SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



93 



done, and here the ladies could help us in economy. 

 On the new double basis of membership here 

 suggested, and with large rooms at our dis- 

 posal, there ought to be no great difficulty. There 

 should be no lack of suitable and interesting exhibits 

 on such occasions, such as fossils, rock- sections 

 under the microscope, photographs, geological 

 maps and sections, models, diagrams, etc. It 

 should be the object of a great scientific society 

 like ours, not merely to add to the sum of human 

 knowledge, but to take Geology generally under its 

 wing, to spread an interest in it, and to do what 

 is possible to instruct the public. There is in 

 these days much danger of scientific men becoming, 

 as it were, Brahmins, speaking a language not 

 understood of the people, of living a life too much 

 apart from them, and of ceasing to care for them 

 in any way. 



8. To Offer to the Members Prizes and 

 Medals for the best Essays on general 

 Geological Subjects. — This would be an ex- 

 cellent method of stimulating the study of geology, 

 and I doubt not that in this way a few students 

 might be tempted to become regular workers. 

 Again, prizes might be offered for the best ideal 

 landscapes of different geological periods. This is 

 a thing that seems to be much wanted, and if the 

 prizes offered were of more than a merely nominal 

 value some of the best geologists might be tempted 

 to employ really good artists to carry out their 

 ideas on the subject. If a prize of /ioo were offered 

 for some six or eight such pictures, we should see 

 some very good attempts made. The same would 

 apply to the " restoration," either by means of 

 models or of drawings, of extinct types of animal 

 life. One result of such attempts, if successful, 

 might be the publication of wall diagrams of this kind 

 for use in schools and colleges.- And surely that 

 would be a useful service to the cause of education. 

 Some four or five grants are made each year to 

 those geologists who - have made important re- 

 searches. As these are often the result of a 

 good many years of work, involving in some 

 cases no small expense, a money grant of some 

 twenty or five-and-twenty pounds seems but a 

 poor reward. Would it not be desirable to increase 

 these grants (Lyell Geological Fund, etc.) ? 



9. The Occasional Purchase of Valuable 

 Geological Specimens, or even of Collec- 

 tions of Fossils, for Presentation to the 

 National Collection in the Natural 

 History Museum.— This might seem at first 

 sight rather an unnecessary departure ; but it 

 almost goes without saying that the grants from 

 the Treasury to the National Museum are far from 

 adequate, and therefore when good and valuable 

 collections are in the market, they cannot be 

 bought for England, but go to America or some 

 other country. Funds are at present sadly wanted 



E 



for the purchase of casts of fossil reptiles, mam- 

 mals, etc., especially those which Professor Marsh 

 has. unearthed in America. If funds were forth- 

 coming it might be possible to fill a whole gallery 

 with such casts. Very few of the great dinosaurs, 

 for example, are at present represented in the 

 Natural History Museum, and yet they are of 

 great importance to the palaeontologist. 

 10. Travelling Studentships might be 



FOUNDED BY THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, in Order 



to send out promising young geologists, who have 

 been properly trained, to new countries, to report on 

 their geological features, mineral wealth, etc. 



The above suggestions are made in the hope 

 that they may lead to further discussion of this 

 most important subject, and that in time we mav 

 see one at least of the leading scientific societies 

 acting and working in harmony with the spirit of 

 the age, and extending its influence in many 

 directions. 



Westminster, S.W.; April, 1895. 



THE NEW F.R.S. 



'THE following list of fifteen candidates has 

 been selected by the Council of the Royal 

 Society for recommendation at the next election of 

 Fellows. J. Wolfe Barry, C.B., Civil Engineer 

 and designer of the Tower Bridge ; Alfred Gibbs 

 Bourne, D.Sc, Professor of Biology at Madras; 

 George Hartley Bryan, M.A., Lecturer on Thermo- 

 dynamics at the University, Cambridge ; John 

 Eliot, M.A., Meteorological Reporter to the Govern- 

 ment of India; Joseph Reynolds Green, M. A., D.Sc, 

 F.L.S., Professor of Botany, Pharmaceutical Society 

 of Great Britain; Ernest Howard Griffiths, M.A., 

 Physicist and investigator of the phenomena of 

 heat ; Charles Thomas Heycock, M.A., Lecturer 

 on Natural Science, King's College, Cambridge ; 

 Sydney John Hickson, D.Sc, M.A., F.Z.S., Fellow 

 of Downing College, Cambridge, investigator of 

 anatomy of lower zoological forms ; Henry Capel 

 Lofft Holden Major, Royal Artillery, inventor of 

 ordnance apparatus and investigator of electrical 

 phenomena; Frank McClean, M.A., LL.D., 

 F.R.A.S., inventor of a star-spectroscope, astro- 

 nomical photographer and donor of a large 

 telescope to the Cape of Good Hope Royal 

 Observatory; William MacEwen, M.D., Hon. 

 LL.D., Professor of Surgery at Glasgow University; 

 Sidney Martin, M.D., B.Sc, F.R.C.P., University 

 College Hospital, distinguished in chemical physi- 

 ology and parthology ; George M. Minchin, M.A., 

 Professor of Mathematics, Royal Indian Engineer- 

 ing College, Cooper's Hill; William Henry Power, 

 Assistant Medical Officer, H.M. Local Government 

 Board, London, natural historian of epidemic 

 diseases ; Thomas Purdie, B.Sc, Ph.D., A.R.M.S., 

 Professor of Chemistry, St. Andrew's University. 



