176 tProc. B.N.F.C, 



proved beyond the possibility of contradiction that this was an 

 error, and Dr. Huxley himself had the honesty to avow his mistake. 

 Dr. Macllwaine reminded the meeting that when this very theory 

 had been broached, in the apartment which they then occupied, in 

 the year 1868, by Dr. Wyville Thompson, in giving an account of 

 the results of the expedition in the Porcupine, it was met by one of 

 their number — Mr. Samuel Stewart — by the remark that, instead of 

 being the beginning, this sarcode matter might prove to be only 

 the end of living organisms, being the product of decomposed 

 mollusca and other denizens of the deep. This was now proved 

 to be far nearer the truth than the theories of Drs. Huxley and 

 Carpenter; and Dr. Ma,cllwaine argued from this fact in favour of 

 philosophers being careful of making positive statements and 

 despising the opinions of others. He went on to remark that the 

 same might apply to the celebrated Eozoon Canadense, which Dr. 

 Carpenter and others had so dogmatically pronounced to be the 

 fossil remains of an organism, but which others doubted to be such. 

 Dr. Macllwaine strongly inclined to the negativein this question, and 

 with their fellow-members, Messrs. Stewart and Wright, coincided 

 in the views of Professor King, of Galway, and others who agreed 

 with him, in opposing those of Dr. Carpenter. Dr. Macllwaine 

 next referred to the paper by Mr. Stewart, in " Science Gossip," 

 wherein he combated with such success the views of Dr. Carpenter 

 as to the formation of Greensand from the shells of Foraminifera. 

 All these instances should teach scientific men caution in pro- 

 pounding new theories and opposing old. He also referred, at 

 some length, to the recent proceedings of other scientific bodies, 

 remarking with satisfaction their practical character in contrast to 

 the novel theories of so-called scientists. The proceedings at the 

 Social Science Congress at Brighton were referred to as an illustra- 

 tion, and the speech of Mr. Gladstone on "Science and Art," at 

 Greenwich, was also quoted in favour of due regard being shown 

 to the Christian revelation. Dr. Macllwaine next reviewed, at 

 some length, a remarkable treatise which had recently appeared, 

 entitled " The Unseen Universe," and which was said to be the 



