370 Wemerian Natural History Society. — Intelligence* 



paper on the Transition Greenstone of Fassnet in East Lo- 

 thian, which, besides much valuable mineral ogical infor- 

 mation, contained a satisfactory answer to the query pro- 

 posed some time ago by Professor Jameson, in regard to the 

 geognostic relations of the rocks of this tract of country. 

 The descriptions of the individual rocks, and their general 

 and particular geognostic relations, were detailed with 

 ability ; and the interest of the whole was increased by acute 

 observations on the mode of examining and discriminating 

 rocks, — a subject of high value, particularly to those who 

 may be employed in examining the mineralogy of a country. 



The following gentlemen have been elected office-bearers 

 of this Society for 1809 : 



President : Robert Jameson, esq., Pr. Nat. Hist. Ed. 



Vice-presidents : Dr. Wright, Dr. Macknight, Dr. Bar- 

 clay, and Dr. Thomson. 



Of the Council : Gen. Dirom, Col. Fullerton, C S.Men- 

 teith, esq., Dr. Home, Dr. Yule, James Russell, esq., C. 

 Anderson, esq., and C. Stewart, esq. 



Treasurer: Patrick Walker, esq. 



Secretary : Patrick Neill, esq. 



LIU. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



MR. DAVY'S THEORY. 



ft Mr. Tilloch, — sir, 



4; 



JTrofessor Davy this day, in his lecture on che- 

 mical affinity at the Royal Institution, brought forwards 

 (not indeed for the first time) his theory, that chemical af- 

 finity was the effect of opposite states of electricity. This 

 theory he proposed with all that diffidence and hesitation 

 which are ever inseparable from the man of true science in 

 such matters. Having stated that bodies which are possess- 

 ed of chemical affinity are also naturally in opposite states 

 of electricity, and that this affinity is dependant upon their 

 state of electricity, he proceeded to illustrate the doctrine 

 in various ways, giving examples of this dependence, and 

 showing that bodies which have their states of electricity 



altered 



