130 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinhurgh. [jan. 30 , 
sistent with the record of temperatures. Just as small drops of 
water may remain unfrozen in air below 0° C., small ice crystals may 
remain unmelted at temperatures above that point. 
8. Letter from the Astronomer-Royal. 
By permission of the Meeting, a letter was read from the 
Astronomer-Royal for Scotland on the fall of a part of the cliff 
below hTelson’s Monument. 
PRIVATE BUSINESS. 
Mr John Norman Collie, Mr R. E. Allardice, Mr F. Grant 
Ogilvie, Mr D. F. Lowe, and Mr Charles Hunter Stewart were 
balloted for, and declared duly elected Fellows of the Society. 
Monday, January 30, 1888. 
The Rev. Professor FLINT, D.D., Vice-President, 
in the Chair. 
The following Communications were read : — 
1. On the Causes of Movements in General Prices. 
By Professor Nicholson. 
2. A New Method for Preserving the Blood in a Fluid 
State outside the Body. By Prof. John Berry 
Haycraft, and B. W. Carlier, M.B. 
A grant was made by the British Medical Association, on the 
recommendation of the Scientific Grants Committee of the Asso- 
ciation, towards the expenses of a research, a part of which appears 
in this communication. 
Dr Freund and Professor Haycraft, working independently, have 
succeeded in keeping blood in a fluid state when removed from the 
body. In principle both these methods were the same, the blood 
