March 10, 1870] 
INCA INGIKIE. 
493 
Sandeman, G. Stone, A. A. de Lille Strickland, C. B. Thur- 
ston, the Hon. J. G. P. Vereker, Mrs. Michael Wills, and H. 
Woods, were elected members of the Royal Institution. 
CAMBRIDGE 
Philosophical Society, March 7.—The following communi- 
cations were made to the society :—‘‘ On the Centro-surface of 
an Ellipsoid,” by Prof. Cayley. ‘‘On the correct expressions 
for the resistance which bodies experience whilst moving in gases 
and liquids : with a description of the verifying experiments,” 
by Mr. Potter. 
DUBLIN 
Royal Irish Academy, February 14.—Rev. J. H. Jellett, 
president, in the chair. The president read a paper entitled 
“* Researches in the application of Optics to Chemistry,” No. 1, 
“*Combinations of Nitric Acid with Quinia.”—A letter from 
M. De Vismes Kane, was read, describing the circumstances 
under which the large stone implement and the curious wooden 
vessel, which he had presented to the Academy’s museum, 
through Dr. Stokes, were found.—The secretary read a descrip- 
tion by Mr. R. R. Brath, of an Ogham inscribed stone at Kiltena, 
county Waterford, 
PARIS 
Academy of Sciences, February 28.—M. A. Trécul pre- 
sented the third part of his memoir on the position of the trachece 
in the ferns. His object in this important paper is to show that 
there is ‘‘no unity of constitution, circulation, and symmetry ” 
in the vascular Acrogens, and in illustration of this view he 
describes the arrangements of the trachez in the following forms: 
—Athyrium filix-femina, several species of Aspidium and Asfle- 
nium, Struthiopteris germanica, Adiantum tenerum, Scolopen- 
drium officinale, Ceterach officinarum, and Gymnogramme chry- 
sophylla and calomelanos.—A letter by Father Secchi on the 
modifications produced by magnetism in the light emitted by 
rarefied gases, was read. In this the author described some 
experiments made by him with a powerful electro-magnet upon 
Geissler’s tubes. He stated that when a tube is placed between 
or close to the poles of the electro-magnet the light is condensed 
towards the part of the tube most distant from the magnet, so 
that instead of a diffused light a bright streak is visible. The 
effect was said to be very curious, appearing as if the gas 
itself was displaced, and resembling the great movements of the 
streamers in the Aurora Borealis. The more brilliant light gives 
a more brilliant and distinct spectrum, and the author stated that 
when the gas has a double spectrum, the two spectra are pro- 
duced separately—one from the brilliant part of the tube, the 
other from the parts nearer the magnet. The author remarked 
that the effect of magnetism was as if it narrowed the tubes. 
He ascribed it to a repulsion of the rarefied gases, due to dia- 
magnetism. M, Dumas remarked that M. de la Rive had been 
carrying on some experiments of a like nature, the results of 
which are not yet published, but he believed that in some points 
they coincided with Father Secchi’s.—In a memoir on the 
spectra of various kinds of simple bodies, M. Dubrunfaut 
ascribed the double spectra obtained from some vacuum tubes to 
impurity in the gases employed, and indicated some other sources 
of error. He referred especially to hydrogen. He also noticed 
that variations of temperatures may cause anomalies in spectrum 
analysis, and remarked that the line K @ of potassium may be made 
to appear and dissappear byraising and lowering the temperature. 
—Notes of a further investigation of propylic, butylic, and amylic 
aldehydes were presented by MM. I. Pierre and E. Puchot. 
Their researches related chiefly to the temperatures of ebullition 
and densities of these bodies, as to which their results differ 
considerably from those of former writers.—In a memoir by M. 
Gustave Lambert on the experimental determination of the form 
of the earth, that gentleman proposed a simplification of the 
method of observation by means of the pendulum, and a ready 
means of measuring a base-line. He submitted his methods to 
the judgment of the Academy, intending to employ them, if 
approved, in the projected French Arctic expedition. — M. 
Delaunay communicated a report by MM. Wolf, André, and 
Capitaneano, on a bolide observed by them at the Paris Obser- 
vatory on the 26th February.—This meteor started from between 
a-and B Canis minoris, and passed as a yellow streak between 
Sirius and B Cazzs majoris, when it took the form of a very 
brilliant, bluish white ball about 5’ in diameter, followed bya 
broad yellow tail ; near v Canis majoris, it burst into several frag- 
ments and disappeared. The phenomena commenced at 9 35™ 20° 
and lasted about 3 seconds. Nosound was heard.—M. F. Lucas 
presented a note relating to the physical state of bodies; M. HH. 
Montucci a memoir on Gauss’s method for the reduction of tri- 
nominal equations ; and M. H. Sainte - ClaireDeville a note by 
M. A. Martin on Leon Foncault’s “method of autocollimation” and 
its application to the investigation of parabolic mirrors.—M. H, 
Caron communicated a note on the solution of reductive gases 
by iron and carburets of iron in fusion, in which he suggested a 
cause of the spirting of cast-steel and iron in cooling.—M., 
H. Sainte-Claire Deville made some remarks on this paper.— 
A memoir on the oxidation of iron by Mr. P. Crace Calvert, was 
read; from his experiments he concludes that it is the pre- 
sence of carbonic acid in the air that causes the rusting of iron. 
—M. Chevreul made some remarks npon this paper.—A note on 
the dissociation of ammoniacal compounds, by M. F. Isambert, 
was presented by M. H. Sainte-Claire Deville. —The author 
noticed the compounds formed by the sulphates of zinc and 
cadmium with gaseous ammonia, and the tensions of the 
ammoniacal gas set free frum these compounds by the 
action of heat, which are constant at given temperatures.— 
M. Campana communicated a note “On the texture and 
differential character of the Lungs in Birds,” in which he 
described the mode of origin and distribution of the secondary 
bronchial tubes, which, he stated, terminate in a single tertiary 
tube, and this in its turn unites with the extremity of another 
secondary tube. This applies also, according to the author, to 
the lateral tertiary tubes.—M. Elie de Beaumont communicated an 
extract from a letter of M. Prost giving an account of earthquake 
shocks experienced at Nice, and containing a journal of shocks 
observed during the years 1866—1869.—M. H. Sainte-Claire 
Deville presented a note by Father Denza on an Aurora borealis 
and some other meteorological phenomena observed in Piedmont 
on the 3d of January, 1870, 
BERLIN 
German Chemical Society, February 29.—C. Liebermann 
communicated the result of his researches on chrysene, of which 
large quantities have lately been obtained from coal tar. He 
has specially devoted attention to the chinone of chrysene, 
obtained by oxydising this hydro-carbon. The colouring pro- 
perties of this substance are very inferior to those of its analogous 
anthracene.—C. Scheibler reported on betain, a base he obtained 
from beetroot-juice, or molasses. The young roots contain con- 
siderable quantities of this substance, and certain molasses 
furnish as muchas 3 per cent. of it. The base has been found 
identical with oxyneurin, lately discovered in the brain, in eggs, 
&c., by Leibriech. It is not poisonous, and yields well crys- 
tallised salts. —H. Wichelhaus has determined the vapordensity 
of chloronidtride of phosphorus, thus proving the correctness of 
the formula P,N3Clg which had already been fully established by 
Gladstone and Holmes.—C. Rammelsberg delivered a lecture on 
meteorites, giving a succinct and interesting history of these 
remarkable bodies, the existence of which had been regarded as 
a superstition up to the end of the last century.—Mr. Gordon has 
prepared Reisets’ and Magnus’ salts containing ethylamine, 
aniline, and toluidine in the place of ammonia.—T. Thomsen of 
Copenhagen sent a paper on the heat of combination. The heat 
produced by adding an acid to a base attains the maximum 
when the latter is neutralised by the former. Based upon this 
observation, the author concludes that sulfhydric acid must 
be monbasic, a startling fact, which in order to be fully 
confirmed appears to need further examination.—Two papers 
were sent in after the last meeting of the society, and printed 
in the abstracts of that meeting. One is by Kekulé, on the 
substance described as chloraceten. The author proves the 
non-existence of this substance, a solution of oxychloride of 
carbon in para-aldehyde having been taken for a chemical indi- 
vidual. The other paper is by Ceck, describing the combustion 
of part of the Bohemian diamond, and remoying any uncer- 
tainty concerning its nature, 
German Geological Society.—At the February meeting Dr, 
Lossen reported on the composition of Karpholithe from the meta- 
morphic slate of Biscaroda, in the Harz Mountains. Hauchecorne 
and Meyne reported on borings made at Stade forrocksalt. Its 
discovery was anticipated withcertainty. Lindig reported on 
the borings made at Spurenberg (thirty miles from Berlin), where 
an immense saltlayer was discovered two years ago. The boring 
is now 2,630 feet deep, 2,347 of which go through one layer of 
pure rocksalt! The temperature was found to be 31° 5’ C. at 
the bottom, 
