Mr Taylor on HaiVs New Them-y of Chemistnj. 23 



Wednesday, ISth December 1874.— Robert Scot Skirving, Esq., President, 

 iu the Ctair. 



The following gentlemen were balloted for and elected Office-Beai-ers of the 

 Society for the Session : 



Presidents. — Robert Scot Skirving, Esq.; John Alexander Smith, M.D. ; 

 David Grieve, Esq. 



Council. — J. Falconer King, Esq.; Principal Walley ; E. W. Dallas, Esq.; 

 A. B. Herbert, Esq. ; Ramsay H. Traqiiair, M.D. ; James M'Bain, M.D., R.N. 



Sccrcfanj. — Dr Robert Brown. 



Treosurer. — John Macdonald, Esq., S.S.C. 



Assista7it- Secret an/. — .Tohn Gibson, Esq. 



honorary Librarian. — John Macdonald, Esq., S.S.C. 



Library Committee. — James M'Bain, M.D. ; Thomas Robertson, Esq.; 

 R. F. Logtm, Esq. ; D. Grieve, Esq. ; J. Falconer King, Esq. ; "VS^illiam 

 Durham, Esq. 



The following gentlemen were balloted for and elected Resident Members : 



"William Ferguson, Esq. of Kinmundy, 1 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh; 

 Robert Thomson, Esq., LL.B., Rutland Square; John Hunter, Esq., City 

 Analyst's Laboratory; D. R. Murray, Esq., Eastwood, Ferry Road; John 

 Walcot, Esq., 20 Drummond Place. 



The following donations were laid on the table, and thanks voted to the 

 donors : 



1. Proceedings of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester, 

 1874 (pp. 35-50). — From the Society. 2. Transactions of the Berwick.shii-e 

 Naturalists' Club, 1873. — From the Club. 3. Annuaire de TAcademie Royale 

 des Sciences, des Lettres, et des Beaux Aits de Belgique, 1874. — From the 

 Academy. 4. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Nos. 145, 149, 152, 

 153. — From the Society. 5. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 

 1873-74. — From the Society. 6. Fifty-fomth Annual Report of the Board of 

 Public Education of the Fii-st School District of Pennsylvania for 1872. — 

 From the Board. 7. Jubilee Chronicon of the Medico-Chii'urgical Society of 

 Edinburgh, 1S74. — From Dr Handyside. 



The following communications were read : 



I. On Dr Rail's Xevj Theory of Chemistry. By 

 Andkew Taylor, Esq. 



Mr Taylor gave a s}Tiopsis of Dr Hall's theory, referring 

 tlie curious to "The Sun and the Earth," published by 

 Triibner & Co. 



1. The main factor in terrene Chemistry is the sun diffus- 

 ing heat ever^^where on our globe. 



2. The individual actions of tlie chemical elements are 

 dominated and modified by a like action from the earth itself; 

 which, on this theory, is held to liave unique properties like 

 a chemical element. 



3. Dr Hall postulates every chemical element to have the 

 power of conducting or making heat " latent " within definite 

 numerical limits. This power of thus taking and gi^T.ng heat 



VOL. IV. " D " 



