264 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 817 



before he took up that branch of the .sub- 

 ject he was an interested observer of the 

 action of ice on the surface features of a 

 country, and there is reason to believe that 

 the main subject of his address will be the 

 evidence for the work of ice and its nature 

 in Britain and the parts of Europe that 

 are more or less in physical relation with 

 these islands. An ardent Alpinist, some 

 time president of the Alpine Club, he has 

 spent in the course of some thirty holidays 

 considerably more than two years in the 

 Alps, and has also visited the Pyrenees, 

 Scandinavia and the mountainous regions 

 of Germany, besides doing much work in 

 the British Isles in the endeavor to deter- 

 mine the extent of the effects of ice action 

 (so far as this can be determined by rea- 

 soning from observed facts) in producing 

 or modifying the physical features of a 

 country and the kind of materials which 

 are signs of the former presence of ice in a 

 country. He is specially interested in the 

 explanations which have been proposed of 

 the condition of the British Isles in the 

 great ice age; and it may be conjectured 

 that he will discuss these explanations 

 severally, not to advocate the claims of any 

 one, but to point out what are the strong 

 and what are the weak points in the hy- 

 potheses that at present hold the field. 

 Cautious observers can scarcely have failed 

 to notice the growing tendency in recent 

 years to treat mei-e hypotheses as if they 

 were axiomatic truths established by in- 

 dubitable observations, and as if they af- 

 forded a safe basis for reasoning. Pro- 

 fessor Bonney is known to be opposed to 

 such methods ; and it may be surmised that 

 he will seek to winnow out some of the 

 chaff of fancy from the grain of fact, and 

 to bring into clear relief the difficulties 

 with which the advocate of any one view 

 of the condition of these islands during 

 the ice age has to contend. He himself, it 



is understood, is not yet prepared to pro- 

 nounce a definite opinion on the subject, 

 taking as he does the view that there is 

 more to learn before a decision can be 

 reached. 



For the following particulars of the 

 sectional programs we are indebted to the 

 sectional presidents and recorders. 



The president of Section A (mathemat- 

 ical and physical science) is Professor E. 

 W. Hobson, F.R.S. His presidential ad- 

 dress will consist of some remarks on the 

 scope and aims of modern mathematics, 

 with some observations on the relations be- 

 tween mathematicians and physicists. The 

 address will also contain some discussion 

 of recent changes in the teaching of the 

 more elementary parts of mathematics. In 

 the subsequent proceedings of Section A 

 importance attaches to the joint meetings 

 which have been arranged with other sec- 

 tions. In one of these, to be held jointly 

 with Section B (chemistry) and G (engi- 

 neering) on the morning of Friday, Sep- 

 tember 2, the report of the Gaseous Ex- 

 plosions Committee will be discussed, and 

 a number of papers dealing with combus- 

 tion will be presented for consideration. 

 The section will again meet jointly with 

 Section G on the following Monday, when 

 Professor G. H. Bryan, F.R.S., will open 

 a discussion of great topical interest and 

 importance on "The Principles of Me- 

 chanical Flight. ' ' On the Tuesday the sec- 

 tion is to discuss some of the problems of 

 Atmospherical Electricity, the opener be- 

 ing Dr. C. Chree. 



In his presidential address to Section B 

 (chemistry) Mr. J. E. Stead, F.R.S., will 

 deal with the chemical phenomena con- 

 nected with the effect of sulphur and sili- 

 con on the carbon condition in commer- 

 cial cast iron. After reviewing the work of 

 others in this connection, he will state the 

 results of much of his own original re- 



