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shade. The only question now was as to its containing indigo 

 in quantity sufficient to render the importation profitable. 

 The solution of this question being partly one of chemical 

 manufacture, has been undertaken by Mr. R. Rumney, who 

 is to operate on a large quantity so as to get results of 

 commercial value. 



Mr. Spence was chiefly induced to bring this subject before 

 the Society from the fact that a new source of indigo at the 

 present time would be a matter of great importance to trade, 

 the growth of the article in India being from peculiar causes 

 rather on the decline. 



Dr. ScHUNCK corroborated Mr. Spence's statements so far 

 as that he had found indigo fully formed existing in the 

 specimens submitted to him ; he had not had time as yet to 

 ascertain what quantity of that body they contained. 



Mr. MosLEY stated that it had been known for some time 

 that the indigo plant grows wild in many parts of the West 

 Coast of Africa ; he believed it would be of great importance 

 at present if a new source of indigo could be found, as the 

 Indian manufacture seemed to be declining. He believed the 

 manufacture had been attempted in Africa, but had not 

 succeeded. 



The Rev. Robert Harley, F.R.A.S., communicated to 

 the Society the following statement on the Theory of the 

 Transcendental Solution of Algebraic Equations : — 



Certain published Papers of Mr. Cockle, as well as some 

 private communications from that mathematician to myself, 

 have led me of late to study the theory of equations under a 

 new and interesting aspect. 



Lety (y, ^) = be an algebraic equation of the nth. degree 

 in y, and such that its roots ^/i, ^/o? • • • ^,i ^'^'^ ^^^ functions of 

 a single parameter x. From this equation we may deduce a 

 linear diiferential equation of the (ji — l)tli order which it 

 is proposed to call *' the differential resolvent," The 7i roots 



