of Edinburgh, Session 1882-83. 
75 
readings got from the different oily surfaces do not correctly represent 
their relative values. The readings, however, enable us to arrange 
the different oils in the relative order of their strengths. 
A few of the more easily obtained oils were tested with this 
instrument. In the following table these are arranged in the order 
of their tensions on the surface of water, beginning with the weakest 
tensions, or those which would he most powerful in checking the 
formation of waves : — 
Sperm oil. 
Linseed oil. 
Eape seed oil. 
Cloves, Oil of. 
Cod-liver oil. 
Olive oil. 
Anise seed oil. 
Almond oil. 
Paraffin oil. 
Lubricating oil (mineral). 
Mineral oil. 
The first few oils in this list are the best, and do not differ much 
from each other. Cod-liver oil is not quite so good, olive is 
decidedly less powerful, while the three mineral oils are by far the 
worst of all, as they reduce the surface tension very much less than 
the others. The same result was, T believe, got in the experiments 
at Aberdeen. Mineral oil was there found to he less effectual in 
calming the waves of the sea than seal or cod oil. 
4. The following communication from the Astronomer-Eoyal 
for Scotland was read by Professor Tait : — 
In case you should not have any better account of it from those 
who keep hourly, or perhaps continuous, observations, you may 
like to mention to the Society this evening, on no more than my 
twelve-hour testimony, — the occurrence of a decided meteor, of 
meteorology, last night. 
The maximum outside temperature yesterday about 2 p.m. was 
40° -5, and the minimum temperature, self-registered, for the night 
was 37°‘0 ; while at 10 a.m. this morning the then temperature 
was 41"-0, or nothing very different from the day before. And yet 
for all that, and some time during the darkness of the night, there 
had been an influx of warm wind, with a temperature of 51°’0 ! 
It lasted, too, sufficiently long to impress an inside maximum self- 
registering thermometer’ as well; for while this should not have 
