264 



Senate Reports, 2d Session of 31st Congress, 1850-51, 1 vol. 



Senate Journal, „ „ 1 ,) 



House Journal, „ „ 1 „ 



House Miscellaneous Documents, „ 1 „ 



„ Reports of Committees, ,, 1 „ 



Washington. 8vo. — From the Department of State. 



The Committee appointed at the last meeting, to which was 

 referred Mr. Lea's paper on the Fossil Footmarks, made report, 

 recommending its publication in the Transactions of the Soci- 

 ety, which was ordered accordingly. 



Mr. Tilghman called the attention of the Society to the pro- 

 duction of a large quantity of the Cyanide of Potassium in the 

 working of the iron furnaces in Scotland, and to the importance 

 of this phenomenon, both in a theoretical and practical point of 

 view. Minute quantities of the salts of potassa had been found 

 by Messrs. Bunsen and Flayfair, both in the ore and in the 

 coal, particularly in the former, — and Mr. Tilghman thought 

 that it is possible that the remarkable difference in facility of 

 reduction, which is known to exist between closely similar 

 ores, may depend upon the presence of a greater or less quan- 

 tity of this base in the ore. 



The stated business of the meeting, the election of members, 

 was postponed in consequence of there not being the requisite 

 quorum present. 



The Committee of Finance reported progress on the subject 

 referred to them at the last meeting. 



On motion of Mr. Fraley, the Secretary was directed to ad- 

 dress a letter to Mr. Richard Parish, of Hamburg, as executor 

 of Mr. David Parish, inquiring whether any disposition had 

 been made in the will of the said David Parish, as to the col- 

 lection of coins and medals deposited by him with this Soci- 

 ety, or whether the executors wish to withdraw them. 



On motion of Mr. Fraley, the Secretaries were authorized 

 to furnish Peter A. Browne, Esq., with a copy of the Report 

 of the Committee on the Collection of Wools sent to Mr. 

 Browne by the King of Saxony. 



On motion of Dr. Hays, a set of the casts of the Mastodon 

 bones, in the possession of the Society, was directed to be 



