422 
Proceedings of Societies. 
[Dec. 
Instead of setting fire to the alcohol it may he draw off by heat, and if performed 
in a proper vessel, be collected again for making a fresh preparation of wax. 
11. — Note on the <4rbelon Problem. 
If the translation of Hakim Abdul Moj^d’s solution of this problem is correctly 
given in your last number, it appears destitute of formal demonstration, although 
the steps taken towards the proof are correct enough. 
The following perhaps better expresses the Hakim’s meaning : 
Join AD BD : then the triangle ADB is right angled. Describe upon AD BD 
respectively the arcs AID and BLD. Then by the law of the hypothenuess, 
The arc AID is equal to the arcs AEG CHD : and, the arc DLB is equal to the 
arcs CMB DRC. 
But the arcs CHD and DRC constitute the circle CRDH, and the arcs AID 
DLB are equal to the arc ABD. 
Therefore the arc ABD is equal to the sum of arcs AEC CMD and the circle 
CRDH ; and by subtracting the arcs AEC CMD which are common to both, the 
remainders will be also equal ; therefore the circle CRDH is equal to the figure 
DAKBMFCT. q. E . D. 
XV. — Proceedings of Societies. 
I. — Asiatic Society. 
Physical Class. 
Wednesday Evening, 21st December, 1831. 
The Hon’ble Sir Edward Ryan, President, in the chair : 
1 . A complete series of Volcanic specimens from Mount Vesuvius, was present- 
ed by Sir Edward Ryan, President. 
This interesting collection was made by Mr. Babbage, from the Museum at 
Naples, and comprises specimens of lava of almost every eruption of Vesuvius, 
from the year 79 A. D. down to the present time. 
2. A letter from Mr. William Cobb Hurry was read, presenting to the Society, 
on the part of Mr. Lea of Philadelphia, a box of American Shells, land and 
fresh water. 
Among these were enumerated 25 varieties of the Unio, chiefly from the Ohio;— 
3 varieties of Venus, 4 of Melania , and several other univalves and bivalves. 
Mr. Hurry also presented, on the part of Dr. Burrough, of the same place, 
some skins of American birds, in testimony of his thankfulness for the assistance 
afforded him by the Government of Bengal in his pursuits of Natural History, 
when in this country. 
And lastly, on the part of Dr. R. Harlan, a Pamphlet on the Fossil Bones of 
the Megalonyx, discovered in “ white cave,” Kentucky. 
3. Specimens of a stuffed bird and a lizard, calculated to resist the destructive 
influence of a Bengal climate, were presented in the name of Dr. Pearson of 
Midnapur. The Society expressed a hope that the donor would apply his very 
successful mode of preparation extensively in the service of their Museum, which, 
at present, exhibits such symptoms of decay, from the dampness of the apartments, 
as naturally to restrain many from depositing in it the results of their labours in 
the wide field of Indian Natural History. 
4. A letter was read trom B. H. Hodgson, Esq. forwarding to the Society a 
paper on the Mammalia of Nepal. 
5. A Letter from Dr. Strong stated, that the Boring experiment was once more 
actively proceeding, the 100 feet of rod which were broken into the shaft some- 
time ago, had, by dint of great exertion, been extracted ; 70 feet of large tube 
had also been let down into the upper part of the bore, and upwards of 100 feet of 
smaller tube were prepared to sink below ; the auger is now at 135 feet below the 
surface, rapidly recovering lost ground. 
• i 8 sketch ot the Geology of Penang and the neighbouring Islets was 
remci and the specimens of rocks, in illustration of his remarks, laid on the table. 
Abe Island does not offer much variety of interest to the Geologist— the main 
land is composed of granite, the copious detritus of which forms the soil of thecul- 
nated plains : the extensive disintegration of this granite was also noticed by the 
ttev. K. Everest, as similar to what prevails in France and in India : argillaceous 
