tributed by Mr. G. R. Davies :—This block of composition formed 
a portion of the once famous porcelain tower at Nankin, which was 
destroyed by the rebels in 1851, and of which scarcely a vestige 
now remains. This fragment was sent to York by my relative, 
Mr. Geo. Robt. Davies, lately residing at Shanghai and since at 
Yokohama, who desires to present it to the Yorkshire Philosophical 
Society. Captain Blakiston, in his book on the Yangtaye, says :— 
Passing by a wall and strong stockade you enter into a space 
formerly covered by the southern suburb, in which rose the Porce¬ 
lain Tower. This splendid pagoda, once reputed to be one of the 
wonders of the world, is now a white hill of ruins. Two immense 
walls, divided by a narrow aperture, are the only portions of the 
tower now standing. Every ship that has touched at Nankin, has 
made a looting excursion to the white heap, and boat-loads of por¬ 
celain bricks have been carried away. Now, unless by bribery, not 
a brick can be got. Mr. Noble also read the following extract 
from Notes and Queries^ January, 1867, respecting the Porcelain 
Tower:—The Lew-le-paon-t’ah, or Yitreous precious-stone pagoda, 
was built about a. d. 200, and rebuilt as it recently stood a. d. 
1400, occupied nineteen years in construction, and cost £600,000. 
Height, 261 feet; diameter at base, 96 feet; 150 bells, and 40 
lamps in it. In 1856 it was blown up with gunpowder, and 
nothing of it remains but fragments. The fragment now presented 
to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society was purchased upon the 
spot by Mr. George Robert Davies, then residing at Shanghai, and 
afterwards at Yokohama, from whence he has recently returned. 
W. Barney, Esq., gave a brief notice of the virginals presented 
by him to the Society, stating that it was supposed that only two 
were to be found in this part of the country. The date of the 
virginals in question was 1651, and they were considered as the 
oldest form of piano-forte. After referring to the fact that Queen 
Elizabeth is said to have excelled in performances on the virginals, 
he explained some of the peculiarities of the instrument. 
December 1. —W. S. Dallas, Esq., said that Mr. Barkas, the 
donor of the specimens of fossil bones and teeth of fishes from the 
coal measures of Northumberland, presented at this meeting, had 
offered prizes to the workmen employed at the Northumbrian 
collieries for the best collection of fossil bones, &c. This plan had 
been so successful that he gave an intimation, through the medium 
