176 Col. Waterlioiise — Photograph of a flash of lightning. [June, 



W. 0. Bonnerjee, Esq., (for re-election) Barrister at Law, proposed 

 by Babu Gaurdas Bysack, seconded by C. Little, Esq. 



Babu T. N. Mnkharji, Assistant Cnrator, Economic Section, Indian 

 Museum, proposed by Col. J. Waterhouse, seconded by C. Little, Esq. 



P. Donaldson, Esq. (for re-election), proposed by Col. J. Water- 

 house, seconded by C. Little, Esq. 



The following gentlemen have intimated their wish to withdraw 

 from the Society: — 



Colonel A. C. Toker. 



J. W. Parry, Esq., C. E. 

 The Secretary reported the death of the following member : 



A. Grant, Esq., (Life Member). 



The President announced that a proposal had been made by the 

 Calcutta Photographic Society to rent two rooms on the ground floor 

 of the building for Rs. 60 a month, and that the Council had decided in 

 favour of the arrangement. The details had not been settled yet, but it 

 had been decided that the rooms should be let. They were not wanted 

 by the Asiatic Society, and by letting them a desirable increase would be 

 made to our monthly income. At present we had no fund for the 

 repairs of the building, and the Rs. 60 a month would be useful for this 

 purpose. 



Colonel Waterhouse exhibited a photograph of a flash of lightning 

 taken on the evening of the 18th May by Mr. H. Haward, Head Assis- 

 tant in the Photographic OflBce, Survey of India. He said — the principal 

 interest attaching to the picture is the remarkable closeness of the flash 

 which Mr. Haward says was within 25 yards of him, and is clearly seen 

 to the left of the picture running between the camei-a and a house 

 about forty yards away. x4iiiother peculiarity in the flash is the succession 

 of bright points at intervals indicative of more intense electrical action 

 at those points. The brighter flashes to the right were taken first and 

 then the near flash took place, but the whole exposure was not more 

 than two seconds. 



Colonel Waterhouse also exhibited a bottle of solution of silicate 

 of soda from which the silica had separated out in agate-like layers at 

 the lower part of the bottle. He said — I do not know exactly how 

 long I have had this bottle, but most probably since 1881 and possibly 

 earlier. It was lying for many years in a corner of a glass cupboard 

 in No. 1, Wood Street, near a west window, where it would be ex- 

 posed to light on one side during the time the office was open daily ; 



