Chemical Society. 75 



the Proceedings of the remaining 21. These communications are 

 the fruit of numerous and varied inquiries, and form, in the opinion 

 of the Council, a contribution of some importance to the progress of 

 the science. The Council would refer in particular to the full ex- 

 amination and discussion which the process of MM. Will and Var- 

 rentrapp for the determination of nitrogen has received by the ex- 

 periments of Mr. Francis and Dr. Fownes, and more lately in Dr. 

 Will's own comprehensive memoir ; — to the series of useful papers 

 on astringent substances, which they, owe to their valuable con- 

 tributor Dr. Stenhouse ; and to the papers on various subjects con- 

 nected with the metals and the salts by Professors Liebig and Gre- 

 gory, Messrs. Porrett, Croft, Cock, Balmain and Warington, and 

 on organic substances by Professors Liebig, Johnston, Everitt, Drs. 

 Playfair and Fownes ; on agricultural subjects by Dr. Schweitzer 

 and Mr. Chatter! ey ; on voltaic electricity by Mr. Arrott, and on the 

 heat disengaged in combinations by the President. The Council 

 still presses upon these and other contributors not to relax their ex- 

 ertions, and invites the Members generally to communicate the re- 

 sults of their inquiries. 



The Society has also received presents of interesting chemical 

 products and crystalline specimens for their collection from various 

 donors, particularly Mr. Warington and Professor Liebig. They 

 have also received several chemical works from their respective 

 authors. The Council call attention to this nucleus of a collection 

 which has been formed, and which they hope will be rapidly in- 

 creased by the exertions and liberality of the Members. 



The Council has also lately made arrangements for procuring the 

 leading chemical Journals and circulating them among the Members. 



The condition of the Society's finances is highly favourable. 



The following gentlemen were elected as Officers and Council for 

 the ensuing year : — 



President. — Arthur Aikin, Esq., F.L.S., F.G.S. 



Vice-Presidents. — William Thomas Brande, Esq. ; John Thomas 

 Cooper, Esq. ; Thomas Graham, Esq. ; Richard Phillips, Esq. 



Treasurer. — Robert Porrett, Esq. 



Secretaries.^— Robert Warington, Esq., and George Fownes, Ph. D. 



Foreign Secretary. — E. F. Teschemacher, Esq. 



Council. — Dr. Charles Daubeny ; Thomas Everitt, Esq. ; Michael 

 Faraday, D.C.L. ; J. P. Gassiot, Esq. ; Dr. William Gregory ; Per- 

 cival N. Johnson, Esq. ; James F. W. Johnston, Esq. ; Dr. W. B. 

 Leeson ; W. Hallows Miller, Esq. ; W. Hasledine Pepys, Esq. ; Dr. 

 G. O. Rees ; Lieut.-Col. Philip Yorke. 



The thanks of the Society were given to the Officers and Council 

 for their exertions during the past year. 



April 4. — The following communications were then read : — 



76. " On the Subsulphates of Copper," by J. Denham Smith, 

 Esq. 



77. " On the Spontaneous Decomposition of the Chlorate of Am- 

 monia," by Mr. Joseph Wonfor. 



Having occasion lately to prepare a quantity of this salt, the phre- 



