- 
Royal Society. 479 
P, S.—It is now about a year since your correspondent 
Mr.Kirby attacked an ceconomical lamp which J invented,and 
an account of which was published in Nicholson’s Journal. 
I may take this opportunity of observing, that the reason 
of Mr. Kirby’s ill success was in a great measure owing to 
the distance at which he placed the water to be heated 
above the chimney of the lamp. The directions given in 
my paper, were to place it as near as possible without 
causing it to smoke. From subsequent experiments, [ am 
inclined to think that the principal advantage of the ceco- 
nomical lamp consists in the shortness of the glass, and 
the smali diameter of the central aperture. The Argand 
lamp would be much improved for chemical purposes, by 
having a shorter glass, aud by making the hole of an oval 
form or otherwise preventing the access of so much cold 
air as constantly flows through it, without ever coming in 
contact with the flame: if possible it should decompose 
the whole of the oxygen that passes through it. My ex- 
periments were often repeated, and certainly correct. J may 
add, I have since learnt that Count Rumford has discovered 
that several small wicks placed nearly in contact with each 
other, produce a greater heat than the same quantity of oil 
and cotton in any other construction. 
LXXVIII. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
ROYAL SOCIETY, 
Nov. 25. Tue Right Hon. President in the chair. The 
Bakerian Lecture on some Electro-chemical Phenomena, 
by W.T. Brande, Esq. F. R.S. was read. Mr. B. directed 
his attention chiefly to the illustration of some apparently 
anomalous facts respecting the law that oxygen is at- 
tracted by the positive, and carbon by the negative pole of 
a galvanic battery. This opinion, having been proposed by 
Sir H. Davy, and Dr. Wollaston, Mr.B. wished to esta- 
blish more generally by an appeal to facts; he began by 
making some experiments, proving the identity of galva- 
nism and electricity, and then proceeded to place a large 
burning candle between the poles of a Voltaic battery; if 
the wick were large and much carbon emitted, the flame 
was strongly attracted towards the negative pole; if small 
the attraction was less powerful. A piece of inflamed 
phosphorus, on the contrary, was attracted by the positive 
pole. The author also burned benzoin and seyeral other 
resins, 
