27-1 Roijal Society. 



coction of madder was injected into the stomach, in thft 

 same manner as the indigo ; but this not answering the pur- 

 pose, rhubarb was substituted, rnconscquence of its extreme 

 sensibility to alkali. This experiment succeeded, and the 

 cardiac portion of the stomach, with a ligature on the py- 

 lorus, communicated the rhubarb to a kind of plexus in the 

 spleen, and- thence to the bladder. The application of alkali 

 to the urine immediately discovered the presence of the 

 rhubarb, but none appeared by the same means in the liver : 

 hence it was inferred, that the spleen aasiists in secretion, as 

 well as in assimilating the nutriment. 



On the SOth of November the Society held their anniver- 

 sar\' meeting; when the president delivered with the Cop- 

 leyan medal, as usual, a very eloquent address to Mr. Home, 

 taking a brief but perspicuous retrospect of the philosophi- 

 cal labours and discoveries in physiology of that gentleman, 

 from the commencement of his professional career, as the 

 relation and successor of the late Mr.. .T. Hunter in 1785, to 

 the present period. In. the course of the learned President's 

 review of the relative importance of this Fellow's numerous 

 communications, he took occasion to contrast the general 

 estimation of theTransactionsof the Royal Society of London, 

 which are produced and supported by the voluntary contri- 

 butipnsof its individual members, with those of other nations,^ 

 where they are supported by considerable revenues drawn 

 from the state. 'J^his cornparison was not.a little flattering to 

 the tiilcnts.and.spirjtof Englishmen, and to their disinter- 

 ested love of science. 



The Society tiien proceeded to the choice of the council 

 and officers for thq cns,uiug year ; when the following gen- 

 tlemen were elected of the council : 



Of the old council-— The liight Honourable Sir Joseph 

 Banks, Bart. K. B. ; sir Charles Blagdcn, knight ; Henry 

 Cavendish, esq.; Humphry Davy, esq. ; right honourable 

 Charles Greville; William Marsden, esq. ; rev. Nevil Maske- 

 lyne, D. D. ; George earl of Morton ; right honourable sir 

 William Scott, knight; Charles Wilkins, esq.; William. 

 Hyde Wollaston, M. D. 



Of the new council — ^John duke of Athol; sir James Earli 



knight ; 



