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PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

ROYAL SOCIETY.

THE Society met on November 6, 1817; but, in consequence of the death of the Princess Charlotte of Wales, the meeting was adjourned.

November 20.-Sir Everard Home read the Croonian Lecture, the subject of which was the changes which the blood undergoes in the act of coagulation. A considerable part of the paper consisted of an account of a number of minute microscopical observations that had been made by Mr. Bauer, on the red particles of the blood.

November 27-A paper by Mr Seppings was read, on the increased strength given to ships of war by the application of diagonal braces. It contained an account of some very ample trials that had been made of this method of constructing the framework of vessels, the result of which was such as completely to justify the expectations that had been raised, and to confirm the favourable reports that had been made on the subject.

On Monday, December 1, the Society held its annual meeting, for the election of the officers for the ensuing year. There were elected,

President. Right Hon. Sir Jos. Banks, Bart. G. C. B. &c.

Secretaries.-William Thomas Brande, Esq. and Taylor Combe, Esq.

Treasurer. Samuel Lysons, Esq.

Since the last anniversary 21 members have died, one has withdrawn, and 25 new members have been admitted. The present number of members is 652, of which 40 are foreign members.

The Copley medal was adjudged to Captain Henry Kater, for his experiments on the length of the pendulum vibrating seconds.

On December 11, a paper by Captain James Burney was read, on the geography of the north-eastern part of Asia, and particularly respecting the question whether the continents of Asia and America are united. From the account of different travellers and navigators, especially among the Russians, it would appear that there is still a considerable part of what is usually laid down in the maps as forming the coast of the northern océan, which has never yet been accurately traced. The maritime boundary of the country of the Tchuktchi has never been explored; and, so far as can be learned from the inhabitants themselves, they are ignorant of the extent of their own territory in the northern direction. Captain Bhering and Captain Cook, who successively made very important discoveries in

the narrow part of the sea, composing wha is now called Bhering's Straits, were never able to penetrate farther N. than about the 70° of latitude. Beyond this, on the American continent, we are completely without any information; and on the Asiatic side, we seem to have little certain knowledge, until we arrive at the River Kovyma, for about 20° of longitude. We have some imperfect accounts of a large tract of land lying beyond what is now marked on the maps as the N. E. part of Asia, to which the name of New Siberia has been given. This may either be an island detached from either continent, or it may be a part of America, stretching over to the westward; but respecting this country, if it actually exist, our information is very scanty.

On December 18, a paper by James Smithson, Esq. was read, containing some remarks on vegetable colours. Among the substances which he examined were litmus, the colouring matter of the violet, of the blue hyacinth, of the blue paper which is employed for wrapping up loaf sugar, of the mulberry, and the pigment called sapgreen. Some of these are employed by chemists as delicate tests of acids and alkalies; and various experiments were related respecting their action on these bodies, and the manner in which they were respectively effected by them.

On the same evening a paper by Dr John Davy was read, giving an account of the mountain called Adam's Peak, in the Island of Ceylon. This has been long celebrated as the resort of pilgrims from all parts of the country, in consequence of a superstitious tradition that the Indian god Boodha ascended into heaven from its summit, and left upon it the impression of his foot. The mountain is supposed by the author to be between 6000 and 7000 feet high. It has a level area at its top, of nearly a circular form. The summit is surrounded by a grove of trees of the genus Rhododendron, but of a species which is said to grow in no other situation. The plants are accounted sacred, so that it was impossible to procure a specimen for examination.

January 8, 1818.-A paper of Dr Brewster's was commenced, "On the Laws of Polarization in regularly Crystallized Bodies;" and on the 15th, the reading of Dr Brewster's paper was concluded.

January 22.-A paper was read by Sir Everard Home, Bart., containing additional facts respecting the fossil remains of an animal, some account of which appeared in the Philosophical Transactions for

1814, showing that the bones of the sternum resemble those of the ornithorhynchus paradoxus.

The reading of a paper, by Captain Henry Kater, was begun, containing an account of his experiments for determining the length of the pendulum vibrating seconds in the latitude of London.

WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY
SOCIETY.

The first meeting of the Wernerian Natural History Society for this session took place in the College Museum on November 15, 1817. It was moved by Professor Jameson, and unanimously agreed to, that, in consequence of the melancholy event of the death of the Princess Charlotte of Wales, the Society should immediately adjourn, without proceeding to business.

The Wernerian Natural History Society met again on the 6th of December, when the following office-bearers were chosen :

President. Robert Jameson, Esq. F.R.S. Vice-Presidents.-Colonel Imrie, F.R.S. John Campbell, Esq. F.R.S.; Lord Gray, F.R.S.; Sir Patrick Walker, F.L.S. Secretary.-P. Neill, Esq. F.R.S. Treasurer.-W. Ellis, Esq. Librarian and Keeper of the Museum. James Wilson, Esq.

Painter.-P. Syme, Esq.

Council. Dr Macknight, F.R.S; G. S. Montcath, Esq. F.R.S.; DrWright, F.R.S.; Dr Yule, F.R.S.; D. Bridges, Esq.; Dr D. Ritchie, F.R.S.; Dr Falconer, F.L.S.; T. Sivwright, F.R.S.

Professor Jameson at this meeting read a communication from William Scoresby, jun. M.W.S. &c. entitled, Narrative of an Excursion upon the Island of Jan Mayen, containing some Account of its Appearance and Productions." This remote and desolate spot, situated in lat. 70° 49′ to lat. 71° 8° 20" N. and long. 7° 25′ 48′′ to 8° 44' W. was visited by Captain Scoresby, jun. on August 4, 1817. On approaching it, the first object which strikes the attention is the mountain of Beerenberg, which rears its icy summit to the height of 6840 feet above the level of the sea. At this time all the high lands were covered with snow and ice; and the low lands, in those deep cavities where large beds of snow had been collected, still retained part of their winter covering, down to the very margin of the sea. Between capes north-east and south-east, Captain Scoresby observed three remarkable icebergs, having a perpendicular height of 1284 feet, and presenting a striking resemnblance to frozen cascades. The beach where Captain Scoresby landed was covered to a great depth with a sand having the appearance of coarse gunpowder, and which was a mixture of iron-sand, olivine, and augite. Here and there he met with pieces of drift wood. As he advanced towards the

rocks he found rolled masses of lava, blocks of burned clay, and masses of red-coloured baked clay. Numerous pointed, angular rocks, probably belonging to the flatz formation, were seen projecting through the sand. These were basaltic-vesicular, and with numerous and beautiful imbedded grains and crystals of olivine and augite. Along with these was a rock which appeared to be very nearly allied to the celebrated mill-stone of Andernach. leaving the sea shore, Captain Scoresby met with no other rocks but such as bore

After

undoubted marks of recent volcanic action, viz. cinders, earthy slag, burned clay, scoriæ, vesicular lava, &c. He ascended to the summit of a volcanic mountain which was elevated 1500 feet above the sea, where he beheld a beautifui crater, forming a basin of 500 or 600 feet in depth, and 600 or 700 yards in diameter. The bottom of the crater was filled with alluvial matter, to such a height that it presented a natural flat of an elliptical form, measuring 400 feet by 240. From this eminence the country in all directions appeared bleak and rugged in the extreme; and the rocks, and hills, and mountains, every where presented to the eye such appearances as seemed to indicate the action of volcanic fire. The plants are very few in number: he determined the rumex digynus, saxifraga tricuspidata, arenaria peploides? silene acaulis, and draba birta: all the others were unfortunately lost. Near the sea shore he observed burrows of blue foxes, feet-marks of bears, and of another animal, which he conjectured to be the reindeer. But few birds were seen, such as fulmars, divers, puffins, and terns.

[blocks in formation]

At the same meeting, a paper by Dr Fergusson, inspector of hospitals, was read on the Mud Volcanoes of the Island of Trinidad.

In the beginning of the year 1816, this gentleman was employed, along with the deputy quartermaster general of the colonies, and an officer of rank in the engi neer department, to make a survey of the military stations in the West Indies, during which their attention was attracted to this extraordinary phenomenon in a district of country that had always been considered, according to their information, as strictly alluvial. It appeared to them to be so highly illustrative of the minor incipient degrees of volcanic agency in the formation of argillaceous hills, that they thought it would be right to mention it in

their report, and Dr Fergusson was deputed to draw up the statement.

This gentleman found, that the eruptions of these semi-volcanoes, two in number, which are situated on a narrow tongue of land, which points directly into one of the mouths of the Oronoko on the Main, about 12 or 15 miles off, at the southern extremity of Trinidad, and not far from the celebrated Pitch Lake, are at all times quite cold. That the matter ordinarily thrown out consisted of argillaceous carti mixed with salt water, about as salt as the water in the neighbouring Gulf of Paria; but though cold at all times, that pyritic fragments were occasionally ejected along with the argillaceous earth. They also observed, that several mounts in the vicinity possessed the same character in all respects as the semi-volcanoes then in activity, having all the marks, except the actual eruption, of having been raised through a similar process to their existing altitude, of about a hundred feet; and that the trees around them were of the kind that are usually found near lagoons and salt marshes. The nature of the duties on which they were employed did not permit their attempting any analysis of the air, water, or earths, furnished by the eruptions.

November 24.-A general meeting of the Society having been held for the election of office-bearers, the following gentlemen were chosen :

President.-Sir James Hall, Bart. Vice-Presidents.-Right Hon. Lord Gray and Lord Glenlee.

Secretary.-Professor Playfair.
Treasurer.-Mr Bonar.

Keeper of the Museum.-Thomas Allan, Esq.

President of the Physical Class.-Sir George Mackenzie, Bart.

Secretary. Dr Hope.

Counsellors of the Physical Class.-Lord Webb Seymour, Mr Leslie, Colonel Imrie, Mr Jameson, Dr Brewster, and Mr James Jardine.

President of the Literary Class.-Henry Mackenzie, Esq.

Secretary. Thomas Thomson, Esq. Counsellors of the Literary Class.Mr Pillans, Dr Macknight, Mr Dunbar, the Rev. Mr Alison, Lord Reston, and Rev. Dr Jamieson.

December 1-A paper, by Dr Brewster, was read on the Laws of Double Refraction and Polarisation.

This paper was divided into seven sections, of which only the two first were read.

I. On the crystals which produce double refraction, a property which the author has observed in 160 crystals.

II. On crystals with one apparent axis of double refraction. These crystals, which amount to twenty-two, were divided into

two classes, positive and negative, and include all those whose primitive form is the hexahedral prism, the rhomboid with an obtuse summit, and the octahedron, in which the pyramids have a square base.

III. On crystals with two axes of double refraction and polarisation. These crystals, which amount to about eighty, include all those whose primitive form is not the hexahedral prism, the obtuse rhomboid, the octohedron with a square base, the cube, the regular octohedron, and the rhomboidal octohedron.

IV. On the resolution and combination of polarising forces, and the reduction of all crystals to crystals with two or more axes.

V. On crystals with three equal and rectangular axes. These crystals amount to twenty, and consist of those whose primitive form is the cube, the regular octohedron, and the rhomboidal dodecahedron.

VI. On the artificial imitation of all the classes of doubly refracting crystals.

VII. On the laws of double refraction, for crystals with any number of axes.

December 15.-A paper was read, which had been announced at the first meeting, by Dr Murray, containing Experiments on Muriatic Acid.

Jan. 5.-The continuation of Dr Murray's paper on Muriatic Acid Gas was read. In the preceding part of it, it had appeared, that from the action of metals on muriatic acid gas, water is deposited.

It was shown that the water obtained in the experiments could not be derived from hygrometric vapour; that it could not be accounted for from the supposition of a portion of water being combined with the acid in the gas beyond that which is strict. ly essential to its constitution; and that it could not be ascribed to any lower degree of oxidation of the metal being established.

Dr Murray considered the result of these experiments as establishing, in addition to what he had before brought forward, the fallacy of the opinion in which chlorine is regarded as a simple substance, which, with hydrogen, forms muriatic acid. The opposite opinion, that it is a compound of muriatic acid with oxygen, and that muriatic gas is a compound of muriatic acid and water, might be held to be established, and it undoubtedly may be maintained. But he has presented a different view of the subject, as being more conformable to the present state of chemical theory, into which our limits do not permit us to

enter.

At the same meeting, Dr Brewster communicated a very interesting paper, consisting of extracts of letters from Mr Boog to his father, the Rev. Dr Boog, of Paisley, giving an account of the recent disccveries respecting the sphinx, and the principal pyramid of Egypt, which have been made by Captain C. and Mr Salt. By

very laborious excavations, which were made in vain by the French savans, these gentlemen have discovered, that the sphinx is cut out of the solid rock on which it was supposed merely to rest. They found that the short descending passage at the entrance to the pyramid, which afterwards ascends to the two chambers, was continued in a straight line through the base of the pyramid, into the rock upon which the pyramid stands. This new passage, after joining what was formerly called the well, is continued forward in a horizontal line, and terminates in a well ten feet deep, exactly beneath the apex of the pyramid, and at the depth of 100 feet below its base. Captain C. has likewise discovered an apartment immediately above the King's chamber, and exactly of the same size and the same fine workmanship, but only four feet in height.

Jan. 19. The second part of Dr Ure's paper on Muriatic Acid Gas was read. In this part the author showed that the azote of the ammonia has no concern in the production of the water; for the whole azote, competent to the weight of salt employed, is recoverable in a gaseous form. It is then experimentally demonstrated, that the sal-ammoniac, resulting from the union of the two dry constituent gases, yields water in similar circumstances. No water could be obtained, however, by heating dry sal-ammoniac alone, or in contact with charcoal, or even by passing its vapour through ignited quartz powder. Hence Dr Ure infers, that the traces of moisture, formerly observed by Dr Murray, on exposing sal-ammoniac to heat, must have been the hygrometric water of the imperfectly dried salt.

At the same meeting, a paper by Dr Brewster was read, on a singular affection of the eye in the healthy state, in conseof which it loses the power of seequence ing objects within the sphere of distinct vision. When the eye is steadily fixed upon any object, this object will never cease to become visible; but, if the eye is steadily directed to another object in its vicinity while it sees the first object indirectly, this first object will, after a certain time, entirely disappear, whether it is seen with one or both eyes, whatever be its former colour, or its position with respect to the axis of vision. When the object is such as to produce its accidental colour before it vanishes, the accidental colour disappears, also, along with the object. The preceding experiments have no connection what ever with those of Mariotte, Picard, and Le Cat, relative to the entrance of the optic nerve. In the course of this investigation, Dr Brewster was led to a new theory of accidental colours, which will be read at future meeting.

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

The first meeting for business took place on November 21, 1817.

A letter from R. Anstice, Esq. accompa nying a specimen of arragonite from the Quantock Hills, was read.

The Quantock Hills consist chiefly of grey wacke, but are penetrated by a bed of mountain limestone running through a great part of their length. In a quarry near the village of Merridge, about six miles from Bridgewater, is a fissure in this limestone rock, which has been for some time famous for its calcareous stalactites. Recently this fissure has been cleared to a greater extent than before; and Mr Anstice visited the spot in the month of August last, when he found that, after proceeding along it for about 40 yards, the passage suddenly became contracted.

The narrow part being enlarged at his desire, it was found to lead into a cavern about twenty yards in length, from six to ten yards in breadth, and from three to six feet in height along the middle. About one-third of its surface was covered with stalactites of arragonite (flos ferri) of great beauty. This cavern is situated in the greywacke; and Mr Anstice remarks, that the arborescences of arragonite occur only in that rock, while those which are found adhering to the limestone are common cal

careous stalactite.

A letter was read from Mr Winch, mentioning the discovery of a tree about 28 or 30 feet long, with its branches, in a bed of fire-stone (one of the coal sandstones) at High Heworth, near Newcastle. Of this organic remain the trunk and larger branches are silicious; while the bark, the small branches, and leaves, are converted into coal and Mr Winch remarks, that the small veins of coal, called by the miners coal-pipes, owe their origin universally to small branches of trees.

Mr W. states it as a remarkable and interesting fact, that, while the trunks of trees found in the Whitby alum shale are mineralized by calcareous spar, clay ironstone, and iron pyrites, and their bark is converted into jet; those buried in the Newcastle sandstones are always mineralized by silex, and their bark changed into common coal.

A paper by Dr Berger was read, containing a theoretical explanation of the curvature of the beds of limestone which form the Jura mountains.

December 5.--The reading of a paper by Mr W. Phillips, entitled, "Remarks on the Chalk Hills in the Neighbourhood of Dover, and on the green Sand and blue Marl overlying it near Folkstone," was begun.

December 19.-The reading of Mr Phil, lips's paper was continued.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

GOVERNMENT, with a laudable desire to promote the interests of science, is equipping four vessels, for the purpose of exploring the Greenland seas, which, according to the reports of persons employed in the fishery, were never known to be so free from ice as in the last season. Two of these vessels, under the command of Captain Buchan, late of the Pike sloop of war, just returned from Newfoundland, will endeavour to penetrate to the north pole, while the other two, under Captain Ross, will proceed up Davis's Straits, the extent or termination of which is still utterly unknown. The ships are to be ready for sea by the beginning of March.

Dr Thomson, the founder of the Annals of Philosophy, having been appointed to the chemical chair of the University of Glasgow, and being in consequence obliged to fix his future residence in that city, has engage Mr Arthur Aikin and Dr Bostock to superintend the publication of his periodical work.

Since the establishment of the Royal Dispensary for the Diseases of the Ear, in Carlisle Street, Soho, upwards of 340 patients have been admitted; a great number of whom have been cured or relieved, and, among others, a boy, seven years of age, born deaf and dumb, has been restored to hearing and speech. At a late meeting of the Governors, a vote of thanks was unanimously voted to Dr John Sims, consulting physician, and to Mr J. H. Curtis, surgeon to the institution.

It appears, from a list of each class inserted in the seventh and last number of the Annals of the Fine Arts, that modern patronage has created in England not less than nine hundred and thirty-one professional artists, of various descriptions, resident in and near the metropolis. Of whom there are 532 painters-45 sculptors-149 architects-93 engravers in line -33 in mixed styles-19 in mezzotinto 33 in aquatinta-22 on wood.-And what deserves to be specially noticed among the painters, there are no less than forty-three ladies!

As American literature and the productions of native American genius are daily becoming of increased interest in Great Britain and Ireland, it may be satisfactory to state, that the Philadelphia Port-Folio (generally regarded as the best monthly iniscellany in the United States) is now regu larly imported into London, and may be had in succession on the first day of any month, with other Magazines and Journals.

Mr Coleridge intends to give a course of Literary Lectures, which, if filled up ac

cording to his outlines, cannot fail of being, to a large portion of society, of considerable interest and attraction.

Mr Eastlake, whose historical portrait of Bonaparte on board the Bellerophon obtained him deserved celebrity, is at Rome, and employed by the Duchess of Devonshire in illustrations of Horace.

From the experiments and observations upon the state of the air in the fever hospitals at Cork, at a time when they were crowded with patients labouring under febrile contagion, by Edward Davy, Esq. it seems determined that contagious matter cannot be detected by our present means of analyzing gases,-all his experiments seeming to lead to the conclusion, that there is no material difference in the [known] chemical constitution of the air in the crowded fever-wards of the city of Cork, and the atmosphere in places that are very generally supposed more salubrious. But we will hope that this important inquiry will not stop here: that contagion is an active and deleterious principle, we all know; and we trust that future chemical researches will render this hydra more obedient to our wills.

Canova's colossal statue of Bonaparte, which was presented to the Duke of Wellington by the King of France, is arrived in England, and is placed in Apsley-house,the duke's London residence.

A set of casts from the Elgin marbles are to be immediately prepared for the Imperial Academy of Arts at Petersburgh, under the direction and superintendence of Mr Haydon, to whom M. Olenin, the president, has written in the most flattering terms for that purpose.

It

Dr Mitchill announces the discovery of the remains of a mammoth in the town of Goshen, Orange County, within sixty miles of New York, in a meadow belonging to a Mr Yelverton. The soil is a black vegetable mould, of an inflammable nature. abounds with pine-knots and trunks, and was about thirty years ago covered with a grove of white pine-trees. The length of the tooth was six inches, the breadth three and a half inches; the circumference of the lower jaw, including the tooth it contains, twenty-six inches; the length of the jaw, thirty-five inches. '

FRANCE.

Some months since, the minister of the interior being informed that the Royal Li

See notice of the Mammoth in this Number, p. 139.

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