Royal Institution of Great Britain. 393 



retorts and pipes with carbonaceous matter. Mr. Daniell's process 

 obviates this objection, and renders these substances readily, ceco- 

 nomicall}', and in consequence advantageously, available. 



Several nen- works of art, and presents, were laid upon the tables, 

 with some very ancient and scarce books. 



March 16. — Mr. Ainger gave a brief sketch of the history and 

 principles of suspension bridges. Simple communications of this 

 kind were observed to be very numerous and ancient, especially in 

 Asia ; bit in them the road was laid on the curved lines of suspen- 

 sion, whereas in the suspension bridges of the last twenty years it has 

 been hung from these lines in such a manner as to form a horizontal 

 surface. The credit of the latter application was given to America. 

 The causes of the great superiority in oeconomy, of suspension over 

 insistent bridges, was pointed out ; and the peculiar advantages 

 united' in iron over those of any other substance explained. The 

 direction and amount of the forces exerted, the necessary strength 

 required to sustain them, and many other circumstances in their 

 construction, were then developed and explained by models and 

 diagrams. 



Numerous specimens of Natural History and of expensive and 

 rare literary works were laid upon the library tables. 



March 23. — Mr. Reinagle of the Royal Academy delivered a 

 discourse On the property of beauty contained in the oval. The 

 peculiar beauty of the ever-varying curve of the oval was pointed 

 out, and the manner in which, by the combination of different parts 

 of different ovals, arranged according to a certain order, all the 

 forms of Grecian vases might be obtained. A still more extended 

 application of the principle was made to the grouping of the im- 

 portant parts of figures and objects in historical paintings : — this was 

 illustrated by reference to the works of the great Italian painters. 



In the library were worked specimens of Swedish porphyry : 

 some specimens of pierced metallic plates, the holes being made at 

 perfectly regular intervals, and accurately punched, so that no bur 

 was produced, or any circumstance created to destroy their uni- 

 formity ; some of them were so fine as to present the appearance 

 almost of an uniform metallic surface. — Some peculiar crystalline 

 depositions from oil of turpentine, with numerous new books, were 

 also upon the tables. 



March 30. — The subject this evening was A general view of the 

 animal oeconomy, particularly illustrated by a history of the circu- 

 lation in man and other animals ; by professor Pattison, 



A large meteoric stone was placed on the library table, with a 

 particular account of its fall, in the Persian language. This was 

 translated by Dr. Wilkins. The stone fell in the night of the 7th of 

 August 1822, near the village of Kadonah, in the district of Agra. 

 It descended with much noise as of cannon and of the wind, awaken- 

 ing those who were asleep, and alarming a watchman who heard 

 it fall. On making search in the !norning, the stone was found warm, 

 and with a little smoke rising from it : it is to be subjected to ex- 

 amination. 



Mr. Kitchic's simple and accurate Balance was al.so |)laced upon 

 iVra; Series. Vol. I. No. .5. May 1827. 3 E the 



