594 Royal Society : — Mr. Gassiot on obtaining 
rus. He has made no mention of the large nervous trunks on both 
sides of the uterus, which accompany the uterine veins ; nor has he 
noticed fasciculated transverse bands on the anterior and posterior 
surfaces of the uterus, connected with the hypogastric and spermatic 
nerves. 
“ Observations made at the Cape of Good Hope, in the year 1838, 
with Bradley’s Zenith Sector, for the verification of the amplitude 
of the Abbe de la Caille’s Arc of the Meridian ; by order of the 
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.” By Thomas Maclear, 
Esq., M.A., F.R.S., &c. Communicated by Sir John Barrow, Bart., 
V.P.R.S., &c. 
The author gives an account of the precautions taken in putting 
together the different parts of the zenith sector, which he received 
on the 9th of December, 1837? in erecting it in the central room of 
the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope, and in afterwards 
transferring it to the southern station of La Caille, in Cape Town. 
He then proceeds to describe La Caille’s observatory, and the par- 
ticular circumstances of its locality, with relation to the object in 
view, namely to determine the influence of Table Mountain on the 
direction of the plumb-line*. Lie next relates his progress to Klyp 
Fonteyn, where he arrived on the 24th of March, 1838, and describes 
the operations resorted to for erecting the sector at that place. 
He then enters into the details of observations made at different sta- 
tions, and especially with comparative observations at the summit 
and foot of the mountain of Pequet Berg. The instrument was 
lastly conveyed back to Cape Town, and again examined, and the ob- 
servations made with it repeated. The reduction of the observations 
occupies the remainder of the paper ; and in conclusion, the author 
remarks, that although these labours have not altogether cleared up 
the anomaly of La Caille’s arc, yet they show that great credit is 
due to that distinguished astronomer, who with imperfect means, 
and at the period in which he lived, arrived at a result, derived 
from sixteen stars, almost identical with that from 1139 observations 
on forty stars, made with a celebrated and powerful instrument. 
Dec. 19, 1839. — A paper was read, entitled, “An account of expe- 
riments made with the view of ascertaining the possibility of obtain- 
ing a spark before the circuit of the Voltaic Battery is completed.” 
By J. P. Gassiot, Esq. 
The author of this paper adverts to the fact, of a spark invariably 
appearing when the circuit of the Voltaic Battery is completed; an 
effect which Dr. Faraday has shown can be easily produced, even 
with a single series. He then refers to the experiments of Mr. 
Children, Sir Humphry Davy, and Professor Daniell, recorded in 
the Philosophical Transactions ; in which experiments, when more 
powerful and extended series were used, the spark was obtained be- 
fore contact took place. 
In order to ascertain, not only the fact of a spark being obtained, 
but also the distance through which it may be passed, the author 
liad an instrument prepared, which he denominates a Micrometer 
[* See L. and E. Phil. Mag., vol. xiv,, p. 522 . — Edit.] 
