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Ordinary Meeting, March 8th, 1864. 
J. C. Dyer, Esq., Vice President, in the chair. 
Horatio Micholls, Esq. and Thos. Windsor, M.R.C.S., 
were elected ordinary members of the society. 
Mr. Brothers presented to the members several prints 
from a negative photograph of Slater’s fine bust of the late 
' Professor Hodgkinson, taken by the magnesium light. 
The following communication from Dr. Fairbairn was 
read : — “ I beg to forward, for the information of the society, 
some singularly corroded plates, taken from two boilers that 
exploded and killed thirteen persons a few days since, at 
Aberdare, South Wales, The extraordinary effects are 
supposed to arise from the water, into which some mineral 
springs from the mines have been flowing for some time 
past. Mr. Fletcher our engineer, has submitted this water 
for analysis to Dr. Angus Smith ; to whom I beg to refer. 
I doubt not the specimens will be interesting to the 
society.” 
The plates appeared honeycombed on the interior surface 
to the depth of half the thickness of the plate, and the 
corrosion evidently proceeded from chemical action. 
Mr. Fletcher stated that the corrosion was very irregular; 
in some portions, especially close to a seam of rivets, the 
plate being completely eaten away ; the part of the boiler 
situated immediately over the furnace was that upon which 
the corroding action was most noticed. 
Proceedings — Lit, & Phil. Society— No, H.— Session 1863-64 
