[These 11 sheets of loose paper, and 4 sheets of the Report and Statement of Accounts, found in the archives are Stiles notes towards him preparing the minutes for this 1886-87 session prior to him entering them in Minute Book One. I have highlighted in Red where notes appearing in these sheets are not duplicated within the Minute Book]
Title [noted at the top right corner of the page]
The Doncaster Microscopical & General Scientific Society
Session 1886-87
President
Mitchell Wilson, M.D.
Vice Presidents
The Rev. George Smith, M.A.
The Rev. Cannon Brock, M.A.
J.M. Kirk
The Rev. W.R. Weston.
Committee
Cockill
Roberts
J.G. Walker
The Rev. A.H. Faber, M.A.
J.G. Walker
T.J. Hasselby
C.H. Loxley
Hon, Secretary & Treasurer
M.H. Stiles, 2 French Gate
[The above list of officers does not concur with the Minute book for this session]
[A small card is appended to these notes which reads as follows]
This Society was established in 1880 for the purpose of affording opportunities for mutual study to those interested in Natural Science.
It constitutes a medium by which Members can compare notes, exchange ideas and render much valuable assistance to each other.
In addition to the periodic reading of papers and the exhibition of objects and specimens. Public Lectures by Scientific Men of repute are occasionally given in connection with the Society.
Efforts are also being made to form a small Reference Library and a collection of objects; for this purpose, donations of Books, Slides and Specimens will be thankfully received.
Rules [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Rules
(The Rules are repointed from the following Card)
[A small printed card listing the rules of the Society is pasted on to the sheet]
Rules
- That the Doncaster Microscopical & General Scientific Society hold its meetings every other Wednesday, from October to May, at 8 p.m. or at such other times as may be appointed by the committee.
- That the Officers of the Society consist of a President, Four Vice-Presidents, Six Members of the Committee and the Honorary Secretary (who shall also act as Treasurer). The President, One Vice-President and two Members of the Committee to retire annually in rotation and not be eligible for re-election to the same position for one year. The Officers shall have power to fill up occasional vacancies.
- That the Annual Meeting be held in early October for the election of the new Committee, for reading the Annual Report, and for transacting any other special business.
- The Society shall consist of Members subscribing 5s. annually, and of Associates under 16 years subscribing 2s. annually, payable in October. Any person whose subscription is not paid by December 31, after two applications have been made by the Secretary, shall cease to be long to the Society.
- A person whose subscription is in arrears shall be restored to membership upon payment of his subscription for the current year and a fine to be imposed by the Committee.
- The name of any person desiring to become a member shall be submitted through the Honorary Secretary to the Committee. If approved his or her name shall be entered on the Notice of the next meeting, at which meeting the election shall take place. The voting to be by ballot and a majority of three-fourths being necessary to secure election.
- That any member may introduce a Visitor at the ordinary Meetings.
- That no alteration be made in these rules except at a General Meeting of the Members, of which due notice shall be given.
[Note that this set of Rules reflect the changes to the Rules agreed at the General Meeting held Dec 16, 1885]
1. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Proceedings
General Meeting – Dec 16, 1885
Dr. J. Mitchell Wilson (Vice President) in the Chair.
The Annual Report having been read & the Statement of Accounts presented it was resolved that the said report with the balance sheet be adopted and printed. [This report and Statement of Accounts is attached at the end of these papers]
[from here, the handwriting changes from Stiles handwriting to another, unidentified, handwriting]
On the motion of Dr. J.M. Wilson, seconded by Mr. Styles, the following alterations in the rules were agreed to; The Rules altered now read as follows; –
Rule 2.
That the Officers of the Society consist of a President, Four Vice-Presidents, Six Members of the Committee and the Honorary Secretary (who shall also act as Treasurer). The President, One Vice-President and two Members of the Committee to retire annually in rotation and not be eligible for re-election to the same position for one year. The Officers shall have power to fill up occasional vacancies.
Proc 2. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Rule 6
The name of any person desiring to become a member shall be submitted through the Honorary Secretary to the Committee. If approved his or her name shall be entered on the Notice of the next meeting, at which meeting the election shall take place. The voting to be by ballot and a majority of three-fourths being necessary to secure election.
The following Gentlemen were then elected officers for the coming session: –
President: – The Rev. W.R. Weston
Vice Presidents: – Dr. J. Mitchell Wilson, Rev. Geo. Smith, Rev. Cannon Brock, Mr. J.M. Kirk
Committee: – H. Cockill, J.H. Easterfield, Rev. A.H. Faber, W. Roberts, W.H. Stott, J.G. Walker
Hon. Sec. & Treasurer: – M.H. Styles
Proc 3. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Votes of thanks to the rev. Geo. Smith for his continued kindness in allowing the Society the use of the Grammar School, and to Mr. M.H. Stiles for the services as Hon. Secretary & Treasurer were then carried unanimously, after which the meeting closed.
[The handwriting reverts back to Styles at this point]
First Meeting – Jan 13, 1886
The Rev. W. R. Weston (President) in the Chair.
Members elected – Mr. Geo. Charles
A paper on “Heat, what it is & what it does” was read by Mr. T.H. Easterfield, Scholar of Clare College, Cambridge.
(Mr. Easterfield’s Paper)
Owing to the time taken up by the Lecture and Experiments a short discussion only followed.
Proc 4. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Second Meeting – Jan 27, 1886.
Mr. J.M. Kirk (Vice-President) in the Chair
Members elected – The Rev. A.C.E. Blowfield.
A Paper on “Roche Abbey & the Cistercian Order” was read (by request) by Dr. F.R. Fairbank.
The Cistercian Order originated in 1098, was introduced into England in 1128 by the foundation of the Abbey of Waverley in Surrey and it quickly extended over the whole land. The first house of the Order in Yorkshire was Fountains Abbey: this beautiful structure was founded in 1132 by a colony from the Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary of York. The Abbey of Newminster sprang from Fountains & from Newminster originated three other monasteries, of which Roche, built about the middle of the 12th Century, was one. The monasteries of this order were most of them built at the time when architectural style was passing from the Norman or Romanesque to the pointed or Gothic. They are therefore
Proc 5. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
of extreme interest in demonstrating the various steps by which this change was brought about, and in no other buildings is this so well shown. The situation of Roche Abbey, extending quite across the narrow valley in which it stood, is extremely beautiful and visitors are attracted to it in great numbers.
(Dr. Fairbank’s Paper)
The latter part of the Lecture was illustrated by means of a beautiful series of slides prepared from original photographs & shown by an Oxy-Hydrogen Lantern. At the conclusion several specimens of stained glass, carved stone and other remains from the ruins were exhibited and much admired. A hearty vote of thanks to Dr. Fairbank for his most interesting & exhaustive Lecture was carried unanimously.
Proc 6. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Third Meeting – Feb 10, 1886
The Rev. W.R. Weston (President) in the Chair.
Members Elected – Mr. R. Robinson, Mr. W.E. Atkinson.
A Paper on “Perfume, pleasant & Otherwise” was read by Mr. T. J. Hasselby.
(Mr. Hasselby’s Paper)
A good discussion followed in which Messrs. Kirk, Roberts & Stiles, Dr. J.M. Wilson & the Lecturer took part. A vote of thanks to Mr. Hasselby concluded the meeting.
P 7. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Fourth Meeting – Feb 24, 1886
Dr. J. Mitchell Wilson (Vice-President) in the Chair
A Paper on “Insect Life” was read by Mr. W.H. Stott.
(Mr. Stott’s Paper )
P 8. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Fifth Meeting – March 10, 1886.
[here a paper cutting was pasted on to the page]
Doncaster Microscopical and General Scientific Society.
A meeting of the Society was held in the Guild Hall on Wednesday, March 10th.
Mr. J.M. Kirk, Vice=-president, in the chair.
A paper was read by Mr. J.G. Walker, C.E. entitled “Our Iron Roads and how they were made.”
After remarking that an ideal line of railway would perhaps be one that was straight and one that was level, the lecturer went on to explain that, owing to the undulating character of this and most other countries, economic considerations rendered it rarely possible to carry out this ideal and that to avoid heavy earthworks it was found necessary to conform, more or less, to the general undulations of the country, and to skirt the sides of hills with the line, and these two considerations introduced into railway construction, what are known as gradients and curves.
The lecturer next proceeded to explain the principles which guide the engineer to a final determination as to a choice of route, and stated that as a rule that section was the best which showed the least divergence from a straight and level line. It was important also to select, when possible, such points for the crossing of public roads and rivers as would cause the least disturbance to existing conditions.
The method of ranging the centre line and setting out curves was then explained, and how the longitudinal section was prepared and the gradients laid down upon it so as to give, as near as possible, a balance of earthwork between cutting and embankment. The cross sections were next touched upon, and it was shown how from them was calculated the quantity of earthworks and how the side widths were obtained, which, marked upon the plan, showed the acreage of land which it was requisite to purchase for the making of the line.
The practical operations of railway construction were next considered. After referring to the forming of cuttings and embankments, and the methods adopted to prevent slips, the lecturer proceeded to the consideration of bridges which he divided under two heads, viz, arch and girder. Briefly referring to these classes and the principles of their construction, the lecturer passed on to the subject of tunnels, and explained with some degree of minuteness how this important and rather difficult class of work was carried out. A short reference to the method of laying the permanent way, comprising ballast, rails, sleepers, etc., brought the paper to a close.
The lecture was illustrated throughout by diagrams of the different works referred to, as well as by numerous sketches on the black board. A short discussion followed the reading of the paper, after which a vote of thanks to the lecturer terminated the proceedings.
P 9. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Sixth Meeting – March 24. 1886
Dr. J Mitchell Wilson (Vice-President) in the chair.
A Paper on Photo Micrography by Messrs. J.M. Kirk & M.H. Stiles was read
[A paper cutting was pasted onto the page of the minute book following the above text]
Photo-Micrography – At the last meeting of the Microscopical and General Scientific Society held in the new Court Room, Guild Hall, a paper on the above subject by Mr. Kirk and Mr. Stiles was read. The chair was taken by Dr. Mitchell Wilson, and there was an unusually large attendance.
Photo-micrography is that special branch of photography which has for its aim the production of pictures of magnified microscopic objects. Its application dates back many years, even in the days of the old Daguerreotype process. Improvements in photography, especially the introduction of gelatine dry plates, have so much shortened and simplified the methods pursued, that to any microscopist possessing a slight knowledge of photography, the work becomes comparatively easy after a little practice. The apparatus required is simple, consisting of a microscope with a good fine adjustment, a camera, and a base-board on which to arrange these and the source of light. For work with lower and medium powers, a good paraffin lamp is found most convenient, It may be either a duplex or a single-wick lamp. An ordinary passage lamp with a plated reflector answers capitally. Numerous experiments with electric light have not proved its sufficient superiority for this work to compensate for the additional trouble and expense involved. The centre of the lamp flame and the axis of the condenser, object glass, and eye-piece must be in the same line, and should be at right angles with the focussing [sic] glass of the camera. Some operators dispense with the eye-piece, and use an extending camera, but this was not recommended by the authors. It is well known that objectives, especially those of large angle, give a sharp image of but a small portion of an object possessing any appreciable thickness. By careful focussing, images of successive portions or planes may be obtained, and the combination of these in the mind gives it an idea of the structure of the whole, but this, of course, cannot be done in a photograph; only those parts actually in focus are depicted.
[it now reverts back to Mr. Stiles handwriting]
It therefore follows that objects possessing much thickness of structure do not yield good results, The same may be said of deeply coloured Insect Preparations the dark brown tint of which is particularly non-actinic. Suitable objects yield with care pictures which for truthfulness & delicacy of detail cannot be approached by any other method of delineation.
P 10. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
[and then continues with the second part of the paper cutting]
The powers employed in the production of the pictures to illustrate the paper were 4in., 2in., 1in., 1-5th in., and 1-10th in., with exposures varying from 20 seconds to 5 minutes for transparent objects, and 10 minutes for opaque objects. Microscopic objects not being specially constructed for photographic work, do not, as a rule, give the best results at their ordinary visual focus; in other words, their chemical and visual foci are not usually co-incident. This applies more particularly to the lower powers, and these require a varying amount of correction. This is made by slightly withdrawing the objective from the object. After the requisite exposure the plate is treated exactly as if it were a portrait or landscape. A very convenient for working is the quarter plate (3 1/4 by 4 1/4), as the circle obtained on this is exactly suited for the production of transparencies for the lantern. From the negative thus obtained, a positive has to be taken, and this when mounted is a lantern transparency. Of all methods yet made use of for the illustrations of lectures on the microscope, that by means of lantern slides is the most beautiful and effective. The lantern microscope, which magnifies the object itself, is limited in its application and unsatisfactory in its results. Even with the best appliances it is difficult to obtain a well-illuminated disc above 3 feet in diameter – a size not at all suited for a large audience, and scarcely for a small one. On the other hand, with photo-micrographs prepared as lantern slides, illustrations magnified to any extent can be shown, the only limit being the size of the screen and the intensity of the light. A large number of pictures were exhibited on the screen bt means of the oxy-hydrogen light, each picture being carefully described. Among the most successful may be mentioned:- The section of the eye of a cockchafer, the cones and tubes being beautifully clear; the tongue of the drone fly; the spiracle or external opening in the breathing apparatus of a fly; the tongue of a cricket and of the honey bee; also a few specimens of diatoms, especially heliopelta, arachnoidiscus (taken with the tenth objective and showing great depth of detail, and the beautiful aulacodiscus. Two specimens of triceratium, including the variety septangulayum were very distinct. The “bathybius” of Huxley, including cocoliths and coccospheres was well shown, as also were the opaque pictures of Foraminifera and Polycystina.”
[it now reverts back to Mr. Stiles handwriting again]
The Illustration accompanying this pamphlet is a print from a negative taken by the authors with a 1/10 inch objective & No I eye piece in a short camera, giving an amplification of 30 diameters.
P 11. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
At the opening of the meeting Mr. Kirk announced that in the capacity of delegate he had attended the Annual Meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union at Beverley presided over by the Rev. Dr. Dallinger, F.R.S. On this occasion a microscopical Section, more especially devoted to the study of the lower forms of animal & vegetable life, was formed and Mr. Kirk was chosen Secretary of the department relating to Animal Life, a branch to which he has devoted much attention.
Seventh Meeting – April 7, 1886
Mr. J.M. Kirk (Vice-President) in the Chair.
Mr. Walter Roberts read a paper on “The Transformation of Insects”
(Mr. Roberts Paper)
At the conclusion of the paper a vote of thanks to the author was proposed by Mr. Kirk & seconded by Mr. W.E, Shirley.
Report 1. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Your Committee has much pleasure in presenting the Seventh Annual Report of the Doncaster Microscopical & general Scientific Society. During the past year the numerical strength of the Society has slightly improved, four members have been elected, five who were in areas have paid their subscriptions and eight have retired, leaving the number of members 52, the number at the corresponding period of last year being 51. This may be regarded as a subject for congratulations being the first occasion for several years on which the Society has not had to record a falling off. During the past Session 7 meetings have been held, not including the General Meeting. The Papers Lectures given were as follows; –
“Heat, what it is & what it does.” by Mr. T.H. Easterfield.
“Roche Abbey & the Cistercian Order” by F.R. Fairbank M.D.
“Perfumes; pleasant & otherwise” by Mr. T. J. Hasselby
“Insect Life” by Mr. W.H. Stott
“Photo Micrographs” by J.M. Kirk & M. H. Stiles
“The Transformation of Insects” by Mr. W. Roberts
Report 2. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
The average attendance at these meetings was slightly larger than in the previous year, being 25 as compared with 23. In this respect there is still room for considerable improvement, and as the Society has now secured a very central and convenient place for its meetings it is earnestly hoped that the efforts of those who spend much time and pains in getting up papers may be more fully recognized. At the beginning of the last session the accounts showed a deficiency of about 25/-.
Report 3. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
Owing to the absence of the heavy expenses incurred during previous years this has now been converted into a balance of over £7-0-0 producing the most satisfactory statement that the Society has had for a long time.
It is proposed to carry out this year a recommendation made at the last Annual Meeting by publishing in Pamphlet Form abstracts of all the papers read before the society during the past Session; it is hoped that by this means some impetus will be given to the work of the Society, and that the Members generally will be induced to take more interest in it.
The Statement of Accounts is appended.
Report 4. [noted at the top right corner of the page]
| Receipts | £. s. d. | Expenses | £. s. d. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 Members subscriptions | 13 0 0 | Balance due to Treasurer | 1 4 51/2 |
| 5 Members arrears | 1 5 0 | Printing | 3 4 0 |
| Interest from Bank | 1 9 | Correspondence etc. | 12 3 |
| Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union Levy | 5 6 | ||
| Binding Books | 11 0 | ||
| Hire of Lantern etc. | 10 6 | ||
| Hire of rooms for meetings | 12 6 | ||
| Balance | 7 6 61/2 | ||
| 14 6 9 | 14 6 9 | ||