RECORDS -465 



R. S. Woodward, An Account of the Jubilee of Sir 

 George G. Stokes. 



A. C. Longden, Resistance of Thin Films Deposited bv 

 Kathode Radiation. Selenium Rings. 



Summary of Papers. 



The Jubilee, described by Professor Woodward, was held on 

 the 1st, 2d and 3d of June, 1899, on the fiftieth anniversary of 

 the professorship of Sir George G. Stokes at Cambridge. Stokes' 

 most important scientific work was done between 1 842 and 1855. 

 In fluid motion he showed that the conditions under which the 

 equations of motion were integrable, were the conditions that the 

 motion should be irrotational. He made researches concerning 

 the elastic solid theory of light. He made advances in the 

 theory of physical geodesy. He showed that the shape of the 

 earth's surface should determine the law by which gravity varied 

 from place to place. He cleared up a good many obscurities 

 in the work of Fourier in regard to Fourier series. 



The Jubilee began with the Rede lecture, delivered by Pro- 

 fessor Cornu of the Ecole Polytechnique, on the " Wave Theory 

 of Light," and its influence on modern physics. Beside dinners, 

 garden parties, etc., the most important ceremonies were the 

 presentation of addresses by the delegates representing about 

 seventy institutions, and the conferring of the honorary degree 

 of Doctor of Science upon Messrs. Cornu, Darboux, Michelson, 

 Mittag-Leffler, Quincke and Voigt. At the dinner which ended 

 the celebration. Sir George Stokes made a speech in the course 

 of which he said that he wished he had done more scientific 

 work, but that if he had, he might not have been there to cele- 

 brate his jubilee. 



Mr. Longden, in the second paper of the evening described 

 his method of depositing thin metallic films oa glass, and showed 

 some specimens. These films can be used as high resistances 

 instead of the very expensive wire resistances ordinarily used. 

 Films of gold or platinum can be deposited, which have not 

 the lack of durability of alloys. At the same time, unlike the 

 metals in the form of wire, they have very low positive or even 



