f 



Nov. 13, 1873] 



NA TURE 



25 



struction in mathematics, chemistry, and other branches 

 of science as well as literature. 



Up to 1830, about twenty other societies, more or less 

 " Philosophical," which term seems then to have been 

 thought a more dignified term than " Scientific," were in- 

 stituted within the three kingdoms, including the Ashmo- 

 lean Society of Oxford, and the Cambridge Philosophical 

 Society. Of these, no less than six were in Yorkshire 

 alone, a county, as we shall see, which continues to hold 

 the foremost place, so far as number of scientific sDcieties 

 is concerned ; the West Riding bristles with little Field 

 Clubs. Among the best of the societies referred to is the 

 Liverpool Literary and Philosophical Society, which, es- 

 pecially since its amalgamation in 1S44 with the NatLiral 

 Science Society, has done some excellent work, as can 

 be seen from its voluminous " Proceedings," which con- 

 tain papers that would do credit to any society. The 

 Glasgow Philosophical Society is also oneof high standing ; 

 and the Royal Cleological Society of Cornwall, founded in 

 1 8 14, which has done some good work in connection with 

 the geology of the district. The Royal Institution of 

 Cornwall is also one of the most creditable of these old 

 societies, having been formed in 1818, for the advance- 

 ment of knowledge of natural history, natural philosophy 

 and antiquities, especially in their connection with Corn- 

 wall. Besides its valuable antiquarian work, it has pub- 

 ished " The Cornish Fauna," a compendium of the natu- 

 ral history of the county. 



The one of these older societies which in its object and 

 work corresponds most nearly to our definition, is the 

 Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle Natural His- 

 tory Society, instituted at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1829. 

 Among its original members were .Sir John and Sir Walter 

 Trevelyan, and the late Albany Hancock, and both before 

 and since its junction with the Tyncside Naturalists' Field 

 Club, it has done much work of a kind similar to that 

 which the recently established Field Clubs aim to do, 

 having between 1 831 and 1S38 published two volumes con- 

 taining valuable lists of the flora and fauna of Northum- 

 berland and Durham. This society, though somewhat 

 crippled for want of funds, is still in a flourishing condi- 

 tion, and continues, in conjunction with the Tyneside Club, 

 to publish in their Transactions, under the title of " Na- 

 tural History Transactions of Northumberland and Dur- 

 ham," excellent lists of the fauna and flora, existing and 

 fossil, of the district which it has adopted as its field for 

 work. It possesses some splendid collections which the 

 Newcastle College of Physical Science is generously al- 

 lowed to use for purposes of study. 



Had we space, others of these societies founded previous 

 t o 1 830, as well as some of a more ambitious kind than the 

 simple Field-Club, instituted since that time, could be named, 

 which stimulated either by the example of the field-clubs^ 

 or more probably by the general advance of culture and 

 the growing impressiveness of Science, have done much 

 to foster a love for Science in their respective neighbour- 

 hoods and to investigate the natural history of their several 

 districts. A large proportion of societies of this class are 

 found in the south-west of England, in Devonshire and 

 Cornwall : such are the Cornwall Polytechnic Society, 

 the Devonshire and Cornwall Natural History Society, 

 the De\'onshire Association — a peripatetic Society founded 

 in 1862 after the model of the British Association — the 



Royal Institution of South Wales (Swansea), and the Isle 

 of Wight Philosophical and Literary Society. Others 

 also we might mention at the other end of England, for an 

 examination of our list shows that theactivity of the country 

 in this respect has been developed to the grea'.est exten^ 

 in the north and south. 



These societies, though differing in some essential 

 respects from the simple Field-Club, yet in their own 

 way do good and serviceable work by the establishment 

 of museums, the encouragement of local exhibitions, 

 the occasional publication of papers illustrative of the 

 natural history and archaeology of the district, and 

 recently, what we deem of considerable importance, the 

 institution of courses of lectures by eminent men of 

 science, and the establishment of classes for the working 

 and other classes v/ho are engaged during the day. We 

 would urge all of this class of association to bestir them- 

 selves to the performance of more thorough and more 

 extended work in these directions, thereby not only doing 

 a benefit to the members themselves, as well as to 

 the cause of Science, but elevating the district in 

 which they are located, and thus helping the country 

 onward in the general march of improvement. By means 

 especially of continuous series of lectures by eminent men 

 of science and by well-organised systems of classes, the 

 good that might be done by these institutions would, we 

 believe, be inestimable ; and now that the Science and 

 Art Department offers such splendid facilities for the 

 establishment of classes and museums in connection with 

 any institudoa that chooses to take advantage of them, 

 no local society of any pretensions need any longer be 

 without the material of a comprehensive and high-class 

 education for its members and those in its neighbourhood 

 who are willing to be improved ; only a lazy unwillingness 

 to keep up with the rapid progress of the time can de- 

 prive a neighbourhood of these advantages. The Royal 

 Cornwall Polytechnic Society, the first '• Polytechnic " in 

 the United Kingdom, is an example of what can be done 

 in one way, by the establishment of lectures and classes, 

 and by the institution of medals and money prizes for 

 successful attempts to apply Science to industry. But a 

 model which all literary and philosophic societies, ct lioc 

 genus oiiiiw, would do well to imitate, though they would 

 find it difficult to rival, is the Birmingham and Midland 

 Institute, an institute of which its originators may well be 

 proud, and for the establishment of which they deserve 

 the gratitude of the busy and important district in the 

 midst of which it is planted. It scarcely comes within 

 the scope of our subject, and we oaly mention it to show 

 to the class of societies w-ith which we are at present deal- 

 ing, what they mi^ht hope to achieve if they only had the 

 will and the generjsi^y to bestir themselves and take the 

 necessary steps. There is no reason why in every county 

 town or other suitable place institutions of this kind 

 should not be establ shed, forming active centres of intel- 

 le:tual culture, and to which the smaller s:ientific socie- 

 ties of the s jrrounding districts might be affiliated without 

 losing their indcpenden:e and with very valuable results. 

 We hope ere long to see this accomplished ; and who are 

 better fitted to take the initiative in the matter than those 

 societies which pretend to represent the culture of the 

 districts from which their members are drawn ? 



{To be cfliiiiiiued.) 



