128 Mb. W. Keddie on the Early History and Proceedings of the Society. 



prevent houses, by the inadvertence of the inmates, from being flooded 

 in the morning when the water was turned on . 



Mr. ScouUar, father of Dr. Scoullar, exhibited a variety of specimens 

 or swatches of cotton, linen, woollen, and tartan, rendered waterproof, 

 together with flexible pipes for conducting water, prepared by Mr. 

 Macintosh's patent process. 



Mr. Thomson, at a subsequent meeting, showed a specimen of 

 caoutchouc cloth, the same kind as Sir Humphrey Davy had got a pair of 

 boots made of. 



A piston was exhibited, consisting of angular pieces, with a coiled spring 

 in the centre, tending to force out these pieces to the periphery of the circle, 

 so that they might always be in contact with the inside of the cylinder. 



In the month of July, 1825, the members were specially invited to 

 witness the ascent of a balloon from the Gas Works. 



Sir H. Davy's experiments on preventing the decomposition of copper 

 sheathing on ships, were explained to the Society by Mr. Thomson. 

 The refining of sugar was also repeatedly brought under notice. 



An account of the preparation of indigo in India, by Mr. Robert 

 Hastie, son of the Chairman, and then resident in Bengal, was read to 

 the Society. 



Mr. R. Hart described a marble-cutting machine, contrived by him- 

 self, and employed by Mr. Thorn in a work at the corner of Anne 

 Street and Jamaica Street. 



Mr. J. Beaumont Neilson brought forward a paper on Iron-making, 

 accounting for the superiority of winter-made to summer-made iron, 

 from the greater quantity of oxygen in the blast during cold weather — 

 a position combated by several of the members. 



A question was raised, but not answered — What is the best method 

 of drawing one's own portrait ? 



Mr. William King Clark read one or two essays on the habits of 

 bees, which he had studied with the help of a glass-hive. 



Some attention was given to the improvements of carpet-weaving in 

 Kilmarnock, and shawl-weaving in Paisley. 



The last notable part of the proceedings of the year 1825, was a 

 paper on " The Upper Navigation," by Mr. Boaz, who was at great 

 pains to illustrate the benefits which would ensue from making a cut 

 from Cambuslang to the Point-House at the mouth of the Kelvin. 



The Society agreed that the two papers on this subject should be 

 embodied in the next part of its printed Proceedings. 



The Scrutineers gave iu their report, from which it appeared that the 

 following four gentlemen were elected in the order of the number of 



