109 



Oedixary Meetii^Ct, Mat 2, 1882. 



His Honor Chief Justice Way (President) in tlie chair. 



The donations to the Library were laid upon the table. 



The Hox Secretary announced the gift by the Waterworks 

 Department of a complete set of the strata gone through in a 

 well-boring at the Waterworks Yard, near Kent Town. 



Mr. D. B. Adamsox exhibited a planosphere of the Southern 

 Hemisphere, whereby the position or time of rising or setting 

 of any indicated star or planet may be discovered almost 

 instantaneously, and at any time of the day or night. 



Professor R. Tate directed attention to a pseudo-morphite of 

 quartz after calcite, forwarded by Mr. J. Gr. O. Tepper from 

 Clarendon. The same gentleman had also forwarded a piece of 

 Jluor spar and a presumed fossil iu slate from Field's River. 



Mr. S. Pollitzer mentioned that, during an excursion to the 

 neighbourhood of Field's Eiver in search of the traces of the 

 glacial period iu this colony some time ago discovered by 

 Professor Tate, he had found a large block of granite, quite 

 distinct from the prevailing geological character of the district ; 

 and Professor Tate stated, in reply, that Mr. Stirling Smeaton 

 liad also found traces of the same erratic at various points on 

 the coast cliffs north and south of Hallett's Cove, the bay into 

 which Field's Eiver discharges. 



Dr. E. C. Stirltxg exhibited and explained ATOliam's 

 Freezing Microtome, intended for making large sections of 

 animal tissues for microscopical purposes by the medium of ice 

 and gum solution. The instrument may be popularly described 

 thus : — A cylindrical v/ooden box, about six inches diameter 

 and six inches high, having a metal cylinder in the centre, is 

 filled with equal parts of ice and salt. This is then covered 

 with a glass lid, having in the centre a small round or square 

 metal plate. On this plate the tissue to be operated upon is 

 gummed after being saturated with highly concentrated gum 

 solution. This metal plate comes into contact with the 

 cylinder passing through the middle of the ice and salt mixture, 

 and the gum above is consequently frozen ; but as it freezes iu 

 its natural state without undergoing crystallization, it enables 

 the razor to cut the frozen tissue without fracturing it. The 

 razor is mounted in a frame, regulated b}^ sett-screws, enabling 

 the operator to shave off a section -j^^ of an inch in thickness, 

 or even thinner. Dr. Stirling exhiljited several large sections 

 of animal tissues, mounted for microscopical purposes, as 

 made by the use of this instrument, and remarked that 

 one possessed an historical interest. He explained that 

 when in England lately he made application to the Home 

 Secretary for licence to try some experiments upom dumb 



