74 Rmjal Sotiety. 



lifht for men's use, and that this luminous nothing has no 

 more distinct existence than sound, proceeded to make a 

 number of hltlc experiments on wax tapers and a photome- 

 ter. He began by weighing the combustible matter con- 

 sumed or lransf(;rmed during a given time, aiid compared 

 the quantity of hght emitted ui proportion to the wax 

 burnt. In nine such experiments he satisfied hin)self that 

 the liffht emitted bore no invariable proportion to the quantity 

 of combustible matter consumed, but that with small 

 tapers, which yielded very little light, there was a very con- 

 siderable increase of he.U. Here he was induced to make 

 some observations on the nature of heat, or heated bodies, 

 so far as their luminous qualities were concerned ; all of 

 which, he thought, tended to confirm hisopinion, that there- 

 is no such mailer in existence as light, and that philoso- 

 phers may for ever torture their imaginations about its na- 

 ture and qualities, without ever being a tittle the wiser. 

 He observed, that no person ever looked for the nature and 

 properties of sound in fulminating powder, and it is equally 

 idle to look for those of light in combustible bodies. He 

 has however a very philanthropic and important discovery 

 to make, namely, a new invention of his oivn, a polyflame 

 lamp, consisting of a number of burners, with wicks flat 

 like a ribbon, and so placed one at the side of another that 

 the air can pass between tlieni, at the same time that they 

 arc duly supplied with oil. The flat wicks arranged in this 

 manner, side by side, supplied with oil, and covered wiih 

 a large glass whic-li rose several inches above the flame, 

 yielded as much light as 40 candles ! The Count concludes 

 with expressing his own liberality in thus publishing his 

 discovery, and declares himself ready to give every pos- 

 sible information in his power to any person who may 

 wish to construct such lamps ; but modestly adds, that his 

 own is not made quite so well as lie could wish, and that 

 his apparatus is still capable of further improvement. 



The Society then adjourned over a week, to meet agaiji 

 on Thursday the Clh of February. 



ROYAL INt-TITUTION. 



Mr. Davij's Lectures on the Elements of Chemical 

 PhUoiOplnj, 



Mr. Davy delivered the introductory lecture on this new- 

 course on SaUudav, Jan. 25. He slated, ihat in former courses 

 of Icciurcs lie haci been in the habit of dwelling more upon 

 the imperfections lluiu tlie perfections of the science, con- 

 sidering 



