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original etberifoi'in mass uf our solar system condeused to cosmical clouds; the solid par- ticles aggregated, forming large rotating bodies like the earth, which continue to enlarge by the addition of coamical material from without. It is claimed that many meteorites are stmply aggregations of meteroic dust; and numerous esamplcB of the precipitation of such matter are described. The suggestion that erupthe rocks may be derived from ncciimulations of this kind is of special interest, since by some authors meteoric and crnptive rocks are classed t<^ether.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Is st>eaklng of the bene&l to be expected from the large telescope now building, Profi?ssor Asaph Hall recently said that we musl not commit tlm common error of expecting too much from the use of ■ueb inatniments. Measured by the relative amouni of light gathered, the gain geems great; but, when we pau from a fifleen-incb objective to one of thirty inches in diameter, our gala in Ibe vislbilit; of siara la only one and a half magnitude.i. It U tnie that the number of stars brought to view by the larger glass in the shell of our p^at celestial sphere \a very great; but they are of the faintest kind, and the itudy of these stars is very laborious. And, moreover, all the obvious and Btriklog discoveries of astronomy have been made long since.

— The flfiy-fifth annual meeting of the British association, says Nature, will commence on Wedne»- day, Sept. fl, 1885, at Aberdeen. The president-elect Is Sir Lyon Playfalr. The vice-presidents are the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, the Earl of Aber- deen, the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, James Hatlhewa, Professor Sir William Thomson, Alexan- der Bain, the Very Rev. Principal Plrle, Prof, W. H, Flower; general treasurer, Prot A. W. William- son; general secretaries, CapU Douglas Gslton, A. G. Vernon Harcourt; secretary. Prof. T. G. Bon- ney; local secretaries, J. W. Crotnbie, Angus Fra- »er, Prof. G, Pirie; local treasurers. John Findlater, Robert Lunisden. Tbe sectional officers are as fol- lows: — A. Mathematical and physical adenee: presi- dent. Prof. G. Cbryatal; vice-presidents. Prof. C. Nlven, Prof. A. Schuster; secretaries, H. E. Baynes, R. T. Glaiebrook, Prof. W. M. Hlclra (recorder). Prof. W. Ingram. H. CAemJcnJ scienee.' president. Prof. H- K. Armstrong; vice-presidents. Prof. A, Crum Brown, Prof. H. McLeod; secretaries. Prof. P. Phillips Uedson (recorder), H. B. Dixon, H. Fors- ter Horley, W. J. Simpson. C. Geology: president, Prof. J. W. Judd; vice-presidents, John Evans, Prof. W. C. Williamson; secretaries, C, E. Ue Bauee, J. Home, J. J. H, Teall, W, Topley (recorder). D. Biology: president, Prof. W. C, Mcintosh; vice- presidents. Prof. I. Bayley Balfour, Prof. J. S. Bur- don Sanderson; secretaries, W. Heape, J. Duncan Matthews, Howard Saunders (recorder), H. Marshall

Ward. E. Geography: president, Lieut.-Gen. J. T. Waltier; vice-presidents, Professor James Donatdaon, John Rae; secretaries, J. 8. Keltie, J. S. O'Hallorsn, E, G. Ravenstein (recorder). Rev. G. A. Smith. F. Economic science and atathiliei: prealdent. Professor Henry Sidgwick; vice-presidents. Prof. R. Adamaon, Sir Ransoti W. Rawson; secretaries, Bev. W. Cun- ningham, Prof, H. S. Foxwell (recorder), C. Mc- Combie, M.A., J. F. Moss. G. Meehanieal actenee: president, Benjamin Baker; vice-presl dents, Ptnf. W. C. Unwln, Prof. H. C. Pleeming Jenkln; sec- retaries, A. T. Atchison (recorder), F. G. Ogilvie, E, Rigg, H. T. Wood. H. Anlhropoloay: president, Francis Gallon; vice-presidents, W. Pengelly, Prof. W- Turner; secretaries, G. W. Bloxam (recorder), J. G. Qarson, Wall«r Hurst, A. MacOregor. The first general meeting will l>e held an Wednesday, SepL 0, when Lord Rayleigh will resign the chair, and Sir Lyon Playfair, president- elect, will assume the presidency, and deliver an address. On Thurs- day evening, Sept. lU, there will be a soiree; on Friday evening. Sept, 11, a discourse by Prof. W. Grylls Adamx; on Monday evening. Sept, 14. a dis- course on ' The great ocean-basins,' by John Murray, director of the Challenger expedition comoilsslou; on Tuesday evening, Sept. IB, a aoirie. On Wednes- day, Sept. 16, the concluding general meetiug will be held. The lecture to workingmen will be on the ' Nature of explosions,' by Mr. H. B. Diiou.

— There has just appeared an index to the first thirty volumes of Pflilger'a Archiv fUr itie 'jaammtt phyxlotogle, the most Important physiological periodi- cal of the world. The contributors Include a larg« majority of the well-known professional physiologists of nil CDUiitHes. and number, altogether. In the neigh- borhood of six hundred. Most of the names »n German, but a remarkable proportion are Husslan. Among those whose articles are most nnmerons, we find W. Engelmann, Beldenhain, Hermann, Luchsinger, Ffluger, Valentin, and Worm-Miiller. Although the Archie has been edited with little super- vision as to the real merit of the papers, aud contains therefore an undue proportion of interior essays, li stiU remains the most important single repository of modern physiological research; and the index will be of constant value in rendering the stores it onijsjns raore accessible. We commit, we hope, no breaobef.^ confidence in stating that the index Is due tt applied skill and patience of an able American fbyi ologist, who was long associated with Profea Pfluger at Bonn.

— A botanical congress will be held during the A werp eKhlbition. dealing principally with th« ]~ kingdom of the Kongo district- With this viev^ Belgian aacant has drawn up a list of questions, ai sent them to be answered at the various cultin stations of the Internatlrmal society.

— The University of Nebraska is to have i chemical laboratory, which will furnish aecominal tions for eighty students in the general labors and for thirty-two in the laboratory for qnaUta analysis, besides lecture-rooms and minor ' for quantitative work, gas analysis, oud assaying 1