117 
New Members of the Council. 
Rev. Dr KENNEDY. 
Dr PAGET. 
Prof. STOKES. 
Communications to the Society : 
(1) On Captain Caron’s Zirconia Light; (2) On the 
Chalumeau a platine of MM. Bourbouse et Wies- 
negg. By Professor Miter, F.R.S. 
Professor MILLER gave at first a brief sketch of the uses of 
lime and zirconia, and pointed out the difficulties caused by the 
lime melting away at a high temperature. The superiority of 
zirconia, as has been recently demonstrated by Capt. Caron, is 
that its light is very brilliant, and it is absolutely insoluble 
under the gas blow-pipe. Zirconia is found in Auvergne, 
America, and Russia; though it is not very abundant. Professor 
Miller described an exhibition of this light near Paris, the result 
of which was very satisfactory. 
Professor MILLER then gave a brief description of the 
Chalumeau a platine. 
Professor LiveinG spoke of a contrivance by which the 
inconvenience of the lime melting had been rendered less; also 
he said that zircon was common in the zircon syenite of the 
South of Norway, so that he did not expect any difficulty in 
obtaining the material. 
(2) On the Composition of the Mortar of the old Church 
of Lnttle LEllingham, Norfolk. By Professor 
LIVEING. 
The object of this communication was to confirm some ob- 
servations made by Mr Spiller, and laid before the British Asso- 
ciation at Norwich this year, to the effect that the hardening of 
ordinary mortar is chiefly due to the conversion of the lime into 
