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CHAPTER XXII. 
| GENERAL SCIENCE. 
THE Royal Society of London is the only one in Britain that has contributed 
in its collective capacity to the scientific history of the last year: it is, however, in 
itself a host, and the present annual volume will be found of unusual value and 
importance. ‘The Philosophical Society of Calcutta has also published a volume 
of high respectability, and in consequence of the recent establishment of a college 
in British India, we may reasonably expect an accession of vigour and spirit to an 
institution, with which no other colonial society can presume to vie. Dr. Rees’s 
Cyclopcedia continues advancing with a firm and even pace, and promises to be no 
small credit to those who are engaged in the execution of so vast an undertaking. 
Arr. I. 
’ THE Royal Society continues its ex- 
ertions in the cause of science with un- 
abated energy and success. It has pub- 
lished, as usual, an annual volume in 
two parts, containing a variety of curious 
and important information. The first 
article is the Bakerian Lecture. 
: ys . Py 
1, Observations on the Quantity of horizontal 
- Refraction, with a Method of measuring 
the Dip at Sea.” By W.H. Woxrtastron, 
M.D. F.R.S. 
Dr. W. relates a series of observa- 
tions made on the Thames from Somer- 
set House, which show that the quan- 
tity of horizontal refraction observable 
over a short extent of water is much 
larger than was supposed, and that this 
refraction, although no doubt in part to 
be attributed to a variation of tempera- 
ture, and therefore of density in the 
lower sttatum of the atmosphere, is also 
materially affected by other citcum- 
stances as yet unknown. The method 
of measuring the dip at seq, as proposed 
by Dr. Woilaston, is to ascertain by the 
back observation the whole vertical angle 
between any two points of the horizon ; 
half the excess of the angle above 150° 
should of course be the dip required. 
« The most obvious objection to this,” 
he author remarks, “ is vhe possibility 
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London for the Year 1803. 
4t0, pp. 514. sixteen plates, 
“eo 
that the refraction may in some measure 
be different in opposite points of the ho- 
rizon at the same time, but on the sur- 
face of the ocean in general, any partial 
variations of temperature can rarely be 
supposed to exist.” 
2, A Chemical Analysis of some Calamines. 
By James Smiruson, Esq. F.RLS. 
Citizen Hauy, in his Elements of Mi- 
neralogy, has asserted, contrary to the 
general opinion of chemists, that cala- 
miye is a simple oxyd of zinc, conta~ 
minated frequently with carbonat of 
lime, to which it owes its charactgr of . 
effervescing with acids. In consequence 
of this, Mr. S. was induced to analyze 
some varieties of calamine, for the pur- 
pose of obtaining a more perfect know- 
ledge of those ores. Calamine from 
Bleyberg afforded him, 
Oxyd of zinc - - 71.4 
Carbonic acid’ = =) 13.5 
Water © - = -' 15,1 
100.0 
A dense mamillated variety from the 
Mendip hills yielded 
Carbonic acid - - 35.2 
Oxyd of zing = - 648 "" 
100.0 © 
