149 
Ordinary Meeting, April 4th, 1865. 
R. Angus Smith, Ph.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 
Messrs. H. M. Ormerod and W. Brockbank were appointed 
Auditors of the Society’s Accounts for the present Session. 
A communication was read entitled “ An Instance of the 
Injurious Action of Alkalies on Cotton Fibre,” by Messrs. 
Heinrich Caro and William Dancer. 
A remarkable instance of the deleterious action of alkali 
on cotton fibre lias lately come under our notice, when 
examining some indigo prints, which had been stiffened or 
finished with silicate of soda, and kept in bales during about 
two years. The strength of the fibre of the greater part of 
these goods had decreased to about one-third of the strength 
of some pieces Avhich had been packed in the same bales, and 
which differed in no other respect from the others except 
in their having been finished with starch. We therefore 
surmised that silicate of soda had been the primary cause of 
the deterioration of the goods. Further observations con- 
vinced us, however, that the injury was due to the long con- 
tinued action of free or carbonated alkali upon the cotton 
fibre. 
Some of the sound pieces (which, as before mentioned, had 
been finished with starch) had been packed between the 
silicated goods, and had abstracted soda from them which 
had penetrated from the places of contact into the interior of 
the pieces to a considerable depth. In the same ratio in 
Proceedings Lit. & Phtl. Society — Yol. IV. — No. 14.— Session 1864-5. 
