221 
the vessel in which the anatomical preparations were pre- 
served. His authority was Dr. De Morgan, of the Middlesex 
Hospital, who stated to him a few days since that he had 
succeeded by that means in preserving classes of animals 
which all other means had failed in preserving, namely, 
Molluscse, Zoophytes, and Acalephse. 
Dr. Calvert also read a Paper “ On the Employment of 
Galvanized Iron for Armour-plated Ships.” 
The Author stated that no doubt many gentlemen present 
were acquainted with the fact that he had been for some 
time past engaged in ascertaining the chemical composition 
of various woods employed and susceptible of being employed 
in the navy. On a recent visit to one of the dockyards he 
found that while the armour-plates were fixed against a layer 
of teak, the ribs of the ship were of oak, and that the iron 
bolts which were to fasten the plates were to pass through 
the oak ribs. It occurred to him that the inconvenience 
which would probably result from the action of the oak upon 
the iron might be obviated by substituting galvanized iron 
bolts for those now in use, and he therefore instituted a series 
of experiments, the results of which he had great pleasure in 
laying before the meeting. 
The first series of experiments consisted in having driven 
through large pieces of oak, bolts and screws of iron and 
galvanized iron prepared by his friends, Messrs. Richard John- 
son and Brother, of Dale-street, Manchester, which were then 
immersed in soft and sea water for the last three months. The 
results clearly showed, first, that the friction did not remove 
the zinc from the galvanized iron ; secondly, that the oak and 
galvanized bolts were unchanged ; whilst in the case of the 
iron bolts, they were much rusted, and the pieces of oak had 
become quite black by the formation of tannate and gallate 
of peroxide of iron. During the experiments the waters were 
changed every week, and those containing the galvanized iron 
