Miscellaneous. 203 



s'il est de la nature du sucre de Cannes ; mais comme il est souvent tres diffi- 

 cile en operant sur de petites quantites de faire disparoitre entierement les sub- 

 stances etrangeres qui donnent au sucre une couleur brune, Ton n'exige pas que 

 les echantillons soient d'une purete et d'une blancheur parfaite. 



Considerant l'etendue et la multiplicite des details d'une pareille recherche 

 la Classe fixe a quatre annees la duree du concours et en double le prix. 



Le 31 Mars 1839 est le terme de rigueur pour la rentree des Memoires, 

 qui doivent etre anonymes et accompagnees d'une devise avec nom d'auteur sous 

 cachet. L'attribution du prix de 100 ducats est fixee a la seance publique du 3 

 Juillet merne annee. 



State of Natural History in Newcastle-upon-Tyne It is only of late years 



that an institution has been established in Newcastle for the promotion of Na- 

 tural History, yet previously there had not been wanting a few individuals who 

 had devoted their attention to this branch of science with success. Among these 

 may be mentioned the celebrated Bewick, whose histories of Quadrupeds and 

 British Birds are too well known to need commendation here. But the atten- 

 tion of the Newcastle naturalists was until lately principally directed to the study 

 of Botany. The result of a careful investigation of the Flora of the district was 

 given to the public in 1805, in the form of a Botanist's Guide to the counties of 

 Northumberland and Durham, by Messrs Winch, Thornhill, and Waugh. Mr 

 Winch has since published several detached essays on botanical subjects. 



The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle, a valuable institution, 

 founded upon a liberal basis, has now been in existence for upwards of forty 

 years. This institution supports an extensive library, an annual course of lec- 

 tures on literature, natural philosophy or natural history, and, according to the 

 plan of its founders, a museum. This latter object, owing to the want of suf- 

 ficient funds, and perhaps also to the lukewarmness of a majority of its mem- 

 bers, remained for a number of years little more than a dead letter. In the year 

 1822, however, the society, on the recommendation of G. T. Fox, Esq. purchased 

 the private museum of the late George Allan, Esq. of Blackwell Grange. This 

 collection, celebrated in its day, was originally formed by Marmaduke Tunstall, 

 Esq. of Wycliffe, and afforded many subjects for the works of Pennant, Latham, 

 and Brown. Bewick also drew from specimens contained in it some of the rarer 

 species of his " British Birds." The principal feature of this museum, in fact, 

 was the fine collection of British birds, many of which have now suffered from 

 the unsparing hand of time. It also contained a good collection of the South 

 Sea curiosities brought to England by the celebrated Captain Cook. The his- 

 tory of the whole collection, with biographies of its former possessors, is mi- 

 nutely detailed in a volume published by Mr c Fox, entitled a " Synopsis of the 

 Newcastle Museum." The society first opened this museum to the public in a 

 room of their new building in 1826, and appropriated a portion of their funds 

 for its support. This was afterwards increased by a private subscription among 

 the friends of natural history. But it was soon found that to support a museum 

 at all adequate to the importance of the town and the increasing taste for the sub- 

 ject, required funds far beyond what the Literary and Philosophical Society could 

 spare for the purpose. Under these circumstances a few of the friends of na- 

 tural science in Newcastle undertook the establishment of a Natural History So- 

 ciety. 



The project succeeded even beyond their most sanguine expectations ; and, 



