1 821 .] Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. 73 



weather was clear and calm, the thermometer fixed on a pole 

 between the ships and the shore, never rose above — 54°, and 

 was once during that interval, namely, at six in the morning, as 

 low as — 55°. Some mercury was frozen during the continuance 

 of this cold weather, and beaten out on an anvil, previously 

 reduced to the temperature of the atmosphere; it did not appear 

 to be very malleable in this state, usually breaking after two or 

 three blows from the hammer. 



By filling small shallow boxes with mould, and placing them 

 along the stove pipe in the cabin, even in the severity of the 

 winter, Capt. Parry found he could generally raise a small quan- 

 tity of mustard and cress, in six or seven days, though the fire 

 was not kept in at night. The mustard and cress thus raised 

 were necessarily colourless, from the privation of light, but as 

 far as he could judge, they possessed the same pungent aromatic 

 taste as if grown under ordinary circumstances. 



The distance at which sounds were heard in the open air during 

 the continuance of intense cold was so great as constantly to afford 

 matter of surprise to him, notwithstanding the frequency with 

 which he had occasion to remark it. People might often be heard 

 distinctly conversing, in a common tone of voice, at the distance 

 of a mile. Lieutenant Beechy and Messrs. Beverly and Fisher, 

 in the course of a walk which led them to a part of the harbour 

 about two miles directly to leeward of the ships, were surprised 

 by suddenly perceiving a smell of smoke, so strong as even to 

 impede their breathing, till, by walking on a little further, they 

 got rid of it. This circumstance shows to what a distance the 

 smoke from the ships was carried horizontally, owing to the 

 difficulty with which it rises at a very low temperature of the 

 atmosphere. 



Article XIII. 



Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



May 31. — The reading of Mr. Herapath's paper, on the 

 Absolute Zerc, was concluded. 



The object of Mr. Herapath has been to determine the law of 

 temperature, and the point of absolute cold. For this purpose, 

 he contrived an apparatus for obviating the effects of radiation ; 

 and, having mixed equal weights of mercury at a very high and 

 low temperature, he carefully ascertained the temperature of 

 this mixture. 



In seven experiments of his own, thus made, and two of Mr. 

 De Luc's, he found that the results followed a law from which 

 they differed, at a medium, not more than 1-1 Oth of a degree. 



