Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 387 



turn Juts been already ascertained. — The prize is a gold medal of 3000 

 francs. The memoirs to be sent to the Secretary before the 1st of 

 January 1829. 



M. Alhumbert's Prize. — This prize is for the encouragement of arts 

 and sciences ; its amount is 12,000 francs. The subject is the follow- 

 ing : To describe in a complete manner and with figures the changes 

 which the skeleton and muscles of frogs and salamanders undergo at the 

 different periods of their life. Memoirs (postpaid) to be sent to the 

 Secretary before 1st Januaiy 1829. 



Lalande's Astronomical Prize. — A gold medal of the value of 625 

 francs to be adjudged annually to any person who shall have made 

 the most interesting observation, or published the most useful me- 

 moir relating to Astronomy. 



M. de Montyon's Prize for Experimental Physiology. — This is a 

 gold medal of the value of 895 francs, for any work, either printed or 

 in manuscript, which shall be adjudged to have most contributed to 

 the progress of experimental physiology. Memoirs to be sent (post 

 paid) to the Secretary of the Academy before 1st of January 1828. 



M. de Montyon's Mechanical Prize. — This prize to be given to him 

 who in the opinion of the Academy shall best contribute to the im- 

 provement of useful instruments, either in Agriculture, the Arts, or 

 Sciences. — A gold medal of the value of 1500 francs. Memoirs with 

 descriptions or models to be sent to the Academy before 1st of Ja- 

 nuary 1828. 



LXIV. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



LABARRAQUE's disinfecting SODA-LIgUID. 



ON the 20th of February last a paper by Dr. Granville, was read 

 before the Royal Society, On the composition of M.Labarraque's 

 disinfecting liquid. This paper was printed in the Quarterly Journal 

 of Science tor April. According to Dr. Granville, the disinfecting soda- 

 liquid is a mixture of chloride of sodium and chlorate of soda. 



Before the publication of Dr. Granville's paper, 1 showed in the 

 Philosophical Magazine and Annals for May, that it was impossible 

 that this should be the composition of the substance in question ; and 

 for two reasons : first, The proportion of common salt employed by 

 M. Labarraque does not contain chlorine .sufficient to convert the 

 carbonate of soda into the salts mentioned by Dr. Granville ; and 

 secondly, I proved that the solution of carbonate of soda absorbed 

 chlorine, without evolving carbonic acid. 



In the last Number of the Quarterly Journal, Mr. Faraday has 

 examined the subject with his usual precision, and has confirmed the 

 opinions whicli 1 liad before expressed, and added several important 

 facts. He found that when the proportions of the several substances 

 directed to be employed by M. Labarraque were operated upon, 

 that " from the bei^inning to the end of the operation not a particle of 

 carbonic acid was disengaged from the solution [of carbonate of soda], 

 although chlorine was readily absorbed." Mr, Faraday finds, as 

 3 D 2 I have 



