366 Miscellanies. 
Professor Bache stated that his own observations near Philadelphia, 
of the altitude of the apparent converging point of the auroral beams, 
at nine, P. M. made it but about 69°. He had witnessed a case of the 
appearance of a dark spot of irregular shape, between two beams of 
light, which was certainly not a cloud, as the stars were not at all ob- 
scured by it, and which he supposed to be the phenomenon referred 
to recently by Professor Lloyd. No mottled clouds, such as usually 
attend the aurora, were visible during the period between nine and ten 
o'clock, when he had been able to observe. Professor Bache stated 
that he did not place much stress upon his measurements, as he had 
been prevented from sustained observation by indisposition. There 
had been, in the newspapers, an account of an auroral display visible 
at London, on the morning of the fourth of September, at about the 
same absolute time as at Princeton, according to Professor Alexander's 
observations. _ It was said to have been accompanied by a very unu- 
sual number of shooting stars, compared in one statement to the splen- 
did display of November 13th, 1833. 
Professor Henry had examined the light of this aurora by the pola- 
riscopes of Savart and Arago, but had not been able to detect the 
slightest trace of polarization.* 
The following gentlemen were duly elected members of the Soci- 
ety :—— 
Tuomas U. Water; of Philadelphia. 
Joun PenineTton, of Philadelphia. 
Eveene A. Vatu, of Paris. 
Cuaries Rumxer, of Hamburgh. 
Cuaries Gurziarr, of Macao. 
Joun Wasuincton, Captain R. B. N. 
Ex1as Loomts, of the Western Reserve College, Ohio. 
SrerHen ALEexanveER, of Princeton College, N. J. 
November 1, 1839.—The Committee, consisting of Dr. Bache, Dr. 
Patterson and Mr. Booth, to whom the paper of Dr. Hare, read at 
the last meeting of the society, was referred, entitled, “ Description 
of an Apparatus for deflagrating carburets, phosphurets, or cyanides, 
in vacuo, or in an atmosphere of hydrogen, between electrodes of 
charcoal; with an account of the results obtained by these and other 
means, especially the isolation of calcium, and formation of a new 
fulminating compound. By R. Hare, M. D., Professor of Chemistry 
in the University of Pennsylvania,” reported in favor of publication 
in the Society’s Transactions. The publication was ordered accord- 
PS ctor vaweely made in this country and in England, on this magnificent 
Evcae's 
ri 1a —— in this Journal, (Vol. xxxvim, pp. 146, 260, and 
