ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 9 



in virtue of its toxic action has received the name of Tetanine. 

 This discovery appears to be the first actual demonstration of 

 the modus operandi of a Bacillus as to its Pathological effect. 

 An important paper, by Liebreich, as to the re-action of certain 

 chemical re-agents, as modified apparently by capillarity, may be 

 regarded as opening up a new field of experimental research to 

 chemists. The experiments of Messrs. Ramsay and Young on 

 the Physical Properties of Substances and their Yapours have 

 earned a well merited degree of attention, and may be mentioned 

 here alongside of a notice as to the valuable Dissociation results 

 obtained by Berthelot, Natanson, and others. Dissociation by a 

 feeble induction spark, passing through gases and vapours at 

 low pressures, has been made the subject of some valuable work 

 by J. J. Thomson. 



Physics is not a subject in which the public are accustomed to 

 hear of startling discoveries, but, nevertheless, much of value has 

 been added to our knowledge of Natural Phenomena during the 

 year. Mention may be made of the researches of S. P. Langley with 

 the Bolometer, Professor Rowland with his gratings, and Abney 

 and Festing with their colour photometer. Professor Tait has made 

 several valuable investigations as to the basis of the Kinetic 

 Theory of Gases. The Self-induction of wires has claimed a 

 considerable amount of attention, partially owing to the importance 

 of the results in the theory of telephones, electric cables, and 

 lightning conductors. Perhaps it is not too much to assert that 

 we now know a great deal more than we did a year ago about the 

 cause of the too frequent failure of lightning conductors. For 

 instance, solid iron rods or pipes may be considered as almost 

 useless for lightning-rod purposes. The greater part of the work 

 n this department, however, is too mathematical to admit of 

 satisfactory treatment within the limits of an address. 



In Astronomical science, the most striking event of the past 

 year was the solar eclipse of last August, to observe which a 

 party was sent from England under the direction of Mr. Norma^n 

 Lockyer. The detailed results of this expedition have not yet, I 



