MECHANICAL SCIENCE. 345 



year a similar institution at Stockholm under the guidance of Urban Hiurne, 

 were referred to. Lexicons and dictionaries early became a feature of chemical 

 literature, the early Greek MSS. contained "vocabularies of the sacred art." 

 The dissemination of the views of Lord Bacon about the middle of the seven- 

 teenth century, gave a great impulse to scientific investigation and the "splendid 

 fiction of the new Atlantis," was practically realized in the foundation of the 

 " Royal Society for improving natural knowledge." After referring to the learn- 

 ed rnen who, in 1645 forced from London to Oxford by civil war, there laid the 

 foundations of an edifice destined to rise higher, endure longer and to shelter a 

 nobler offspring than the most sanguine could have foreseen, mention was made 

 of some of the earliest periodicals devoted to chemistry. 



The modern period of chemistry was characterized by the opposing forces, a 

 tendency to dispersal and an effort to collect the widely scattered publications. 

 On the other hand, laborious authors collected and set in order this dispersed ma- 

 terial forming massive hand-books too wieldy for use. In this connection he 

 wanted to bring a matter of the utmost importance to the attention of the meet- 

 ing. It was the question of compiling an index of the various works of chemistry, 

 tracing its course from its rise in Egypt to the present day. He had attempted to 

 show in his address how interesting a study the history of chemistry was to the 

 students of the science and in fact that it was absolutely necessary that the thor- 

 ough chemist should have a knowledge of it and be familiar with the theories 

 which were discussed centuries ago. Time and time again the necessity of pre- 

 paring an index had been discussed, but nothing done. 



The applause with which the address was received having subsided. Prof. 

 Arthur Elliott, of Columbia College, suggested that immediate action should be 

 taken, as the matter was of the utmost importance. He consequently moved, 

 and it was unanimously resolved by the meeting, that the Chairman should ap- 

 point two of the members to act with himself as a committee to discuss the feasi- 

 bility of preparing an index. 



MECHANICAL SCIENCE. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH IN MECHAN- 

 ICAL SCIENCE. 



Prof. W. P. Trowbridge, the Chairman, took for the subject of his annual 

 address " The Importance of Experimental Research in Mechanical Science." 

 He maintained that when Mechanical Science is divested of the subjects in it 

 which have given rise to so much discussion, it is considered by many to have 

 resolved itself into only a few axioms and theorems. So many of the disputed 

 theories being now disproved, and no controversy over the science now going 



