1826.] Analysis of Acorns. 4^ 



greatest effect on it. By referring to the particular laws which 

 I deduced at the time of making the experiments in different 

 planes, it will be seen that they are all comprised under this 

 general law ; but this will be rendered more evident by taking an 

 instance. 



" When the centre of the plate is in the meridian, and its 

 plane a tangent to the sphere, the eastern side of the equator 

 of the imaginary dipping needle, according to the above law, 

 will deviate in a direction contrary to that of the motion of the 

 eastern edge of the plate, and consequently the northern extre- 

 mity of the axis will deviate in a contrary direction to that of 

 the motion of the plate's northern edge, or it will deviate in the 

 direction in which the southern edge of the plate moves^ 

 Hence the horizontal needle obeying the deviations of this dip- 

 ping needle, the deviations of its north end due to the rotation 

 of the plate will be in the direction in which the south edge of 

 the plate moves, which is the law deduced from the experiments 

 first detailed." E. W. B. 



{To be continued.) H Al ^ 



Article VIIL 



Analysis of Acorns, 

 (To the Editors of the Annals of Philosophy.) 

 GENTLEMEN, 

 I BEG to inclose the notes made of some experiments to 

 ascertain the component parts of the acorn. Although the 

 analysis is not complete, and I have since found no leisure to 

 supply what is wanting in it; yet it seems to contain some facts 

 on the subject that I am not aware can elsewhere be found ; and 

 for that reason you may, perhaps, think the inclosed paper enti- 

 tled to a place in your pages. Yours, &c. W. B. 



[We could wish that the experiments of our correspondent 

 had been more complete, as we are not fond of admitting frag- 

 ments into the Annals of Philosophy. We publish his commu- 

 nication, however, in the hope that he will pursue the subject to 

 a satisfactory conclusion. — Ed,'] 



Exper. 1. — 350 grains of acorns were triturated in a marble 

 mortar with water (about 2^- pints), and passed through a fine 

 hair sieve ; what remained on the sieve, pressed and dried at a 

 heat of about 130° for three hours, was a light-brown matter (B) 

 weighing 63 grains. 



(A.) What passed through the sieve deposited a white sedi-' 



