226 Scientific Intelligence, §fc. 



to us, that when the effects of the poison should reach the heart, 

 Socrates would depart. And now the parts about the lower belly- 

 were cold, when he uncovered himself, (for he was covered up), and 

 said, which were his last words, ' Crito, we owe ^sculapius a cock, 

 pay the debt, and do not forget it/ ' It shall be done/ replied Crito, 

 but consider whether you have any thing else to say/ Socrates 

 answered not, but in a short time was convulsed. 



The following were the phenomena observed when conein was 

 administered by Dr. Christison : " 6 drops of conein were allowed to 

 fall into the back of the throat of a young active puppy 10 weeks 

 old. In 30 seconds there was sudden convulsive respiration and 

 some stiffness of the hind legs, immediately followed by great feeble- 

 ness of these legs. In a few seconds the fore legs became also very- 

 feeble. In 60 seconds from the time the poison was introduced the 

 breathing ceased. Slight convulsive tremors followed for a single 

 minute more." The author concludes, that the ancient poison is 

 still unknown to us. 



Since the publication of this excellent memoir, Messrs. Charlard 

 and O. Henry have made considerable additions to the history of 

 conein, having ascertained that it forms crystallizable salts with 

 some of the acids. — See Ann. deChim., Ixi. 337, Journ. de Pharni.^ 

 June, 1836, and the present volume of the RecordSj page 230. 



Article XII. 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE, &C. 



I. — British Association for the Advancement of Science. 



Bristol, 26th August, 1836. 



The Association began its Sixth Meeting on Monday, 22nd August, 

 here. In consequence of the unavoidable absence of the Marquis of 

 Landsdowne, the chair was occupied by the Vice Presidents in 

 rotation, viz., the Marquis of Northampton and the Rev. Mr. 

 Conybeare. It would be impossible to give any adequate view of 

 the proceedings of the various sections with which we are more 

 immediately connected, from the very short time we have had to 

 prepare even this brief notice. (Several of the sections, indeed, have 

 not concluded their proceedings.) We, therefore, confine ourselves 

 to the operations of the Chemical section. This section sat in the 

 Grammar Scliool, Unity Street. — President, Rev. Professor Gum- 

 ming. — Vice Presidents, Dr. Dalton, Dr. Henry. — Secretaries, 

 Dr. Apjohn, Dr. C. Henry, W. Herapath, Esq. — Committee, Dr. 

 Barker, Professor Daubeny, Mr. C. T. Coathupe, Rev. N. Vernon 

 Harcourt, Professor Hare, Mr. Johnston, Mr. Lowe, Dr. Thomas 

 Thomson, Dr. R. D. Thomson, Dr. Turner, Mr. T. Thomson, Jun., 

 Mr. H. H. Watson, Mr. W. West, Rev. W. Whewell, Colonel 

 Yorke, Mr. Scanlan. 



Monday, 22nd August. — I. Mr. Watson read a paper on Phos- 

 phate of Soda, in which, he directed his attention to the Atomic 

 Weight of this salt. No allusion, however, was made to the purity 



