Nntureof 

 ponge. 



384 SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



British sponges. At the meeting of this society on the 7th of March, the 

 secretary read an " Essay on sponges, with descriptions of 

 all the species, that have been discovered on the coast of 

 Great Britain", by George Montagu, Esq. of Devonshire. 

 From Mr. Montagu's researches as to the constitution of 

 sponges, it appears, that no polypi or vermes of any kind 

 are to be discerned in their cells or pores; they are, how- 

 ever, decidedly of an animal nature; but they possess 

 vitality without perceptible action or motion. Mr. Montagu 

 has divided the genus spongia into five families: viz. 

 Branched, digitated, tubular, compact, and orbicular. 

 Only fourteen species were previously known to be British: 

 Mr. Montagu, in this communication, described no fewer 

 than thirty-nine. A considerable number of the species 

 are quite new, or have now for the first time been dis- 

 tinguished and formed by that indefatigable naturalist. 



At (he same meeting, Dr. Yule read a memoir on the na- 

 tural method in botany, in Avhich he defended the existence 

 of the series of natural affinity in plants against the ob- 

 jections of professor Willdenow and Dr. Smith, founded 

 on the want of regularity in the series, &c. He contend- ' 

 ed, that the illustrious author of the artificial system never 

 intended, that it should supersede, but on the contrary, 

 that it sL; nld lay the foundation of the Natural Classes, 

 *' quas plani genera nondum detecta revelabunt :" and 'hat 

 with this view he uniformly inculcated the stn,dy of natural 

 genera, in conformity with his grtat maxim, " Omne getius 

 naturale." 



Natural method 

 in botan)'. 



Literary and 

 philosophical 

 society of 

 Liverpool. 



A literary and philosophical society has been lately in- 

 stituted in Liverpool. Its object is to collect information 

 in all branches of literature and science, which is laid be- 

 fore the society in the form of Essays, or Papers. The 

 number of members already amounts to near sixty, and 

 their meetings are held monthly from October to May in- 

 clusive. The communications and attendance are entirely 

 voluntary. Officers; the Rev. Theophilus Houlbrooke, 

 President: Rev. Joseph Smith, Dr. Bostock, and John 

 Theodore Koster, Esq., annual Vice Presidents: and Dr. 

 Thu. Stewart Traill, Secretary, to whom communications 

 are to be addressed. 



INDEX 



