322 Proceedings of Societies. 
‘*On Boiler Explosions.” By Professor Airy. 
** On the Improvements now being carried out in the River Tyne.” By 
Mr J. F. Ure. 
“ On Targets for Gunnery Experiments.” By Captain Dove Las 
GALTON. 
* On Rifled Ordnance.” By Mr Georcr Ricuarps.” 
“On the Decortication of Cereals.” By Mr Rosert Davinson. 
“Qn Improvements in Machinery and Apparatus for Cleansing and 
Purifying Casks.’’ By Mr Rozsrrr Davipson. 
‘ “The Application of Machinery to Coal-Cutting.” By Mr Samvuen 
IRTH, 
“ Caselli’s Auto-Telegraph from Paris to Marseilles.’’ By the Abbé 
Moreno. . 
‘* Oadry’s Galvano-Copper and Galvano-Copper Paint applicable to 
Buildings, Armour Plates for Ships, &c.’”’ By the Abbé Moreno. 
‘“« Report of the Committee on Steam-Ship Performances.’ By Mr W. 
SMITH. 
‘ Portable Machinery Apparatus for Rivetting, Chipping, &c.’’ By Mr 
W. Smita. 
“Novel Arrangement of Direct Acting Steam-Engines.” By Mr W. 
SMITH. 
** Bown’s Tyre Fastening.’ By Mr Bensamin Foruercity. 
Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 
Thursday, 14th May 1863.—Professor Mactaean, President, 
in the Chair. 
The following Communications were read :— 
1. Descriptions of New Genera and Species of Diatoms from the South 
Pacific. Part I. By R.K. Grevitizr, LL.D., F.R.S.E. With Plate. 
(This paper appears in this volume of the Journal, p. 34.) 
2. Experiments on the Fertilisation of Orchids in the Royal Botanic 
Garden of Edinburgh. By Mr Joun Scorrt. 
After some introductory remarks on hybridisation, and on Darwin’s 
experiments, the author says :—‘‘ Having occasion to require a few 
capsules from the Vande tribe, 1 carefully fertilised for some time 
various species which flowered in the Royal Botanic Garden here. From 
certain of these I had the following somewhat singular and anomalous 
results. On different plants of the Oncidiwm sphacelatum, I fertilised a 
number of flowers with their own pollen, yet in no case did I ever succeed 
even in causing the capsule to swell. The only external signs the flowers 
afforded of being affected by the pollen were the closing of the stigmatic 
orifice twenty-four hours or so after its application, and the slightly earlier 
withering of the flower. On the large and vigorous plant of O. sphacela- 
twm, Which, along with others subsequently noticed, Mr M‘Nab has 
kindly permitted me to place before the Society, I impregnated between 
ee he 
