308 Royal Institutw?i of Great Britai?i. 



ragus ; by the same. Both these papers were communicated by the 

 Cambridge Horticultural Society, as deserving the annual silver 

 medal given by the London Horticultural Society to provincial 

 Horticultural Societies in communication with it. — On the cultiva- 

 tion of Camellias in the open air ; by Mr. Joseph Harrison. — An ac- 

 count of a plan for preserving grapes in vineries from insects; by 

 Mr. Charles Harrison, F.H.S. — Observations upon metallic hot- 

 houses ; by Mr. W. M'Murrie, F.H S. — Upon the culture of the 

 Primus Pseudo-ccrnsus or Chinese cherry ; by Thomas Andrew 

 Knight, Esq., F.R.S (President). — A journal of meteorological ob- 

 servations made in the Garden of the Horticultural Society at Chis- 

 wick during the year 1826 ; by Mr. W. B. Booth, A.L.S.— A fine 

 collection of fruit of the best American apples, which had been sent 

 to the Society by Mr. Jesse Buel of Albany in the state of New 

 York, was exhibited. — A plant in flower of a single Warata'h Ca- 

 mellia, raised from seed in the garden of the Comte de Vandes, at 

 Bayswater, was also placed upon the table. 



ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Feb. 2. — An account was given by Mr. Alcock in the Lecture- 

 room, of the applications lately made in France of the chloride of 

 lime, and the solution prepared by passing chlorine through solu- 

 tion of carbonate of soda, as disinfecting agents. It appears that 

 notwithstanding the affinity by which the chlorine is held in these 

 bodies, that it is ready to act upon, and destroy any putrid miasma- 

 ta that may be floating in the atmosphere in which they are exposed. 

 If a cloth be dipped in a solution of chloride of lime, and exposed 

 to a foul air, or placed over putrescent matter, as a disinterred corpse, 

 that the noxious effluvia are quickly destroyed, and all injury to the 

 persons present prevented, without any unpleasant effects from 

 the presence of the chloride. The applications of this fact to nu- 

 merous cases of infected atmosphere were pointed out, and also to 

 the amelioration and cure of ulcers or putrescent sores. 



The Library tables were as before covered with numerous objects 

 of interest: amongst which was a specimen of deadly vegetable 

 poison from the kingdom of Assam, with which the Assamese tip 

 their arrows and spears. It has not yet been examined. 



Feb. 19. — A communication on the principle of security in 

 locks was given from the table by Mr. Ainger, from which it ap- 

 peared that the various methods invented of conferring security on 

 locks, might be considered as of two kinds; those which placed nu. 

 merous obstacles to the passage of the key (usually called wards), 

 and those which placed impediments to the motion of the bolt. The 

 latter appeared to be the only methods which afforded security, and 

 a lock of this kind constructed in Egypt was produced, which from 

 historical records appears to have been known and used there for 

 4000 years. Its action was illustrated by large models, as was also 

 that of Bramah's and other locks ; and the perfect security, which 

 could now be obtained by locks, was explained by a reference to 

 the principles upon which they were picked, and the manner in 

 which these were rendered deceptive or unavailing by the lock- 

 raakev. A specimen 



