372 Analyses of Books. [Nov. 
Regent’s Park, by pérmission of Mr. Jenkins, the proprietor. 
The situation isin all respects an eligible one, being far removed 
from the neighbourhood of iron.” 
“ The results by three different methods collected into one 
view, are as follow, viz. 
By 10 experiments with Meyer’s needle. ........ 70° 02-9’ 
By the times of oscillation in the magnetic meridian, 
and in the plane perpendicular to it; mean by 
EEEO FACE CIES iy. 3 nine din usiccepmyeonpoibirics<. ah, "ian eee aE) 
By the times of vertical and horizontal oscillation. 70 02°6 
«Whence 70° 03’ may be considered as the mean dip of the 
needle towards the north in the Regent’s Park, in August and 
September, 1821, within four hours of noon, being the limit 
within which all the experiments were made.” 
As the observations of Mr. Nairne in 1772, and of Mr. Caven- 
dish in 1776, give an approximation of 72° 25’ for the dip in 
1774, we obtain, it is stated, 3-02’ as the mean annual rate of 
_ diminution between 1774 and 1821; and if we take Mr. Whis- 
ton’s determination of the dip in 1720, 75° 10’, we obtain 
between the years 1720 and 1774, an annual diminution of 3°05’. 
Capt. Sabine says, “in conclusion, there appears reason to 
presume, from the preceding experiments, that the dip itself 
may be determined by Meyer’s needle within a much smaller 
limit of uncertainty than has hitherto been the case by needles 
of the usual construction.” 
I]. Some Positions respecting the Influence of the Voltaic Bat- 
tery in obviating the Effects of the Division of the Eighth Pair 
of Nerves. Drawn up by A. P. Wilson Philip, MD. PRS. Edin. 
(Communicated by B. C. Brodie, Esq. FRS.) 
This short paper appears to establish two momentous and 
novel facts in physiology ; we shall give the principal results of 
Dr. Philip’s investigation in his own words, distinguishing the 
important circumstances by the italic character. 
‘In some experiments in which the nerves of the eighth pair 
were divided in the neck of a rabbit, and the ends not displaced, 
and the animal was allowed to live some hours, it was found that 
food swallowed immediately before the division of the nerves, 
was considerably digested, even when the divided ends of the 
nerves had retracted to the distance of a quarter of aninch from 
each other.” 
“In other experiments in which, after the division of the 
nerves, the divided ends had been turned completely away from 
each other, little or no perfectly digested food, when the animal 
was allowed to live some hours, was found inthe stomach; and the 
longer the animal lived, the smaller was the proportion of digested. 
food found in the stomach ; the great mass having the appear- 
ance of masticated food, which was not sensibly lessened in 
quantity, however long the animal lived. In an experiment in 
