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Chemical Examination of' Russian Platina. By Ch. Ossanw, 

 Professor in Dorpat. 



JL he Platina, from ore of the Urals, is more varied in character 

 than that found in America. — I have already been enabled to 

 distinguish four different sorts, and I am told there are still 

 more. One of the kinds, that which is most abundant, is sold 

 at the mint in Petersburg. It consists of grains of different de- 

 scriptions. Small grains can be separated by means of the mag- 

 net, resembling the magnetic grains in the platina of Brazil. 

 The other grains are partly of a lighter and darker lead-grey co- 

 lour, and about a line in diameter, — partly of a gold-yellow co- 

 lour, and some are small, flattish, and shining metallic. In the 

 following analysis I used the bluish-grey coloured grains. The 

 following results were obtained in soluble matter : 



In per cent- 

 Palladium, - - - 0.0198 1.64 

 Rhodium, - - - 0.1354 11.07 

 Platina, .... 0.9752 80.87 

 Copper, .... 0.0245 2.05 



Iron, 0.0279 2.30 



Sulphur, - . . . 0.0095 0.79 



Trace of Iridium. 



Residuum, - - - 0.0013 0.11 



1.1936 98.83 



Pogge7idorfs Journal 



On the Histoiy and Constitution of Benefit or Friendly Societies. 

 By Mr W. Fraser, Edinburgh. Continued from p. 139. 



V lEwiNG the distributions of Friendly Societies as now quite 

 unconnected with charity, and holding each individual to be 

 entitled to benefit upon the equitable principles of mutual assu- 

 rance, it is essential to the just rights of the members, and to 

 the permanence of every society, that the contributions and al- 

 lowances should be originally made adequate to each other. 

 For this purpose there are three fundamental principles which 

 require, in the first place, to be held as either established or as- 

 sumed, as upon these the whole calculations must necessarily be 

 founded, ^st^ The average rate or quantity of sickness to which 

 the members will probably be subjected in every period of life ; 

 2d/«/, The rate of mortality or number of deaths that will occur 



