1828.] 
C 9t J} 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
ROYAL SOCIETY. 
Feb. 7.—An account was given of trigo- 
nometrical operations, in the years 1821-2-3, 
for determining the difference of longitude 
between the royal observatories of Paris and 
Greenwich, by Captain Kater.—14. On the 
mode in which the nerves belonging to the 
organs of sense terminate, by Sir E. Home. 
Experiments on heated iron, in reference 
to the magnetic and electric fluids, by W. 
Ritchie, Esq.—April 24. A paper was read, 
containing an account of experiments on 
the elastic curve, by B. Bevan, Esq. This 
curve has generally been stated to be the 
parabola, but after many trials, Mr. B. 
found that the formula, for the common 
hyperbola, gave a very near approximation, 
in all practical cases, to the curve assumed 
by a prismatic rod, when acted upon by the 
weight of its own parts.—May 1. A paper 
was read, entitled a description of a vertical 
floating collimator, and an account of its 
application to astronomical observations, 
with a circle, and a zenith telescope, by 
Captain Kater. This instrument, an im- 
provement on the horizontal collimator, in- 
vented by this gentleman in 1825, from the 
greater degree of precision attainable by its 
‘empleyment, from the facility of its con- 
struction and application, and the time 
saved by using it, the author deems it not 
unreasonable to infer that ere long the use 
of the level and plumb-line, in celestial ob- 
servations, will be wholly abandoned. 
ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 
March 14. The first paper read, was an 
ephemeris of the place of Encke’s comet, 
during the time of its re-appearance at the 
‘end of the present year. Drawn up at the 
request of the Council of the Society, by 
F. Baily, Esq. The next was a paper, on 
‘finding the rates of time-keepers, by BE. 
Riddle, Esq. The method proposed is by 
taking equal altitudes ofa fixed star, on the 
same side of the meridian, on successive 
nights. If the difference of the two conse- 
cutive times at which the star attains the 
‘same altitude (whatever it be) on the same 
side of the meridian, be less than 3-55-91, 
chronometer (presuming that it is regu- 
lated to mean solar time) will have gained, 
‘and if more, it will have lost much in a 
: day. And if the observations are 
made at an interval of m days, the 
_ part of the difference between the times 
__of observation compared with 3/5591, will, 
in like manner, give the mean rate for 
that interval, and if this quantity be mul- 
tiplied by 1-0027, it will give the rate for a 
“mean solar day. Lastly, there was read, a 
by the Rey. T. Hussey, on certain 
between the places of particular 
“stars as laid down by Piazzi and Bradley, 
: and the places assigned by reducing the 
4 observations of M. Bessel, which, in one 
instance at least, induce a supposition of an 
annual proper motion of +4-0’"9872 of the 
star in R.A.—April 11. A paper was read 
on the construction of large achromatic 
telescopes, by A. Rogers, Esq. Myr. HR. 
proposes to employ a single object lens, and 
to correct it by a compound lens placed 
near the focus of the former. A portion of 
a paper was also read on the occultation of 
é piscium, observed in Blackman-street, in 
the month of February, 1821. References 
to recorded observations of occultations, in 
which peculiarities have been apparently 
seen, either at the moon’s limb, cr upon her 
disc, together with an inquiry how far cer- 
tain hypotheses seem adequate to account 
for the phenomena, by I. South, Esq. 
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
March 21. Benjemin Silliman, M.D., 
was elected a foreign member of this So- 
ciety. F. Finch, Esq., and T. Winter, 
Esq., were elected Fellows. A paper was 
read, entitled ‘“‘ Topographical and Geolo- 
gical Notices,’ from information collected 
during the expedition to the North West 
Coast of America, under the command of 
Captain Franklin, by Dr. Richardson. Of 
this memoir, which will be published in 
full in the appendix to Captain Franklin’s 
Narrative of the Expedition, we shall here- 
after offer an analysis.—April 18. William 
Hutton, Beriah Botfield, and W. P. Ha- 
mond, Esqs., were elected Fellows. A paper 
wasread on the fossil remains of two new spe- 
cies of mastodens and of other vertebrated 
animals found on the left bank of the Irawadi 
(presented to the museum of the society by 
Mr. Crawfurd), by W. Clift, Esq. The 
president having communicated to the So- 
ciety that the Lords of the Treasury had 
granted to them the rooms in Somerset- 
house, formerly used as the Lottery-office ; 
thanks were voted on the occasion, and a 
subscription entered into for defraying the 
expense of fitting up the rooms.—May 2. 
Dr. Burton was elected member of the 
council on the retirement of Mr. Majendie, 
-and elected secretary in the room of R. I. 
Murchison, - Esq., who resigned and was 
elected foreign secretary in the place of 
H. Heuland, Esq. J.C. Loudon, and T. 
Copeland, Esqrs., were elected Fellows. 
And an extract of a letter was read from 
Lieutenant W. Glennie, R.N., dated Mexi- 
co, May 6, 1827, entitled “‘ The Ascent 
of Popocatapel;” also a letter from. J. B. 
Pentland, Esq., respecting the fossil re- 
mains of some animals from the north-east 
border of Bengal. The author has disco- 
vered among the mutilated fragments of 
bones obtained from the tertiary deposits 
on the Bramahpootra river, in the» small 
state of Coosh Behar, presented to the So- 
ciety some years ago by David Scott, Esq., 
and referred to in a former volume of the 
Transactions, the remains of four distinct 
species of mammalia, making an interest- 
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