arrangements of the late Meeting, and of the extreme kindness of the king, in providing, in the most liberal manner, for the comforts and accommoda tion of all the members who attended. (For. Quart. Rev., Jan.) We hope the time is not far distant when there will be similar assemblies, not only of naturalists, but of scientific men in every department, from every part of the world. Cond. The Wurtemberg Society for undertaking Voyages of Natural History, has hitherto sent out only botanists, whose collections in Sardinia, Istria, Smyrna, Carinthia, &c., have given entire satisfaction to the shareholders. It is now proposed to send out mineralogists, and M. Kurr has already departed for Scandinavia. The shares are 15 florins; and, on the expiration of the voyage, the shareholder receives, according to his wishes, either specimens in botany or mineralogy. (For. Rev., Jan.) Universal Language. M. Bürger, of Heidelberg, well known by his mathematical works, has announced a system of universal language, by which a correspondence may be kept up, on easy and certain principles, by individuals of all nations, although totally unacquainted with each other's native language. The acquisition of the system will scarcely require two days. (For. Rev, Jan.) Remains of Tropical Plants. M. Humboldt seems to be of opinion that the existence of the remains of tropical plants, &c., in northern latitudes, may be accounted for from the former internal heat of the globe, now, as he imagines, greatly diminished by volcanic spiracles, &c. (Tableau de la Nature.) HOLLAND AND THE NETHERLANDS. Weather at Brussels. The present winter seems likely to exceed that of 1826-7 in severity. It set in on the 6th, and the frost has been keen and steady ever since. As you may like to compare our weather with yours, I copy my register of the height of the thermometer in the shade, at 8 o'clock each morning, for this month. [We have added the temperature at Edmonton, near London, from the Literary Gazette, for the same days.] Brussels. London. Brussels. Lond. 28° Jan. 16. 11° 2.39 47 7.28 8. 29 30 17.20 25 Brussels, Jan. 21. 24°; at noon, 20°; and at 10 P.M. 10°. 22. 23. 9°; most bitter, with a high E. wind. There was a fall of snow, 6 in. deep, on the 10th, but none since. Clear and sunny on the 16th, 21st, and 22d; all the other days cloudy, but calm. - W. S. Brussels, Jan. 20. 1829. Edmonton, near London, Jan. 4. - A violent hail-storm; hailstones of an irregular shape, 3 and 4 in. in circumference; 14th, a little snow; 20th, snow; 26th, snow; 27th, heavy shower of rain. During the first three weeks, generally cloudy, and the wind N. and N.E.; the last week cloudy, and a heavy shower of rain on the 27th. Wind S.E. and N.E. SOUTH AMERICA. The Sun's Rays reflected from a dark-coloured Sand. In Captain Basil Hall's Journal, written on the coasts of Chile, Peru, and Mexico, the following passage occurs: -"On the 26th of May, 1821, we sailed from Valparaiso, and proceeded along the coast of Lima. During the greater part of VOL. II. - No. 6. G this voyage the land was in sight, and we had many opportunities of seeing not only the Andes, but other interesting features of the country. The sky was sometimes covered by a low, dark, unbroken cloud, overshadowing the sea, and resting on the top of the high cliffs which guard the coast; so that the Andes, and, indeed, the whole country, except the immediate shore, were then screened from our view. But at some places this lofty range of cliffs was intersected by deep gullies, called quebradas, connected with wide valleys, stretching far into the interior. At these openings we were admitted to a view of regions which, being beyond the limits of the cloud I have described, and therefore exposed to the full blaze of the sun, formed a brilliant contrast to the darkness and gloom in which we were involved. As we sailed past, and looked through these mysterious breaks, it seemed as if the eye penetrated into another world; and, had the darkness around us been more complete, the light beyond would have seemed equally resplendent with that of the full moon, to which every one was disposed to compare this most curious and interesting appearance. As the sun's rays were not, in this case, reflected from a bright snowy surface, but from a dark-coloured sand, we are, perhaps, thus furnished, by analogy, with an answer to the difficulties sometimes started, with respect to the probable dark nature of the soil composing the moon's surface." Yours, truly, — G. M. Lynn Regis, Nov. 17. 1828. ART. II. Natural History in London. LINNEAN Society. The first Meeting for the present session was held on the 4th of November, when a paper was read, entitled, a Description of a new species of the genus Phalangísta from New Holland;" by Thomas Bell, Esq. F.R.S. & L. S. Dec. 2. Read. An Account of a new Species of Pheasant; by Mr. Benjamin Leadbeatter, F.L.S. Two living specimens of this splendid bird, which is originally from the mountains of Cochin-China, were presented by the King of Ava to Sir Archibald Campbell, and by him to the Countess Amherst. Her Ladyship succeeded in bringing them both alive to England; but they unfortunately died soon after their arrival. Nov. 18. Read. On the Nature and Origin of the Lingulate Rays in Zinnia, and on a remarkable Multiplication observed in the Parts of Fructification of that Genus; by Mr. David Don, Lib. L.S. Notices of several Land and Fresh-water Shells, new to Great Britain, with occasional Observations; in a Letter addressed to Lewis Warton Dillwyn, Esq. F. R.S. & L.S.; by S. G. Jeffreys, Esq. Dec. 16. Read. Observations on some Species of the Genera Tétrao (grouse) and Ortyx, Natives of North America; with Descriptions of four new Species of the former, and two of the latter Genus; by Mr. David Douglas, F.L.S. Specimens of these birds were exhibited to the Meeting, and some of the grouse were of great beauty, especially one named Tétrao urophasianus, about the size of the wood-grouse (Tétrao urogallus), which may be considered to represent in the new continent. it Jan. 20. Read. Descriptions of new Genera and Species of the Class Compósitæ, belonging to the Floras of Peru, Mexico, and Chile; by Mr. David Don, Lib. L.S. Feb. 3. Read. Some Observations on the common Bat of Pennant; with an Attempt to prove its Identity with the Pipistrelle of French Authors; by the Rev. Leonard Jenyns, M.A. F.L.S. Feb. 17. Read. A Paper on the Plants called Compósita; by Mr. David Don, Lib. L.S. The Secretary communicated to the Meeting that the Council had completed the purchase of the collections and library of the great Linnæus, with those of the late President, for 3000 guineas. These collections and books will be removed immediately into the house of the Society in Soho Square. We congratulate the Society and the public on the acquisition of these treasures to science. Nearly all the materials which Linnæus employed, are now in the possession of the British public. Geological Society. The first Meeting for the present session was held on the 7th of November.-Read. On the Geology of Nice; by H. T. De la Beche, Esq. Nov. 21. Read. On the Geology of Nice, continued. The diluvium of Nice is peculiar; it, in general, takes the form of breccia, either diffused regularly, or occupying clefts: appearing, however, in both situations to be intimately connected. The secondary rocks of Nice consist of two great formations; the upper one composed of siliceous, argillaceous, and calcareous particles, intimately mixed, but in very variable proportions; some of the beds abounding in green grains, which circumstance, together with the nature of their fossils, induces the author to rank the formation to which they belong with the green sand of England. Nummulites, however, which are rarely found in the green sand of this country, are found plentifully in that of Nice. The strata are very much disturbed and contorted; so that an unguarded observer might often suppose them to be inferior to rocks on which they are in reality incumbent. Dec. 5. and 16. Read. On the Excavation of Valleys, as illustrated by the Volcanic Rocks of Central France; by Charles Lyell, Esq. V.P.G.S. F.R.S. &c. and R. I. Murchison, Esq. For. Sec. G.S. F.R.S. &c. The theory long since announced, which ascribes the excavation of valleys to the long continued erosion of streams, has been supposed to derive remarkable support from the appearances of the volcanic tracts in the interior of France; and the authors referring especially to the works of M. de Monlosier, and the illustrations of that district recently published by Mr. Scrope, conceive that what they had seen themselves in Auvergne and the Vivarrais, strongly confirm the views of these and preceding writers. Jan. 2. 1829. Read. A Letter on the Series of Rocks in the United States; by G. W. Featherstonhaugh, Esq. F.G.S. The writer, after having made himself acquainted, by personal observation, with the rocks of England, states his opinion that the rocks in North America, which would appear from Mr. Eaton's Synopsis, to succeed one another in an order perfectly irreconcilable with that which has been observed in the British Islands, do, in reality, follow the same order. In confirmation of his opinions, the author gives a detailed account of observations made by himself in the course of an excursion from the city of Albany to the Hilderberg Mountains, over a plain which extends about thirty miles from north to south, and sixteen miles from east to west. The surface of this plain, which is 324 feet above the level of the Hudson River, consists of sand incumbent upon a very thick deposit of the marl above noticed, which is found also in various parts of the United States as far south as Louisiana. Near the Hudson River this marl is incumbent on transition rocks, but at the Hilderberg Mountains, on carboniferous limestone, containing the fossils usually found in that formation, and imperfect seams of black chert or flint. This range is remarkable for its fissures and caves; one of which, more than 1500 feet long, situated in the town of Bethlehem, is minutely described by the author. Within this cavern is a pool of water, along which one of the attendants paddled himself in a small skiff, to the distance of 800 feet, in a course parallel to that pursued by the author, and separated by a screen of natural pilasters with occasional openings; this pool forms the head of a rivulet about one third of a mile from the entrance of the cave. The author was unsuccessful in his endeavours to discover bones within the cavern, though it abounds in diluvial matter, which, in some places, presents a section of, at least, seven feet in height. There is another cave in the same neighbourhood, said to be still more extensive, which he proposes to explore. No regular search for bones has yet been made in the caves of the United States. The only fossil bones hitherto found in any cave in that country, are those of the megalonyx; although the bones of the megatherium, elephant, mastodon, ox, and horse have been discovered in other situations: but so little attention has been paid to the circumstances under which they occurred, that it is impossible to decide whether they were lodged in alluvial or diluvial deposits. In the author's opinion no fossil remains of the hyena, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, bear, or tiger, have ever yet been found in the United States. A Letter respecting some remarkable Fossil Remains found near Cromer in Norfolk; by Samuel Woodward, Esq. Mr. Woodward notices the limited extent of the marine formation of eastern Norfolk, and is of opinion that its rejectamenta may point out the boundary of a former sea in that district. The marine remains denominated crag are found at Cromer, and westward of that town, at Coltishall and around Norwich. To the eastward of these situations, instead of marine shells, a layer of ligneous and mammalian remains is found reposing on the chalk. The author considers that a line drawn from Cromer, or a little east of it, and passing in a south-east direction towards Lake Lothing by Lowestoff, will very nearly describe the course of the antediluvian shore; to the eastward of which, immense numbers of the fossil remains of the elephant, horse, deer, &c., mingled with the trunks, branches, and leaves of trees, have been found even to the distance of twenty miles out at sea; and on the Knole-sand the tusk of a mammoth (drawings of which are annexed to the letter) was found in the year 1826, resembling those recently brought to England from Behring s Straits. For more ample details of the Geological Society, see the Philosophical Magazine and Annals of Philosophy, new series. No. 26. Feb. Zoological Society, Jan. 1829. The Museum in Brook Street now contains 600 species of mammalia, 4,000 birds, 1,000 reptiles and fishes, 1,000 testacea and crustacea, and 30,000 insects. The gardens were opened to the public in June, and with the museum have been visited by upwards of 30,000 persons. In the former are 430 living quadrupeds and birds. The members of the Society exceed 1200; and on the whole it may be stated to be in a flourishing condition. A bird's-eye view of the gardens engraved on wood, and giving a very perfect idea of them, will be found in the Arcana of Science for 1829, a work which is one of the cheapest and best of the day. Commemoration of Ray. The second centenary of the birth of the illustrious John Ray, which happened on the 29th of November last, was celebrated by the lovers of every branch of natural history, by a public dinner, attended by about 130 of the most distinguished cultivators and patrons of science in and about London, including the officers of the Royal, Linnean, Geological, Horticultural, and Zoological Societies, the Rev. the Provost of Eton, and several of the Professors of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and London. The chair was taken by Davies Gilbert, Esq. M.P. the much-respected President of the Royal Society. After dinner the President proposed, "The memory of Ray," and accompanied the toast by an eloquent speech, setting forth his merits. "Men who had done good service to their country, whether in the field of science or elsewhere, were entitled to its grateful remembrance; the display of that remembrance was calculated to incite others to an honourable struggle for similar distinction; and he was sure that when these proceedings should become known, they would tend greatly to promote the cultivation of the science of natural history. . After enumerating the principal works which Ray produced, he observed "Ray was the first who reduced natural history to a system, and prepared, the way for those more perfect arrangements which have since had so salutary an influence on its cultivation. It was to his penetrating genius and indefatigable exertions, that the civilised world was indebted for many most important discoveries. If he did not himself always arrive at the goal, he pointed out the road; and it was to his pursuing the course he had commenced, that we owed our present advanced state in many particulars of natural history. Haller felt how much he owed to Ray, and he termed him the greatest botanist in the memory of man. "Of this inestimable author Stillingfleet observes, that no writer, till his time, ever advanced all the branches of natural history so much as that sagacious, diligent, English observer, whose systematical spirit threw a light on every thing he undertook, and contributed not a little to those great and wonderful improvements which have since been introduced.”” Mr. Bicheno, Secretary to the Linnean Society, pronounced a warm eulogy on Ray, "whom Cuvier had justly called un Methodiste, and whose works he had studied, still with fresh advantage, for the last twenty years. Ray was, indeed, a methodist. He was the first who arranged the grand outlines of natural history, and enabled every one to become acquainted with the groups, the grand formations of nature. With the minute particulars of his subject, Ray had not much interfered, but he had originated that system of arrangement which gave perspicuity to the labours of others, and had accurately described the characters of nature's grand operations." Mr. E. Forster, Vice-President and Treasurer of the Linnean Society, said, that born and educated in the same county with Ray, he had been taught, from his infancy, to admire that great man; and his admiration soon became veneration from a study of his writings. Nearly forty years ago he had first visited his tomb, before it had long undergone a repair at the expense of a gentleman present (Sir Thomas Gery Cullum). In his pilgrimages to Ray's tomb, he had felt great delight in seeing also the place of his birth, the church in which he had been baptised; and in entering the house in which this good man had lived and died, it was pleasing to reflect that he was treading the very boards which Ray had trodden, and that he was looking, perhaps, on trees and plants which Ray had admired. Dr. Fitton, the President of the Geological Society, and Mr. Greenough, passed each a high eulogy on the character of Ray, who made many sagacious observations on geology, and entertained some opinions much beyond the state of the subject in his own time. Mr. Vigors, the Secretary of the Zoological Society, spoke of the high sense now entertained of Ray as a philosophical zoologist. On the healths of the Naturalists of Great Britain and Ireland being drunk, coupled with the name of Mr. Kirby, the Rev. Gentleman said that he had never before addressed a public assembly of a festive character; but he felt it right to take that opportunity of testifying his admiration of the great and good Ray. He was great as a natural philosopher, and great also as a moral philosopher. He penetrated the world of science further than any of his contemporaries, and by his exertions formed a bright constellation of information, whose beams had served as a guide and beacon to more modern labourers. In entomology, the branch of science to which he himself was devoted, the naturalist of the present time was, indeed, deeply indebted to Ray, who had combined the system of Aristotle with that of Swammerdam, and cleared the way for Linnæus. Much had been done to unveil nature, but still much remained to be done; and he hoped that a course of perseverance would be pursued until all was accomplished. |