REVISION OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONSTANTS OF SEA-WATER. 421 



The Revision of the Physiccd and Chemical Constants of Sea^ Water. — 

 Report of the Committee, consisting of Sir John Murray (^Chair- 

 man), Mr. J. Y. Buchanan, F.R.S., Dr. H. K. Mill, Mr. H. N. 

 Dickson (Secretary). (Brawn lup Inj the Secretary.) 



The Committee was appointed to co-operate in the investigations under- 

 taken by Dr. Martin Knudsen at Copenhagen, at the instance of the 

 Committee appointed by the International Conference held at Stockholm 

 last year, with the view of making authoritative determinations of the 

 constants used in reducing observations of the physical and chemical 

 conditions of sea-water in different parts of the globe. 



The grant placed at the disposal of the Committee has been expended 

 in defraying part of the cost of Dr. Knudsen's researches. 



Dr . Knudsen reports that the work of obtaining samples of water from 

 different regions has been completed, except with regard to those from the 

 East Greenland polar current, the northern part of the Baltic, and the 

 Indian Ocean, which it is hoped will be received in about a month's time , 

 The samples have been collected in six-litre bottles, prepared by standing 

 full of hot water for a month before use . Dr . Knusden and his assistants 

 began preliminary work in September last, and since May the regular 

 analyses of samples have been carried on by himself, two chemists, and three 

 physicists. The results obtained so far indicate that the methods em- 

 ployed are adequate in scope and precision, and sufficient progress has been 

 made to justify the expectation that the work will be completed and pub- 

 lished within the time arranged by the Stockholm Committee. 



The Committee do not ask to be reappointed. 



Fiittire Dealings in Raiv Produce. — Report of Committee, consisting 

 of Mr. L. L. Price (Chairman), Professor A. W. Flux (Secretary), 

 Major P. G. Craigie, Professor W. Cunningham, Professor F. Y. 

 Edgeworth, Professor E. C. K. Gonner, Mr. R. H. Hooker, 

 and Mr. H. R. Rathbone, appointed to report on Future Beatings 

 in Raiv Produce. (Bratvn up by the Secretary, with the assistance 

 o/Mr. Hooker.) 



[Plate IV.] 



TABLE PAGE 



I. Fa/tm Prices in Decemher of each year, and Prices at Chicago of (a) Wheat, 



(J) Maize; also Average Export Prices and Prices at New York , . 433 



II. Average Price of Wheat at Cincinnati, 1844-97 434 



III. Standard Deviation and Mean Weekly Movement of the Gazette Average 



Price of Wlieat, 1850-99 435 



IV. Average Price of Middling Uplands Cotton at Liverpool in each year, 



1801-1899 ....... 435 



The markets in which organised dealings for future delivery are carried 

 on are concerned with many kinds of I'aw produce. It appears to the 

 Committee that the circumstances of the markets which are concerned 

 Avith such products as wheat, maize, cotton, and the like are so different 

 from those in which the metals are dealt in, that no advantage would 

 result from presenting an investigation of the two groups on common 



