Royal Society of Gotiingen. ^S'j 



low the direft order of their tendency to enter into faline 

 combination. 



The whole of the fafts related in this paper are of the 

 higheft iniereft to the fcience, as they prove to what a degree 

 the properties of fimple bodies, hitherto thought to be un- 

 combinable, may be altered when they are united; and fhow 

 the difficulties that attend our pronouncing as to the fimpH- 

 city or the compofiiion of any fubftance, whatever be the 

 charaAer tliat didinguifh it in chemical experiments. 



ROYAL SOCIETV OP GOTTINGEN. 



The Mathematical Clafs of this Society has propofed the 

 following prize queftion, the prize for which is to be ad- 

 judged in the month of November 1803: 



As it is of great importance in pyrometric difquifitions as 

 well as in the application of them, and alfo in makinc re- 

 fearches in regard to the nature of light and heat, to afcer- 

 tain the various degrees of heat which different liibftances-, 

 fooner or later, acquire when expofed to the folar rays ; and* 

 as little certain information has hitherto been acquired oa 

 this fubjeft, the fociety recommends it to the care and atten- 

 tion of philofophers. 



]ll, 7^o inveiHgate by nice experiments, and bv calcula- 

 tion founded on them, in what manner bodies of different 

 fubffances, but of the fame figure and volume, (globes of au 

 inch diameter will, perhaps,"^ be belt for this purpofe,) are 

 heated by the folar rays under the fame ftate of the atmo- 

 fphere, the fame intenfity of light, and the fame initial tem- 

 perament during each minute of obfervation, &c. 



2d, To determine, either by direft obfervation, which is 

 chiefly defired, or from the obferved law of the increafino- 

 heat, to what degree of temperament any body taken at the 

 end of the experiment, that is, when ihe'iucreafe of the heat 

 ceafes, v/ould have attained. 



The llifforical Clafs ha.^ propofed the following; queffion, 

 the prize for which is to be adjudged in the month of No- 

 vember 18^4: 



As many obfervations have been carefully made by the 

 old and by modern philofophers, particularly fince the J6th 

 century, in regard to meteors; as various ingenious opinions 

 have been given refpeoiing their orisrin and nature, and the 

 laws to which they are fulVjea; and"":is many things perhaps 

 occur in thel'e which might be of utility to improve meteor- 

 ology, or which at leall may be worthy of further examina- 

 tion, the fociety rc(iuires 'a continued accurate hittory of 

 meteorology from the firii attempts of the Greeks and Ro- 

 mans in this kind a[ ftudy down to the prefcnt period. 



'i lie lotiety, however, by no means defired lliat the com- 



pctilors 



