140 Professor Gordon on the Temperature of the Earth. 



The following are the results of other observations near Glasgow :- 



Inches 



( i rccnock, Gl • 8 Water- works, Mean of 7 years. 



Paisley, 47*1 Do. do. 



Carbeth, 43*09 Mean of 2 years 



27th January, 1847. — Tlie Vice-President in the Chair. 



The following gentlemen were admitted as members : — Messrs. Robert 

 Blackie, Henry M'Manus, John M'Gregor Macintosh, David Laidlaw, 

 John M 'Do wall, Alexander Ferguson. 



Mr. Dawson moved that the sum of £30 be voted to the Library Com- 

 mittee, to defray the expense of this year's periodicals, and £50 for the 

 purchase of new books. It was agreed that in future the Council should 

 constitute the Library Committee. 



A letter was received from Captain Boswall of the Royal Navy, placing 

 at the disposal of the Society, for any museum or institution in which it 

 might please to deposit them, the models of a harbour of refuge, boat with 

 Archimedean screw, and bathing machine, shown in the Society's exhibi- 

 tion in the City Hall. The thanks of the Society were given to Captain 

 Boswall, and the models deposited in the Andersonian Museum. 



XXII. — Notice of Experiments on the Temperature of the Earth at 

 different depths and in different soils. By Professor Gordon. 



Mr. Smith of Deanston having mentioned his intention of instituting 

 experiments to determine the temperature of the soil at different depths, 

 as being a datum required in the practical question of drainage, the 

 Professor proposed to give an account of the existing scientific knowledge 

 upon this point, from the recently published papers of Professor Forbes 

 and Herr Dove. 



Having given a brief review of the history of the inquiry into this 

 important subject, from Lambert's experiments in 1779, to those under- 

 taken at the request of the Bristol Association in 1834, and carried on to 

 the present time ; and having described the instruments and methods of 

 observation adopted by Professor Forbes in the Edinburgh experiments 

 made in three different soils, and at three different heights above the sea, 

 and at depths of 3, 9, 12, and 24 paris feet in depth ; the first result of 

 these observations was stated to be, that the mean temperature in the 



Trap Rock is, 46°14 



Sandy Soil, 46°'60 



Sandstone, 45°'95 



The mean temperature of the air being 45°"28 



