558 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VIII., No. 202 



and describing the shells alone, he figured the 

 embryonic forms of thirty-eight species of Unio, 

 and described the soft parts of more than two 

 hundred. He also investigated physiological ques- 

 tions, such as the sensitiveness of these mollusks to 

 sunlight and the differences due to sex. His ' Ob- 

 serrations on the genus Unio ' form thirteen 

 quarto volumes magnificently illustrated. 



Dr. Lea presided over the Academy of natural 

 sciences for several terms, and was president of 

 the American association for the advancement of 

 science in 1860, beside filling various other posi- 

 tions of trust and honor. His scientific activity 

 extended over a period of nearly sixty years. He 

 received the degree of LL.D. from Harvard col- 

 lege in 1853. His faculties, and his interest in 

 research, continued unabated up to the time of 

 his death, and even to the very last such inter- 

 course with him as his strength permitted was 

 felt by all who approached him as a privilege. A 

 full bibliography of Dr. Lea's writings, illustrated 

 by an admirable etched portrait by Ferris, ap- 

 peared about a year ago as Bulletin of the U, S. 

 national museum. No. 23, and forms a volume of 

 nearly three hundred pages. 



ENGLISH WORKERS IN PSYCHICAL 

 RESEARCH. 



As requested by you, I will give the informa- 

 tion respecting the English society for psychical 

 research which I have been able to gather during 

 a recent residence abroad. Both the English and 

 American societies have been happy in securing 

 the active support of the most able and widely 

 known scientists, and under their guidance psychic 

 research is assuming a definiteness and impor- 

 tance which claims full recognition in the com- 

 monwealth of science. It may be interesting to 

 your readers to know something of the personnel 

 of the English society. It was organized with the 

 following officers : president, Prof. Henry Sidg- 

 wick : vice-presidents, Arthur J. Balfour, M.P., 

 Prof. W. F. Barrett, Et. Rev. the Bishop of Car- 

 lisle, John R. Holland, M.P., Richard H. Hutton 

 (editor of the Spectator), the Rev. W. Stainton 

 Moses, the Hon. Roden Noel, Prof. Lord Rayleigh, 

 Prof. Balfour Stewart, and Hensleigh Wedgwood. 



The president, a nephew of Lord Salisbury, is 

 widely known by his philosophical works. Both 

 his time and his most liberal purse are given with- 

 out stint to the work of the society. Mrs. Sidg- 

 wick is one of the most effective contributors to 

 the work of the society, not only in her independ- 

 ent investigations, but also by her writings and 

 her able addresses at the public meetings. She is 

 holding her own position ably against the urgent 



claims of supernaturalism on the part of the be- 

 lievers in mediumistic phenomena. Her brother, 

 Lord Rayleigh, is well known to those who at- 

 tended the meeting of the British association in 

 1884 at Montreal. 



Prof. W^. F. Barrett of Kings college, Dublin, 

 first organized the movement, both in England 

 and America, and is known personally, as well as 

 by his scientific reputation, to many of your 

 readers. Edmund Gurney, Esq., author of a large 

 quarto volume on ' The power of sound,' has just 

 completed two octavo volumes entitled ' Phantasms 

 of the living,' the edition of which was burned 

 last summer just as it was being put into the hands 

 of the printer. The second printing is issued this 

 month. Mr. Gurney possesses the highest abilities, 

 and is in circumstances which enable him to de- 

 vote his whole time to the work of the society. In 

 close association with him is F. W. H. Myers, Esq., 

 whose poems are household words with the 

 younger generation of earnest thinkers. He is 

 one of the able corps of government chief 

 inspectors of public schools. A most valuable 

 remainder of his time is devoted to the work 

 of the society. Mr. Myers has communicated in 

 the journals of the society, and in recent num- 

 bers ' of the Nineteenth century and Contempo- 

 rary review, some most brilliant and suggestive 

 papers on psychology, deserving of the most care- 

 ful attention of scientists. Prof. Balfour Stewart 

 gives the weight of his counsel, and his presence 

 in the chair at the public meetings held in the 

 rooms of the Royal society of artists in water- 

 colors, where are found many leaders in society, 

 including some of the royal family, as well as 

 scientific gentlemen. 



Mr. Richard Hodgson of St. John's college, 

 Cambridge, lately an able lecturer on the philoso- 

 phy of Herbert Spencer, devotes his whole time 

 to the work of the society. Mr. Hodgson went 

 out to India in 1884 expressly to examine the 

 claims of Madame Blavatski, Colonel Alcott of 

 the Theosophical society, and of other impostors 

 or dupes, to the possession of supernatural powers, 

 acquired by the aid of a class of thaumaturgists 

 in Persia called Mahatmas. Not a few earnest 

 young men in the colleges of England and 

 America, who had lost their faith in historical 

 Christianity, had become fascinated by the claims 

 of the Asiatic theosophists, especially as set forth 

 in Mr. Sinnett's works, ' The occult world ' and 

 ' Esoteric Buddhism/ and were prepared to ac- 

 cept the occult philosophy, and with it the alleged 

 miracles of theosophy. The results of Mr. Hodg- 



• See Nineteenth Cfntury, May and July, 1884, and No- 

 vember, 1886 ; and Contemporary review, February and No- 

 vember, 1885. 



