102 



positions of carbon carried from one electrode to the other. Professor 

 Silliman had at that time sent Dr. Hare several nodules for examina- 

 tion, of which none, agreeably to his recollection, appeared so much 

 like products of fusion as those lately obtained. 



Formerly, plumbago had been considered as a carburet of iron, 

 but latterly, agreeably to the high authority of Berzelius, should be 

 viewed as carbon holding iron in a state of mixture, and not in that 

 of chemical combination. It would not then be surprising, if the 

 globules in question furnished an instance of the conversion of char- 

 coal into plumbago. 



Since the abovementioned experiments were made, Dr. Hare has 

 had reason to believe that the compound obtained as above described, 

 by heating lime with bicyanide of mercury, contains fulminic acid, or 

 an analogous substance. The compound being dissolved in acetic 

 acid, and the filtered solution subjected to nitrate of mercury, a 

 copious white precipitate resulted. This being desiccated, proves to 

 be a fulminating powder. It explodes between a hammer and anvil 

 like fulminating mercury, or rather with the sharp sound of fulmi- 

 nating silver. 



Dr. Hays made a verbal communication of a case of the appli- 

 cation of the catoptric method of examining the eye, by which 

 he had detected the destruction of the lens and of its capsule, 

 under circumstances which would not otherwise have led to 

 the conclusion that they had been destroyed, and where vision 

 had been obtained by the use of a cataract lens. 



Stated Meeting, June 21. 



Present, twenty-four members. 



Mr. Du Ponceau, President, in the Chair. 



The following donations were received: — 



for the library. 

 Proceedings of the Royal Astronomical Society. Vol. IV. Nos. 1 

 to 21, and No. 23. London, 1839.— From the Society. 



