1897-98.] 
Meetings of the Society. 
707 
2. On Torsional Oscillations of Wires — (a) Experimental, (b) Theoretical. 
By W. Peddie, D.Sc. {Abstract) pp. 212-215. Trans., xxxix. pp. 
425-455. 
3. Crystalline Hydrates of Sodinm Thiosulphate. By W. W. Taylor, 
M.A. Communicated by Professor Crum Brown, pp. 248-251. 
4. The Metabolism of the Nucleins under Physiological and Patho- 
logical Conditions. By T. H. Milroy, M.H., and J. Malcolm, M.B. 
Communicated by Professor Rutherford. 
5. On Electrolytic Conduction. By Professor Tait. 
FOURTEENTH ORDINARY MEETING. 
Monday , 4 th July 1898. 
The Hon. Lard M‘Laren, Vice-President, in the Chair. 
The Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize for 1893-96 was presented 
to John Aitken, Esq., for his varied and important Researches in 
the Physics of Meteorology. 
The Chairman, on presenting the Prize, said : — 
Mr John Aitken’s outstanding contribution to science is his 
paper “ On Dust, Fogs, and Clouds,” which was published in 
the Society’s Transactions (vol. xxx. pp. 337-368). Remarkable 
originality and ingenuity was shown in devising the apparatus which 
revealed and displayed the fact that the atmosphere everywhere 
contains small particles of dust, which serve as nuclei in the 
condensation of the aqueous vapour of the air into cloud and rain. 
It was shown at the same time that there are always present in the 
atmosphere great quantities of chloride of sodium and other kinds 
of dust, which, from their affinity for water, cause condensation 
to take place in unsaturated air, thus producing dry fogs, when 
they happen to be present in great quantities. But as regards 
those dust particles which have no affinities with water, condensa- 
tion is delayed till supersaturation begins, and wet fogs are pro- 
duced; and further, when this stage has been reached, there is 
a tendency to inequality in the size of the cloud particles which 
determines the fall of some of them through the others, and thus 
rain follows. 
The great density of town fogs is occasioned by the fact that 
many of the products of combustion have strong affinities with 
water, thus favouring the generation of dry fogs. 
