[August, 
qgo Report on Scientific Societies. 
to which they are liable in common with the important class 
of amateurs, and which is owing to deficiencies in the second 
species of literature before adverted to. Next to the desire 
for complete information concerning his special department, 
every man of science is, or should be, animated also by the 
wish for some such knowledge of the progress achieved in 
all kindred departments as would satisfy, ordinarily, the 
simple amateur. More than one attempt has been made 
already to supply the want here stated, but each has hitherto 
ended in failure, excepting the one last made, which is 
highly to be commended, but is yet not, perhaps, quite suffi- 
cient. In fairness it should be stated that the task of carrying 
on a publication of this kind, so as to be successful and 
complete, may almost be called formidable. 
The third and last category of books may here deserve 
also some words of notice. In the introduction to his work 
on natural philosophy, Dr. Young has made the following 
observation : — i( I shall esteem it better to seek substantial 
utility than temporary amusement, for if we fail to be useful 
for want of being sufficiently entertaining we remain at least 
respectable ; but if we are unsuccessful in our attempts to 
amuse, we immediately appear trifling and contemptible.” 
Such are not the views aCted on or adopted by many modern 
popular writers. While the most abstruse questions, of 
politics, for instance, are daily discussed, not in treatises 
only, but in newspapers even, in a becoming manner, popular 
authors on Science, both in periodicals and independent 
works, generally address the public in a style befitting rather 
the intellect of children than that of grown-up people, for 
whom those yet are designed. Even in books calculated for 
well-educated persons, the matter is frequently dressed up 
in the fashion generally deemed suitable only for. “ the 
million ” in other departments of literature ; and it is im- 
possible not to be astonished, if we once come to reflect upon 
it, at the amount of conceit shown in this way by authors 
and tolerated by the public. It seems almost as if it were 
agreed upon all hands that Science is. as much above the 
comprehension of ordinary men as Politics, are supposed to 
be above that of ordinary women ; and as if men in the one 
case, like women in the other, concurred themselves in the 
verdict. 
In order to remedy the defeCts noticed in the first two 
species of literature (for with the third I am here, so far, 
not concerned), I propose the following scheme : — 
In the first place, all scientific societies of any importance, 
in England as well as in foreign countries, should be invited 
