304 Btitish Association for the Advancement of Science. 



also a paper by Mr. J. C. Blackwell on the formation of crystals 

 of silver by the contact of brass with nitrate of silver. — Prof. 

 Johnston read a paper on the Resin of Gamboge and its salts. 

 He also produced some specimens of resinous substances found 

 in coal mines, and expressed his belief that this resin was an ex- 

 udation from the trees of which the coal is composed. — Dr. Bird 

 stated that he had formed chloride of copper by the voltaic ac- 

 tion.— -Mr. Maugham read a paper on a new Compound of Car- 

 bon and Hydrogen. When the electrodes of a voltaic battery 

 are armed with charcoal points, by means of platinum wires, and 

 then brought under water, so as to produce the spark in the ordi- 

 nary way, neither hydrogen nor oxygen gases are evolved, but 

 carbonic oxide passes off, and a compound, not previously noti- 

 ced, remains in the water, consisting of carbon and hydrogen. — 

 A letter from Prof. Hare, of Philadelphia, was read, on his mode 

 of fusing large m,asses of Platinu'tn. Mr. Maugham claimed 

 this as his own discovery.* 



Section C. Geology atid Geography. 



Mr. Long presented a Description of a Bone Cavern in the 

 Mendip Hills. The cavern is on the summit of one of the Men- 

 dip Hills, in a limestone rock. It was discovered in pursuing a 

 fox, which fled there for shelter. It is entered by a perpendic- 

 ular fissure, 30 feet deep. From a large chamber at the bottom 

 of this fissure an arched way leads into another chamber, from 

 which a passage leads up towards the surface, and this latter 

 seems to have been the original entrance. The bones are gene- 

 rally found imbedded in soft mud, in hollows in the bottom of 

 the cavern, but sometimes also in stalactite. The greater part of 

 the bones are those of the ox, horse, deer, fox, boar, &c. But 

 the most interesting circumstance connected with this deposit is, 

 the existence of human bones, which are found beneath the 

 others. Nine skulls were also obtained. Many of the bones are 

 in so decayed a state, that they crumbled to dust on being han- 

 dled. It is worthy of remark that none of the bones belong to 

 extinct species. Prof Sedgwick observed, that no human bones 

 had yet been found in any of the old caverns, unless under cir- 

 cumstances which clearly showed their recent introduction j and 



" See Dr. Hare's paper in the present No. — Ers. 



