468 Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



large scale in Paris. It occurs in magnificent square prismatic 

 crystals of brilliant metallic lustre, and which, if made from pure 

 chinoline (C 18 H 7 1ST) by the successive action of iodide of amyle 

 (C 10 H n J) and potash (KO, HO), have the constitution expressed 

 by the formula — 



C 56 H 35 N" 2 1. 

 This substance contains the elements of two equivalents of chinoline — 

 one of iodide of amyle, and one of amylene. It yields a magnificent 

 series of salts. Analogous substances may also be obtained by 

 taking lepidine (C 20 H 9 IS") instead of chinoline, and iodide of ethyle 

 instead of the amyle compound. 



LINNEAN" SOCIETY.— December 18th. 



The first paper read was by Mr. A. H. Church, " On the Form of 

 the Vascular Fasciculi in certain British Ferns." The author 

 pointed out the general characteristics of the vascular bundles in 

 the majority of the British species of Lastrea, noting two remark- 

 able exceptions in L. oreopteris, the mountain fern, and L. thelypteris, 

 the marsh fern. In these latter plants there are only two vascular 

 fasciculi in the stipes of the frond, and these ultimately unite. The 

 scalariform ducts are arranged in these two species in the form of 

 the Greek letter S, while in other Lastreas the prevalent form is 

 that of an oval with a small incurved process. Mr. Church pointed 

 out the vascular arrangement in several other British species as 

 compared with certain foreign forms and British varieties, having 

 derived his conclusions from several hundred examinations of the 

 living plants. In these researches he made use of perchloride of 

 iron, which revealed the secondary deposits and ducts containing 

 tannin, by striking a blue-black colour with them. 



ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.— December 8th. 



Oveeland Route fkom Pekin. — Dr. Norton Shaw read a paper 

 descriptive of Mr. Grant's important and adventurous overland 

 journey from Pekin to European Russia. Mr. Grant, having 

 obtained a passport for Mongolia from Prince Kung, started from 

 Pekin on March 26th, 1862. On the 1st of April he arrived at 

 Kalgan, the most important commercial town in the north of China. 

 On the 9th of May he reached Ouga, the capital of Mongolia, 

 having traversed the desert of Gobi entirely unattended. Remain- 

 ing twenty days at Kiachta, he started for Irkutsk, the capital of 

 * Eastern Siberia. After stopping here for a short time, he set 

 out for Tomsk, whence he took a steamer to Tumen, calling at 

 Tobolsk, the ancient capital of Siberia, from whence he passed 

 through Ekaterinburgh to the Ural Mountains, and arrived at Tagill, 

 where there are valuable mines belonging to the DemidofF family. 

 These mines last year gave employment to upwards of 60,000 

 persons. 



Mr. Grant stated that by this route communication might be 



