262 Electrical Society. — Intelligence and Miscella7ieous Articles. 



H. Pepys, Esq.; The Rev. Baden Powell; George Rennie, Esq.; 

 Lieut.-Col. William H. Svkes ; Charles Wheatstone, Esq. ; Rev. 

 \\illiam Whewell, D.D. ; Rev. Robert Willis, M.A. 



LONDON ELECTRICAL SOCIETY. 



Jan. 18. — Another communication from Mr. Iremonger was read, 

 containing further directions for the construction of the " Hydro- 

 static Galvanometer. ' Instead of selecting the heating power of a 

 given arrangement as the standard of graduation, as he at first sug- 

 gested, he recommends now that the decomposing power should be 

 chosen. He enters into the minutite of the arrangement, and illus- 

 trates by a drawing several improvements which may be introduced 

 with advantage. The account of the original instrument was pub- 

 lished by the Society in the last Number of their Proceedings. 



The conclusion of Prof. Jacobi's paper was then read, containing 

 descriptions of apparatus for retaining a voltaic current at a given de- 

 gree of intensit}^ ; this is effected by interposing either a liquid or a 

 solid resisting medium. It would be difficult, without the drawings, to 

 furnish our readers with an intelligible account of the arrangement. 

 The latter portion of the paper is devoted to a description of experi- 

 ments made with this apparatus. 



The Secretaiy then briefly communicated the success with which 

 Dr. Leeson had employed the bichromate of potash for the last six 

 months as a material for exciting voltaic pairs. There are several 

 curious facts in the course of development, the result of which he 

 anticipates ere long laying before the Society. The arrangement 

 has been employed with much success in the deposition of metals. 



Mr. Weekes's Register for December was submitted to the Society, 

 and extracts were read. The character of the atmosphere relative to 

 the earth during this month was (to employ electric language) mostly 

 neutral. 



XXXVIII. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



ACTION OF NITRATE OF LEAD ON OXAMIDE — TRISOXALATE OF 

 LEAD. BY M. PELOUZE. 



A BOILING solution of oxamide is not altered either by nitrate or 

 acetate of lead ; but add to either of these salts a little ammonia, 

 and there is soon precipitated an abundance of small, white, brilliant 

 lamina?, soft to the touch, and which are formed of 90'5 of oxide of 

 lead and 9'5 of anhydrous oxalic acid ; this is a new oxalate of lead, 

 a trisoxalate 3 Pbo -j- C- O^, in which the oxygen of the base and 

 that of the acid are equal, and which consequently corresponds to 

 oxalic acid crystallized in water. 



The decomposition of the oxamide into oxalic acid and ammonia, 

 facilitated undoubtedly by the insolubility of > the new salt, is much 

 more rapid in this case than with the alkalies and aqueous acids. 



This trisoxalate or tribasic oxalate of lead is also formed when 



