186 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. IV., No. 82. 



already covered by its own, such a supply is hardly 

 likely to be of much service: we may therefore say 

 that the arrangements favor self-fertilization. 



Philosophical society, Washington, 



May 24. — Mr. H. H. Bates read a paper on the 



physical basis of phenomena. Professor Thomas 



Robinson spoke of the strata and timbering of the 

 east shaft of the water-works extension. As an inci- 

 dent to the engineering-works for the increase of the 

 water-supply of Washington, a shaft has been sunk 

 through the superficial deposits in the vicinity of 

 Howard university. Professor Robinson presented 

 a complete record of the formations pierced by the 

 shaft, and discussed, also, the peculiar method of 

 timbering. 



June 7. — Mr. G. K. Gilbert presented a plan for 

 the subject-bibliography of North-American geologic 

 literature ; and Major J. W. Powell presented a slightly 

 different plan for the same purpose. These plans 

 proposed to establish at the outset a limited number 

 of divisions of the subject-matter of the literature, 

 and to simultaneously prepare a bibliography of each, 

 the total number of bibliographies being about sev- 

 enty-five. A long discussion ensued, in the course 

 of which the plans were vigorously criticised by 

 Dr. Billings, who maintained that any classification 

 would be found to require continual modification, 

 and would be ultimately unsatisfactory. He advo- 

 cated the adoption of the subject-index method, and 

 the accumulation of a large body of references before 

 classification was attempted. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



We have much pleasure in presenting the readers 

 of Science with a few facts relating to some of the 

 more prominent members of the British association, 

 who are expected to be present at the Montreal meet- 

 ing. 



The permanent general secretaries (honorary) are 

 Capt. Douglas Galton and Mr. A. G. Vernon Har- 

 court. The former has held office for many years ; 

 and, in addition to a wide scientific culture, possesses 

 a special knowledge of every thing relating to sanitary 

 science, and hence has been much engaged in pro- 

 moting the International health exhibition. He is a 

 cousin of Mr. Francis Galton. Mr. Harcourt is a 

 near relative of the home secretary of state, and is 

 professor of chemistry at Christchurch college, Ox- 

 ford. He has devoted special attention to the chem- 

 istry of gas-lighting. The secretary, and general 

 executive officer of the association, is Prof. T. G. 

 Bonney, who is now president of the Geological so- 

 ciety of London. For many years he was fellow and 

 tutor of St. John's college, Cambridge, but at present 

 fills the chair of geology, etc., at University college, 

 London. He is distinguished rather as a penologist 

 and mineralogist than as a paleontologist. The 

 treasurer, Prof. A. W. Williamson, the distinguished 

 chemist, is unable to attend this meeting; but his 

 functions will be discharged by Professor Burdon 



Sanderson, Waynflete professor of physiology at Ox- 

 ford, and one of the scientific advisers of the govern- 

 ment. The president of the association for this year 

 is the Right Hon. Lord Rayleigh, an account of whose 

 life is given on another page. 



Among the twelve vice-presidents are the Right 

 Hon. Sir Lyon Playfair, Sir J. D. Hooker, and Prof. 

 E. Frankland. Sir L. Playfair has been nominated 

 as the president of the association for the Aberdeen 

 meeting in 1885. Born in 1819, he very early took 

 great interest in chemistry, and in 1858 was elected 

 professor thereof in the University of Edinburgh, 

 which he now represents in parliament. He ren- 

 dered great services as special commissioner in charge 

 of juries at the International exhibitions of 1851 and 

 1862. In 1873-74 he was postmaster-general, and 

 from 1880 to 1883 was deputy-speaker of the house of 

 commons, and chairman of committee of ways and 

 means. A great authority on all educational ques- 

 tions, he is one of the very few members of parlia- 

 ment who are eminent in science. Sir J. Hooker, 

 the director of Kew gardens, so famous for his inves- 

 tigations of the laws which govern plant-distribution, 

 was president of the Royal society from 1873 to 1878, 

 and of this association in 1868. In 1877 he accom- 

 panied the U.S. survey parties in Utah and Colorado. 

 Dr. Frankland, born in 1825, was president of the 

 Chemical society in 1871, and for many years has 

 been connected with the government teaching of 

 chemistry, his present office being that of professor 

 of chemistry in the Normal school of science, South 

 Kensington. Much of his work has been in connec- 

 tion with the Rivers' pollution commission. 



Coming now to the presidents of sections, mathe- 

 matics and physics (section A) will be under the guid- 

 ance of Sir W. Thomson, who has been professor of 

 mathematics in the University of Glasgow since 1846, 

 at which time he was twenty-two years of age. His 

 famous researches in thermo-dynamics and in mag- 

 netism, and his practical work in submarine teleg- 

 raphy, scarcely need a reference here. He was 

 knighted in 1866, on the successful completion of the 

 Atlantic cable, and was president of the association 

 in 1871. Chemistry (section B) will be presided over 

 by Prof. H. E. Roscoe, who, since 1858, has been pro- 

 fessor of chemistry in Owens college, Manchester. 

 He is president of the Literary and philosophical 

 society of Manchester, and vice-chancellor of the new 

 Victoria university. He is also one of the Royal com- 

 mission on technical instruction, and will be knighted 

 for his services in that capacity. He was president 

 of the Chemical society in 1880, and the first presi- 

 dent of the new Society of chemical industry in 1881. 

 Geology (section C) will have for its president Mr. W. 

 T. Blanford, the secretary of the Geological society of 

 London. Section D (biology) will be guided by Prof. 

 H. N". Moseley, who made his scientific reputation as 

 one of the naturalists of the Challenger deep-sea 

 surveying expedition, and eventually succeeded Pro- 

 fessor Rolleston in his chair at the University of 

 Oxford. Gen. Sir Henry Lefroy, a distinguished 

 scientific officer of the Royal artillery, will preside 

 over section E (geography). He has recently pub- 



