Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/495

 June 5, 1S35.]

��SCIENCE.

��ing the Laurealiau alrata. Mr. Tbotnas Mac- farlane brought two commimioations before the

■ society, but read thtm in abstract onlj'. That on the mil eh- disputed region in the soutb-

■ eastern part of Quebec pointed out certain

■ critical localities in regard to which addilional investigation was desirable. Papers by Fi-of, Loring W. Djuley and Mr. William Saunders

■ ■ on the economic minerals of New Brunswick,

and butterflies of Canada, respectively, being

I "Catalogues, were merely explained in general

, tenns. Dr. G. M. Dawson described the

I jCambrian rocks met with by him in the

'Kocky llountains noith of the international

line, and compared these with those of Nevada

«nd the Colorado Caiion. Prafessor Ramsey

'Wright's note on the genus Hypophthalmua,

was, in the absence of the author, read by

title only.

In the physical and chemical section Dr. T. Sterry Hunt gave an cx|)oaition of his proposed new classification of silicates, dividing these minerals into three great groups. A second paper by the same author was on the geognosy of crystalUne rocks. These ai'e first considered, in relation to condition, as stratified or unstrati- fied. and an endeavor made to define the limits of stratiform structure due to bedding and the flow of molten matter. A fhrther de\'elopment is then given of the crenitic theory. The author claims that the whole subject belongs easentially to chemistry and mineralogy, and that the B|>ecuIalions or geologists have rather obscured than elucidated the problems pre- sented bj" the crystalline series. In continu- ation of a previous investigation, a paper was read by Prof. E. Haanel, describing certain blowpipe reactions on pi astcr-of- Paris tablets. These included a mode of detection of osmium with hydriodic acid, and of chromium, anti- mony, and molybdenum with tereliloridc of tin. Dr. H. A. Bayne oiithned the results of a series of critical experiments on the best modes of determining analytically the amount of silk present in mixed fabrics. He recom- mended the emplo3~ment of basic zinc chloride as a solvent for silk in the presence of wool, and of Lowe's alkaline glj'cerine solution of o.xide of copper when silk is combined with cotton and linen fibres. Dr. A. Johnson read an elaborate paper on the best and most «conomical methods of establishing tidal ob- servatories and investigating tidal eurrenU, ■dealing particularly with the Gulf of St. Law- rence and eastern coast of Canada. Mr. C. Carpmael brought before the section a pa|wr on the determination, in terms of a definite integral, of the value of the expression

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��the series to be continneu only as long as the quantitj- raised to power m -|- n is positi\'e, n being a positive integer, and m a positive integer, zero, or a negative integer uumei'- icallj' less than m ; and on the dediictioti therefrom of approxim.ite values in certain cases. After jxitnling out that Cauchy's in- vestigation fails when m is zero or a jxisitive integer, althongh Cauchy had assumeti with- out comment that it would hold, the author proceeds to investigate the values of certain "extraordinary integrals." The values ob- tained differ in most cases from those of Uauchy ; but the final approximate values agree with them, if we correct certain numeri- cal errors in his results.

In this section the following papers were also read : "On the introduction and rational interpretation of negative and imaginary quan- tities in the calculus," by Dr. D. Duval ; "Note on the quantitative blowpipe assay of cinna- bar," by Professor Haanel ; " On the theory of M. Steckel," by Mr. C. Baillarg6 ; " On some iron ores of Ontario," by Professor Chaproaa; "A commentary on section is. of Newton's 'Principia,' " by Professor Chcrriman; "The density of weak aqueous solutions of salts," by Professor McGregor ; " On longitude deter- minations at Montreal," by Prof. W. A. Kogers and H. McLeod ; ■' On Clausius' theory of the virial," by Professor Loudon-

Two important ethnological papers were read by Dr. D. Wilson in the section of English literature. The first, "On the manifestation of the aesthetic faculty in primitive races," discussed the evidence of this faculty, and the practice of imitotive art among nncivilized peo- ples. The neolithic period in Europe showed an almost entire absence of such art ; but, in the vastly more remote age of the cave-men of France, remarkable indications of it occur. The author compared these with evidences of the art of American aborigines, and stated his reasons for tracing all alike to efforts at sign- language, and idc<^aphic expressions of facts and thought. Dr. Wilson's second communi- cation pointed out, that, in the drawings of the cave-men of France, right-band profiles are to those of the lefl-hand as about two to one. The proportion of left-hand drawings is greatly

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