310 Proceedings of Scientific Institutions. 



5th, Notice regarding the improved steam indicator and old test. By John 

 M'Naught, engineer, Glasgow. 



6th, Memorial on the construction of chimnies, so as to prevent smoke. By 

 Alexander Mollison, Eglinton Street, Glasgow. 



7th, Notice of a Swiss lock, of a neat, simple, and efficient constnaction, made 

 by Mr. Cormack, smith, Chalmers' Close, for, and presented to the Society by 

 Sir Alexander Muir Mackenzie of Delvin, Bart. The lock was exhibited. 



LONDON. 



Royal Society — April 29. A paper by J. W. Lubbock, was read on the 

 "Variations of the Elliptic Constants, and several works were presented. 



May 6. A paper on the occurrence of Iodine and Brome in mineral springs, 

 by Dr. Daubeny, Professor of Chemistry in Oxford, was read. 



May 13. A paper was read, entitled, An Essay on the Preserved Bodies of 

 Aboriginal Peruvian Indians, by W. T. Carter, M.D., Surgeon R.N. 



May 27. The president informed the meeting that he had written to Mr. 

 Babbage, requesting him to attend on this evening, in pursuance of a resolution 

 adopted on Thursday se'nnight. Mr. Babbage, in answer to the president, states 

 his unwillingness to become a party to such discussions as took place on the oc- 

 casion alluded to : adding his ojjinion, that the meetings of the Society ought to 

 be, as they were intended, devoted to philosophical enquiry, and not to angry 

 debate. In this view the president concurred ; and having recited one of the 

 by-laws in support of it, he said that he trusted the matter would be allowed to 

 rest.* Dr. Roget then read a paper, by Mr Costello, on the instruments used 

 in operations of lithotrity, illustrated by cases. 



LinncBan Society May 4. There was read an examination of M. Virey's 



observations on aeronautic spiders, published in the Bull, des Sci. Nat. 



May 22. The anniversary meeting of this society took place this day. Lord 

 Stanley in the cliair. As is the customary practice, 3Ir Bicheno communicated 

 to the meeting the accession of fellows which had taken place during the past 

 season ; likewise the deaths which had occurred during the same period ; amongst 

 these we observed the names of Dr Hamilton, Major-General David Stewart, the 

 venerable Chevalier de Lamarck, professor of zoology in the Jardin du Roi, Pro- 

 fessor Brotero of Coimbra ; Dr Tozzetti of Florence ; Dr Schaub of Cassel, and 

 several others. Twenty-one fellows had been elected during the year. Mr Forster 

 stated that the amount of subscription for the library, herbaria, &c. of Sir J. E, 

 Smith, once belonging to Linnaeus himself, and now purchased by the Society, 

 amounted to upwards of L.1400; that the Society's other receipts for the year 

 amounted to L.IGOO, which exceeded the outlay by L.200. Several gentlemen 

 set the example of an annual subscription in aid of the balance due to the execu- 

 tors of Sir J. E. Smith. Earl Brownlow, Professor Buckland, George Ben- 

 tham, Charles Stokes, and William Yarrell, Esqs., were elected into the council. 

 The other officers stand as heretofore. 



Geological Society — March 19. Extracts were read from a paper entitled 

 " Reference to a Geological Map and Section of Pembrokeshire," by Alfred 

 Thomas, Esq. 



The first of two letters addressed to R. I. Murchison, Esq. Sec. " On the 

 Lacustrine Basins of Baza and Alhama in the province of Granada, and similar 

 deposits in other parts of Spain," by Colonel Charles Silvertop, F.G.S., was then 

 read. 



" Dr. Roget published an answer to certain of Mr. Bahbage's charges, in the 

 last number of the Ann. of Phil., but Mr. Babbage has since reiterated his ac- 

 cusation s. — Ed . 



