﻿70 
  

  

  Anniversary 
  Meeting. 
  

  

  [Nov. 
  30, 
  

  

  certain 
  mineral 
  constituents, 
  and 
  devoid 
  of 
  any 
  nitrogenized 
  organic 
  

   matter 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  has 
  proved 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  phenomena 
  presented 
  hy 
  the 
  de- 
  

   structive 
  silk-worm 
  epidemic, 
  the 
  pebrine 
  (even 
  the 
  singular 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  

   is 
  hereditarily 
  transmitted 
  through 
  the 
  female 
  and 
  not 
  through 
  the 
  male), 
  

   are 
  to 
  he 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  parasitic 
  organism 
  in 
  the 
  diseased 
  

   caterpillars. 
  

  

  The 
  medal 
  was 
  received 
  for 
  Prof. 
  Pasteur 
  by 
  the 
  Foreign 
  Secretary 
  of 
  

   the 
  Society. 
  

  

  The 
  Runiford 
  Medal 
  has 
  been 
  awarded 
  to 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Norman 
  Lockyer, 
  

   F.R.S., 
  " 
  for 
  his 
  Spectroscopic 
  Researches 
  on 
  the 
  Sun 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   Chemical 
  Elements." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Lockyer 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  engaged 
  in 
  spectroscopic 
  researches 
  on 
  the 
  

   sun. 
  His 
  first 
  observations 
  were 
  directed 
  to 
  a 
  scrutiny 
  of 
  the 
  spectrum 
  

   of 
  sun-spots 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  surface, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  

   bring 
  evidence 
  to 
  decide 
  between 
  two 
  rival 
  theories 
  respecting 
  their 
  for- 
  

   mation. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  paper 
  in 
  which 
  his 
  first 
  observations 
  were 
  

   described, 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  read 
  before 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society 
  on 
  November 
  

   15th, 
  1866, 
  he 
  asks, 
  " 
  May 
  not 
  the 
  spectroscope 
  afford 
  us 
  evidence 
  of 
  

   the 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  red 
  flames 
  ' 
  which 
  total 
  eclipses 
  have 
  revealed 
  to 
  us 
  

   in 
  the 
  sun's 
  atmosphere, 
  although 
  they 
  escape 
  all 
  other 
  modes 
  of 
  exami- 
  

   nation 
  at 
  other 
  times 
  ? 
  " 
  

  

  The 
  spectroscope 
  he 
  then 
  employed 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  insufficient 
  disper- 
  

   sive 
  power 
  for 
  his 
  researches, 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  induced 
  to 
  apply 
  to 
  the 
  Govern- 
  

   ment-Grant 
  Committee 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society 
  for 
  aid 
  to 
  construct 
  one 
  of 
  

   greater 
  power. 
  This 
  aid 
  was 
  accorded, 
  and 
  the 
  instrument 
  was 
  delivered, 
  

   though 
  not 
  quite 
  complete, 
  on 
  the 
  16th 
  of 
  October, 
  1868. 
  On 
  the 
  20th 
  

   his 
  efforts 
  were 
  crowned 
  by 
  the 
  detection 
  of 
  a 
  solar 
  prominence 
  by 
  means 
  

   of 
  the 
  bright 
  lines 
  exhibited 
  in 
  its 
  spectrum. 
  An 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  discovery 
  

   was 
  immediately 
  communicated 
  to 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  French 
  

   Academy 
  of 
  Sciences. 
  

  

  Meanwhile 
  had 
  occurred 
  the 
  total 
  solar 
  eclipse 
  of 
  August 
  18th, 
  1868, 
  

   to 
  observe 
  which 
  various 
  parties 
  had 
  gone 
  out 
  armed 
  with 
  suitable 
  in- 
  

   struments, 
  and 
  especially 
  with 
  spectroscopes, 
  for 
  determining 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  hitherto 
  unknown 
  spectrum 
  of 
  the 
  prominences 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  firstfruits 
  

   of 
  their 
  labours 
  had 
  reached 
  Europe, 
  showing 
  that 
  the 
  spectrum 
  in 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  bright 
  lines. 
  It 
  occurred 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Janssen, 
  who 
  had 
  observed 
  

   with 
  eminent 
  success 
  the 
  spectrum 
  of 
  the 
  prominences 
  during 
  the 
  eclipse, 
  

   that 
  the 
  same 
  mode 
  of 
  observation 
  might 
  enable 
  one 
  to 
  detect 
  them 
  at 
  

   any 
  time, 
  and 
  he 
  saw 
  them 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  the 
  very 
  next 
  day. 
  The 
  first 
  

   account 
  of 
  this 
  discovery, 
  which 
  was 
  sent 
  by 
  post, 
  did 
  not, 
  however, 
  reach 
  

   the 
  French 
  Academy 
  until 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  after 
  the 
  communication 
  of 
  Mr. 
  

   Lockyer's 
  notice 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  nothing 
  interferes 
  with 
  the 
  perfect 
  independ- 
  

   ence 
  with 
  which 
  these 
  two 
  physicists 
  established 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  detecting 
  

   the 
  prominences 
  at 
  any 
  time. 
  

  

  