17 



destroy the oqnilihrium, — positive being an accumuliition, 

 and negative a diminution. — The whole of these propositions 

 were confirmed, except the Fourth, which was proved to be 

 accurate where no impeUing cause existed to peevent its 

 natural agency- — but that it was possible under certain con- 

 ditions to force the fluid to pass the substance of the Electric. 



March 9. — Mr. Masters delivered a Lecture on the Eng- 

 lish Poets in continuation of a Series, and on this occasion 

 compared the merits of Young, Thomson, Mason, Gray, 

 and Collins, giving illustrations and extracts from their 

 works, and pointing out their chief excellencies and pe- 

 culiarities. 



March 16. — Mr. Read's concluding Lecture on the Turkish 

 Empire and its Dependant States, was read to the Society by 

 the Secretary, Mr. Read being prevented by indisposition 

 from appearing in public. The Lecture reviewed the early 

 History of Greece, its colonization, and the progressive in- 

 troduction of the Arts and Sciences, of Commerce and Na- 

 vigation. — It noticed the tendency of the several Govern- 

 ments to anarchy, and the causes. — The heroic bravery of 

 the early Greeks was contrasted with the degrada- 

 tion which the modern Greeks have endured from their Ma- 

 homedan oppressors. The character of the latter and their ad- 

 vanccsin Literature were noticed. The Lecture concluded with a 

 general glance at the position of the Turkish Capital, and it 

 was asserted that under more liberal Institutions and a better 

 Government, the Ottoman Empire may yet rise in the scale of 

 Nations, and become the centre of Commerce to the Eastern 

 Hemisphere, 



Marah 23. — Mr. W. H. Weekes delivered a Lecture on 

 the Chemistry of the Ores and Metallic Bodies, The Lec- 

 turer commenced by observing, that the attention of the 

 Institution had been principally directed, during several of 

 his preceding Lectures, to the Chemical Constitution and 

 Analysis of the Ores and Metallic Compounds. Mr. W. said that 

 by the term Ores he meant to imply all those native substances 

 containing the Metals in a state of Oxide or otherwise altered, 

 in all cases either combintid with some foreign substance by 

 which they were deprived of malleability and ni(;tullic lustre, 

 or else so intimati^ly mixed, that tlie particles of mefcil could 

 not be disc<;rned, and he would avail himself of the |)resent 

 opportunity to introduce a series of specimens illustrative of 

 the various Ores and Native Metals, which he accordingly 

 handed to the andienco for inspection. 



The Lecturer had on a lurnirr evening conveyed to the 

 Institution a practical ontline of the most simple and ready 

 process by which the Ores, considered generally, might bo 



C 



