PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 191, 7 May 1908, Page 9

PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

—4— TRIBUTE TO SIR JAMES HECTOR. MENDEL'S LAW OF INHERITANCE. Nearly forty persons attended a mooting of tho Wellington Philosophical Socioty hist evening. • Professor Kirk ■ occupied tho chair. . ■ ,' - Tho Chairman stated that since the last meeting Sir Jnmos Hector; htul passed away. This was tho first opportunity which tho Society had had of expressing, collectively, their sympathy with Lady Hcctor, and their sense of loss at tho death of Sir James Hector, both as a personal friend and scientific leador. Mr. Martin Chapman, K.C., moved: — "That this Society,puts on record its high appreciation of the valuable scientific work of tho lato Sir James Hector, and its regret at his decease. That a copy of this resolution bo sent to Lady Hector." The mover, said that Sir James Hcctor was notablo not merely as a very eminent scientific man, but, as tho friend—lie might .almost Bay. tho inti-.' mate friend —of nearly - everybody who had oven the smallest connection with soienco in New Zealand, and his loss was felt accordingly. He was virtually the father of scienco. in this country. _ Professor Eastorfield, in seconding tho mo•tion, said that Sir James Hcctor belonged to a type now seldom found in the scientific world, in that he took.an interest in almost 1 overy branch of natural observation. He was editor of tho Transactions of the New Zealand'lnstitute for nearly forty years, and lie had been an enthusiastic member of tho Philosophical Institute. . In addition to tho subjects in which he .was specially pre-omin-ont,, lie conducted' interesting chemical expei'inionts,. and was a botanist of no small omin'ence. Ho felt absolutely certain that tho .position of New Zealand at present was very largely duo to tho work dono by him many years ago. At tho annual meeting of tho New Zealand Instituto a resolution was passed in favour of co-operating with' the Hcctor Memorial Committee, which .was endoavouring to establish , a momorial of tho lato Sir James Hector. It had been proposed that a medal should bo periodically given for tho highest, class of scientific w.ork carriod oil in tho Dominion,, and so,niethihg. -near £200 had,been-collected.,'■„ Tho Institute' wished to cb-operato .>vith. this and ho would bo very glad to ■ receive subscriptions to that end. The motion was carried, the members standing.. y Dr. Newman movod: "That, this Society 'co-operato with the New Zealand Institute, and that Messrs. A. Hamilton and 6. V. Hudson bo ' appointed to act on the committee with tho Instituto." Ho thought that tho public hardly realised how great tho name of Sir James Hector was in tho scientific world. He thought that ho was;one of the very' greatest scientific/ men of recent times, but his principal work was done in his early '.years. For 25 or 30 years ho was tho life and soul of tho Philosophical Society. Mr. -Martin. Chapman, K.C., seconded tho I motion, which was adopted unanimously. Mr., Chapman stated .that -liis personal acquaintance with the lato Sir James Hector dated from 1565. '• . . MENDEL'S THEORY. 'Mr. G. V. Hudson, F.E.S.,,.read a paper, on Mendelism and tho Mondolian theory of inheritance.' Ho stated at tho outset that an article had appeared - in The 1 Dominion last Saturdays-which, contained, a . large num--ber of . tho fact? in,- his; pßper."-. .:Tho' papet'hid been . writtentwo . ...befbro-, the articls appeared, - and was.: handed to tlto: secretary of. tho. Socioty ton days beforo. ;, It was further evidenco of the interest .shown hi Mendolism that a paper on the samo subject was to be road before tho Canterbury Philosophical Institute -.that evening. An interesting discussion was opened up by tho paper. . ■■■' Dr. L. Cockayno, F.L.5.,, said that he had watched the .development; of Mendelism for ,Bomo years... He did- not,; think, that,Men--delisni, looked' atj, merely,-as'ariquestion of breeding, had anything whatever to do with ovolution. It .was 'only indirectly that it had a bearing on ovolution. .. Tho theory did riot deal with. speciesj" : but' oulyVwith more closely related forms. , There .-was nothing whatever known as yet as to the hybridising of real species. Dr. Cockayno referred to tho important work of tho great Belgian scientist; do Vriesvwith whom ho'had corresponded on this subject. , He .stated that Mendel's theory ; was being applied practically in somo States of America, and types, of wheat were being formed on Mendelian principles. _ • ' Dr. 'Newman, expressed a vigorous opinion that all the learned names used by scientists for these matters covered no more;kiiowledgo than- had been familiar.'-to horse-breeders and-eheep-breeders all along. ■' The subject could l bo easily studied in .■•.connection';, with' ractf; iiorsos, .of'which.the pedigreoS ;were 'known" for many years.' With sheep, aiid ji'orses the results of tests were much more plainly evident than with the - peas used by Mendol,; which were not largo enough for reliable observations. .' Mr. A. Hamilton, Director of the Dominion Museum,- stated that in the British Court at' tho recent New Zealand- International Exhibition there was an interesting example of Mondelism in regard to grain, sent out by tho Cambridge- Laboratory. ■ Ho'had niado soveral efforts to induce Captain Atkin, the British representative, to give hini the exhibit, but the Captain was under strict instructions to tako everything hack. Captain Atkin, however, had sinco taken some trouble to persuade Cambridgo University to make up for tho Dominion Museum a special set of grain' affording • a 'similar illustration of the law. The, previous diiy lie had received a letter from, the Captain, statiug that tho set was well in progress, arid ho hoped to receive it soon at tho Museum. OTHER MATTERS. Mr. E. Moyrick, , 8.A.,;F.R-.5., contributed sotno "Notes a;nd descriptions of .New Zealand Lepidoptera," which were kid on tho table. „ ''' V ' " -Professor Eastorfield . read a. , paper on "Somo now forms of boiling point apparatus.'.'