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TIIE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS 
117 
sion it has received from Boole, Sylvester and Cayley, 
according to •which symbols of operation become the 
subjects not merely of algebraic combination, but of 
differentiations and integrations, as if they were symbols 
■expressing values of varying quantities. An even more 
.marvellous development of this same idea of the separa¬ 
tion of symbols (according to which Gregory separated 
the algebraic signs -f- and — from other symbols or 
quantities to be characterized by them, and dealt with 
them according to the laws of algebraic combination) 
received from Hamilton a most astonishing generaliza¬ 
tion, by the invention actually of new laws of combina¬ 
tion, and led him to his famous “ Quaternions,” of which 
he gave his earliest exposition to the Mathematical and 
Physical Section of this Association, at its meeting in 
'Cambridge in the year 1845. Tate has taken up the 
.-subject of quaternions ably and zealously, and has carried 
it into physical science with a faith, shared by some of 
the most thoughtful mathematical naturalists of the day, 
that it is destined to become an engine of perhaps 
hitherto unimagined power for investigating and ex¬ 
pressing results in natural philosophy. Of Herschel’s 
gigantic work in astronomical observation I need say 
nothing. Doubtless a careful account of it will be given 
in the ‘ Proceedings of the Royal Society of London ’ for 
the next anniversary meeting. 
In the past year another representative man of British 
science is gone. Mathematics has had no steadier sup¬ 
porter for half a century than De Morgan. His great 
book on the differential calculus was, for the mathe¬ 
matical student of thirty years ago, a highly-prized 
repository of all the best things that could be brought 
together under that title. I do not believe it is less 
valuable now; and if it is less valued, may this not be 
because it is too good for examination purposes, and 
because the modern student, labouring to win marks in 
the struggle for existence, must not suffer himself to be 
beguiled from the stc-rn path of duty by any attractive 
beauties in the subject of his study ? 
One of the most valuable services to science which the 
IBritish Association has performed has been the establish¬ 
ment, and the twenty-nine years’ maintenance of its 
•Observatory. The Royal Meteorological Observatory of 
Hew was built originally for a sovereign of England 
who was a zealous amateur of astronomy. George III. 
used continually to repair to it when any celestial phe¬ 
nomenon of peculiar interest was to be seen; and a 
manuscript book still exists filled with observations 
written into it by his own hand. After the building had 
been many years unused, it was granted, in the year 
1842, by the Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Woods 
and Forests, on application of Sir Edward Sabine, for 
the purpose of continuing observations (from which he 
had already deduced important results) regarding the 
vibration of a pendulum in various gases, and for the 
purpose of promoting pendulum observations in all parts 
of the world. The Government granted only the build¬ 
ing, no funds for carrying on the work to be done in it. 
The Royal Society was unable to undertake the main¬ 
tenance of such an observatory; but, happily for science, 
the zeal of individual Fellows of the Royal Society and. 
members of the British Association gave the initial im¬ 
pulse, supplied the necessary initial funds, and recom¬ 
mended their new institution successfully to the fostering 
■care of the British Association. The work of the Kow 
Observatory has, from the commencement, been con¬ 
ducted under the direction of a Committee of the British 
Association; and annual grants from the funds of the j 
Association have been made towards defraying its ex¬ 
penses up to the present time. To the initial object of 
pendulum research was added continuous observation of 
the phenomena of meteorology and terrestrial magnetism, ] 
and the construction and verification of thermometers, 
barometers, and magnetometers, designed for accurate 1 
measurement. The magnificent services which it has 
rendered to science are so well known that any statement 
of them which I could attempt on the present occasion 
would be superfluous. Their value* is due in a great 
measure to the indefatigable zeal and the great ability 
of two Scotchmen, both from Edinburgh, who succes¬ 
sively held the office of Superintendent of the Observa¬ 
tory of the British Association—Mr. Welsh for nine 
years, until his death in 1859, and Dr. Balfour Stewart, 
from then until the present time. Fruits of then labours 
are to be found all through our volumes of Reports for 
these twenty-one years. 
The institution now enters on a new stage of its exist¬ 
ence. The noble liberality of a private benefactor, one 
who has laboured for its welfare with self-sacrificing 
devotion unintcrmittingly from within a few years of 
its creation, has given it a permanent independence 
under the general management of a Committee of the 
Royal Society. Mr. Gassiot’s gift of £10,000 secures 
the continuance at Kew of the regular operation of the 
self-recording instruments for observing the phenomena 
of terrestrial magnetism and meteorology, without the 
necessity for further support from the British Association. 
[To be continued.) 
HOUSE OF LORDS. 
Petroleum Bill, July 26.—On the third reading of 
this Bill— 
The Earl of Morley proposed an amendment, re¬ 
ducing the standard from 85° F. to 80° F. This he ex¬ 
plained was consistent with safety, as the test would be 
made in a closed vessel, whereas it was at present made 
in an open vessel, and very variable. 
Lord Cairxs opposed the amendment, which was 
strongly objected to by the Metropolitan Board of Works. 
The Earl of Morley, in deference to the noble and 
learned lord’s objection, and in consideration of the late 
stage of the Bill, withdrew the amendment. 
The Bill then passed. 
HOUSE OF COMMONS. 
Adulteration oe Food, Drink and Drugs. —July 
31. —Lord Eustace Cecil gave notice that, failing the 
action of the Government to bring in a measure to 
amend the law relating to the adulteration of food, 
drink and drugs, or to introduce clauses for that purpose 
in any sanitary Act which they may propose, he would, 
early next Session, again propose a resolution upon the 
subject for the consideration of the House. 
Fatal Mistake at a Surgery. 
An inquest was held at the Royal Exchange, Aston, 
on Thursday, July 27th, before Mr. W. S. Poole, coroner, 
on view of the body of a bricklayer’s labourer, named 
Bullock. It appeared that a month ago deceased had 
fallen from a building upon which he was at work, and 
had fractured his ribs. He was attended by Mr. Hoare, 
surgeon. Deceased had so far recovered as to be able to 
walk from home, and on Wednesday morning had gone 
to the surgery of Mr. Hoare, and was given by Mr. 
Hoare a preparation called “linctus” for a cough, and 
another, a liniment, for external application. The latter 
mixture contained a deadly poison,—aconite,—and the 
deceased. went on Wednesday morning (as mentioned 
above), taking with him his linctus bottle for the pur¬ 
pose of getting some more of the mixture. Unfortu¬ 
nately he did not see Mr. Hoare, but an assistant named 
Hunter, a young man about twenty years of age, who, 
instead of giving the linctus, gave the liniment. Bul¬ 
lock carried it home, and before the mistake was disco¬ 
vered had taken a dose, and two hours afterwards dipd. 
The inquiry is adjourned for a post-mortem examination 
to bo made, and an analysis of the stomach. Avis s 
Birmingham Gazette, 
