( xlix ) 



Monday, JANrARY 11, 1875. 

 Wn-irAM Stokes, M. D., F. E. S., President, in the Chair. 



The minutes of the previous meeting were read and signed. 



Eobert Atkinson, LL. D., Professor of the Romance Languages, in 

 the University of Dublin; "W. J. Fitzpatrick, LL. D.; Edward Hamil- 

 ton, M.D., Yice-President, Eoyal College of Surgeons, Ireland; Arthur 

 HiU, C. E. ; J. J. Mac Carthy, M. P. ; John J. O'Callaghan, Esq. ; 

 G. H. Porter, M. D., Surgeon in Ordinary to the Queen in Ireland ; 

 and J. Emerson Eeynolds, M. D., Professor of Chemistry, Eoyal 

 College of Surgeons, Ireland, were balloted for and declared duly 

 elected Members of the Academy. 



The Secretary laid on the table the " Minutes of the Proceedings 

 of the Academy" for December, 1874 ; and the " Proceedings of the 

 Academy" Second Series, Vol. II., Part 1 (Science), January, 1875. 



The Secretary read a Paper, by J. Ehys, Esq., of Ehyl, " On 

 Ogham Inscriptions." 



[This Paper will appear in the " Proceedings," Second Series, 

 Vol. I., Polite Literature and Antiquities.] 



Edmund "W. Davy, A.M., M. D., read a paper "On some newly 

 observed Properties possessed by certain Salts of Fulminic Acid." 



"Whilst making some experiments on the Fulminate of Mercury, the 

 Author observed, that when that salt and the Ferrocyanide of Potas- 

 sium, both in aqueous solution, are gently heated together, the mixture 

 at first acquires a faint reddish yellow tint, which quickly passes into a 

 deep port wine colour, without the separation apparently, at least at first, 

 of any gas or solid matter. The development of this coloration, under 

 the circumstances stated, being considered very singular, and hitherto 

 unnoticed, led him to study the matter more closely to detexnuine the 

 nature of this coloured compound, and of the changes taking place in 

 its formation. 



He soon ascertained that this substance was of a very unstable 

 character, and that it presented great difficulties in the way of its 

 separation from the matters with which it was associated, as procured 

 in the reaction referred to ; and, not being able to obtain it in a pure 

 or suitable state to submit it to actual analysis, he was for a consider- 

 able time unable to get any clue as to its real nature, further than that 

 it was some organic compound of iron in which oyanogon or its 



R. I. A., IIINTTES, SESSION 1874-75. )l 



