103 



recently attracted so much attention, and I believe they will 

 be found throughout the debris. For all these reasons, there- 

 fore, I submit that there is no ground for the theory of 

 glacial action as put forth by these gentlemen, but on the 

 contrary that the filling of the Victoria Cave was the work 

 of long ages, by the action of running water, and that there 

 is no reason to suppose that the remains found in it are 

 older than the glacial epoch. 



The President exhibited a syphon barometer, the pecu- 

 liarity of which consisted in the introduction of a small 

 quantity of sulphuric acid over the ends of the mercurial 

 column. 



Mr. Spence, F.C.S., communicated to the Society the 

 result of an experiment in heating a diamond, which will 

 considerably modify the general impression as to that gem 

 being combustible only at an extremely high heat. 



A friend of his had brought over a number of diamonds 

 from the African mines. Some of these were what is called 

 " off colour," not being purely white, and he put one of these 

 into Mr. Spence's hands to try some experiments for dis- 

 placing the colour if practicable. 



This diamond, the size of a small pea, was immersed in 

 fire-clay in a small crucible, the clay being mixed with a 

 little carbonate of soda and hydrate of lime, the crucible was 

 then placed in a muffle, and for three days and nights 

 exposed to a heat, which, at no time, was beyond a low 

 cherry red. After cooling, the crucible was broken, and the 

 lump of hardened fire-clay was carefully broken up to 

 extract the diamond ; after tAVO or three fractures of the 

 lump an impression or hole in the indurated clay was 



