Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 1*7 



The President, Dr. Drummond, afterwards delivered a lecture 

 on the study of Natural History; in which, among other important 

 topics, he considered the respective advantages and value of the 

 actual investigation of nature, — of personal observation, — and of 

 the study of specimens in Museums and of books, — showing that all 

 were indispensable to the advancement of natural knowledge. He 

 argued, that every branch of science was useful to every other 

 branch ; and he urged the propriety of adding a knowledge of 

 Natural Philosophy, Physiology, and Chemistry, to that of Natu- 

 ral History. The subject of the germination of seeds was entered 

 into, and illustrated by magnified drawings ; the chemical condi- 

 tions requisite for that process being experimentally illustrated. 



Before concluding his lecture, Dr. Drummond expressed a hope 

 that, in addition to the attraction which the building would present, 

 from containing a collection of objects of Natural History, an oc- 

 casional exhibition of the Fine Arts might be held in the large 

 upper room of the Museum, which, from the manner in which the 

 light is supplied, is particularly well adapted for such a purpose. — 

 The gentlemen of the neighbourhood, he felt confident, would 

 cheerfully lend their paintings for six or eight weeks, and co-ope- 

 rate with the artists of the town for an object so desirable. Dr. 

 Drummond concluded an address, which was heard throughout 

 with the greatest attention, by recommending to the members of 

 the Natural History Society the utmost liberality in granting oc- 

 casionally the use of their rooms to any individual whose attain- 

 ments qualified him to give lectures on any branch of science, whe- 

 ther immediately connected with their pursuits, or otherwise. 



The Museum has been erected under the superintendence of 

 Messrs. Duff and Jackson, .Architects, of Belfast. The idea of the 

 order of the lower story is taken from the Choragic monument of 

 Thrasyllus. The portico is an exact copy of that of the cele- 

 brated octagonal tower of Andronicus Cyrrhestes, at Athens, com- 

 monly called the Temple of the Winds; and the order of the supe- 

 rior part is taken from the Temple of Minerva Polias. 



XIX. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



ON A COMBINATION OF THE PROTOXIDE AND PEROXIDE OF 

 IRON. BY MM, WOHLER AND LIEBIG. 



I'^HE perfect success attending the method (described in our last, 

 p. 76; for obtaining protoxide of copper, rendered it probable 

 that protoxide of iron, which has not hitherto been obtained pure in 

 a separate state, might be procured in the same manner. With this 

 object, sublimed chloride of iron was prepared, by calcining iron 

 wire in muriatic acid gas. This chloride, crystallized in white mi- 

 caceous scales, was fused at a low red heat with dry carbonate of 

 soda. The residual mass being treated with water, there remained 

 A dense black powder. 



This substance wag strongly attracted by the magnet, and dis- 

 U 1 solved 



