540 REPORT—1905. 
6. The Distances of the Nearer Fixed Stars. By R. T. A. Innus. 
This paper gave the distances from each other of all known s!ars which fall 
within a limit defined by a parallax of 0’"2. 
7. A Dry Daniell Pile. By J. Brown, F.R.S. 
For the electrification of electrometer needles and similar purposes it seemed 
that a constant dry pile would be useful. To test such a pile, constructed on 
Daniell’s principle, sheets of commercial zinc and copper 9 in. square were coated 
on one side with sheets of twilled cotton fabric (as used for glass cloths) wet with 
hot 10-per-cent. solutions respectively of zine sulphate and copper sulphate. 
When dry these were built up in the appropriate way with a sheet of plain blot- 
ting paper between each pair of coatings, to represent the usual porous diaphragm, 
and the whole compressed in a screw press between rubber sheets as insulators. 
When built (February 1903) the E.M.F. was 1 Daniell per cell or rather more. 
It then dropped to a steady, though lower, value for 23 years, registering 0°96 to 
0-9 Daniell till July last, when it was 0-9. Thereupon, on dismounting the pile 
for examination, it appeared to be unchanged, and on reforming it the same voltage 
was given, 0-9. After short-circuiting, the pile recovered its E.M.F. immediately. 
Of course, a very minute current only passes in a pile of this kind, the resistance 
being so very high. 
A smaller pile, 4 in. by 4 in. sheets—similar in other respects, except that the 
cotton sheets were, the author believed, dried before placing on the metals—gave 
0:7 to 0'8 Daniell at first, but 0-9 after six months. A similar pile with blotting 
pore: instead of the cotton fabric gave a similar initial result, but was not tested 
turther. 
Another, in which the copper plate was replaced by copper deposited from 
copper sulphate solution on one side of the zinc, then washed and dried, gave about 
0:7 Daniell. 
The advantages of this pile may be considered to be its practical constancy for 
years, its ease of construction, and of reconstruction should it become exhausted. 
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30. 
The following Reports and Papers were read :— 
1, Report of the Seismologicai Committee.—See Reports, p. 81. 
2. Itecent Advances in Seismology. By Joun Mite, L.R.S. 
Modein seismology may he said to date from 1280, when the Seismological 
Society of Japan was founded. In the twenty volumes issued by that Society will 
be found at least the germs of nearly all the investigations carried out since that 
date. Attention was first directed towards obtaining instruments which would 
give actual measurements of earthquake motion, with the result that ‘ steady 
points’ were devised, and are now in use throughout the world. From a know- 
ledge of the actual nature of earthquake motion derived from the use of these 
instruments new rules and formule for the use of engineers and builders have 
been established. In Japan und other countries these have been extensively ap- 
plied in tbe construction of piers for bridges, tall chimneys, walls, ordinary dwell- 
ings, embankments, reservoirs, &c. Inasmuch as the new types of structures have 
withstood violent earth-shakings, whilst ordinary types in the neighbourhood have 
failed, it may be inferred that much has already been accomplished to minimiss 
the loss of lite and property. ; 
The application of seismometry to the working of railways, particularly in 
Japan, has led to the localisation of faults on lints and alterations in the balancing 
