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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 296. 



to be hoped that the important question 

 "What is a metal?" maybe settled; (3) 

 the. recent developments in connection with 

 asymmetric structure in carbon and other 

 compounds, to be opened by Mr. W. J. 

 Pope, of the Central Technical College ; 

 and (4) the recent improvements in the 

 textile industries (including artificial silk, 

 etc.), to be opened by Dr. Liebmann. 

 Among other papers promised are : ' Some 

 Recent Work on the Dififusion of Gases 

 and Liquids,' by Mr. Horace T. Brown ; 

 ' Determination of the Spectra of Gases 

 at 400° C.,' by Professor Dixon ; and ' On 

 the Relationship between the Heating 

 and Lighting Power of Coal Gas,' by Mr. 

 T. Fairley. A paper of great local in- 

 terest will be one on the treatment of wool- 

 combers' effluents, by Mr. W. Teach ; while 

 the relations of phosphorus, iron, and car- 

 bon when present in iron and steel will be 

 discussed by Mr. J. E. Stead, of Middles- 

 brough. Papers have also been promised by 

 Professor Smithells, Dr. Laurence, Dr. J. B. 

 Cohen, and Mr. F.W.Richardson. Professor 

 Ewing and Mr. Rosenhaim will show slides 

 illustrating the effects of strain and anneal- 

 ing on the crystalline structure of metals. 

 The Geological Section (C) will have as 

 its president one of the most unconven- 

 tional and brilliant of the younger geolo- 

 gists — Professor W. J. SoUas. The subject 

 of his address will be ' Evolutional Geol- 

 ogy.' The transformation of the science 

 during the latter part of the 19th century, 

 by which its scattered teachings have been 

 organized into a compact body of doctrine 

 and the whole science placed on a more 

 philosophic basis, will be briefly alluded to. 

 An account will be given of the develop- 

 ment of the earth, including its early evolu- 

 tional stages, which were once considered 

 alien to geology. Its distribution in time 

 will be particularly considered, and the 

 dates of various critical periods in its his- 

 tory will be discussed. 



As befits the locale of the meeting, the 

 Section will devote especial attention to the 

 carboniferous rocks, and particularly to the 

 coal measures. One of the important events 

 of the meeting will be a joint discussion 

 with the Botanical Section (K) on the con- 

 ditions which existed during the growth of 

 the forest which supplied the material for 

 coal. This is set down for Monday, Sep- 

 tember 10th, and the discussion will be 

 opened on behalf of the geologists by Mr. 

 A. Strahan, of her Majesty's Geological 

 Survey (who for some time past has been 

 engaged in supervising the mapping of the 

 coal fields of South Wales), and Mr. J. E. 

 Marr, F.R.S., a past-president of the sec- 

 tion. It is expected that several other 

 prominent geologists who have devoted 

 attention to the coal measures will take 

 part in this discussion. The same rocks 

 will form the subject of a paper by Mr. 

 Walcot Gibson, of her Majesty's Geo- 

 logical Survey, who will deal with their 

 rapid changes in thickness and charac- 

 ter in the North Staffordshire coal field ; 

 and Mr. W. Cash, of Halifax, will also 

 contribute a paper on the Lower Coal 

 Measures of the West Riding. The fos- 

 sil fishes of the local carboniferous rocks 

 will be discussed in two papers by Dr. 

 E. D. Wellburn, and the report of the 

 committee for investigating life- zones in our 

 carboniferous rocks will be presented by the 

 seci'etary, Dr. Wheelton Hind. Another 

 topic of general as well as of local interest 

 which will receive the attention of the 

 section is the underground water system in 

 the carboniferous limestone districts of the 

 West Riding. The Association last year 

 made a grant of £40 to assist in the inves- 

 tigation of the underground course taken 

 by streams which disappear into crevices 

 of the limestone in the neighborhood of 

 Ingleborough. By the free use of chem- 

 icals the committee appointed to can-y out 

 this investigation has traced the under- 



