1 882.] Proceedings of Scientific Societies. 87 



father, who started the first subscription for the purpose of estab- 

 lishing this department. 



— Mr. G. H. Darwin in his work on the tidal evolution of the 

 moon has drawn the inference that geological denudation and 

 deposition must have been vastly more active in former times than 

 at present. 



— Mr. C. S. Nachet, the founder of the well-known French 

 firm of microscope manufacturers, died October 28, at the 

 advanced age of 83. 



— The Census Bulletin, No. 270, refers to the production of 

 iron ore in the United States, which was 7,971,706 tons; with a 

 valuation of $23,167,007. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



Middlesex Institute, Oct. 12, 1 881. —The President, L. L. 

 Dame, read a paper on " Botanical Nomenclature," in the course 

 of which he alluded to the different pronunciations prevailing 

 even among good botanists, and advocated, subjecting all names 

 becoming Latinized to the Latin rules of prounciation without re- 

 gard to the vernacular as the only way of ensuring absolute uni- 

 formity. In the discussion which followed it was objected that 

 under such an arbitrary rule many names derived from persons 

 would become so disguised as to be practically lost, thus defeat- 

 ing the object for which they were established. But how far 

 this objection may prevail against the unquestionable advantages 

 of a uniform pronunciation is an open question. The paper was, 

 however, the most important in its bearings of any yet presented 

 to the Institute, and well calculated to set the members to think- 

 ing in the right direction. A new by-law providing for the for- 

 mation of sections was adopted, and the completion of arrange- 

 ments for a course of lectures announced. Prof. Edward S. 

 Morse, and Rev. Edwin C. Bolles, D. D.. of Salem ; Prof. John 

 Fiske and Prof. Wm. H. Niles, of Cambridge, Mass. ; and Prof. 

 Chas. A. Young, of Princeton, New Jersey, were elected honor- 

 ary members. 



New York Academy of Sciences, Nov. 14.— Dr. A. A. Jul- 

 ien read a paper on the excavation of the bed of the Kaaterskill, 



Nov. 21.— Dr. Louis Elsberg remarked on the cell-doctrine and 

 thebioplasson doctrine. 



Nov. 28.— Commander Cheyne, R. N., delivered a lecture en- 

 titled, " The Discovery of the North Pole practicable." 



. A. A. Julien read a paper on the volcanic tufas of 



Challis, Idaho. 



