Mr. J. Jones exhibited a curious specimen of Chinese pajjer bearing 

 coloured designs, apparently woven like cloth, suitable for walls. 

 The following paper was then read : 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE PHENOMENON OF ODOUR, 

 By THOMAS C. ARCHEE, Esq. 



It is, I believe, generally supposed that all odoriferous bodies give 

 off particles, which, coming in contact with the olfactory organs, com- 

 municate the sense of smell to the brain. This probably is the case in 

 some instances, but I have been led to doubt it as a general fact. If 

 "the sensation of smell resulted from the absolute contact of atoms 

 given off by the odorous substance, it would follow as a matter of 

 course that such circumstances as would be likely to increase the 

 evaj)oration or elimination of those particles would increase their 

 power of producing the sensation of odour ; but I think I can prove 

 that this is not always the case. For instance, many flowers are very 

 much more fragrant when the atmosphere is moist, especially after 

 rain, and thunder showers more particularly, circumstances which 

 cannot be so favourable to the evolution of essential or volatile oils as 

 hot sunshine would prove to be. 

 There are, too, 



•'Flowers which wake when otliers s-lee}!," 

 and — 



" Timid jasmine Imds that keep 



Their odours to themselves all day ; 



But Avhen the sunlight dies away, 



Let the delicious secret otit. 



To every wind that roams ahout." 



The words of the poet express the truth, for the fact of many flowers 

 being odorous by night only is well known. The jessamine mentioned 

 by the poet only posseses this quality partially, but the beautiful 

 (Enothera biennis is scentless by day, and has an exquisite odour of 

 primroses at night. No flower, however, is so remarkable in this 

 respect as the night-flowering stock, Matthiola trista, which, previous 

 to the dusk of evening, is perfectly inodorous, but afterwards becomes 

 so powerfully fragrant, that a plant carried into a room becomes oppres- 

 sively sweet. Many others might be cited, but these are sufficient to 

 show that the odour of some plants increases when the temperature is 

 lowered, and the fact that most plants are most fragi'ant after rain is 

 too well known to require examples. Hence it follows that some 

 plants are most fragrant upon a decrease of temperature, a condition 

 always opposed to volatilization : and others arc most fragrant when the 



