of Edinburgh, Session 1882-83. 
189 
towards the moon is very small. On the other hand, the diminished 
illuminated area of the earth turned towards the moon, makes the 
lunar indications in another way more definite, as the moon then 
reports the cloudy condition of a much narrower area, east and west, 
of the earth’s surface. Allowance would, of course, require to be 
made for the more or less clearness of our atmosphere. 
If we wish to get the amount of cloud during the last half of 
the moon, we can observe it as during the first half; but now it 
will give us the cloudiness to the* east and not to the west of us 
as before. So that if we wish to know the condition of the 
atmosphere to the west of us over the Atlantics, during the last 
days of the moon, we must have the observations made and tele- 
graphed to us from America. 
These suggestions are here offered in an extremely crude state ; 
but as they appear to have a germ of truth in them, they are offered 
in the hope that some one with the proper means of observation 
may take them up and put them to a practical test. 
2. The Acids of Opium. By D. B. Dott. 
The acids which have been described as existing in opium are 
meconic, sulphuric, lactic, and acetic acids. It is not certain that 
the two latter are always present. In any case they exist in small 
amount, and are of little importance. Bor many years after its 
discovery in 1805 by Sertiirner, meconic acid was regarded not only 
as the peculiar acid of opium, but as that with which the morphine 
and some of the other bases are wholly combined. In later years it 
has become known that the morphine exists partly as sulphate, but 
I do not find that any analyses have been made, showing to what 
extent this is the case. The subject has indeed received but little 
attention, as is evident from the fact that in many of the most 
recent publications it is assumed that the morphine exists naturally 
entirely as meconate. 
In 1878 Dr C. J. H. Warden of the Bengal Staff published an 
interesting analysis* of Behar opium ash, obtained by preserving 
the ashes of all the samples analysed at the Government Opium 
Factory for several years. The chief feature of interest in the 
Chemical Neivs, xxxviii. p. 146. 
