THE Quarterly Journal of Science for April commences with a very interesting account, by Dr. Hofmann, of the early days of the Royal College of Chemistry, under the title of “A Page of Scientific History.” After tracing the influence of Liebig's school at Giessen on the progress of chemical science in this country, and the choice of himself, at the recommendation of Liebig, as the professor at the laboratory which it was determined to establish in London, Dr. Hofmann proceeds to a narrative of the difficulties experienced by the new school in the deficiency of the money received from the fees of students to meet the necessary expenses as well as the debt incurred by the outlay for building. At this stage the college narrowly escaped the entire abandonment of its primary object, the advancement of science by means of practical instruction and original researches, to sink into a mere commercial undertaking for conducting analyses. To the influence of Sir James Clark, one of the earliest friends of the College, was mainly due the ultimate success of the efforts of the Council to induce the Government to adopt the College as the chemical department of the Museum of Practical Geology; since which period its career of usefulness has been unchecked,—Dr. A. E. Sansom follows with an article on “The Theory of Atmospheric Germs,” in which he records the investigations on this subject which have been conducted to the present time, especially those of Hallier and Bastian; and sums up adversely to the theory of abiogenesis.—Mr. Mungo Ponton, in his short paper on Molecules, Ultimates, Atoms, and Waves, suggests the use of the term “molecule” to denote the particles of chemical compounds; “ultimate,” those of chemical elements; and “atom,” the assumed constituents of those ultimates, themselves incapable of further analysis.—Prof. Piazzi Smyth occupies no less than thirty-eight pages with the conclusion of his article on “The Great Pyramid of Egypt from a modern scientific Point of View.”—Sir William Fairbairn has some very practical remarks on Steam Boiler Legislation, in which he details the failure of voluntary associations for the purpose of diminishing the loss of life and property occasioned by the use of defective boilers, and advocates the enforced legal testing of boilers by competent authorities, maintaining that it is clearly the duty of the Government to interfere on behalf of those whose lives are jeopardised, and to enact that no boiler shall be worked unless periodically examined and certified.—The last article is an account of the Eclipse of last December, by Mr. R. A. Proctor. Notices of books and a record of the progress of science in the departments of light, heat, electricity, meteorology, mineralogy, mining, metallurgy, engineering, geology and palæontology, and botany, fill up a very good number.