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Maccullocb.---These forts have been observed in different parts of the north of Scotland and in Galloway Nothing is knowo relative

, to the time of their erection, or the people by wliom they were

, built. Two opinions have been advanced that on purpose, and that they were vitrified by accident. Dr. Macculloch shows, by an examination of the stones of which they are composed, that the latter opinion cannot be correct." He examined two of these forts : Dun Mac Spiochain, in Argyleshire, and Craig Phadric, in Inverness-shire. In both the walls consist chiefly of primitive rocks. These have been mixed with a considerable

quantity of a kind of amygdaloid, which easily fuses, and by the fusion, more or less complete, of this material, the vitrification has been brought about. The amygdaloid differs considerably in its nature at the two forts. At Amworth, in Galloway, there is no amygdaloid ; the rocks are grey-wacke and grey wacke-slate. Some portions of this grey-wacke are fusible, from a mixture of calcareous spar. Accordingly this fort is only vitrified in a few detached spots. 1:

IX. On the Sublimation of Silica, By Dr. Macculloch.-He had exposed a mixture of the oxides of tin and lead in a crucible covered by another, for some hours, in a furnace at a heat conjectured to be between 130° and 1400 Wedgewood. cooling, the top of the uppermost crucible contained some small filamentous crystals, white and brilliant, crossing directions. They were found to be crystals of not able to repeat this experiment with success.

x. Observations on the Specimens of Hippurites from Sicily, presented to the Geological Society by the Hon. "Henry-Grey Bennet. By James Parkinson, M.G.S. --These specimens are so perfect as to enable Mr. Parkinson to determine some things respecting the original structure of the shells. The supposed operculum mentioned by Picot la Peyrouse could not be distinguished. Mr. Parkinson thinks that the hippurites, orthoceratites, ammo nites, &c. had the means of elevating themselves to the surface of the sea, like the nautilus; and some things which he observed in these specimens give countenance to this idea: TECH

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ARTICLE XI.1.6

-1.9 Pretty vivant Proceedings of Philosophical Societies.''

asics315 ROYAL SOCIETY. - s tout us

،،، { ) 15 *** On Thursday, the 27th of April, a paper by Mr. Seppings was

reads containing further particulars respecting his improved node of ship-building. As, immediately after his last paper a paper was tead to the Royal Society, containing theoretical objections against a mode of building ships to which in his opinion theory was not

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competent, it occurred to him that it would be satisfactory to the Society to lay before them the results which have been obtained by

an investigation ships built according to his mode. He stated the report of Admiral Durham respecting the Tremendous. She was the best sailing ship in his feet. Three years afterwards she was examined by professional ship-builders, and found not to have suffered any deterioration. Other similar reports were mentioned.

Dr. Young's allegation, that the oblique braces were imitated from the French, is, according to Mr. Seppings, inaccurate. The French had indeed introduced some pieces of oblique timber, and they were to be seen in a ship which we took from them; but they had not been attended with any benefit, and were abandoned as useless by the French themselves. Mr. Seppings's mode is quite new, and the benefit of it sufficiently obvious.

On Thursday, the 4th of Mày; a paper by Sir Humphry Davy was read, on the action of acids on hyper-oxymuriate of potash. In consequence of the discovery of a new acid by Gay-Lussac by treating hyper-oxymuriate of barytés with sulphur, Sir H. Davy was action of acids on the hyper-oxymuriate of potash. When sulphuric action of examine more carefully than had hitherto been done the

. acid is poured upon this salt in a wine-glass, very little effervescence takes place, but the acid gradually acquires an òrange colour, and a dense yellow vapour of a peculiar and not disagreeable smell floats on the surface. These phenomena led the author to believe that the substance extricated from the salt is held in solution by the acid. After various

unsuccessful attempts to obtain this substance in a separate state, be at last succeeded by the following method. About

salt are triturated with a little sulphuric acid, just o sufficient

jent to convert them into a very solid paste." This is put into a retort, which is lieated by means of hot water. The water must never be allowed to become boiling hot, for fear of explosion. D# The heat drives off the new gas, which may be received over mercury. This new gas has a much more intense colonr than eucblo

, It does not act on mercury. Water absorbs more of it than of euchlorine. Its taste is astringent? It destroys vegetable blues without reddening. When phosphorus is introduced into it, an explosion takes place. When heat is applied, the gas explodes with more violence, and producing more light, than euchlorine. When thus exploded, two ineasures of it are converted into nearly three measures, which consist of a mixture of one measure chlorine and two measures oxygen. Hence it is composed of one atom chlorine and four atoms oxygen. It is not unlikely that euchlorine is a simple mixture

and two measures of this new gas; but of three measures of chemiñed tih it be known whether Dutch foil will burn in such a mixture as it does in euchlorine. This experiment the author could not try, because at Rome, where he then

he could procure-no Dutch foil fit for his purpose. The same gas is disengaged from byper-oxymurjate of potash by nitric acid, and with still greater fácility; but it is always mixed with one-fifth of

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its bulk of oxygen gas. Sir H. Davy conceives that the chloric acid of Gay-Lussac contains hydrogén, and ones its acid properties to the presence of this principle.

Cristo90 At the same meeting of the Society, a paper by Dr. Philips pas read, giving an account of the remains of a fatus found within the abdomen of a child. The child was aged two years and a half, and had a swelling in the belly, which had been considered as dropsical, and aperient medicines had been administered. The swelling did not diminish; and the child at last was obliged to be kept always in a recumbent posture. Dr. Philips, on examining the abdomen, found a circumscribed swelling on the left side, which at first he considered as an enlarged spleen, but afterwards laid aside that opinion, without being able to form any one in the least satisfactory.

The child died on the fourth day after having been seen by Dr. Philips. On opening the abdomen, the intestines were all found in a sound state, except the liver, which was indurated. The tumor consisted of a large mass of matter not connected particularly with any of the intestines, weighing eight or ten pounds, and inclosed in a very vascular bag. On cutting into it, some serous liquid oozed out. The dissection, from the situation of the medical men, was necessarily hurried and imperfect; but unequivocal traces of a foetus were found, particularly the bones of the tibia and talus, and some others, which were found adhering together, and covered with muscle.

On Thursday, the 11th of May, a paper by Mr. Porrett, jun. was read, containing experiments to determine the composition of prussiate of mercury and of the prassic acid with the application of the atomic theory to both, and to the constitution of ferrureted and sulphureted chiazic acids. He dissolved 40 grains of prussiate of mercury in water, and decomposed it by hydro-sulphuret of potash. He phtained 37•2 grains of black sulphuret of mercury, To determine the quantity of prussic acid present in this salt, he dissolved ten grains of it in water, and mixed an hydrogureted sulphuret with the solution, which he had previously ascertained to have the property of converting prussic acid into sulphureted chyazic acid.

This acid was then thrown down by means of two parts of sulphate t of iron and three parts sulphate of copper, and the sulphureted chyazate of copper being dried and weighed, he ,

,

was able from his previous analysis of this salt

, and of sulphureted chyazic acid, to determine it result of the analysis was, that prussiate of the quantity, of Prussic acid of mercury is composed of

**3.1[110 Prvi Prussic acid

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Red oxide of mercury

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1000 To analýze prussic acid he employed the methods pointed out by Thepard and Gay-Lussac and Berzelius, but he simplified them considerably. He used prussiate of mercury, and mixed it with a

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quantity of red oxide of mercury, constituting a certain multiple of the red oxide contained in the salt

. He found by trials that it was es necessary to mix the salt with five times the quantity of red oxide

which it contained, in order to obtain a complete decomposition. 26 The two substances were intimately mixed together by trituration, erland then introduced in three separate portions into a glass tube

, beclose at one end, about eight inches long, and of the size of a

goose-quill. Each portion was separated from the succeeding one, bilby b by a small quantity of green glass. Another fube of the same size,

open at both ends, and previously filled with mercury, was firmly e tied to the retort tube by means of a piece of caoutchouc. Its Srl extremity was then introduced into a glass cylinder filled with merSecury, and placed as near as possible in a horizontal position on the

mercurial trough. The mixture was then successively burnt by

means of a spirit lamp, and, when cool, the whole gaseous contents ni were thrown into the glass jar. The azote evolved was just equal in mon bulk to the prussic acid decomposed, the carbonic acid formed di amounted to twice the bulk of the azote. From these data Mr. ni Porrett concluded that prussic acid is composed of bosoo biupil 29 not Azote

40:7 1978 cirteots to do Carbon

24:8 00 Amo bogan Hydrogen

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Prussiate of mercury is composed of one integrant particle of prussic acid and one integrant particle of red oxide of mercury. Sulphureted chyazic acid is a compound of 1 atom sulphur + 4 integrant particles of chyazic acid. Ferrureted chyazic acid is a

, compound of 4 atoms black oxide of iron + 1 atom prussic acid.

LINNÆAN SOCIETY.

On Tuesday, May 2, a paper by George Montague, Esq. on the ardea nigra, or black stork, was read. This bird was shot in England,

On Wednesday, the 24th of May, the anniversary of the Society, the following office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year :

PRESIDENT—Sir James Edward Smith, M.D.

TREASURER- Thomas Marsham, Esq.

SECRETARY-Alex. Macleay, Esq.
UNDER SECRETARY---Mr. Richard Taylor.

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There were retained of the old Council : Blog

The President,
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle.
Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq.

3,30 31
William Elford Leach, M.D. *.57 13 17
Alex. Macleay, Esq.

* 1993 to 4 Thomas Marsham, Esq.

it is du
William George Maton, M.D.
Daniel Moore, Esq. F.R.S.

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rit, ?? Joseph Sabine, Esq. F.R.S. Pitt Thomas Smith, Esq.

123pd je The five following Fellows were elected into the Council

Thomas Marquis of Bath.
William Kent, Esq.
Rey. Thomas Rackett.
Thomas Thomson, M.D. F.R.S.

John Walker, Esq.
Since last anniversary the Society has lost nine Fellows and five
Foreign Members by death; and eleven new Fellows have been
elected into the Society.

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GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. April 21.-A communication from Thomas Hare, Esq. entitled Observations on Basalt, with eight illustrative drawings, was read. In the opinion of the author of this paper, basalt is a crystallized substance, formed by deposition from an aqueous solution ; its real form is spheroidal, and the columns which it usually presents result from those spheroids being heaped one on another, and from the lateral compression to which each heap is subjected by contiguous and surrounding heaps. * May 5.-A paper by the Rev. W. Buckland, M.G. S. entitled a Description of an insulated group of Rocks of Slate and Greenstone, situated on the east side of Appleby, between Melmerby and Murton, in Cumberland, was read.

ou The group of rocks here described runs nearly N. and S., and consists principally of slate and green-stone, the slate lying for the most part on the east of the gree

green-stone. The order of the superposition of these two rocks appears to be very indeterminate, sometimes they abut abruptly against each other, sometimes the slate is uppermost, but most generally the green-stone. A few thin beds of blackish transition lime-stone occur in the slate, and in some places the slate is intersected by dykes- of compact flesh-red' felspar with scales of mica. In another place a more perfectly characterized granite makes its appearance surrounded ihy green-stone; but whether this is a dyke, or a projecting mass of the subjacent rock, it is not easy to ascertain...!

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