346 Proceedings of the British Association for 1850. 



was also regularly noted, shewing both the activity of vapori- 

 zation and the tension of vapour. 



" On the Passage of Storms across the British Islands," 

 by Mr R. Russell. — The views of the writer were illustrated 

 by reference to the storm in October last. 



" On Meteorological Phenomena at Huggate, Yorkshire, 

 for 1849," by the Rev. T. Rankine. 



Section B. — Chemistry. 



An interesting communication was read from Professor 

 Matteucci of Italy, announcing the law determining the way 

 in which the earth conducts electricity, when used instead of 

 a wire as part of the electric telegraph. 



The second communication was by Dr Scoffern, on a new 

 process for the Manufacture of Sugar from the Sugar-cane, 

 as it is practised in the south of Spain. In this process, 

 sugar-of-lead is used to purify the juice of the cane ; and an 

 immense saving attends its use. Professor Gregory spoke in 

 favour of the process, and pointed out the freedom of the 

 sugar so produced from any compound of lead, except occa- 

 sionally a little sulphite, which he stated was innocuous. 

 Professor Christison, on the other hand, cautioned the Section 

 against accepting as a fact the statement which had been 

 made, that the presence of a small quantity of sulphite of 

 lead in sugar would not prove injurious to health. Various 

 other members joined in the discussion. 



Dr J. H. Gladstone and Mr G. Gladstone read the third 

 paper, which detailed some curious and important experi- 

 ments on the growth of plants in atmospheres of the differ- 

 ent gases. These are to be continued at the request of the 

 Section. 



Much interest was excited by Dr Lyon Playfair's paper 

 on the relative values of the dietaries in use by the different 

 classes of the population. This gentleman has, at an enor- 

 mous expenditure of time and trouble, classified and ana- 

 lyzed, in a very satisfactory way, the tables of diet used all 

 over the country, by every class of the people. The result, 

 as Dr Playfair shewed, is that we are as yet, in spite of 

 all the improvements of chemistry, in almost total ignor- 



