322 Proceedings of Societies. [April, 
the determinations were chosen with far greater regard to the 
analyst’s time than to the needs of the inquiry. The so-called 
partial analyses were often very partial, and often brought dis- 
grace upon the profession of chemistry. In conclusion, he con- 
gratulated the author on his valuable addition *o the literature of 
water analysis, and on the clearness with which he had brought 
a great array of fadls before the Society. His comparative 
tables were of great value, and he trusted they would be care- 
fully studied by all chemists who pradlise water analysis. They 
formed a chart upon which the rocks so fatal to many a water 
analysis were so clearly shown that he who runs might read. 
Mr. Wanklyn said that as long ago as 1867 Chapman, Smith, 
and himself directed attention to the cardinal defeat of the com- 
bustion process, and this defedl had never been overcome. It 
was this, that the organic matter in the water does not survive 
the evaporation to dryness. Dr. Frankland said that he would 
be content if he had a process to burn up the organic matter in 
the water itself. Messrs. Cooper and Wanklyn had invented 
such a process, and had burned up substances in solution. 
Dr. Voelcker said that an impartial observer would come to 
the conclusion that all methods were more or less defective, and 
some gave very erroneous results. He would most earnestly 
urge the importance of determining all the constituents of a 
water, organic and inorganic, and not founding an opinion on 
one fadtor. 
In his reply Prof. Tidy said he had concluded that the poison 
in water was volatile from analogy, because when it did adt it 
was very virulent, and virulency and volatility usually go 
together. 
Edinburgh University Chemical Society, January 29. — 
Alexander Macfarlane, D.Sc., F.R.S.E., in the chair. 
A paper was read by Mr. J. S. Thomson, “On Paraffin and 
what is got from it, as illustrated by ‘ Exhibits at the Paris 
Exhibition of 1878.’ ” A full account was given of the modes 
of preparation of these exhibits, which consisted of specimens 
of all the commercial produdts of the Addiewell Chemical 
Works. These included naphtha, burning oils, lubricating oils, 
solid paraffin in blocks (weighing not less than 7 cwts. each), 
sulphate of ammonia, and candles of various kinds made from 
the paraffin wax. The methods of preparation of other produdls 
of paraffin were also explained. 
Physical Society, February 22, 1879. — Prof. W. G. Adams, 
President, in the chair. 
Dr. Schuster gave the results of some observations made by a 
spedtroscope with two prisms, one for the red and the other for 
the blue end of the spedlrum, on the Spedlrum of Lightning. 
Three observations were made, one at Las Ammas, one at Mani- 
ton, and one at Salt Lake City, last year. These showed the 
