472 



offensive smells. A division of sentiment prevailed as to 

 the comparative merits of the liquids of Burnett and Le- 

 doyen. EUerman's preparation, likewise, met with favour, 

 though some of the gentlemen present considered that under 

 the disguised smell of pyroligneous acid, they could still 

 sensibly perceive the foetor of sulphuretted hydrogen. The 

 air of the room and adjoining passage had now become 

 excessively foul, these disinfectants appearing to exercise 

 no action upon the general atmosphere, when the solution 

 of the chloride of lime was made trial of as before, but 

 with more striking and obvious results. The septic gases 

 were promptly decomposed, and all stench removed. An 

 unanimous opinion was declared, that the statements of the 

 paper on this branch of the subject were fully confirmed, 

 and that Labarrhaque's liquid was pre-eminently superior 

 as a deodorant to any of the metallic solutions submitted 

 to experiment. Additions of the chloride of lime were then 

 made to the materials already acted upon by the other fluids, 

 the effect of which was to complete that whicl^ had been 

 previously only partially accomplished, and by scattering 

 still more of it upon the floor, the air of the apartment 

 was left very nearly, if not perfectly, sweet. 



Mr. Ramsden, of Wakefield, read the second Paper, — 



ON THE BEST MEANS OF DRAINING FIRE-DAMP FROM 

 COAL MINES, BY AN IMPROVED PRINCIPLE OF VEN- 

 TILATION. 



After alluding to the importance of the subject, and the 

 production of the safety -lamp by Sir Humphry Davy, 

 which, however, had not answered all the purposes which its 

 celebrated designer intended it should, he proceeded as 

 follows : — 



Having been an eye-witness to many of the calamities 

 which have overtaken not a few of my ill-fated countrymen 



