Proceedings of Learned Societies. 89 



weighed at the end of a certain time. Each vessel was found 

 to contain as nearly as possible the same measure of hydro- 

 gen ; and a like equality of action upon the zinc had taken 

 place throughout the series. 



The total quantity of hydrogen was 60*6 cubic inches; the 

 total quantity of zinc expended was 74*0 grains. 



Now, I had previously determined that 34*5 grains of the 

 zinc I employed were needed to produce an equivalent of hydro- 

 gen ; and taking the weight of 100 cubic inches to be 2*1318 

 grains, we have the measure of an equivalent of hydrogen 

 equal to 46*9 cubic inches. Therefore, the 74*0 grains of 

 zinc here consumed should have yielded 100*5 cubic inches of 

 the gas, but they actually yielded only 60*6 cubic inches. 



Whether or not a voltameter were interposed the results 

 were similar : invariably the same want of correspondence ap- 

 peared between the loss of the zinc and the volume of evolved 

 gas and their relative quantities as found by theory ; and the 

 amount of this difference was always somewhat similar to that 

 exhibited in the above experiment. 



The operations within the cells of the battery admit of easy 

 analysis, and this phenomenon also admits perhaps of an easy 

 explanation; but the fact it seems to indicate, viz. that a certain 

 portion (and that about one third of the whole) of the hydro- 

 gen subserves some purpose closely connected with the power 

 of the battery to decompose water, appears to be of so much 

 importance as to make it deserving of a more careful exami- 

 nation. I remain, dear Sir, 



Your obliged friend and pupil, 

 Newington, Edinburgh, March 28, 1837. C. BiNKS. 



XV. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 

 [Continued from vol. x. p. 382.] 



a -i g A paper was in part read, entitled, " Further Obser- 



V /*■ vations on Voltaic Combinations ; in a letter ad- 



dressed to Michael Faraday, Esq., D.C.L. F.R.S., Fullerian Pro- 

 fessor of Chemistry in the Royal Institution, &c. &c." By John 

 Frederick Daniel), Esq., F.R.S., Professor of Chemistry in King's 

 College, London.* 



April 13. — The reading of Professor Daniell's paper was resumed 

 and concluded. 



In the course of an inquiry into the effects of changes of tempe- 

 rature upon voltaic action, the author was led to observe some curious 



* Abstracts of Prof. Daniell's former papers have been given in Lond. 

 and Edinb. Phil. Mag., vol. viii. p. 421 ; vol. ix. p. 376. 



Third Series. Vol. 11. No. 65, Supplement, July 1837. N 



