CONTENTS. lU 



§ 7. Attempts to decompose Pit-gas by Electric 



Sparks, ..... 330 



§ 8. Phenomena exhibited by Pit-gas with Sulphuric 



Acid, ... ... 333 



XI. On the Effects of the Curvature of Railways. By 

 Edward Sang, Esq., Civil Engineer, Edinburgh, 

 M. S. A. Communicated by the Society of Arts, 334 



XII. On the Physical Geography, Geology, and Cli- 

 mate of the Island of Madeira. By James Mac- 

 AULAY, A. M. and M. D. Communicated by the 

 Author, . .... 336 



XIII. On the Functions of the Colouring Matter of the Skin 

 in the Dark Races of Mankind. By Robert Mor- 

 timer Glover, M.D., Lecturer on Chemistry in 

 the Newcastle- on-Tyne School of Medicine. (Read 

 to the British Association at the Newcastle Meet- 

 ing.) Communicated by the Author, . 376 



XIV. Description of several New or Rare Plants which 

 have lately Flowered in the Neighbourhood of 

 Edinburgh, and chiefly in the Royal Botanic Gar- 

 den. By Dr Graham, Professor of Botany, 383 



XV. Proceedings of the Society of Arts, Session 1839-40, 390 

 List of Prizes for Session 1840-41, . . 412 



XVI. Scientific Intelligence, . . . 413 



METEOROLOGY. 



1. Mr Espy's Theory of Atmospherical Phenomena 



claimed by H. Meikle, Esq. A. M., of Edinburgh, 413 



GEOLOGY. 



2. Temple of Serapis. 3. Enormous Soundings at Sea. 



4. Living Barnacles above the Sea-Level. 5. 

 Height of Tides in the Mediterranean, . 414 



mineralogy. 



6. Hydrargillite, a new mineral species. 7. Barsowite, 

 a new mineral species. 8. Discovery of the repo- 

 sitory (lagerstatte) of the Sun-Stone on the Selen- 

 ga in Siberia. 9. Plumbiferous Aragonite. 10. 

 Tachylite. II. Bucklandite or Black Epidote. 



