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NA TURE 



[June 20, 1907 



THE SOUTHEASTERN UNION OF 

 SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 

 'T'HE twc'lfih annua! congress of the South-Eastern 

 ^ Union of Scientific Societies, which opened at 

 Woolwich on June 12 and closed on June 15, was in 

 every way a very successful gathering. At the first even- 

 ing 'meeting, held in the New Town Hall, Mr. Francis 

 Darwin, K.R.S., the retiring president, introduced his 

 successor, Prof. Silvanus P. Thompson, I'.R.S., who de- 

 livered the inaugural address. This was an eloquent dis- 

 course, mainly on the value of voluntary work in science — 

 such work as is carried on non-professionally by members 

 of local scientific societies constituting the South-Eastern 

 Union. These societies consist chiefly of persons who 

 may be called, in the best sense of the word, amateurs. 

 Exposing the fallacy of the popular saying that " a little 

 knowledge is a dangerous thing," the president advocated 

 the cultivation of scientific hoboies, enlarged on the value 

 of acquiring a taste for studies outside the monotonous 

 round of daily work, and showed how science had fre- 

 quently been advanced by the work of amateurs, .'\mong 

 examples of famous amateurs, he pointed to William 

 Herschel, originally a teacher of music ; Gilbert, of 

 Colchester, who was a medical man; and Joule, a Man- 

 chester brewer : nor were Spottiswoode, De la Rue, and 

 Dr. Dallinger overlooked, whilst Sir Edward Fry's study of 

 British mosses was cited as a contribution to science by 

 an eminent lawyer. But to an audience at Woolwich the 

 most telling example was that of William Sturgeon, the 

 inventor of the electromagnet, who lived at one time as a 

 shoemaker" at Woolwich. Electricity has indeed been to 

 a large extent a layman's science. 



Prof. Thompson dwelt at some length on Goethe's re- 

 searches on colour, and rather startled his hearers by 

 affirming that in the famous controversy with Newton the 

 poet-philosopher was in some sense right. Looking at 

 natural science with the eye of a poet, Goethe failed to 

 comprehend the value of Newton's work, and obstinately 

 maintained that in the prismatic analysis of light the 

 colour was derived from the prism itself, and not from 

 the white light. But though it is generally held that the 

 Farhcnlehrc, in which he published his views, embodies 

 an elaborate optical heresy, it has, strangely enough, been 

 recently shown by Lord Rayleigh's researches that there 

 is, after all, some truth in Goethe's contention. 



As Prof. Thompson proceeded, he rather surprised the 

 naturalists by recalling his early rambles in Yorkshire, and 

 showing himself to be an excellent botanical observer. 

 The preservation of our wild flowers, which are really the 

 property of the community, is an important subject w'hich 

 he commended to the consideration of local societies. It 

 would be true patriotism, he held, to establish a New 

 Primrose League for the protection of this flower, which 

 in some places, as in Epping Forest, has become prac- 

 tically extinct. Another subject which he suggested might 

 be advantageously taken up by the societies of the South- 

 Eastern L'nion was that of constructing a map of the 

 Weald, which should show the position of all the old 

 furnaces, forges, hammer-ponds, cinder-heaps, and other 

 relics of the iron-making industry for which the Weald 

 was so long famous. 



It is interesting to note that by the generous action of 

 the local committee the presidential address of Prof. 

 Thompson was open to the public. This innovation was 

 one of several excellent features that characterised the 

 Woolwich congress. 



As it unfortunately happened that Prof. Thompson was 

 unable to attend after the delivery of his address, the 

 subsequent proceedings of the congress were presided over 

 bv a former president, the Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing, 

 F.R..S. .At one of the meetings an interesting lecture on 

 an experiment in cooperative field-work in botanv was 

 given by Prof. F. W. Oliver, F.R.S. A few years ago a 

 party of students acquired a salt-marsh with sand dunes 

 at Erquay, in Brittany, where they have established a 

 laboratory. The vegetation consists chiefly of su;cda grass 

 and salicornia, backed by a growth of juncus. The observ- 

 .^tions have been directed mostly to the study of the way 

 in which the growth of halophytes is affected by variation 

 in the salinity of the soil. 



NO. 1964. VOL. 76] 



An evening lecture was given by Mr. W. Whitaker, 

 F.R.S., entitled " Some Ideals for Local Geologists," in 

 which he offered excellent advice to the societies in the 

 union, urging upon their members the necessity of 

 cultivating habits of observation and seizing the opportunity 

 of describing every geological section that might be ex- 

 posed within their area. -At other meetings Dr. Treutlcr, 

 of Brighton, read a paper on Goethe as a naturalist ; Mr. 

 Norman Gray brought forward some suggestions for 

 making local scientific societies more eflicicnt ; Mr. W. H. 

 Griffin discussed the antiquity of the horse, with special 

 reference to remains found in Kent ; and Mr. G. F. 

 Chambers advocated the storage and use of rain-water for 

 domestic purposes. 



In the excursions to which the afternoons were devoted 

 Mr. Whitaker was the principal guide when geology was 

 concerned, whilst the archaological remains were described 

 mostly by Mr. W. T. Vincent, the president of the Wool- 

 wich Antiquarian Society, who also read a paper at the 

 congress on local archaeology. 



.At a reception given in the Town Hall by the Mayor of 

 Woolwich, two illustrated lecturettes were delivered, one 

 by Dr. G. Abbott entitled " Life in Rocks and Minerals," 

 dealing chiefly with the formation of concretions, followed 

 by one on xerophytes by Mrs. W. Plomer Vcung, of the 

 Battersea Polytechnic. 



An interesting feature of the meeting was the temporary 

 museum, which contained an exceptionally large collection 

 of objects illustrating natural history, under the super- 

 intendence of Mr. W. H. Griffin, of Catford. Many of the 

 exhibits showed the results of nature-study in the 

 elementary schools of the London County Council, and by 

 the thoughtfulness and generosity of the local committee 

 the children of the neighbouring schools were brought in 

 parties to visit the museum. 



It had been intended to present the delegates of the 

 constituent societies of the union with a local handbook, 

 similar to that sometimes issued at meetings of the British 

 .Association. But so large a number of writers had con- 

 tributed essays on special subjects of local interest that 

 the printing was delayed, and the publication necessarily 

 deferred. 



It should be remarked that the conspicuous success of 

 the Woolwich congress was mainly due to the fact that 

 the work of the honorary secretary, the Rev. R. Ashington 

 Hutlen, was aided by a powerful local committee, which 

 included such enthusiastic workers as the Rev. C. H. 

 Grinling and Mr. W. T. Vincent. 



TflE INSTITUTION OF MINING ENGINEERS. 



"T'HE forty-sixth general meeting of the Institution of 

 -Mining Engineers, which now numbers more than 

 3000 members, was held in the rooms of the Geological 

 Society, London, on June 13 and 14, and was attended by 

 a large and representative gathering from the various coal- 

 mining districts. Mr. Maurice Deacon gave an admirab!-- 

 presidential address, in which he reviewed the recent 

 improvements in coal-mining practice, and indicated the 

 directions in which further progress might be sought. 

 Mr. H. R. de Sails discussed the improvements required 

 in inland navigation, urging that the authorities controlling 

 the canals should be re-organised. When the works of 

 improvement have been carried out and efficient water- 

 ways provided, the problem of mechanical haulage will 

 soon be solved. Mr. W. B. M. Jackson described the by- 

 product coking plant at Clay Cross, a new plant of fifty 

 .Simplex ovens with all the mechanical appliances 

 electrically driven. Mr. .A. Victor Kochs also read a paper 

 on by-product coking, in which he described the latest 

 forms of the Koppers oven. Water supplies by means of 

 artesian bored tube wells were dealt with at considerable 

 length by Mr. H. F. Broadhurst ; Mr. W. J. Kemo and 

 Mr. G. .A. Lewis described the occurrence and mining <f 

 gypsum in Sussex, in the beds discovered by the sub- 

 Wealden exploration of 1872. The mine is undoubtedly a 

 model of modern practice. The proceedings on Thursday 

 concluded with a paper by the Rev. J. M. Caoell, the 

 invenlcr of the fan bearing his name, in which he urged 



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