Proceedings of the British Association, 347 



tation. He was led to undertake these experiments from having re- 

 ceived a communication from Mr. Davies Gilbert, in which he sta- 

 ted that there was a district in Cornwall where the soil contained a 

 large proportion of arsenic; and that no plants could grow in it except 

 some of the Leguminosse, By analysis, this soil yielded him about 

 fifty per cent, of arsenic, in the form of a sulphuret ; the rest being 

 composed principally of sulphuret of iron and a httle silica. He had 

 already ascertained that a little of the sulphuret mixed in soils pro- 

 duced no injurious effect on Sinapis alba, barley, or beans ; and 

 that they flowered and seeded freely when grown in it. Although 

 the want of solubility in the sulphuret might be assigned as a reason 

 for its inactivity : yet it was certainly taken up by water in small 

 quantities, and imbibed by the roots of plants. Upon watering them 

 with a solution of arsenious acid, he found that they would bear it in 

 larger proportions than was presupposed. The injurious effects of 

 arsenious acid on vegetation in the neighborhood of the copper- 

 works of Bristol and Swansea, was noticed by Mr. Rootsey ; and 

 Mr. Stevens mentioned the circumstance of the trout in some streams 

 of Cornwall having been destroyed by the opening of some new 

 mines in their neighborhood, from which arsenical compounds were 

 discharged, though the vegetation did not appear to be injured by 

 them ; and it was further stated, that horses were considerably in- 

 jured, and rendered subject to a remarkable disease, by the effects 

 of arsenical compounds in the same districts. 



Section E. — Anatomy and Medicine. 



President — 'Dr. Roget. 



Vice Presidents — Dr. Bright, Dr. Macartney. 



Secretaries — Dr. Symonds, G. D. Fripp, Esq. 



Dr. O'Beirne read a Report of the Dublin Committee on the pa- 

 thology of the nervous system. 



A short description of a case of aneurism of the arteria innomina- 

 ta, furnished by Sir D. H. Dickson, was then read. 



Section F. — Statistics. 



President — Sir Charles Lemon, Bart. 



Vice Presidents — H. Hallam, Esq., Dr. Jerrard. 



Secretaries — Rev. J. E. Bromby, C. B. Fripp, Esq., James 

 Hey wood, Esq. 



A very curious and interesting report was read, entitled, "A few 

 statistical facts, descriptive of the former and present state of Glas- 

 gow," by James Cleland, LL. D. 



