Proceedings of the Society of Scottish Antiquaries. 359 
There was also exhibited certain original Letters written by 
the Ministers of Charles the Second to Francis Parry, Esq» 
British Envoy at Lisbon. 
March 8. — Mr Macdonald laid before the Society copies of 
the following documents, preserved in the General Register 
House, viz. 
Precept by the Earl of Huntly to the Lord High Trea- 
surer of Scotland, to pay L. 40 for perfuming the body 
of Henry Darnley. 
Precept (signed by Mary Queen of Scots) to the Trea- 
surer to furnish various articles for her Mourning Dress, 
dated Feb. 15. 1566. 
There was read the notice of an Ancient Golden Rod lately 
found near Inverness, by George Anderson, Esq. 
A Drawing, by R. K. Greville, Esq. of an ancient Portable 
Font dug up near Bake well, Derbyshire, was presented to the 
Society. 
A paper was also read, on the Early Opinions entertained 
relative to Mermaids, by Dr Hibbert. 
The preceding account is a satisfactory proof of the revival of 
the public taste on the subject of antiquities. It is indeed 
strongly evinced by the great accession of new members to the 
Society made during the present season, as well as by the va- 
luable donations which have enriched the Museum, 
Art. 'KK^\.-~-Proceedmgs of the Cambridge Philosophical 
Society for 1823. (Continued from p. 177.) 
Nov. 10.-— A letter was read from W. J, Bankes, Esq. M.P, 
for the University, on the subject of a MS. on papyrus of the 
last book of the Iliad, discovered at Elephantina in Upper 
Sgypt. 
A paper from G. B. Airy, B. A. of Trinity, explanatory of 
an instrument exhibited to the Society, for the purpose of 
proving by experiment the constancy of the ratio of the sines 
of incidence and refraction in liquids, 
