June 22, 1SS3.] 



SCIENCE. 



563 



Among the papers in section III. maj' be 

 mentioned one by Professor McGregor of 

 Halifax, on the variation of the polarization 

 of electrodes with their difference of potential ; 

 one bj' Professor Dupuis of Kingston, on the 

 coustnictiou of a sidereal clock to show mean 

 time ; and one by Capt. Deville of Ottawa, on 

 the measurement of terrestrial distances by 

 astronomical observations, in which he pro- 

 poses to employ the difference of azimuths 

 instead of the difference of latitudes. Mr. 

 Baillarg6 of Quebec contributed papers on 

 some problems in hydrographic surveying, and 

 on suggestions for a new edition of Euclid. 



Dr. Harrington of Montreal gave a descrip- 

 tion, with analyses, of two rare minerals now 

 found for the first time in Canada, — meneghin- 

 nite and tennantite ; and Dr. Ellis of Toronto 

 described telluric gold-ores found on Lake 

 Superior, exhibiting tellurium extracted there- 

 from ; he also gave an analj-sis of a i-emark- 

 able sulphur-water found near Port Stanley, 

 Ontario, and described certain applications of 

 Lowenthal's method for the determination of 

 tannin. This was followed by an account, 

 bj' Mr. Thomas Macfarlane of Montreal, of 

 certain unexpected reactions attending the de- 

 composition of sodium sulphate by carbon. 



In the second day's session, Mr. Sandford 

 Fleming discussed the question of a universal 

 meridian for the regulation of time ; after 

 which, reports were presented of the observa- 

 tions made, at various points throughout the 

 dominion, of the late transit of Venus, suc- 

 cessful observations being reported from Co- 

 bourg, Ottawa, Kingston, and Winnipeg. 



Professor Haanel of Cobourg described at 

 length his ingenious mode of blowpipe-testing 

 by means of hydriodic acid, and subsequentlj^, 

 in an evening session, gave experimental dem- 

 onstrations of its application. His process de- 

 pends upon the conversion of the various metals 

 into volatile iodides, which are condensed on 

 plates of plaster of Paris, and, bj' their differ- 

 ent colors and subsequent behavior, are found 

 to afford ready means of identifying and dis- 

 tinguishing, at a single operation in manj- cases, 

 several elements in a mineral compound. Mr. 

 Gisborne read a paper giving an account of 

 recent progress in telegraphy, and Mr. Mac- 

 farlane described some interesting phenomena 

 of double decomposition presented in the re- 

 action between sodium chloride and zinc sul- 

 phate. This was followed bj- a paper hy Dr. 

 T. Sterrj' Hunt on the mechanical transfer of 

 matter in the process of segregation, as shown 

 in mineral masses, — a phenomenon which, in 

 the discussion following, was shown by Mr. 



Thomas Macfarlane to be well illustrated in the 

 concentration which occurs in the process of 

 kernel-roasting of cupriferous pyrites. 



In s(3ction IV., Dr. Selwyn of the Geological 

 survey of Canada read a paper on some features 

 in the geolog3' of Lake Superior, most of the 

 points of which have latelj' been discussed by 

 himself and others in the pages of Science. 

 At a subsequent meeting a discussion of this 

 paper took place, Messrs. Bell, Macfarlane, 

 Sterry Hunt, and J. W. Dawson taking part 

 therein, and contesting manj' of the views of 

 the author. Principal Dawson presented a 

 paper on spores and spore-cases from the Erian 

 rocks, of which an abstract will be found in 

 our weekly- summarj-, under Botany. A de- 

 tailed study of the distribution of the subdi- 

 visions of the carboniferous rocks in the mari- 

 time provinces was communicated hj Mr. E. 

 Gilpin, jun. ; and Dr. G. M. Dawson described 

 the triassic rocks of the western parts of the 

 dominion. Dr. Eobert Bell gave an account 

 of the soils of the Canadian north-west terri- 

 tory, an abstract of which appears farther 

 on, under Physical geography. An interesting 

 discussion followed the reading of this paper, 

 in which Professor Macoun and Dr. J. W. 

 Dawson took part. Dr. T. Sterry Hunt made a 

 communication entitled ' Studies of serpentine 

 rocks,' in which, after sketching the historj' of 

 opinions for the past century as to the origin 

 and geognostical relations of serpentine, he pro- 

 ceeded to describe the modes of its occurrence 

 in various parts of Europe and North America, 

 particularlj' noting the serpentines of Pennsyl- 

 vania and those of the vicinity of New- York 

 City, including Staten Island. He also pre- 

 sented a memoir on the question of the Taconic 

 system in geology. Prof. L. W. Bailey gave 

 an interesting account of Indian remains found 

 in the province of New Brunswick. 



The foregoing list of papers presented to the 

 scientific sections of the societj' is unavoidably- 

 incomplete and imperfect, communications 

 having been made, among others, by Prof. 

 E. J. Chapman of Toronto, and Dr. J. R. 

 Grant and Professor Macoun of Ottawa ; to 

 which should be added a paper bj' Mr. G. F. 

 Matthew of St. John, N.B., in continuation of 

 his studies on the trilobitic fauna of the Cam- 

 brian rocks of that locality, with numerous fig- 

 ures. It is understood that the various memoirs 

 presented to the society-, both at this meeting 

 and at its first organization a year since, will 

 soon be published in the form of transactions, 

 in quarto, with suitable illustrations, making 

 wjiat we trust will be the first of a long series of 

 Transactions of the Royal societj' of Canada. 



