468 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



gave so little chloride of silver, as to show that scarcely any por- 

 tion (if any) of chloride of sodium had been formed, and that by 

 such exposure nearly all the chlorine could be liberated from the 

 carbonate of soda. 



The mummy of an Ichneumon was also opened this evening upon 

 the Lecture-table, by Dr. Granville; and numerous rare and curious 

 books were on the Library tables. 



May IL — Mr. Brockedon has devised a process by which fine 

 metallic wires can be drawn through gems which, much surpassing 

 the steel plates in ordinary use, suffer no appretiable wear, and 

 permit an immense length of wire to be drawn without any increase 

 in diameter. Many curious observations arose during the neces- 

 sary experiments relating to the ductility, tenacity and malleability 

 of metals. Mr. Brockedon described these at the Lecture-table, and 

 illustrated the points of interest by numerous experiments. 



In the Library were Mr. Wheatstone's Kaleidophone, or Phonic 

 Kaleidescope ; Mr. Lydiatt's Smecrologometer, an instrument to 

 measure the tenacity of fine wire : and literary novelties. 



May 18. — Mr. Holdsworth gave a discourse on the forms of the 

 hulls of vessels. The means of conveyance upon the waters was 

 traced from the raft and balza upwards, to the most perfect speci- 

 mens of naval structures ; the various points of difference and coin, 

 cidence being illustrated by numerous very fine models from the 

 Navy Board and from pi-ivate gentlemen, and also by drawings. 



A series of Geological specimens, collected by Capt. Parry and 

 his companions from Port Bowen, Prince Regent's Inlet, were laid 

 on the Library tables, with many literary novelties and curiosities. 



LXXXIX. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



CRYSTALLIZED CARBONATE OF POTASH. 



MFABRONI (Annals of Philosophy, N. S. vol.vii.p. 470) ob- 

 • tained this salt by evaporating a solution of it until its spe- 

 cific gravity was 1'6; it then deposited crystals in the form of long 

 rhomboidal laminae. 



In order to procure crystallized carbonate of potash, 

 I evaporated a solution of sp. gr. 1425 to about one 

 half; on cooling, crystals were plentifully deposited, 

 which having been examined by my brother W. Phillips, 

 he states that the salt is so deliquescent that it is im- 

 possible to determine its form. It generally consists of 

 a number of crystals, having a resemblance to the dog- 

 tooth spar in form, arranged in the same direction, and limited ex- 

 ternally by six sides ; the underside of the crystal, represented in 

 the accompanying figure, has a line proceeding to the centre from 

 each of the six angles, and each of the six parts was striated in the 

 same manner: viewing the whole as one crystal it would be said 

 that the edge was replaced. 



Jo 



