April 1st, 1887.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



47 



RECORD OF SCIENTIFIC AND 

 TECHNICAL SOCIETIES. 



*,* The wholi of the papers of thf Societies referred to arc nol included 

 in this list. 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



Mar. 3rd, — Papers read, " Studies on some new Micro-organisms 

 obtained from Air," by Mr. G. C. Frankland and Dr. P. Frankland ; 

 "On the Limiting Distance of Speech by Telephone," by Mr. W. 

 H. Preece, F.R.S. 



Mar. loth. — Papers read, " Note on Induction Coils or Transformers" 

 and " Note on the Theory of the Alternate Current Dynamo," by 

 Dr. Hopkinson, F.R.S. ; " On the Transmission of Sunlight through 

 the Earth's Atmosphf re,'' by Capt. Abney, F.R.S. 



Mar. 17th. — Papers read, "A Coal-dust Explosion," by Mr. W. 

 Cialloway ; " .Second Note on the Geometrical Construction of the 

 Cell of the Honey Bee," by Prof. II. Hennessy, F.R.S. ; " On the 

 Total Solar Eclipse of Aug. 2gth, 1886," (preliminary account) by 

 Prof. Schuster, F.R.S, 



THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN. 

 Jan. 2ist. — Paper read, "The probable origin, the total amount, and 



the possible duration of the .Sun's heat," by Sir Wm, Thomson, 



D.C.L., LL.D. 

 Feb. 4th. — Paper read, " Some Unpublished Records ol the City of 



London," by Mr. E. Freshfield. 

 Feb. l8th. — Paper read, " Genesis of Elements," by Mr. Wm. Crookes, 



F.R.S, 

 Feb. 25th. — Paper read, " Sunlight Colours," by Capt. W. de W. Abney, 



R.E., F.R.S, 

 Mar. 25th. — Paper read, " Colour of Thin Plates," by Rt. Hon, Lord 



Rayleigh, M.A, 



THE SOCIETY OF ARTS, 

 Feb, 22. — Paper read, " Wrought Ironwork," by Mr, J. S. Gardner, 



F,G,S, 

 Feb. 23. — Paper read, " Recent Advances in Sewing Machinery," by 



MT, J, W. Urquhart. 

 Feb, 25, — Paper read, "New Markets and Extension of Railways in 



India and Burmah," by Mr. H. S. Hallett, F R.G.S, 

 Feb, 28. — Cantor Lecture, " Building Materials," by Mr. W. Y. Dent, 

 Mar, J, — Paper read, " The Colonial .and Indian Exhibition," by Mr. 



E, Cunliffe-Owen. 



Mar. 2.— Paper read, "The Cultivation of Tobacco in England," by 



Mr. |. E, Beale. 

 Mar. 4. — Paper read, "Traffic Routes in the East," by Major-Gen. Sir 



F, J. Goldsmid. 



Mar, 7, — Cantor Lecture, " Building Materials," by Mr. W. Y. Dent, 

 Mar, 9, — Paper read, " Railway Brakes," by Mr. W. P, Marshall. 

 Mar, 15. — Paper read, "The Application of Gems to the Art of the 



Goldsmith," by Mr. A. Phillips. 

 M.ar, 16, — Paper read, " Machinery and Appliances Used upon the 



Stage," by Mr, P, Fitz-Gerald, 



ROYAL SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF ARTS, 

 Mar. 14. — Papers read, " Improvements in the Marine Compass and its 

 Adjustments," by Mr. F. M, Moore ; " On Micro-Photography," 

 by Mr, W, Forgan, 



THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, 

 Feb, 15, — Paper read, "Filter Presses for the Treatment of Sewage 



Sludge," by Mr. 'W, S. Crimp, C,E. 

 Mar, I. — Paper read, " Dredging Operations and Appliances," by Mr, 



J, J, Webster, M.lnst.C.E. 

 Mar, 15. — Paper read, "The Treatment of Gun Steel," by Col. E, 



Maitland, R,A, 

 Mar. 24, — Paper read, "On ihe Resistance of Faults in Submarine 



Cables," by Mr. A. E. Kennelly. 



students' meetings. 

 Mar, 4. — Paper read, " Propelling-Machinery of Modern War Ships," 



by Mr, S, A, Wells. 

 Mar. 18. — Papers read, "The Manufacture of Raw Sugar," by Mr. 



W. C, Kerr, Stud. Inst.CE. ; "The Process and Machinery of 



Sugar Refining," by Mr. L. Martineau, Stud. Inst.CE, 



INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS OF IRELAND. 

 Mar. 2. — Paper read, " Operating Railway Facing Points, Safety Bars, 

 and Signals," by Mr. Angelo Fahie. 



SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS. 

 Mar. 7. — Paper read, "On Bridge Floors, their Design, Weight, and 

 Cost," by Mr, E. Olandet. 



UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ENGINEERING SOCIETY. 

 Mar. 2. — Paper read, "Modern Breech-Loading Guns," by Mr. R. J, 

 Durley, Stud. Inst.CE. 



JUNIOR ENGINEERING SOCIETY, 

 Feb. 25 — Paper read, " The Fallacies of Perpetual Motion," by Mr, 

 W, J, Tennant, 



SOCIETY OF TELEGRAPH ENGINEERS AND 

 ELECTRICIANS, 

 Mar, 10. — Paper read, " On Reversible Lead Batteries, and their Use 

 for Electric Lighting," by Mr. Desmond G. Fitzgerald. 



PHYSICAL SOCIETY. 



Feb. 26. — Special General Meeting. Papers read, "Note on Prof, 

 Carey Foster's Method of Measuring the Mutual Induction of Two 

 Coils," by Mr. J. Swinburne; "On the Determina\ion of Co- 

 efficients of Mutual Induction by Means of the Ballistric Galvan- 

 ometer and Earth Conductor," by Mr. R, H. M. Bosanquet ; " On 

 the Continuous Transition from the Liquid to the Gaseous State 

 of Matter at all Temperatures," by Prof. W, Ramsay and Dr, S. 



Young, 



THE COMPANY OF SHIPWRIGHTS, 



Jan, 2[. — Paper read, " Modern Warships," by W, H. White, Esq. 



Feb. 2. — Paper read, " The Mercantile Slarine and Foreign Competi- 

 tion," by A D. Lewis, Esq, 



ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION, 



Jan. 21.— Paper read, " Suggestions as to the Use of Machine Guns in 

 the Field, in combination with Infantry," by Major A. D, Ander- 

 son, R.H A, 



Feb, n, — Paper read, "Coast Defence by Gunboats," by Admiral Sir 

 Geo. Elliott, K.CB. 



Feb, 25 — Paper read, " On Magazine and Repeating Arms," by Capt, 

 W. H. James. 



Mar, II. — Paper read, " Mastless Men-of-War," by Capt, C, P. Fitz- 

 gerald, R.N, 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Feb, 18. — Annual General Meeting. 



Feb, 23. — Papers read, " On the Origin of Dry Chalk Valleys and of 

 Coombe Rock," by Mr. C Reid ; " Probable Amount of Former 

 Glaciation of Norway, as Demonstrated by the Present Condition 

 of Rocks upon and near the Western Coast," by Mr. W. F, Stanley, 

 F,G,S, 



ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, 

 Mar. l6.— Papers read, "Notes on Taking Meteorological Observa- 

 tions on board Ship," by Capt. D. Wilson Barker; "Marine 

 Temperature Observations," by Mr. Hugh R. Mill, F.R.S. E. 



SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY. 

 Mar. 7. — Papers read, " M. Hermite's System of Electrolytic Bleaching," 

 by Messrs. Cross and Bevan ; " Castner's Sodium Process" and 

 "A New Method of Elevating Liquids — especially applicable to 

 Acids," by Mr. James Mactear, 



THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE. 

 Feb, 7, — Paper read, "On the Beauty of Nature," by the Right Hon, 



Lord Grimthorpe, 

 Feb. 21. — Paper read, " On Caves — their .\ge, Origin, and Age of 



Deposit," by Mr. T. McK. Hughes, F.G.S. 



THE BALLOON SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN. 

 Mar, 11. — Lecture, " The Utilization of Petroleum," by Mr. J. String- 

 fellow, C.E. 



EDINBURGH PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. 

 Feb. 2. — Paper re<id, " Photographic Portraiture," by Mr, W, M, 



Crooke. 

 Mar. 2. — Paper read, "Demonstration of Gelatino-Bromidc Paper De- 

 velopment," by Mr. F, Briglmen. 



Exhibition of Plates of the Grand Observatory at Nice, by Pro- 

 fes-or C, Piazzi Smyth. 



Transparent Molten Iron.- — Engineering says : — " Mr, 

 'W, Ramsay has observed that the molten iron, seen during a 

 casting of several tons, is transparent. It was possible to see 

 bodies through the stream of metal, they taking, however, a 

 yellow tinge. The observation is one ol much interest, and 

 perhaps others engaged in the iron industry will be able to con- 

 firm it, since it is hardly likely that the phenomenon has not 

 been witnessed before." 



