Proceedings. 21 



Ordinary Meeting, October 30th, 1888. 



Professor OSBORNE REYNOLDS, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



A paper on " A new system of Logical Notation," by 

 Mr. J. J. Murphy, communicated by the Rev. Robert 

 Harley, M.A., F.R.S., was read. 



Mr. W. W. H ALDAN E Gee, B.Sc, gave an account of 

 some experiments that he, in conjunction with Mr. Henry 

 Holden, M.Sc, had made on " Electrolysis under Pressure." 

 The experiments were begun with the view, firstly, of 

 ascertaining the influence of high pressures on electrolytic 

 polarisation, and secondly of designing a method whereby 

 high pressures could be readily produced by means of 

 electrolysis. The experiments were at first conducted in 

 sealed glass tubes in which dilute sulphuric acid was 

 electrolysed, the electrodes used consisting of platinum. 

 As the evolved oxygen and hydrogen gases accumulated, 

 the pressure gradually increased up to the explosion of the 

 tubes, which took place generally at pressures between 50 

 and 100 atmospheres. Under these conditions the polarisa- 

 tion was found to be very little affected. On attempting to 

 obtain pressures as high as 500 — 600 atmospheres by use of 

 a very strong gjt7z metal* cylinder, the authors encountered 

 the diflficulty arising from the violent explosive combination 

 of the mixed gases. Accordingly, in the latter experiments 

 the pressure was produced by means of a hydrostatic pump, 

 and dangerous accumulations of the mixed gases were thus 

 prevented. Determinations of the polarisation with this 

 apparatus are as yet incomplete, but they show, so far as 

 they have been conducted, that the influence of pressure on 

 polarisation is but small. 



*A.s the apparatus was in the first instance designed to study some magnetic 

 effects under pressure, which the late Prof. Balfour Stewart wished the authors 

 to examine, the cylinder was constructed of gun-metal instead ot steel. 



