1S14.] Hoyal Society. SOS 



paper was read. Several nebulosities seem to have surrounded 

 certain stars in consequence of a motion whicii they had acquired, 

 and which brought them witliin the stars' spheres of action. Dr. 

 H. likewise noticed clusters of stars which seem mutually to attract 

 each other, as they are densest in the centre. These clusters are 

 chiefly in the Milky Way. 



On Thursday the 10th of March a paper by Mr, Sepplng was 

 read, on an improvement in the mode of building ships of war. 

 Notwithstanding tiie importance of our navy to Great Britain, and 

 the increasing scarcity and price of oak, no improvement lias taken 

 place in the construction of ships of war for the last century. Mr. 

 Sepping in this paper described an improvement wiiich he himself 

 has made, which adds to the strength and durability of ships, 

 wliile inVonsecpjence of the advantage which it affords of using the 

 oak of old ships, reduces the quantity of new oak necessary for a 

 ship of war about -V.th, and saves about 1 40 oak trees in the building 

 of a single l-i gun ship. According to the old mode of building, 

 the different timbers were made to act on each other at right angles. 

 According to the new they act obliquely. But it would be scarcely 

 possible to convey an idea of the new method without drawings; 

 nor indeed does the editor consider himself as sufficiently acquainted 

 with the subject to venture upon details. Several ships have already 

 been constructed according to the new plan; so that its comparative 

 advantages will be put to a fair trial. 



On I'hursday the IJth of March a pa}>er by Dr. Chrichton of 

 St. Fetersburgh was read, on the means by which vitality is sup- 

 plied to the living system. 



Dr. Crichton conceives that there is a continual waste of vitality 

 during life, and therefore that a regular supply is necessary. He 

 thinks that this vitality is furnished by the food, and believes that 

 the fciod contains particles endowed with vitality, and that this 

 vitality is neither destroyed by the destruction of the organic 

 texture, nor by the heat to which the food is exposed. He made de- 

 coctions of camomile, feverfew, nutgalls,&c. in distilled water, put 

 the decoctions into glass jars inverted over distilled mercury, and in- 

 troduced into them oxygen gas obtained from black oxide of manga- 

 nese. Numerous confervas made their appearance in these decoctions, 

 and con>iderabIe portions of the gas were absorbed. From these ex- 

 jK'riments he draws as a conclusion, that tlicre are two kinds of par- 

 ticles of matter, namely organic particles and inorganic particles, 

 and that the vitality of the first is not destroyed by boiling water. 

 In general he found that vegetation commenced soonest wlicn 

 the decoction of flowers is used, and latest when that of roots. 

 These exjHiriments lead directly to the doctrine of equivocal ge- 

 neration, and prove nothing, unless that doctrine be taken for 

 granted. Similar exi)eriments were long ago advanced by Girtaimer 

 in "-uiJiJort of equivocal generation, and he modestly boasted that he 

 had crenltd a vegetable. 1 can conceive the seeds of the con- 

 fervas in question to have existed in the distilled water, and to 

 have risen wiih that liquid in the state of vapour. The water, to 



