MisceUaneous — The Royal Society. 431 



3yEisoEinL.L^^isrEiOTJs. 



The Rotal Society. — The Royal Societj^ began the commemoration 

 of its 250th Anniversary, under the presidency of Sir Archibald 

 Geikie, K.C.B., by an evening reception of Delegates and Fellows, 

 on July 15, at Burlington House. On the special anniversary, 

 July 16, there was a good attendance at a short commemorative 

 service at Westminster Abbey, when the Dean, the Right Rev. 

 H. E. Ryle (late Bishop of Winchester), delivered an appropriate 

 discourse. Subsequently there was a formal reception of the 

 Delegates at Burlington House ; while in the evening a banquet 

 in the Guildhall was attended by nearly 500 distinguished visitors 

 and Fellows, including the two Archbishops, Cardinal Bourne, the 

 Prime Minister, the Lord Chief Justice, and several Ambassadors. 

 The toast of the Royal Society was proposed by Mr. Asquith, who 

 remarked that the Society " is to-day the most vital, if not the most 

 charactei'istic, monument of King Charles II"; while Lord Morle}-, 

 who proposed the toast of the " Universities at Home and Abroad ", 

 referred to " the desire to spread the light in a way which would be 

 useful for the social life of the communities and the strength of the 

 cities". Later proceedings, on July 17, comprised visits to places of 

 interest in London, a garden party given by the Duke and Duchess 

 of Northumberland at Syon House, and a conversazione in the rooms 

 of the Society. The celebration terminated on the 18th, when the 

 President and Council of the Society and the Delegates were received 

 by their Majesties the King and Queen at Windsor Castle, and all 

 the Fellows of the Society (with wife or daughter) were invited ta 

 an afternoon party in the Castle grounds. The more permanent 

 mementoes of the celebration are the publication ( 1 ) of The Signatures 

 in the First Joumal-hooh and the Charter-look of the Royal Society, 

 being a facsimile of the signatures of the Founders, Patrons, and 

 Fellows from the year 1660 to the present time — a veritable edition 

 de luxe, issued in imperial quarto ; and (2) of a third edition of 

 2'he Record of the Royal Society, a handsome volume in crown quarta 

 (pp. 483). This work has been edited by the President, who has 

 rewritten the first chapter which contains a narrative of the Foundation 

 and Earlj^ History of the Society. The Chronological Register and 

 Alphabetical List of Fellows has been revised, and now includes all 

 names from the year 1663 to May, 1912. There are views of old 

 Gresham College, and of the residences of the Royal Society in Crane 

 Court and Burlington House. The portraits are of King Charles II, 

 Robert Boyle, Sir Christopher Wren, John Evelyn, Sir Isaac Newton, 

 Sir Hans Sloane, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Young, Sir Humphry 

 Davy, John Dalton, Michael Faraday, Lord Kelvin, Lord Lister, and 

 Charles Darwin. The earlier editions of the Record contain other 

 portraits and illustrations of medals not here reproduced. 



International Geologicai, Congkess. 



The twelfth session of the Congress is to be held in Toronto, 

 Canada, and will continue for eight days, beginning on or about 



