PROCEEDINGS 
OP 
THE LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL 
SOCIETY. 
Ordinary Meeting, October 1st, 1872. 
Rev. William Gaskell, M.A., Vice-President, in the Chair. 
Among the donations announced were a beautiful photo- 
graphic copy of a fine portrait of the late Mr. John Dawson, 
of Sedbergh, by Mr. Westall, A.R.A., and a fine photo- 
graphic portrait of the Rev. Canon Sedgwick, M.A., F.R.S., 
Honorary Member of the Society, both presented by Canon 
Sedgwick. 
On the motion of Mr. Baxendell, seconded by Mr. 
Kipping, the thanks of the Society were unanimously voted 
to the Rev. Canon for his interesting and valuable dona- 
tions. 
“ On the Composition of Ammonium Amalgam,” by R. 
Routledge, B.Sc. 
The substance now known as ammonium amalgam 
appears to have been first obtained by Seebeck* in the 
beginning of the year 1808, immediately after Davy had 
announced his brilliant discovery of the isolation of potas- 
sium and sodium by means of the Voltaic battery. Seebeck 
prepared the amalgam by placing mercury which formed 
the negative pole of a battery in contact with moistened 
carbonate of ammonia. About the same time Berzelius and 
Ponthrf- obtained the like result with solution of ammonia. 
# Annales de Chimie , LXYI. 191. 
f Gilb., YI. 260, and Bibliotheque Britannique , No. 323, 324, p. 122. 
Proceedings — Lit. & Phil. Soc. — Yol. XII. — No. 1 — Session 1872-3. 
