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solar as compared with terrestrial heat. These and avariety of other topics were freely discussed at theirmeetings, and experiments publicly tried.

Such meetings had indeed already taken place in Lon-don : in 1645, Dr. Willis had formed a sort of club, inthe first instance consisting chiefly of the professors ofGresham college , then comprising some of the mostdistinguished men of science of the day. Their num-bers were soon increased; and, in 1648, many ofthe members retired to Oxford, the metropolis beingthen in a state of great disturbance, and joined in themeetings before mentioned. “ Their first purpose,”says bishop Sprat (History of the Roy. Soc.), “ was nomore than only the satisfaction of breathing a fresherair, and of conversing in quiet one with another withoutbeing engaged in the passions and madness of that dis-mal age. And from the institution of that assemblyit had been enough if no other advantage had come butthis, that by this means there was a race of young menprovided against the next age, whose minds, receivingfrom them their first impressions of sober and generousknowledge, were invincibly armed against all the en-chantments of enthusiasm. But, what is more, I mayventure to affirm, that it was in good measure by theinfluence which these gentlemen had over the rest thatthe university itself, or at least any part of its disciplineand order, was saved from ruin. Nor were the goodeffects of this conversation only confined to Oxford, butthey have made themselves known by their printed works,in our own and in the learned languages, which havemuch conduced to the fame of our nation abroad,' andto the spreading profitable light at home.”

Dr. Wallis, who took a leading part in these meetings,has thus described their objects: “ Our business was(precluding matters of theology and state affairs) to dis-course and consider of philosophical enquiries, and such

as related thereto :.with the state of these

studies, as then cultivated abroad and at home. Wethen discoursed of the circulation of the blood, the valves