Royal Society, 147 



Permit me to seize the present occasion to express my warmest 

 thanks to Professors Thomson and Tait for the ability and friendly 

 zeal with which they have asserted my claims, and allow me to 

 reciprocate M. Mayer's remark, by thanking Dr. Tyndail for his 

 lecture in the Royal Institution which called forth those expres- 

 sions in my behalf. 



1 remain, Gentlemen, 



Yours very respectfully, 



James P. Joule. 



XXI. Proceedings of Learned Societies, 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



[Continued from p. 73.] 



November 20, 1862. — Major-General Sabine, President, in the Chair. 



HPHE following communications were read : — 

 -*- "On the Synthesis of Tribasic Acids." — Preliminary Notice. 

 By Maxwell Simpson, M.B., F.R.S. 



" On the Nerves of the Liver, Biliary Ducts, and Gall-bladder." 

 By Robert Lee, M.D., F.R.S. 



" On the Volumes of Pedal Surfaces." By T. A. Hirst, F.R.S. 



" On the Causes of various Phenomena of Attraction and Adhe- 

 sion, as exhibited in Solid Bodies, Films, Vesicles, Liquid Globules, 

 and Blood- Corpuscles." By Richard Norris, Esq., Birmingham. 



" On Stasis of the Blood, and Exudation." By Richard Norris, Esq. 



"Additional Observations on the Proximate Principles of the 

 Lichens." By John Stenhouse, LL.D., F.R.S. 



"On the Theory of Parallels." By Lieut. - General T. Perronet 

 Thompson, F.R.S. 



" Letter to Professor Stokes, Sec. R.S., containing Observations 

 made at Malta on a Planetary Nebula." By William Lassell, Esq., 

 F.R.S. 



Malta, 26th Sept. 1862. 



My dear Sir, — In directing my large equatoreal upon the well- 

 known planetary nebula situated in M 20 h 56 m N.P.D. 101° 56' 

 (1862), it has revealed so marvellous a conformation of this object 

 that I cannot forbear to send you a drawing of it, with some descrip- 

 tion of its appearance. With comparatively low powers, e. g. 231 



% 



and 285, it appears at first sight as a vividly light-blue elliptic nebula, 

 with a slight prolongation of the nebula, or a very faint star, at or near 



L2 



