1881.] Dr J. B. Pearson, On Sympathetic Needles. 101 



other objects of ancient art as well as of manuscripts 1 : and one 

 of his sons was the possessor of the Tabula Isiaca, a celebrated 

 antique, now generally thought to be of the age of Hadrian, 

 whether genuine Egyptian work or no ; and which is now preserved 

 at Turin. Had Bembo some magnetical contrivance for signalling 

 which cannot now be exactly known ? and some information 

 respecting which had come into the hands of Strada in the 

 following century. I cannot suggest to myself a better explana- 

 tion of Strada's verses. 



P.S. As I have so frequently referred to Notes and Queries, I 

 wish to say how far I am indebted to that valuable periodical for 

 the references which I have given. My attention was first drawn 

 to the subject by Glanvill, in the course of my ordinary reading: 

 I was thus led to refer to the History of the Electric Telegraph, 

 by Prescott {Boston, U.S. I860), who ascribes the first idea of the 

 kind to Strada; and to Moigno's work on the subject, where I 

 found references to Strada, and also to Addison. I then thought 

 of Notes and Queries as a useful source of general information. 

 The reference to Browne, I think I got from N. & Q., or perhaps 

 from Glauvill. My object in adding this is to avoid the imputa- 

 tion of plagiarizing. 



A Special General Meeting of the Society which had been 

 called by the Council in accordance with Section VIII. of the Bye- 

 Laws, was then held for the consideration of the following Report 

 of the Council which had been circulated among the Fellows of the 

 Society. 



Report of the Council of the Cambridge Philosophical 



Society. 



It will be remembered that at the last Annual General Meeting 

 the President made the following remarks respecting the Society's 

 Library : 



" The next point upon which I will touch is one that is likely 

 to be of great importance to the Society. Fellows are aware that 

 during the past Vacation, some long-projected alterations of the 

 building in which we are assembled have been completed, with the 

 result of throwing into one two smaller rooms. The large chamber 

 thus formed is at present unoccupied, but it is no secret (for the 

 assertion was made openly in the Schools) that the intention of 

 some of those who brought about this change was to provide a 

 library for the accommodation of scientific books for the use of all 



1 Roscoe, Life of Leo X. in. 195. 



