HISTORY of the SOCIE^T. 



27 



1784. 



pofe of bridge-building, where very large ftones are often re- 

 quired for the comtruction of arches. Inftead of fuch large 

 ftones, he propofes to ufe compound mafTes, fuch as thofe above 

 defcribed, cemented with iron, and exactly moulded, fo as to 

 form, if required, an entire rib of an arch without a fiflure j 

 and he thinks that, in this way, a number of arches might be 

 accurately and firmly put together. 



Mr ROBISON, General Secretary, read a paper, communicated Mr 



* aftronomical 



by the Reverend Mr THOMAS ELLIOT, Minifter of Cavers, con- problem. 

 taining an Improvement on the Method of correcting the ob- 

 ferved Diftance of the Moon from the Sun or a Fixed Star. 

 The paper is publifhed in this volume. [No. VII. Pbyf. /.] 



THERE was likewife read an account, by Dr ANDREW DUN- Medical cafes. 

 CAN, of a cafe of obftinate fingultus, in which the beft effects 

 had been produced by the ufe of vitriolic acid. A gentleman, 

 in the 73d year of his age, was feized with a violent hiccough, 

 which continued without intermiffion for feveral hours. Dr 

 DUNCAN prefcribed for him a mixture containing a drachm of 

 acidum vitriolicum tenue, united with four ounces of mint-water, 

 of which a table-fpoonful was to be taken every half hour. 

 The firft dofe put a flop to the fingultus. About twelve hours 

 afterwards, there was a return of the fit ; which, however, yield- 

 ed inftantly to a fecond fpoonful of the mixture ; nor was there 

 afterwards any occafion to repeat the dofe. 



Lit. Cl. Dr GREGORY read the Introduction to an EfTay to- 

 wards an Inveftigation of the exact Import and Extent of the 

 common Notion of the Relation of Caufe and Effect in Phyfics, 

 and of the real Nature of that Relation. Parts of the Eflay it- 

 felf were 'afterwards read by him at feveral fubfequcnt meetings 

 of the Literary Clafs ', but he did not incline, that either the 



(D 2) EfTay 



Nov. 15. 

 Dr Gregory's 

 eflay on caufe 

 and effea. 



