HISTORY of the SOCIETY. 



vitriolic. From a retort with fome manganefe in it, he diftilled 1783. 



five ounces of muriatic acid on two ounces of crude antimony, 

 moifte'ned with water, raifing the heat towards the end of the 

 procefs, to make the fand-pot red-hot. After the procefs, there 

 were found in the receiver fome fulphur, fome undecompofed 

 antimony, and a complete folution of the metal in the muriatic 

 acid. This folution had all the properties of butter of antimo- 

 ny ; and its precipitate, either by means of water or alkalis, was 

 exactly fimilar to the common one. Some tartar emetic, pre- 

 pared from it, appeared, as to all its chemical properties, to be 

 without fault ', but Mr RUSSELL had not tried it medicinally. 

 The quantity of precipitate, obtained from five ounces of acid 

 and two of antimony, was about half an ounce. This muft 

 be perfectly free from all mixture of a mercurial fait or corro- 

 five fublimate, which, it has been fufpected, may be found in 

 the common preparation. It may likewife be obtained with 

 much more eafe, and at lefs than a tenth part of the expence. 



Lit. Cl. Mr ALLAN MACONOCHIE, Advocate, read the firft Dee. 15. 



r T\-rr i ^ i <- n r i Diflertation by 



part of a Dillertation on the Origin and Structure of the ancient Mr Macono- 

 European Legiflatures. The Diflertation is printed in this vo- 

 lume. [No. I. Lit. Cl.~\ 



Pbyf. Cl. Dr WALKER read the continuation of his paper 

 on the motion of the Sap in Trees. [No. I. Pbyf. C/.] 



Dr ROEBUCK read fome Obfervations on the ripening and 

 filling of Corn. 



SUMMER 1782 having been remarkably cold and unfavoura- 

 ble, the harveft was very late, and much of the grain, efpeci- 

 ally oats, was green even in October. In the beginning of Oc- 

 tober, the cold was fo great, that, in one night, there was pro- 

 duced on ponds near Kinneil, in the neighbourhood of Bor- 



(C) rowftounnefs, 



Jan. 5. 



Dr Walker on 

 the fap of Trees. 



Dr Roebuck on 

 the filling of 

 corn. 



