98 Royal Irish Academy, 



of Eblaninc, a substance discovered by Mr. Scanlan, and exhibited 

 by him at the Meeting of the British Association*." By Professor 

 Apjohn and Dr. Gregory. 



Eblanine is contained in pyroxilic spirit. It is yellow, crystalline, 

 fusible at 318°, volatile in a current of air at 300°, not subliming in 

 a close tube unchanged. It is insoluble in water and alkalies, so- 

 luble with a strong yellow colour in alcohol, aether, and concentrated 

 acetic acW. Strong sulphuric acid strikes with it a deep bluish pur- 

 ple colour, soon passing to brownish black. Strong muriatic acid 

 dissolves it sparingly with a very fine and intense purplish red colour, 

 which also slowly passes into brownish black. Nitric acid dissolves 

 it, and from the solution water separates a yellow solid, whicii, at a 

 certain temperature, is decomposed suddenly witli a very feeble ex- 

 plosion. Chlorine converts it into a dark resinous matter. 



Eblanine is anhydrous, and contains no nitrogen. 



The mean of 4 analyses gave as the composition in 100 parts, 



Carbon, 75*275 



Hydrogen, 5-609 



Oxygen, 19*116 



The composition, calculated according to the formula C.^iH^^O^, 

 would give 



Carbon, 75-79 



Hydrogen, 5*30 



Oxygen, 18-91 



But as we have as yet no means of ascertaining the atomic weight 

 of eblanine, this result must be viewed merely as an approximation. 



Eblanine cannot be confounded with any known substance, and 

 must rank as a curious addition to the list of compounds produced in 

 the destructive distillation of wood ; to which must also be added, 

 aldehyd, a substance lately discovered by Liebig, but first pointed 

 out as existing in pyroxilic spirit, by Mr. Scanlan, who obtained it 

 before the discovery of Liebig was known in Dublin. 



Sir William Betham read the first of a series of papers " On the 

 Cabiric Mysteries and Phoenician Antiquities.'' 



February 27. — Professor Lloyd read a note on the Aurora Borealis 

 of the 18th inst., of which the following is an extract : — 



*' At a quarter past ten o'clock, on the night of the 18th inst., my 

 attention was called to a remarkable ruddy appearance in the eastern 

 part of the sky, which, at first view, seemed to arise from the re- 

 flection of a fire. On a more attentive examination, however, it was 

 soon evident that the appearance was purely meteoric. It was, in 

 fact, an auroral phaenomenon, though of a very peculiar kind. 



" It was bright moonlight, and Mars had just appeared after his 

 occultation by the moon. The sky wasentirely without clouds ; but 

 the northern, eastern, and western segments were covered with a 

 curtain of diffused Aurora, resembling a luminous vapour. This cur- 

 tain was lifted from the horizon on the east and west, and exhibited 



♦ [See Lend, and Edinb. Phil. Mag. vol. vii. p. 395.] 



