306 
value; the second at the mergence of liquid 
into solid, a hundred or even one thousand 
times as large in isothermal value, and 
characterized by the fact that, whereas 
freezing pressures may be enormous, the 
corresponding isothermal melting pressure 
may even be markedly negative. 
Tf, then, we further inquire as to what will 
happen if we indefinitely compress the solid 
along a suitable isothermal, I think it is 
logically presumable that, with the succeed- 
ing and profoundly accentuated volume 
lag, we shall reach the next atom ina scale 
of increasing atomic weights. 
However enormous the condensation 
pressure for this purpose may be, it is sup- 
posable, in the light of the examples already 
given, that along an accessible isothermal 
the disintegrating external pressure of the 
new atom may be permanently negative. 
Hence the new atom will persist within the 
pressure and temperature range available 
in the laboratory. 
But the last stage is virtually identical 
with the first, or the inherent nature of 
these changes is periodic. The inference 
is therefore that, under suitable thermal 
conditions and continually increasing pres- 
sure, the evolution of atoms, of molecules, 
of changes of physical state, again of atoms 
and so on indefinitely, are successive stages 
of periodically recurring volume lag. 
Cart Barus. 
BRoWN UNIVERSITY. 
THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. 
Tur American Mathematical Society held 
its fourth annual meeting at Toronto, Can- 
ada, on Monday and Tuesday, August 16th 
and 17th. All conditions were exception- 
ally favorable for the success of the meet- 
ing, but the result far exceeded all antici- 
pations. Forty-four members of the Society 
were registered as in attendance, forming 
by far the largest body of mathematicians 
ever brought together on this continent. 
SCIENCE. 
[N. 8. Vou. VI. No. 140. 
Among those present were Professor Simon 
Newcomb, President of the Society, and 
former Presidents Dr. G. W. Hill and Dr. 
Emory McClintock. Several distinguished 
visitors also attended the meeting, among 
them Professors A. R. Forsyth, A. G. Green- 
hill and O. Henrici. Twenty-three papers 
were presented, all by members of the So- 
ciety. Although the great length of the 
program necessitated a severe limitation of 
time for the reading of each paper, the 
hearty cooperation of the authors with the 
plans of the committee enabled the Society 
to conclude the sessions in the two days 
allowed without the least friction. The 
meeting was characterized not only by 
great scientific interest, but also by a cor- 
dial spirit of good feeling between hosts 
and guests. 
At the meeting of the Council on Mon- 
day evening three persons were elected to 
membership in the Society and three nom- 
inations were received. It was decided to 
hold the next summer meeting of the So- 
ciety at Boston, Mass., at or about the time 
of the meeting of the American Associa- 
tion for the Advancement of Science. 
Resolutions were adopted by the Society in 
recognition of the generous hospitality of 
the University of Toronto and its officers. 
A portion of the afternoon session on 
Tuesday was devoted to a general discus- 
sion of the topics mentioned below. The 
members of the Society were afterward re- 
ceived by President and Mrs. Loudon, of 
the University of Toronto. On Tuesday 
evening the members of the Council were 
entertained at the Toronto Club by Profes- 
sor Alfred Baker. 
The following is a complete list of the 
papers presented: 
MONDAY MORNING. 
1. Upon the representation by ruled surfaces of the 
curves drawn by mechanisms. Preliminary report, illus- 
trated by models: DR. EDWIN M. BLAKE, Purdue 
University. 
