I. A new formula for a microscope object-glass

A pencil of rays exceeding an angle of 40° from a luminous point cannot be secured with less than three superposed lenses of increasing focus and diameter, by the use of which combination rays beyond this angle are transmitted, with successive refractions in their course, towards the posterior conjugate focus: until quite recently, each of these separate lenses has been partly achromatized by its own concave lens of flint glass, the surfaces in contact with the crown glass being of the same radius, united with Canada balsam; the front lens has been made a triple, the middle a double, and the back again a triple achromatic. This combination therefore consists of eight lenses, and the rays in their passage are subject to errors arising from sixteen surfaces of glass. In the new form there are but ten surfaces, and only one concave lens of denseflint is employed for correctingfour convex lenses ofcrown glass: as this might at first sight be considered inconsistent with theory, a brief retrospect of the early improvements of the microscope object-glass will help to define the conditions. The knowledge of its construction has been entirely in the hands of working opticians; and the information published on the subject being scanty, this has probably prevented the scientific analyst from giving that aid which might have been expected.