to limit the list of subscribers to the 

 members of the Torquay Natural History Society, but some 

 members of the Devonshire Association, and other gentlemen, 

 having expressed a wish to join in the work, it has been decided 

 to make the contribution general. Subscriptions will be received 

 by the hon. treasurer, Mr. Robert Kitson, Torquay Bank. 



The Royal Academy of Sciences of Turin gives notice that 

 from January i, 1879, the new term for competition for the third 

 Bres^a Prize has begun, to which, according to the testator's will, 

 scientific men and inventors of all nations will be admitted. A 

 prize will therefore be given to the scientific author or inventor, 

 whatever be his nationality, who during the years 1879-1882, 

 " according to the judgment of the Royal Academy of Sciences 

 of Turin, shall have made the most important and useful dis- 

 covery, or published the most valuable work on physical and 

 experimental science, natural history, mathematics, chemistry, 

 physiology and pathology, as well as geology, history, geography 

 and statistics." The term will be closed at the end of December, 

 18S2. The value of the prize amounts to 12,000 Itahan lire. 

 The prize will in no case be given to any of the national members 

 of the Academy of Turin, resident or non-resident. 



The Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester has 

 recently completed the first century of its existence. Dr. Angus 

 Smith is writing a history of the Society since its foundation, 

 which will be read at an early meeting, and no doubt published 

 in its Proceedings, 



We are glad to learn that the appeal on behalf of G. M. 

 Smerdon, who has done such good work as foreman of the Kent 

 Cavern explorations, has resulted in a sum sufficient to purchase 

 him an annuity of 10/. 



The results of appointing a totally inexperienced and unknown 

 man to the head of the Registrar-General's department, just 

 before the taking of the census, are already beginning to be felt. 

 Complaints of mismanagement are rife — whole streets in London 

 not served with the census-papers, and in many cases those 

 which were delivered have not yet been collected, and run some 

 risk of being utilised for fire-lighting purposes. Certainly the 

 interests of the country would have been best served by appoint- 

 ing Dr. Farr to the post of Registi-ar-General until at least the 

 census work had been completed. Dr. Farr's long experience 

 would have lieen of immense service, and these useful statistics 

 would have been collected in somethmg like scientific method. 



There was a desultory talk on the subject of Technical Edu- 

 cation in the House of Commons the other night, on the motion 



