84 
JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
LIGHTING BY ELECTRICITY. 
ABSTRACT OF PAPER BY MR. C. OXLAND. 
(Read January 23rd, 1879.) 
The object of this paper was to trace the development of the 
different means of producing currents of electricity, adapted to 
lighting purposes, from the batteries of Grove, Bunsen, and others, 
to the dynamo-electric machines now in use. The forms of magneto 
and dynamo -electric machines most in use, and the principles 
upon which they acted, were described ; and also the Jablochkoff, 
Rapieff, Werdermann, Siemens, and Wallace-Farmer lamps. The 
cost of production was given in trials made in London, Paris, 
and Washington, United States, which cost was shown to have 
been much diminished by the experience and improvements gained 
by these trials. In conclusion the question of subdivision of cur- 
rents was described. 
JULIUS CiESAR 
ABSTRACT OF PAPER BY DR. NEILD. 
(Read January 30th, 1879. ) 
The lecturer having introduced the subject, by maintaining that 
Shakspeare from his knowledge of human nature was able to 
build up real and perfect characters from the disjecta membra 
of history, proceeded to point out that Shakspeare was entirely 
indebted to Plutarch for the facts and incidents of "Julius Caesar 
much, too, of the dialogue being a poetical paraphrase of Plutarch's 
narrative. The fidelity with which Shakspeare followed Plutarch 
was dwelt upon, and extracts from that historian were given to 
illustrate the groundwork upon which the dramatist built the chief 
characters of the play. The play itself was then considered, not 
