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peculiar British method of advance to dismiss all metallurgical questions as "industrial," and leave their consideration to private enterprise.

We are fortunately to spend, I believe, eighteen millions this year on our Navy, and yet the nation only endows experimental research in all branches of science with four thousand pounds. We rightly and gladly spend a million on the Magnificent, and then stand by while manufacturers compete for the privilege of providing her with the armour-plate which is to save her from disablement or destruction. We as a nation are fully holding our own in metallurgical progress, but we might be doing so much more. Why are so few workers studying the rarer metals and their alloys? Why is the crucible so often abandoned for the test tube? Is not the investigation of the properties of alloys precious for its own sake, or is our faith in the fruitfulness of the results of metallurgical investigation so weak that, in its case, the substance of things hoped for remains unsought for and unseen in the depths of obscurity in which the metals are left?

We must go back to the traditions of Faraday, who was the first to investigate the influence of the rarer metals upon iron, and to prepare the nickel-iron series of which so much has since been heard.* He did not despise research which might possibly tend to useful results, but joyously records his satisfaction at the fact that a generous gift from Wollaston of certain of the " scarce and more valuable metals" enabled him to transfer his experiments from the laboratory in Albemarle Street to the works of a manufacturer at Sheffield.

Faraday not only began the research I am pleading for to-night, but he gave us the germ of the dynamo, by the aid of which, as we have seen, the rarer metals may be isolated. If it is a source of national pride that research should be endowed apart from the national expenditure, let us, while remembering our responsibilities, rest in the hope that metallurgy will be well represented in the Laboratory which private munificence is to place side by side with our historic Royal Institution.

[W. C. R.-A.]

*In the development of the use of these alloys, the Société Ferro-Nickel and Les Usines du Creuzot, deserve special mention.

WEEKLY EVENING MEETING,

Friday, March 22, 1895.

SIR JAMES CRICHTON-BROWNE, M.D. LL.D. F.R.S. Treasurer and Vice-President, in the Chair.

SIR WEMYSS REID, LL.D.

Emily Brontë.

(Abstract deferred.)

WEEKLY EVENING MEETING,

Friday, March 29, 1895.

HUGO MÜLLER, Esq., Ph.D. F.R.S. Vice-President, in the Chair. PROFESSOR H. E. ARMSTRONG, LL.D. Ph.D. F.R.S. Pres. C.S. The Structure of the Sugars and their Artificial Production.

(Abstract deferred.)

GENERAL MONTHLY MEETING,
Monday, April 1, 1835.

SIR JAMES CRICHTON-BROWNE, M.D. LL.D. F.R.S. Treasurer and
Vice-President, in the Chair.

Lockett Agnew, Esq.

Julius Althaus, M.D.

Harry Hankey Dobree, Esq.

James Marsh Johnstone, Esq.

were clected Members of the Royal Institution.

The PRESENTS received since the last Meeting were laid on the table, and the thanks of the Members returned for the same, viz :—

FROM

Accademia dei Lincei, Reale, Roma-Atti, Serie Quinta: Rendiconti. Classe di Scienze fisiche, matematiche e naturali. 2o Semestre, Vol. IV. Fasc. 4, 5. 8vo. 1895.

American Geographical Society-Bulletin, Vol. XXVI. No. 4 Part 2. 8vo. 1894. Astronomical Society, Royal-Monthly Notices, Vol. LV. No. 4. 8vo. 1895. Bankers, Institute of-Journal, Vol. XVI. Part 3. 8vo. 1895.

Berlin, Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences-Sitzungsberichte, 1894, Nos. 39-53. 8vo. 1894.

Bowditch, H. P. Esq.-A Card Catalogue of Scientific Literature. 8vo. 1895. (Reprint from Science.)

British Architects, Royal Institute of Proceedings, 1894-5. Nos. 10, 11. 4to. British Astronomical Association-Journal, Vol. V. No. 5. 8vo. 1895.

Memoirs, Vol. III. l'arts 3, 4. 8vo. 1895.

Camera Club---Journal for March, 1895. 8vo.

Chemical Society-Journal for March, 1895. 8vo.

Proceedings, No. 149. Svo. 1894.

Chili, Société Scientifique de-Tome IV. Livr. 4. 4to. 1895.

Civil Engineers, Institution of Minutes of Proceedings, Vol. CXIX. Svo.

1895.

Cracovie, Académie des Sciences-Bulletin, 1895, No. 2. 8vo.
Editors-American Journal of Science for March, 1895.

Analyst for March, 1895. 8vo.

Athenæum for March, 1895. 4to.

Author for March, 1895.

Brewers' Journal for March, 1895. 4to.

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Optician for March, 1895.

8vo.

Open Court for March, 1895. 4to.

8vo.

Photographic Work for March, 1895. 8vo.

Physical Review, Vol. II. No. 5, March-April, 1895.

Scots Magazine for March, 1895. 8vo.

Technical World of Science and Art for March, 1895.

Transport for March, 1895. fol.

Tropical Agriculturist for March, 1895. 8vo.

Work for March, 1895. 8vo.

Zoophilist for March, 1895. 4to.

8vo.

Electrical Engineers, Institution of-Journal, Vol. XXIV. No. 115. 8vo. 1895. Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale-Bolletino, No. 221. 8vo. 1894. Franklin Institute-Journal, No. 831. 8vo. 1895.

Geographical Society, Royal—Geographical Journal for March, 1895. 8vo. Geological Institute, Imperial, Vienna-Verhandlungen, 1894, Nos. 14-18. Harlem, Société Hollandaise des Sciences-Archives Néerlandaises, Tome XXVIIL Livr. 5. Svo. 1895.

4to.

Iowa, State University-Natural History Bulletin, Vol. III. Nos. 1, 2. 8vo. 1895. Johns Hopkins University-University Studies: Thirteenth Serios, Nos. 1, 2. 8vo. 1895.

American Journal of Philology, Vol. XV. No. 4. 8vo. 1894.
American Chemical Journal, Vol. XVII No. 3. 8vo. 1895.

University Circular, No. 117. 4to. 1895.

Madras, Government Astronomer -Results of Observations of the Fixed Stars made with the Meridian Circle in years 1883-7, Vol. VIII. 8vo. 1894. Madras, Government Museum-Bulletin, No. 3. 8vo. 1895.

Madrid, Real Academia de Ciencias-Annuario, 1895. 8vo.

Manchester Geological Society-Transactions. Vol. XXIII. Parts 3, 4. 8vo. 1895. Meysey-Thompson, Sir Henry M. Bart. M.P.-The Silver Question: Injury to British Trade and Manufactures, by G. Jamieson, with other papers by T. H. Box and D. O. Croal. 8vo. 1895.

Meteorological Office-Report of Meteorological Council to Royal Society for year ending March 31, 1834. 8vo. 1894

Mexico, Sociedad Cientifica “Antonio Alzate"-Memorias, Tome VIII. Num. 3, 4. 8vo. 1894.

Ministry of Public Works, Rome-Giornale del Genio Civile, 1891, Fasc. 11, 12. 8vo And Designi. fol.

Munich, Bav rian Academy of Sciences, Royal-Sitzungsberichte, 1894: Heft 4. 8vo. 1895.

National Academy of Sciences, Washington, U.S A.-Report on the Units of Electrical Measure. 8vo. 1895.

New South Wales, Agent-General for -Cnsus of 1891. 2 Vols 8vo. 1894.
Od ntological Society of Great Britain—Transactions, Vol. XXVII. No. 4. 8vo.
1895.

Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain-Journal for March, 1895. 8vo.
Philadelphia Geographical Club-Bulletin, Vol. I. No. 3. 8vo.

1894-5.

Physical Society of London-Proceedings, Vol. XIII. Part 4. 8vo. 1895.
Rio de Janeiro Observatory-Annuario for 1894. 8vo. 1893.
Saxon Society of Sciences, Royal-

Mathematisch-Physische Classe

Abhandlungen, Band XXI. Nos. 4. 5. 8vo.

1895.

Selborne Society-Nature Notes for March, 1895. 8vo.

Sheward, R. S. Esq. F.R.Met.Soc.-Annual Report of Meteorological Observations for 1894 at Eastbourne. 8vo.

1895.

Sidgreaves, The Rev. Father, F.R.A.S.-Results of Meteorological and Magnetical
Observations at Stonyhurst College Observatory in 1894. 8vo.
Smithsonian Institution-Annual Report to July, 1893. 8vo. 1894.

Society of Architects-Journal for Feb.-March, 1895. 4to.

Society of Arts-Journal for March, 1895. Svo.

Index to Vols. XXXI.-XL. 8vo. 1895.

Syad Muhammed Latif (the Author)—History of the Punjab, from the remotest antiquity to the present time. 8vo. Calcutta. 1891.

Tacchini, Professor P. Hon. Mem. R.I. (the Author)—Memoric della Societa degli Spettroscopisti Italiani, Vol. XXIV. Disp. 1. 4to. 1895.

Thomsen, Professor Julius, Hon. Mem. R.I. (the Author)-Relation remarquable entre les poids atomiques des éléments chimiques. Poids atomiques

rationnels. 8vo. 1894.

United Service Institution, Royal—Journal, No. 205. 8vo. 1895.

United States Department of Agriculture—Monthly Weather Review for Oct. 1894. 4to. 1894.

United States Patent Office-Official Gazette, Vol. LXIX. No. 13; Vol. LXX. Nos. 1, 2. 8vo. 1894-5.

Upsal, Metrorological Observatory-Bulletin Mensuel, Vol. XXVI. 4to. 1894-5. Vereins zur Beförderung des Gewerbfleises in Preussen-Verhandlungen, 1895: Heft 2. 4to. 1895.

Wright, Messrs. John & Co. (the Publishers)—The Medical Annual for 1895. Svo.

WEEKLY EVENING MEETING,

Friday, April 5, 1895.

SIR FREDERICK BRAMWELL, Bart. D.C.L. LL.D. F.R.S. Honorary
Secretary and Vice-President, in the Chair.

The Right Hon. LORD RAYLEIGH, M.A. D.C.L. LL D. F.R.S.
Professor of Natural Philosophy, R.I.

Argon.

It is some three or four years since I had the honour of lecturing here one Friday evening upon the densities of oxygen and hydrogen gases, and upon the conclusions that might be drawn from the results. It is not necessary, therefore, that I should trouble you to-night with any detail as to the method by which gases can be accurately weighed. I must take that as known, merely mentioning that it is substantially the same as is used by all investigators nowadays, and introduced more than fifty years ago by Regnault. It was not until after that lecture that I turned my attention to nitrogen; and in the first instance I employed a method of preparing the gas which originated with Mr. Vernon Harcourt, of Oxford. In this method the oxygen of ordinary atmospheric air is got rid of with the aid of ammonia. Air is bubbled through liquid ammonia, and then passed through a red-hot tube. In its passage the oxygen of the air combines with the hydrogen of the ammonia, all the oxygen being in that way burnt up and converted into water. The excess of ammonia is subsequently absorbed with acid, and the water by ordinary desiccating agents. That method is very convenient; and, when I had obtained a few concordant results by means of it, I thought that the work was complete, and that the weight of nitrogen was satisfactorily determined. But then I

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reflected that it is always advisable to employ more than one method, and that the method that I had used-Mr. Vernon Harcourt's method -was not that which had been used by any of those who had preceded me in weighing nitrogen. The usual method consists in absorbing the oxygen of air by means of red-hot copper; and I thought that I ought at least to give that method a trial, fully expecting to obtain forthwith a value in harmony with that already afforded by the ammonia method. The result, however, proved otherwise. The gas obtained by the copper method, as I may call it, proved to be one-thousandth part heavier than that obtained by the ammonia method; and, on repetition, that difference was only brought out more clearly. This was about three years ago. Then, in order, if possible, to get further light upon a discrepancy which

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