July ist, 18S7.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



119 



RECORD OF SCIENTIFIC AND 

 TECHNICAL SOCIETIES. 



*tf* The whole of the papers of the Societies referred to are not included 

 in this list. 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY. 



May 26. — Papers read, "On the Supposed New Force of M. J. 

 Thore,'' by Mr. W. Crookes. Lecture : " The Dissociation of 

 some Gases by the Electric Discharge," by Professor J. J. 

 Thomson. 



June l6. — Papers read, "Experiments on the Discharge of Electricity 

 through Gases," by Professor Schuster ; "On Rabie=," by Mr. G. 

 F. Dowdeswell ; " On the Tubercular Swellings on the Roots of 

 Vicia fiiba," by Professor H. M. Ward; "The Electromotive 

 Properties of the Electrical Organ of Torpedo iiiannorata," by Mr. 

 F. Gotch. 



THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. 

 May 26, June 2. — Lectures, "The Chemistry of the Organic World," 



by Professor Dewar. 

 May 28, June 4. — Lectures, "Victorian Literature," by Professor J. 



W. Hales. 

 June 3. — Paper read, " The Application of Photography to Astronomy," 



by Dr. D. Gill. 

 June 7, 9, and II. — Lectures, "The Hellenism of Alexander's Empire," 



by Rev. J. P. Mahaffy. 



THE SOCIETY OF ARTS. 

 -Paper read, " Indian Tea," by Mr. J. B. White. 



May 27.- 



ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY. 

 June 15. — Papers read, "Amount and Distribution of Monsoon 

 Rainfall in Ceylon generally, with remarks upon the Rainfall in 

 Dimbula," by Mr. F. J. Waring ; " Note on a Display of Globular 

 Lightning at Ricgstead Bay, Dorset, on August 17th, 1876,' by 

 Mr. H. S. Eaton ; " Ball Lightning seen during a Thunderstorm 

 on July nth, 1874," by Mr. J. W. Tripe; "Appearance of Air 

 Bubbles at Remenham, Berkshire, January, l87(,"by Professor 

 T. G. Bonney. 



SOCIETY OF TELEGRAPH ENGINEERS AND 

 ELECTRICIANS. 

 May 26. — Papers read, " Underground Telegraphs," by Mr. C. T. 

 Fleetwood ; " Driving a Dynamo with a very Short Belt," by 

 Professors Ayrton and Perry. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



May 25. — Papers read, "Considerations on the Date, Duration, and 

 Conditions of the Glacial Period, with reference to the Antiquity 

 of Man," by Professor J. Prestwich ; " Notes on some Carboni- 

 ferous .Species of Murchisonia in our Public Museums," by Miss 

 J. Donald. 



June 8. — Papers read, " A Revision of the Echinoidea from the 

 Australian Tertiaries," by Professor P. Martin Duncan; "The 

 Lower Part of the Upper Cretaceous Series in West Suffolk and 

 Norfolk," by Messrs. A. J. Jukes-Brown and W. Hill ; " Some 

 Occurrences of Piedmontite-schist in Japan," by Mr. B. Koto. 



PHYSICAL SOCIETY 



May 28. — Papers read, " Note on Transformers for Electric Distribu- 

 tion," by Professor S. P. Thompson ; " Magnetic Torsion of Iron 

 Wires," by Mr. S. Bidwell ; " A Strain in a Beam fixed at both 

 ends," by Professors W. E. Ayrton and J. Perry. 



June 1 1. — Papers read, " Note on Beams fixed at both ends," and." Note 

 on Magnetic Resistance," by Professors W. E. Ayrton and J. 

 Perry. 



ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY. 

 June 14. — Paper read, "The Statistical Story of the Suez Canal," by 

 Mr. J. Rabino. 



ROYAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 



June 8. — Papers read, " Monograph of the Genus Lycoperdon," by 

 Mr. G. Massee ; " Remarks on the Foraminfera, with especial 

 reference to their Variability of Form, illustrated by the Cristel- 

 larians," by Professor T. Rupert Jones and Mr. C. D. Sherborn. 



SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY. 

 June 6. — Papers read, " The Alkaloids — the Present State of Know- 

 ledge concerning them, and the Methods Employed in their In- 

 vestigation," by Dr. H. E. Armstrong ; " Notes of a Recent Visit 

 to some of the Petroleum-producing Territories of the United 

 States and Canada," by Mr. B. Redwood. 



ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY. 

 June I. — Papers read, "On the Presence of Ice in the Upper Atmosphere, 

 and the Conditions under which it Exists," by Mr. G. J. Stoney ; 

 " On a Combination of Dry and Wet Methods applicable to Quali- 

 tative Analysis," by Mr. W. E. Adeney ; " On Professor Poynting's 

 query as to Electrical Actions across Conductors," by Professor G. 

 F. Fitzgerald ; " On Inversion applied to Centrobaric Bodies," 

 by Mr. T. Preston ; " On Twisted Copper Wire," by Mr. S. M. 

 Dixon. 



BALLOON SOCIETY. 

 May 27. — Lecture, " Convalescent Homes : their Value, their Manage- 

 ment, and How they are Abused," by Mr. R. Frewer. 



ATHEN.EUM SOCIETY. 

 June 9.— Paper read, " Borax : the Forms in which it is Found, and its 

 Commercial Importance," by Mr. W. H. Frith. 



INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS OF IRELAND. 

 June I. — Paper read, "The Enlargement of Westland-row Terminus, 

 with a Sketch of the Early History of the Dubhn and Kingstown 

 Railway," by Mr. Thomas B. Grierson. 



IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE. 



May 27. — Papers read, " Some investigations as to the Effects of 

 Different Methods of Treatment of Mild Steel in the Manufacture 

 of Plates," by Mr. J. Riley; "The South Chicago Works of the 

 North Chicago Rolling Mill Company," by Mr. E. C. Potter. 



CHESTERFIELD AND MIDLAND COUNTIES' INSTITUTION 



OF ENGINEERS, 

 June iS. — Paper read, " A Simple Safety Blasting Cartridge for use in 

 Mines," by Mr. W. II. Routledge. 



ROYAL COLONIAL INSTITUTE. 

 June 14. — Paper read, "Colonization," by Colonel Sir Francis W. De 

 Winton. 



EDINBURGH PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. 

 June I. — Papers read, " Pyrogallic Acid and its Uses in Photography," 

 by Dr. T. W. Drinkwater ; " Stripping Films," by Mr. J. M. 

 Turnbull ; "Copying without Texture," by Mr. H. Cameron; 

 "A New Shutter Release," by Mr. Thomas Wardale. 



THE MINING ASSOCIATION AND INSTITUTE OF 

 CORNWALL. 

 June 14. — Papers read, "The Ventilation of Metalliferous Mines," by 

 Mr. W. Husband. 



Institution of German Engineers. — The annual meeting of 

 this institution is to be held in Leipzig, from the 15th to the i8th 

 August, when visits will be made to the various local industrial 

 establishments. A large number of members is expected to attend. 



The Photographic Convention of the United Kingdom. — 

 Arrangements for this meeting in Glasgow are in progress. The conven- 

 tion will extend over one week, commencing on Monday, 4th July. 

 Members who wish to be present should send their names to the local 

 secretary, Mr. James Davie, 36, Darnley-street, PoUokshields, Glas- 

 gow. 



A Volunteer Cyclist's Corps. — We are asked to state that the 

 members of the Balloon Society have passed resolutions in favour of 

 establishing a Volunteer Cyclist Corps, and that a committee is being 

 formed to promote this object. 



We have received from Mr. A. G. Dawson, of 14, Ivy-lane 

 Paternoster-row, "Adams' Patent Line Divider." It consists of 

 a sheet of tracing cloth, mounted on rollers, and on which are 

 printed a number of parallel lines ; these are crossed by other 

 lines gradually diverging from each other. The sheet is placed 

 over the line to be measured, and the divisions can be pricked 

 off. The device is simple and ingenious. It should be the 

 means of saving a good deal of time in the draughting office. 

 The price is two shillings and si-xpence. 



A NEW Classified Catalogue of the Library of the Royal Institution of 

 Great Britain, with Synopsis and Indexes of authors and subjects, in- 

 cluding the Additions to 1882. By Benjamin Vincent, Assistant Secie- 

 tary and Keeper of the Library. 2 vols. 8vo. Half-bound. Price to 

 members, 14s. ; to Non-Members, 21s. 6d. Volume II. (just published). 

 Price to Members, 6s. ; to Non-Members, 8s. 6d, With Additions 

 1882-6. 



