68 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [Jan. 



The following fact, which was lately observed at the printing- 

 works of a friend of mine, belongs to a difFerent class of pheno- 

 mena ; and is perhaps to be accounted for by galvanic agency. In 

 order to confine the heat in some cast-iron steam-pipes, they were 

 placed in a trough or gutter made of bricks, into which powdered 

 charcoal was tightly rammed. At a place contiguous to a joint, 

 formed by bolting two flanches together, a leak had happened ; 

 and when the iron pipe was taJ<en up, it was found in the neigh> 

 bourhood of the leaky part, to be perfectly soft and rotten. I was 

 not able to obtain an opportunity of examining the nature of the 

 change by any experiments on the altered iron. 



Manchester, Dec. 1814. 



Article VI. 



Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



On Thursday the 24th of November, part of a paper by Dr. 

 Brewster was read, on the depolarisation of light by mineral, vege- 

 table, and animal bodies. 



On Wednesday the 30th of November, the day of the anni- 

 versary election, the Copleyan medal was given to Mr. Ivory for 

 his Mathematical Papers published in the Transactions. The fol- 

 lowing office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year. 



President. — Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. K. B, 

 Secretaries. — William Hyde WoUaston, M. D. 

 Taylor Combe, Esq. M. A. 

 Treasurer. — Samuel Lysons^Esq. 



OF THE OLD COUNCIL, 



Right Hon, Sir Joseph Banks. 



Sir Chark;; Blagden, Knt. 



Samuel Goodenough, Lord Bishop of Carlisle, V. P. 



Taylor Combe, Est'. Secretary. 



Samuel Lysons, Esq. Treasurer, V. P. 



George, Earl of Morton, K. T. V. P. 



Thomas Murdoch, Esq. 



John Pond, Esq. Astr. Royal. 



William Charles Wells, M. D. 



William Hyde Wollaston, M. D. Secretary. 



Thomas Young, M. D. Seccretary for Correspondence. 



OF THE NEW COUNCIL. 



Mr. William Allen. 

 William Blake, Esq. 



