552 Proceedings of the 



pendulum, which he proposes to employ in cases where the audible 

 beat of a pendulum is required for a short time only. This instru- 

 ment is extremely simple in its construction, and will continue to 

 beat, after a slight impulse communicated to it, for about ten or 

 twelve minutes. 



Two double-headed planaria from Dr. Johnson ; Mr. Parker's 

 aero-fountain lamp; finely crystallized glass, &c., &c., &c. were 

 also upon the table. 



Feb. 18th. Mr. Faraday, on Oxalamede. It was the object of the 

 speaker this evening to give an account of that substance, so 

 curious in a theoretical point of view, discovered by M. Dumas, and 

 described at page 382 of this volume. The relation of oxalic acid, 

 ammonia, and oxalamede, to each other, was shown experimentally ; 

 but as the matter was the same with our former account, that will 

 suffice for a description of the subject of the evening. 



Upon the library tables were placed by Mr. Johnson a very hand- 

 some chain of palladium, made for the Emperor Nicholas ; a large 

 piece of native platina, with crystals of the same metal in the hollows 

 and depressions ; a clock, with a peculiar maintaining power ; a 

 surveying quadrant by Col. Bainbrigge, so constructed that, by 

 looking through the centre of the index glass, all parallax was avoided, 

 and an angle even of 170 readily taken, &c. &c. 



February 25th. Mr. Cowper, on recent improvements in paper- 

 making. The improvement of any article in general use is 

 frequently of more importance than at first sight would appear. 

 In a low state of civilization men are satisfied with an article so 

 long as it just answers the purpose, but in a more advanced state 

 of society improvement gratifies the eye of taste and even in- 

 fluences the judgment and feelings. With respect to paper, 

 curious and influential distinctions have arisen in this way, which, 

 however, sink into insignificance when compared with physical ad- 

 vantages : as for instance legibility, as in the case of printed books ; 

 for those that are most legible will be most read. Mr. Babbage 

 deemed this point of so much importance, that he had his table of 

 logarithms printed on a variety of tinted paper, to ascertain which 

 was most legible, most agreeable, or least fatiguing to the eye, and, 

 as he is an accurate observer, the result is interesting : Green paper 

 is the least fatiguing colour, but, by losing its distinctness, required 

 more effort to read the figures ; while white paper, although more 

 fatiguing as a colour, renders the printing so distinct, that the eye 

 catches the figures (or words) with the least effort. 



It is economy of production which must introduce an improved 

 article into general use. It is comparatively of little importance to 

 have beautiful books unless they are cheap, and this desirable object 

 has been attained by the improvements in paper-making and printing. 



