I \Tln\S Foil Till-: AhVANVKMKNT OF SCIKN* K. 



1., 



n-|M.rt of tin- committee mi Units and their 



in-hit lire " \va- di-ou--ed. 

 I'., i '/ii'/n ii-<il ,s'r/Vrr. 'I'his section was pro- 



\er I iv I'l'of. \V. < '. Koberts-Auslell. ohelll- 

 l(i the luival Mini, who dis- 

 1 i lie relation lift ween theory and practice 

 in nietalliiruA. with s|M-cial reference to the in- 

 debtedm-s ni' the pracl ieal man to the M-ientitie 

 invest iuaior. Tin's subject was treated from 

 three standpoint-, namely: 1. < 'ertain facts con- 

 nected with \idation " and "reduction," upon 

 which depend operations of special importance 

 to the metallurgist. 2. Tin- influence in metal- 

 lurgical practice of reactions which are either 

 Ijmiteil or reversible. ;{. The means by which 

 progress iii the nietallurgic art may be effected, 

 ami the special need for studying the molecular 

 constitution of metals and alloys. 



These were discussed quite elaborately, and, in 

 closing, the great importance was indicated of 

 extending the use of the less known metals. At- 

 tention is at present concentrated on the produc- 

 tion of aluminium, and reference has already 

 been made to the various processes now used. 

 Incidental reference should be made to the grow- 

 ing importance of sodium not only in cheapen- 

 ing the production of aluminium, but as a pow- 

 erful weapon of research. In 1849, when John 

 Percy was president of this section, magnesium 

 was a curiosity ; now its production constitutes 

 a considerable industry. 



We may confidently expect [he said] to see barium 

 mid calcium produced on a larire scale us soon as their 

 utility has been demonstrated ny research. Minerals 

 contaiiiinir molybdenum are not rare; and the metal 

 could probably bo produced as cheaply us tin if a use 

 wen- to be found for it. The quantities of vanadium 

 and thallium which arc available are also far from 

 inconsiderable; but we as yet know little of the ac- 

 tion of any of these metals" when alloyed with others 

 which are in daily use. The field for investigation is 

 vast indeed, for it must lie remembered that valuable 

 qualities may be conferred on a mass of metal by a 

 very small quantity of another element. The useful 

 qualities imparted to platinum by indium are well 

 known. A small quantity of tellurium obliterates the 

 crystalline structure of bismuth ; but we have lost an 

 ancient, art which enabled brittle antimony to be 

 cast into useful vessels. Two-tenths per cent, of zir- 

 conium increases the strength of gold enormously, 

 while the same amount of bismuth reduces the tenac- 

 ity to a very low point. Chromium, cobalt, tungsten, 

 titanium, cadmium, zirconium, and lithium are al- 

 ready well known in the arts, and the valuable prop- 

 erties which metallic chromium and tungsten confer 

 upon steel are beginning to be generally reroi_-nixcd ; 

 but as isolated metals we know but little of them. Is 

 the development of the rarer metals to be left to other 

 countries '. Means tor the prosecution of research are 

 forthcoming, and a rich reward awaits the labors of 

 chemists who could bring themselves to divert their 

 attention, for even a brief period, from the in vest Ra- 

 tion of organic compounds, in order to raise alloys 

 from the obscurity in which they are at present left. 



The report of the Committee, consisting of W. 

 C. Roberts- Austen, Sir Frederick Abel, John W. 

 Langley, William A. Tilden, Edward Riley, John 

 Spiller, G. J. Shelves, and Thomas Turner, on 

 the Establishment of an International Standard 

 of Analysis for Iron and Steel was considered. 

 Last year it was hoped that the final report 

 would be presented at this meeting, but the com- 

 pletion of the work has been deferred. The fifth 

 standard has not been prepared, owing to the 



difliciilly experienced in obtaining HO largo a 

 quantity of mild steel of jK-rfectly uniform com- 

 position. I'rof. Langley stated that it was im- 

 possible to make crucible steel sllllicient I y low ill 

 carUui in the plumbago crucibles of the" I'uit.-d 

 Slates. The matter wa> under consideration, and 

 it was hoped the standard would ! completed 

 shortly. The report of the Committee on the 

 Action of Light upon Dyed Colors was then 

 considered. The primary object of this com- 

 mittee is to determine accurately the relative 

 fastness to light, of all the various colors at pres- 

 ent employed by the dyer of textile fabrics. 

 The work will necessarily proceed very slowly, 

 and will extend over some years. During the 

 past year the work of purifying and dying with 

 red coloring matters has been begun and is now 

 in progress. 



The following-named papers were presented 

 before the section : " Certain Pyrometric Meas- 

 urements and Methods of recording them," by 

 W. C. Roberts- A usten ; "The Existence of a 

 Compound in Alloys of Gold and Tin,'' by A. P. 

 Laurie ; " The Relation between the Composition 

 of a Double Salt and the Composition and Tem- 

 perature of the Liquid in which it is formed," by 

 F. W. Humphrey; "Some Experiments on the 

 Molecular Refraction of Dissolved Electrolytes," 

 by J. H. Gladstone ; "A Simple Apparatus for 

 Storing Dry Gases," by W. Symons; "An Ap- 

 paratus for Testing the Sensitiveness of Safety 

 Lamps as Indicators of Fire-damp and Inflam- 

 mable Vapors," by F. Clowes ; "A New Method 

 for the Disposal of Sewage," by C. G. Moor; 

 " The Action of Nitrosyl Chloride on Uusaturated 

 Carbon Compounds," by -J. J. Sudborough ; " For- 

 mation of Peaty Coloring Matters in Sewage 

 by the Action of Micro-organisms." by W. E. 

 Adeney ; " The Reaction of Glycerides with Al- 

 coholic Potash," by A. H. Allen ; and " Note on 

 Electrolysis of Alloys," by H. C. Jenkins. Sev- 

 eral reports of various committees were read and 

 discussed, among which those mentioned pre- 

 viously are important. 



C. Geology. The president of this section was 

 Prof. T. Rupert Jones, who delivered an address 

 consisting of an elaborate and compendious sum- 

 mary, methodically arranged, of facts, figures, 

 estimates, and opinions relating to coal. He 

 mentioned the books in which the history of coal 

 is treated of, described the coal field of South 

 Wales, the origin of coal, the area of the coal 

 growth, the varieties of coal, the constituents of 

 the coal measures and of coal, and the extent of 

 the coal measures under the south of England. 

 His closing remarks were : 



.Light, heat, motion, fragrance, and color are all now 

 obtainable from coal. What more could the sun him- 

 self do for us ? It is as if the sunshine that cherished 

 the luxuriant jungles of the past had been preserved 

 in the coaly mass of the buried trees. Indeed, the 

 light and heat of former days, expended in thus con- 

 verting carbonic acid and water into coal, are here 

 store,! up for man. Jiy convertiiur coal into ciirltonio 

 acid and water he can again evolve that heat and 

 liirht, and use them in a thousand wa\s beneficial to 

 his race nay, essential to his very existence as a 

 civilized being. Nevertheless, a irrcat deal lias yet to 

 be learned altout the natural history of the coal 

 urcs. the order and extent of the special kinds of their 

 animals and plants, the time occupied in formation, 

 and the ircojrraphical and hydroirraplm-al conditions. 

 At all events, we know that all their strata have been 



