468 ^oyal Society. 



Bart. K.G.C.B. — Treasurer, Samuel Lysons, Esq.— Secretarie.*> 

 William Hyde Wollastoii, M.D., and Taylor Combe, Esq. 



After the election the members of the Society dined together, 

 as usual, at tlie Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand. 



Dec. 7. — The President in the chair. A short paper by Dr. 

 lieid Clanny was read, containing an account of some recent 

 experiments made with his lamp in coal-amines, when their at- 

 mosphere was in a highly combustible state, being saturated 

 with carburetted hydrogen gas. In this communication, which 

 Dr. C. calls a Supplement to his paper in the Phil. Trans. 

 1813, the author narra'es the dreadful events which have 

 occurred in the different coal-mines since that period, when he 

 first proposed his lamp as a protection to miners. He notices 

 the increased number of such calamities in cousequence of the 

 increasing extent of the mines, and adds that, nevertheless, his 

 lamp had not been tried ! One alleged that ventilation was the 

 best protection ; but this is impossible wiiere the mine, as often 

 happens, has only one shaft. Another, that the lamp was liable 

 to be broken by the fall of pieces or stones from the roof. To 

 remove this objection, he had a lamp constructed of glass so 

 thick and strong that a ton weight falling on it could not break 

 it. He likewise made it so porlable that it rtay be carried in a 

 great coat pocket. Still he has been unable to get it introduced 

 into practice, or even fairly tried, although it has received the 

 approbation of all the scientific men who have seen it. Even 

 till very lately (in the month of October only) he could not obtain- 

 a favourable opportunity of making himself a fair experiment 

 with his lamp, in a coal-mine saturated with fire-damp. Dr. 

 C. gives an instance of persons either c\-ading or declining to- 

 make an experiment with his lamp, although he lives in the 

 vicinity of coal-mines. Ultimatelv, he has succeeded, through 

 the beneficent exertions of Mr, Holmes, in m.aking two different 

 experiments in mines which were in a highly combustible state, 

 and where the presence of a common lamp must have been at- 

 tended with instant ruin. One of these experiments was made 

 in rather a perilous situation, in the chamber of a mine 100 

 fathoms below the surface of the earth, and where the air was so 

 iuflamm.able that a common lamp must have blown up the mine : 

 hut witir Dr. C.'s lamp no danger whatever occurred, and al! 

 persons remained in perfect safety.^ In these experiments, at- 

 mospheric air was first thrown into the lamp by rrieans of the 

 bellows: carburetted hydrogen was then added till a slight ex- 

 plosion took place within the lamp, which Was then extinguished, 

 without affecting the circumambient air, which was highly in- 

 flammable. These satisfactory and successful results are at- 

 tested 



