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PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



[April, 1857. 



informs me that it has been penetrated by a shaft 40 feet deep, that 

 it varies in width from 2 to 3 feet, and has been traced to a distance 

 •exceeding 250 yards. 



President Gibbes communicated the fact that the fruit of 

 one of our native and ordinary plants, commonly known as 

 the Spanish Bayonet, or Palmetto Royal, a species of Yucca, 

 (Yucca Gloriosa,) yields a juice which possesses the property 

 of being readily acted upon by both acids and alkalis, thus 

 furnishing a good and available test for the chemist; which 

 is moreover easily preserved. It was shown, by experiment, 

 that bibulous paper colored blue by immersion in the filtered 

 juice was reddened by acids and turned green by alkalis. The 

 aqueous solution keeps decidedly better than the alcoholic. 



Members Elected. 



Dr. T. L. Ogier, Dr. James P. Jervey. 



Dr. Gabriel E. Manigault was elected a Curator. 



APRIL 1st, 1857. 



President L. R. Gibbes in the chair. 

 W. H. Wright, Esq., Acting Secretary. 



A specimen of the Siren lacertina was placed upon the 

 table by the President. 



Contributions to Library. 



The Trustees of the New York State Library presented 2 

 vols, of the Catalogue of the State Library ; also, Catalogue of 

 the New York State Cabinet; Hough's Meteorological Obser- 

 vations, N. Y., 1826-'50; Annual Reports of the Trustees of 

 the State Library, 1855- 56-57; Reports of the Regents of 

 the Library, 3 vols.; Report of the Commissioners to superin- 

 tend the completion of the Natural History of New York; 

 and Catalogue of the Coins and Medals in the New York 

 State Library. 



