142 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
ings taken off Nova Scotia. Captain Thomas Millard, of the 
barque, First of May, presented specimens of anchor mud from 
Montego Bay and the harbours of Kingston and Port Royal, 
Jamaica; also a sounding from the banks of Newfoundland. 
The Chairman stated that he was led to pursue Dr. Robert’s 
suggestions on the use of magenta dye in examining tissues. 
From experiments made since the last meeting of the section, he 
finds that the dye has no power to colour living tissue, whether 
animal or vegetable, but that as soon as life is extinct the action 
of the dye commences. He is continuing the experiments, which 
are of a most interesting character, and he hopes to lay the result 
before the next meeting of the section. 
Mr. Leigh considered it probable that so long as vital action 
continued, ordinary endosmosis could not take place. 
Mr. Mosley said that Mr. Hepworth had frequently tried 
magenta for injections, and the results were not satisfactory, 
as the colouring matter diffuses itself through the whole of the 
tissues, giving an appearance of dyed flesh rather than that of 
injected preparations. This appears to confirm the preceding 
observations, and to account for the accumulation of colour where 
the integument is thickest, by means of which Dr. Roberts dis- 
covered the spot on the red blood-discs, as announced at the 
previous meeting. 
Mr. Leigh drew the attention of the section to the adulteration 
of size as a cause of mildew in cotton goods. 
Mr. Watson named the investigations made by Mr. Thompson 
about twenty-five years ago, as to the cause of mildew in madder 
purple-printed cottons shipped to hot climates. It was attri- 
buted to the starch employed in finishing the goods, which, acted 
upon by moisture, heat, and pressure, had given rise to an organic 
acid which discharged the colour. 
Mr. Hurst described his experience of mildew on printed 
cottons and upon dyed fustians at Gibraltar and Calcutta. In 
most cases it appeared in spots and round patches, which 
affected the colours. On the fustians, he had no doubt, it was 
caused by the growth of a fungus, as the surface of the spots was 
sensibly raised. 
Mr. Mosley considered there might be several kinds of mildew ; 
that upon the fustians might be attributed to the bone size with 
which those goods were generally finished, and known by the 
characteristic smell. Mr. Mosley also exhibited a pattern of 
gray calico, which had become discoloured and quite rotten in 
irregular patches, from mildew; it had lain for some time ina 
damp place, under pressure; there was this peculiarity about it, 
that the coloured patches whilst damp were quite tender, but on 
exposure to the air and drying the cloth had recovered its 
strength. 
Mr. Heys remarked that twenty years ago he was engaged 
in the manufacture of fine muslins; it was usual to soak the 
weft in soap suds, to facilitate the weaving; and it was found the 
