SCIENCE. 



3i 



character and tone to its proceedings. The amateurs 

 must constitute the rank and file, accept that position, 

 and keep to it, until by some special qualifications they 

 may be promoted to a higher grade. 



In England such is the case. Taking the case of 

 the Quekett Microscopical Society, such men as Pro- 

 fessor Huxley, Dr. Lionel Beale and Dr. Cobbold, the 

 eminent helminthologist, have presided over the pro- 

 ceedings, and the result has been that over five hun- 

 dred members have enlisted under such leadership. 

 Compare this with the American Microscopical Society 

 of New York established in the same year. Who ever 

 heard of a paper read before this body, or a single 

 piece of scientific work performed by one of its 

 members ? No fossil could be more inactive than 

 this society ; it exists on paper only, and for the 

 benefit of a few officials. 



A younger Microscopical Society, established in 

 New York city about three years since, has been 

 organized on an equally faulty basis, and now numbers 

 but thirty members. The co-operation of the right 

 men has never been asked, and probably would not 

 be accepted, and in consequence, a future of inactivity 

 and embarassment may be anticipated. 



To make American Scientific Societies as effective 

 as those in England, they must be organized on a 

 sufficiently popular basis, to interest the sympathy and 

 support of the public ; and presided over by men of 

 known scientific ability, whose presence will encourage 

 the student, and give a character to the proceedings. 



In regard to the aid given by scientific journals in 

 promoting useful co-operation between the scientist 

 and the student, we may state that one of the objects 

 of " Science " is to promote such a consummation, 

 and that aim will be constantly kept in view. As a step 

 in the right direction we have here indicated some of 

 the means, by which the icy barrier which now sepa- 

 rates those who should be cordially united in a great 

 work, may be gently thawed by the inspiring influ- 

 ences of united action and generous co-operation. 





A SCHOOL of agriculture has been formed at Canterbury, 

 New Zealand, situated at Lincoln, twelve miles from the 

 city of Canterbury. This institution is under the direction 

 of Mr. W. E. Ivey, comprises lecture theatre, library, 

 museum, chemical laboratory. A farm of 500 acres is 

 attached to the institution, a portion of which will be 

 devoted to experimental purposes for testing the various 

 methods of cultivation. 



M. Daubree, director of the French School of 

 Mines, has published an essay on Descartes, in which he 

 summarises the services rendered by that philosopher to 

 science. He reminds his readers that Descartes advo- 

 cated the theory of an igneous origin for the earth, and 

 he enters into a lengthened discussion of the objections 

 which may be raised against the theory of actual causes. 



The Earl of Spencer, in a recent speech in the House 

 of Lords, admitted the application of science to agricul- 

 ture. He said : " Great attention had of late years been 

 very properly called to the great aid which science gave 

 to the various classes of manufactures and producers ; 

 and that principle applied with quite as great force to 

 agriculture as to any other art. If science could enable 

 our agriculturists to produce more from the land than 

 they had hitherto done, it would add another to the many 

 useful things it had been the means of accomplishing." 

 These words might, with some propriety, have been 

 spoken twenty years ago, and if they represent the 

 present relation of science to British agriculture, much of 

 the unprofitable results of farming in that country may 

 be thus explained. 



Lord Spencer said, that it had been at last decided to 

 open a class for agriculture next August, at the Depart- 

 ment of Science and Art. We commend Lord Spencer to 

 a perusal of the reports of the department of Agriculture 

 at Washington, especially that for 1878, in which the 

 value of science to the agriculturist is very evident. 



The value of scientific journals has been attested to, 

 by the humble class of astronomers who exhibit their 

 telescopes at corners of streets in Paris, showing the 

 moon, planets and other celestial objects which may be 

 seen with telescopes ot moderate quality. They state 

 that since the publication of the Astronomie Populaire 

 the number of their customers has nearly doubled. 



It appears from a statement by M. Flammarion that 

 the scientific journalists of Paris meet monthly, when 

 papers are read, and other business transacted. 



M. J. M. GAUGAIN, the eminent French electrician, 

 recently died at the age of seventy years. 



At a recent trial in England, a gas company was sued 

 for damages, the plaintiff having been rendered insensible 

 by an escape of the company's gas, due to a breakage in 

 their mains. The plaintiff alleged that he suffered for a 

 considerable length of time after the accident, and was 

 unfit for business. The jury accepted the view of Dr. 

 Tidy and Dr. Hastings, who gave scientific evidence on 

 the subject, they being of the opinion that the effect of 

 inhaling coal gas was very transitory ; and that if suffi- 

 cient was not inhaled to cause death, it would shortly 

 pass from the system, and its ill effects cease. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



To the Editor of Science : 



Dear Sir : — In the Physical Laboratory we noticed last 

 Winter a beautiful experiment with vapors. An alcohol 

 lamp, burning, was put under the receiver of the air pump. 

 A few strokes put out the flame. The air returning, a 

 single stroke of the piston caused the receiver to fill with a 

 dense and transient cloud, soon disappearing with a change 

 of pressure in the receiver. This experiment has interesting 

 relations to rain fall, and other meteorological phenomena. 



G. M. Mansfield. 



Laboratory of Asbury Utiiversity , 

 Indiana, July 7, 1880. 



