224; lioi/al Acadeniij uf Sciences oj' Paris. 



parts. — M. Desmoulins, who had previously read to the Aca- 

 demy, on tlie 31st May last, a memoir on the differences ex- 

 isting between the nervous system of the lamprey and that of 

 the vertebrated animals, presented to the Academy the result 

 of new observations which he has been making at Rouen, since 

 the commencement of December, on two other species of 

 Petromi)zon. — M. Magendie read a memoir On a liquid which 

 is found in the cavity of the vertebral canal, and in a portion 

 of that of the cranium in man, as also in a portion of that of 

 the mammiferous animals in general. The Academy proceeded 

 to the election for the above-named professorship at the Mu- 

 seum cVHistoire Naturelle. The number of votes were 53.' 

 M. Mirbel had 28; M. Bosc 24; and M. Saint-Hilaire 1. 

 The proces-verbal of this election will be addressed to the 

 Minister of the Interior. 



Dec. 27. — M. the Keeper of the Seals, invited the Academy 

 to nominate one of its members to form part of the commis- 

 sion for reporting upon the types of the royal printing office. 

 M. Lacroix was apjiointed to this service. — M. Mathieu was 

 named, instead of M. Cauchy, member of the commission for 

 examining the papers of M. Peyravd. — M. Delisede Vire read 

 the remainder of his History of Lichens : this was transmit- 

 ted to the commissioners already named, MM. Desfontaines and 

 Bosc. — M. Clapeyron addressed, on the part of an author who 

 had not made himself known, the description of a machine for 

 the prize of M. de Monthyon. — An anonymous memoir On 

 apoplexy, for the prize of M. de Monthyon, -was also deposited 

 by one of the secretaries. — M. Arago presented a memoir 

 On the action exercised by copper, with respect to the oscil- 

 lations of the magnetic needle. (MM. Poisson, Ampere and 

 Dulong, commissioners.) — M. Vauquelin made a verbal report 

 upon the Dictionary of Chemistry of M. Pelletan junior. — 

 M. Magendie communicated, verbally, some new details rela- 

 tive to the liquid contained in the cranium and vertebral canal. 

 He opened, at the hospital de la Charite, the body of a man 

 recently dead. The vertebral canal was entirely filled with 

 liquid. This liquid surrounds the anterior nerves of the in- 

 teriors; it equally separates the several fibres, both of the 

 nerves of sensation and those of motion. It appears to be 

 more abundant in man than in animals. — M. Poisson read a 

 second memoir On the theoiy of magnetism. — M. Flonrens 

 read a memoir On the brain of fishes. This he connected 

 with the subjects of two other memoirs : the first On the cicatri 

 zation of wounds of the brain, and the re-production of the in- 

 tegumental parts; the second. On the fiuidamental condition- 

 of the hearing, and on the several causes of deafness. (MM. 

 Cuvier, de Humboldt, Portal, Dinnrril and Dulong, com- 

 missioners). — 



