i88o.] Scientific Progress of the Past Year . n 
in some respects the greatest. In him the full maturity of 
a mind which had suffered no check or shadow of abate- 
ment, was devoted to the foundation of a more thorough 
knowledge of Molecular Physics and of Electrical Laws 
than has hitherto been attained. The clear insight, the 
keen criticism, the just and liberal appreciation of the views 
of others, evinced both elsewhere and especially in his 
Reports to the Committee of Papers, will long be remem- 
bered ; while the more general side of his character, exem- 
plified in the numerous scintillations struck off with his pen, 
will be no less cherished by those to whom his scientific 
writings were as a sealed book. To replace such a man 
seems at first imposssible ; but we should be doing scant 
justice to his memory if we did not believe that the good 
seed which he so liberally sowed would bear such fruit that 
in the time of need there should be no lack. 
***-*** 
An extra volume of the “ Philosophical Transactions ” 
(vol. clxviii.) has been issued, in which the observations 
made by the naturalists who accompanied the Transit of 
Venus Expeditions to Kerguelen’s Land and Rodriguez, and 
descriptions of their collections by persons specially ac- 
quainted with the several subjects are brought together. 
The volume is divided into four sections, viz., the Botany 
and Zoology of each of the two islands respectively. 
The Botanical collections from Kerguelen’s Land, worked 
out by Sir J. D. Hooker, Mr. Mitten, the Rev. J. M. Crom- 
bie, Dr. Dickie, P. F. Reinsch, and the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, 
have added largely to our knowledge of the Cryptogams, 
especially the Algae. In particular the American affinity of 
the Kerguelen Flora, previously established by Sir J. D. 
Hooker, in his examination of the flowering plants, is proved 
to be also very strongly manifested in the Cryptogams. 
Of the Zoological collections from Kerguelen’s Land 
those of the Mollusca, Crustacea, Arachnida, and InseCta 
have yielded the greatest number of novelties ; the two 
former offering distinct evidence of the affinity of this Fauna 
(as of its Flora) with that of South America. The Arach- 
nids and InseCts of the southern extremity of America are 
unfortunately too little known at present to admit of a com- 
parison with the highly interesting new forms discovered by 
Mr. Eaton, and described in this section. 
In estimating the affinities of the Flora and Fauna of 
Rodriguez the authors were under great difficulties, owing 
to our imperfeCt knowledge of the plants and animals of the 
other Mascarene Islands. But almost all their observations 
