PROCEEDINGS 



OF 



THE LITERAEY AND PHILOSOPHICAL 



SOCIETY. 



Ordinary Meeting, OctolDer 1st, 1872. 

 Rev. William Gaskell, M.A., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Among the donations announced were a beautiful photo- 

 graphic copy of a fine portrait of the late Mr. John Dawson, 

 of Sedbergh, by Mr. Westall, A.RA., and a fine photo- 

 gTaphic portrait of the Rev. Canon Sedgwick, M.A., F.R.S., 

 Honorary Member of the Society, both presented by Canon 

 Sedgwick. 



On the motion of Mr. Baxendell, seconded by Mr. 

 Kipping, the thanks of the Society were unanimously voted 

 to the Rev. Canon for his interesting and valuable dona- 

 tions. 



" On the Composition of Ammonium Amalgam," by R. 

 Routledge, B.Sc. 



The substance now known as ammonium amalgam 

 appears to have been first obtained by Seebeck* in the 

 beginning of the year 1808, immediately after Davy had 

 announced his brilliant discovery of the isolation of potas- 

 sium and sodium by means of the Voltaic battery. Seebeck 

 prepared the amalgam by placing mercury which formed 

 the negative pole of a battery in contact with moistened 

 carbonate of ammonia. About the same time Berzelius and 

 Pontinf obtained the like result with solution of ammonia. 



* Annales de Chimie, LXYI. 191. 

 t Gilb., VI. 260, and BihliotJieque Britannique, No. 323, 324, p. 122. 



PEOCEEDixas— Lit. & Phil. Soc— Yol. XIT.— No. 1— Session 1872-3. 



