Royal Society. 229 
sinking, as in the old system. This method not only adds greatly 
to the stiffness and strength of the vessel, but also prevents the 
timbers and flooring from becoming a prey to the rot occasioned 
by moisture and stagnant air. Mr.S. exposes the notion of 
ships being elastic, and contends that they are stronger and bet- 
ter in proportion as they are non-elastic, and capable of resisting 
pressure in whatever direction it may be applied. Considerable 
advantage he also considers must attend his plan, from the su- 
perior stiffness and strength of the decks, composed of frame- 
work with diagonal binders, so that the deck, instead of being a 
series of parallel boards, having very little connection with each 
other, and susceptible of being detached in any emergency, will 
present a continuous mass of timber, having its grain placed in 
all directions best adapted to make the greatest possible resist- 
ance to any external force. There are many other minor im- 
provements in this new method, such as obviating the necessity 
of much iron work, so that no extra-weight is occasioned by the 
filling-up between the timbers; less ballast is required; much 
old ship-timber can be used with advantage; and lastly, in the 
construction of a 74 gun ship, 178 trees, of 50 feet each, are 
saved. 
March 17. A paper by Dr. Alex. Crichton was read, contain- 
mg an account of his experiments on the vitality of organized 
matter. The author having observed that organized bodies are 
influenced by laws very different from those of chemistry, that 
living matter overcomes affinity and gravity, and that whenever 
life ceases, the decomposition of organized bodies commences, 
seems thence to infer that there are two kinds of matter, or that 
organized matter still retains some latent vitality, notwithstand- 
ing its chemical decomposition. To ascertain this point, he made 
a variety of experiments on different vegetables, on dried barks, 
flowers, &c. using decoctions of vegetable matter exposed to the 
action of oxygen and other gases in glass tubes over mercury, 
and in all of them, except a decoction of liquorice root, he dis- 
covered traces of vitality or fructification ina few days. The leaves 
of flowers he always found yielded the greatest quantities of orga- 
nized or vitalic matter. 
March 24. Dr. Young, with that acuteness and facility of ap- 
plying mathematical principles to practice for which he is di- 
stinguished, presented a paper to the Society, which was read, 
consisting of remarks on the principles and improvements in naval 
architecture proposed by Mr, Seppins. 
Ps IMPERIAL 
