148 



November 27, 1854. 

 Prof. Willis gave an account of a new form of Atwood's Machine. 



December 11, 1854. 



A communication was made by Dr. Paget on a case of involuntary- 

 tendency to fall forwards. 



February 19, 1855. 



Mr. Hopkins gave a lecture on certain changes of Terrestrial 

 Temperature, and the causes to which they may be attributed. 



March 5, 1855. 



Dr. Clark gave an account of some recent discoveries respecting 

 the origin, migrations, and metamorphoses of Entozoa, and their 

 bearing on the notion of spontaneous generation. 



April 23, 1855. 



A paper was read by the Master of Trinity, on Plato's Survey of 

 the Sciences, contained in the seventh book of the Republic. 



Plato, like Francis Bacon, took a review of the sciences of his time ; 

 and like him, complained how little attention was given to the phi- 

 losophy which they involved. The sciences which Plato enumerates 

 are arithmetic and plane geometry, treated as collections of abstract 

 and permanent truths; solid geometry, which he "notes as deficient" 

 in his time, although, in fact, he and his school were in possession 

 of the doctrine of the " five regular solids ; " astronomy, in which he 

 demands a science which should be elevated above the mere know- 

 ledge of phenomena. The visible appearances of the heavens only 

 suggest the problems with which true astronomy deals ; as beautiful 

 geometrical diagrams do not prove, but only suggest geometrical 

 propositions. Finally, Plato notices the subject of harmonics, in 

 which he requires a science which shall deal with truths more exact 

 than the ear can establish, as in astronomy he requires truths more 

 exact than the eye can assure us of. It was remarked also, that 

 such requirements had led to the progress of science in general, and 

 to such inquiries and discoveries as those of Kepler in particular. 



