450 Mr. W, Galbraith's .Determination of the 



of Armenian cochineal contains only from 18 to 23 thou- 

 sand insects, while that of Mexico contains 20 to 25 thousand, 

 and that of Poland 100 to 130 thousand. It contains also 

 more colouring matter in an equal weight than the Polish. 

 It is found abundantly on the roots of the JEvolupiuf laevis, 

 (Trinius,) a plant which grows abundantly in Erivan. 

 Brandt proposes to call it Porphyrophora Hamelii.* 



Inferiority of English to China Ink. — The directors of the 

 Bengal bank lately refused payment for a number of bank 

 notes, in consequence of their containing no signature. It 

 appeared that they belonged to a Hindoo, who had kept 

 them in a copper box. He asserted that they originally 

 possessed the signatures of the director, comptroller, cashier, 

 &;c., but that they had been effaced. The notes on which 

 the signatures had been written with China ink remained 

 uneffaced, but all the writing with English ink had com- 

 pletely disappeared. Mr. Princep, in order to determine 

 the question, placed a paper covered with writing in 

 English ink between two plates of copper. After a short 

 space of time he found that the copper had decomposed 

 the ink, and that the writing was completely effaced. He 

 concluded that the account of the Hindoo was correct, and 

 that the bank ought not to refuse payment.f 



Article VII. 



Determination of the Obliquity of the Ecliptic at Edinburgh. 

 By W. Galbraith, A.M. 



(To Dr. R. D. Thomson.) 



Edinburgh, Wth November, 1836. 

 Dear Sir, . 



As -a continuation of my former paper' on astronomical 

 observations, I hereby send you the results of my recent 

 determination of the obliquity of the ecliptic in June, 1836, 

 with a new circle somewhat improved. It has three ver- 

 niers, each showing 10", the scale of the level is divided so 

 as to indicate 3" and a third, or at base, a half of each 

 division may be readily estimated. The diameter of the 



* L'Institut, 183, 374. t Asiat. Society Journal, and L'lustitut, 182, 368. 



