Juxe 5, 1SS5.] 



SCIENCE. 



459 



ing the Laurentian strata. Mr. Thomas Mac- 

 farlane brought two communications before the 

 society, but read them in abstract only. That 

 on the much-disputed region in the south- 

 eastern part of Quebec pointed out certain 

 critical localities in regard to which additional 

 investigation was desirable. Papers b}^ Prof. 

 Loring W. Bailey and Mr. William Saunders 

 on the economic minerals of New Brunswick, 

 and butterflies of Canada, respectively, being 

 catalogues, were merely explained in general 

 terms. Dr. G. M. Dawson described the 

 Cambrian rocks met with by him in the 

 Rock}- Mountains north of the international 

 line, and compared these with those of Nevada 

 and the Colorado Canon. Professor Ramsey 

 Wright's note on the genus Hypophthalmus, 

 was, in the absence of the author, read by 

 title only. 



In the physical and chemical section Dr. T. 

 Stem' Hunt gave an exposition of his proposed 

 new classification of silicates, dividing these 

 minerals into three great groups. A second 

 paper by the same author was on the geognosy 

 of crystalline rocks. These are first considered, 

 in relation to condition, as stratified orunstrati- 

 fied, and an endeavor made to define the limits 

 of stratiform structure due to bedding and the 

 flow of molten matter. A further development 

 is then given of the crenitic theory. The 

 author claims that the whole subject belongs 

 essentially to chemistry and mineralog3 T , and 

 that the speculations of geologists have rather 

 obscured than elucidated the problems pre- 

 sented by the crystalline series. In continu- 

 ation of a previous investigation, a paper was 

 read by Prof. E. Haanel, describing certain 

 blowpipe reactions on plaster-of- Paris tablets. 

 These included a mode of detection of osmium 

 with hydriodic acid, and of chromium, anti- 

 mony, and molybdenum with terchloride of 

 tin. Dr. H. A. Bayne outlined the results 

 of a series of critical experiments on the best 

 modes of determining analytically the amount 

 of silk present in mixed fabrics. He recom- 

 mended the emplo3'ment of basic zinc chloride 

 as a solvent for silk in the presence of wool, 

 and of Lowe's alkaline glycerine solution of 

 oxide of copper when silk is combined with 

 cotton and linen fibres. Dr. A. Johnson 

 read an elaborate paper on the best and most 

 economical methods of establishing tidal ob- 

 servatories and investigating tidal currents, 

 dealing particularly with the Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence and eastern coast of Canada. Mr. C. 

 Carpmael brought before the section a paper 

 on the determination, in terms of a definite 

 integral, of the value of the expression 



^l(' + 



■H-tfj-E 



-n(x + T z -\} +.. 



/ n V" '" 

 jTj^ + i-r) +... 



+ (-!)■(*- \ 



the series to be continued only as long as the 

 quantity raised to power m -j- n is positive, n 

 being a positive integer, and m a positive 

 integer, zero, or a negative integer numer- 

 ically less than n; and on the deduction 

 therefrom of approximate values in certain 

 cases. After pointing out that Cauclry's in- 

 vestigation fails when m is zero or a positive 

 integer, although Cauchy had assumed with- 

 out comment that it would hold, the author 

 proceeds to investigate the values of certain 

 'extraordinary integrals.' The values ob- 

 tained differ in most cases from those of 

 Cauchy ; but the final approximate values 

 agree with them, if we correct certain numeri- 

 cal errors in his results. 



In this section the following papers were 

 also read : "On the introduction and rational 

 interpretation of negative and imaginary quan- 

 tities in the calculus," by Dr. D. Duval ; "Note 

 on the quantitative blowpipe assay of cinna- 

 bar," by Professor Haanel ; " On the theory of 

 M. Steckel," by Mr. C. Baillarge ; " On some 

 iron ores of Ontario," by Professor Chapman ; 

 "A commentary on section ix. of Newton's 

 ' Principia,' " by Professor Cherriman ; " The 

 density of weak aqueous solutions of salts," 

 by Professor McGregor ; " On longitude deter- 

 minations at Montreal," by Prof. W. A. Rogers 

 and H. McLeod ; " On Clausius' theory of the 

 virial," by Professor Loudon. 



Two important ethnological papers were read 

 by Dr. D. Wilson in the section of English 

 literature. The first, "On the manifestation 

 of the aesthetic faculty in primitive races," 

 discussed the evidence of this faculty, and the 

 practice of imitative art among uncivilized peo- 

 ples. The neolithic period in Europe showed 

 an almost entire absence of such art ; but. in 

 the vastly more remote age of the cave-men 

 of France, remarkable indications of it occur. 

 The author compared these with evidences of 

 the art of American aborigines, and stated his 

 reasons for tracing all alike to efforts at sign- 

 language, and ideographic expressions of facts 

 and thought. Dr. Wilson's second communi- 

 cation pointed out, that, in the drawings of the 

 cave-men of France, right-hand profiles are to 

 those of the left-hand as about two to one. 

 The proportion of left-hand drawings is greatly 



