334 PBOCEEDINGS Or THE SOCIETY. 



Mr. E. H. Griffith's note on a multiple eye-piece was read by 

 Mr. Crisp, and his diagram in illustration enlarged upon the board. 

 Mr. Griffith proposes to set the different eye-lenses in a revolving 

 disk with projecting milled edge, the diaphragm with different sized 

 apertures being arranged in the same way. A draw-tube is provided 

 to vary the length of the eye-piece. 



Mr. Crisp read the following letter which had been received on 

 behalf of a Microscopical Society of Ladies at San Francisco : — 



San Francisco, Cal., Jan. 14, 1884. 

 Dear Sik, — I have the honour to announce to you that at the 

 instance of Prof. Henry G. Hanks, our State Mineralogist, we in 

 the summer of 1882 moved in the matter of the organization of a 

 Microscopical Society, whose membership should consist entirely of 

 women. August 10th, 1882, a few ladies joined me in my class-room 

 (I am a teacher in the Girls' High School of this city), and together 

 we organized a Society to be known as the California Microscopical 

 Society. We elected Mrs. Mary W. Kincaid our President. 

 Aug. 20th, 1883, we incorporated our Society under the laws of Cali- 

 fornia, and re-elected Mrs. Kincaid as President. Now, in 1884, at 

 the suggestion of Mr. Hanks, we formally announce ourselves to 

 you. 



We have twenty-five members, the use of several fine instruments, 

 are interested in our work, and hope to increase both our numbers and 

 usefulness. 



Mr. Hanks says that so far as he is aware, the California Micro- 

 scopical Society is the only one in the world whose membership 

 consists entirely of women. 



Trusting that you may be pleased to extend us a word of cheer, 

 We remain very truly yours, 



Maby L. Hoffman, 



Secretary C.M.S. 

 Frank Crisp, Esq., F.K.M.S., London. 



Mr. Beck presumed that this letter would be suitably acknowledged 

 and entered upon the minutes. He was very glad to hear of this 

 Society's existence, for there was a very wide field in which ladies 

 could work most efficiently and for which their manipulative skill 

 particularly fitted them. 



The President said it was quite in harmony with the subject to 

 mention that a notice was that evening given for the next meeting of 

 the Council as to ladies being admitted into this Society. 



Mr. Crisp said that there was one other Ladies' Microscopical 

 Society already in existence — the Wellesley College Society. 



Mr. John Breiman's letter as to his discovery of the nature of the 

 potato blight was read. 



