28 



HisroRr of the so'ciETr. 



of equilibrium ; they have no difpofition to cohere together, 

 and are ready to obey the impreflion of the fmalleft force. 



Such are the ideas which Dr Hutton had formed on the 

 fulphuration of metals, and the theory by which it muft be ex^ 

 plained ; and they are rendered more interefling, by being the 

 laft communication made by that ingenious and profound phi- 

 lolbpher. 



1796. 



June JO. 

 Biographical 

 account of W. 

 T)tler, Efq; 



July 4. 

 Di Walker's 

 Itatiflical ac- 

 count ot" Col 



lington. 



Nov. 7. 



Mr Ivory on 

 the retflification 

 of the ellipfis. 



Lit. CI. Mr Mackenzie read a Biographical Account of 

 the late Wtlliam Tytler, Efq; of Woodhoufelee. [Hiftory, 

 No. II. p. (17)]. 



Pbj'f. CL Some PafTages from Dr Walker's Statiftical Ac- 

 count of the parifh of Collington were read. 



PhyJ. CI. Mr Playfair communicated an Extracft of a Let- 

 ter from James Ivory, A. M. containing a New Series for the- 

 Redlification of the Ellipfis. [See Part II. of this volume^. 

 No. VIII. p. 177.] 



Dr Mackay'5 



determination of 

 the longitude of 

 the Obkrvatory 

 at Aberdeen. 



At this Meeting Dr Mack ay's Determination of the Longi- 

 tude of the Obfervatory at Aberdeen was alfo communicated. 

 [Part II. of this volume, No. V. p. 140] 



The eftabhlhment of a New Obfervatory, where there are fo 

 few as in Scotland, is an event of too much importance, in the 

 literary hiftory of the country, to be pafled over without notice. 

 The eftablifhment of that at Aberdeen ought the more to be re- 

 corded, that it does great honour to the public fpirit and fcien- 

 tific zeal of the Principal and ProfefTors of the Marifhall Col- 

 lege, and of the other gentlemen by whofe voluntary fub- 

 fcription it was brought about. From the funds which their 

 fubfcription afforded, an Obfervatory was built in 1781, on 

 a part of the Caftle Hill, which was given in a prefent to the 



College 



