December ist, ipoj.] PROCEEDINGS. vii 



furnace and of the arcs were described, and photographs of 

 them thrown upon the screen. 



The subject was, they said, an exceptionally wide one, and 

 in view of the increasing importance of the technical applications 

 of the electric furnace, the results might prove not only of 

 scientific interest, but also of practical value. 



To obtain really satisfactory results, it was necessary to 

 exceed what is usually considered the laboratory scale of opera- 

 tions. Consequently a plant of considerable size had to be 

 installed, which was rendered possible by a grant from the 

 •Government Grant Committee of the Royal Society. 



For the present the work had been confined to the production 

 of calcium carbide, aluminium and nitric acid, as effected by 

 pressures up to 150 atmospheres. 



An interesting discussion followed, in which several members 

 ^took part. 



Ordinary Meeting, December ist, 1903. 



Professor W. Boyd Dawkins, D.Sc, F.R.S., President, 

 in the Chair. 



The thanks of the members were voted to the donors of the 

 books upon the table. The following were among the recent 

 accessions to the Society's Library : — " Reports of the Sleeping 

 ■Sickness Commissions^ Nos. 2-4 (8vo., London, 1903), presented 

 by the Royal Society of London ; " Subject List of Works on 

 the Mineral Industries attd Allied Sciences" (i6mo., London, 

 1 903), presented by the Patent Office, London ; " Monograph 

 of the Coccidce of the British Isles^'' vol. 2, by R. Newstead (8vo., 

 London, 1903), purchased from the Ray Society. 



The President drew the attention of the meeting to the 

 fact that, although the rainfall during the last six months had 

 been unusually heavy, the water in the deep springs had not 

 increased proportionally, but was still below the average quantity 

 for the last ten years. 



