The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-09 00:00:00

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.

EVENING MEETING.
SALT NUNES AT CAREICKFERGM
BELFAST, TUESDAY.—Last evening Colonel Poet-
lock delivered a lecture in May-street Cturch to •
large audience, on the subject of the lately discovered
salt mines in the neighbourhood of Carrickfergus ;
Sir R. Murchison in the chair. The Gallant Colonel
set out by a lucid description of the several strata of
soil forming the inner part of the earth, and of the
nature of the substances contained in different dia•
tricts, bringing in as parallel cases with thelpresent,
the salt mines of Spain and Cheshire, and showing
that the soil in both these places was of a nature simi-
lar to that of the mines near Cafirnrickefexrpgruesss.,,dHhiemtiaseeinf
went into the conjectures which had been thrown out
as to the depositions of salt, d
dissatisfied with the reasons which had been given for
.hese depositions. He then explained the artificial
manner in which salt is produced, describc;ilv:eh„ensetehetr„nal
of beds of soil met with in the mines Carrickfergus, and
traced the strong similarity existing b
and the mines of Cheshire. An immteuse soil of strata
would have to be gone through before oral, to a great
extent, would be available ; but everything was due
to the exertions of the high-spirited noisternan (the
Merquis of Downshire), who had so praiseworthily
taken the matter in hand, and whose exertions could
not fail to benefit the country.—(Cheers.) Soene of
the produce of the mines hal been examined by ibat
very talented chemist, Dr. Hodges, who found thein
gl nely irnst otfh
et hdei
ffneorebnl
pturlolpvrcieatpoarb. le
Aofftreerweatirtd,iriiinggthlaert
heads of this part of the subject, he referred to the
progress which the study of geology was making
among allh
classes,te pulpitelo was madequently alludingthe an
mteots ohef otimpe
when even .
Posing the spread of that science, and to the present,
when all parties are freely acknowledging the import-
ance of a proper study of geology. He concluded
his lecture, in beautiful terms, by saying that by th©
study of this science we were opening to our minds
the great book of nature, and permitting ourselves to
see the great power and wisdom of the Supreme
Being.
Sir R. MuncnisoN, in handsome terms, alluded to
the exertions of Colonel Portlock in the study of the
science of geology, and conveyed to the Gallant
Colonel the thanks of the meeting for his very ahies
and instructive lecture. He also announced that the
concluding general meeting of the British Association
would be held in that place on Wednesday evening,
and the meeting then separated.

IRISH BOG BUTTER.

Mr. J. A. BRAZIER read,a paper on this subject yes-
terday in Section B. He said, the substance bearing
this name is found accidentally in the various boggy
formerly districts of Ireland, sometimes also in Scotland, and is
usually preserved in small kegs, in which the matter
had most probably been originally deposited. No-
thing pppvaearas, to be known as to what this substance
or the time of its deposit. The keg--
the specimen supplying the material for my experi-
anmbayaetneixtsnya:friseas found in this district, and was given me
frliend
examination
neDr
of another
iAa an, ds r e,
‘wßs' spaefpcopirrt
specimen
sfouo.frb jihBci4ts7o:fumbe, exami-
nation. find
d-e
by Mr. Luck, under the
scribes it as a whitish subnstaamnceeo,cf
point of the purified body at r
gra-
vity, and of a peculiar
mentions also that its odour.reaction.lt obf: gll2loc4w acid,
ds ep ge
se wfiFch dideHlietrnfiuxsepsaptehre
is acid,
and The gives
specimenthe
a t formulamy
disposalo f t e acidwuos
oa
fsb
teiCi n 33 H 33 0 4.
Ytietylloowf a yellowyellowishge white
nspgemtrov.
external
at
colour ; the slight tingeguoafa
he
l
presence ofa very small
d-
ing the whole mass, somewhat friable on tmheal
surface ; but portions of the interior of the
ht
have been selected, having an unctuous feel and oflg
most peculiar odour. It is nearly insoluble in cold
water, somewhat soluble in hot, but very soluble in
alcohol and ether, especially in boiling, from either of
which fluids it is deposited in white granular crystals ;
the alcohol or ether separated from the crystalline de-
posit, which was usually done by expression, was of
a deep yellow colour, and containing apparently a
small quantity of the oleaginous matter above-men-
tioned in solution, and imbibing more powerfully the
peculiar odour of the interior of the mass. A clear
portion of the substance taken directly from the keg
gave a fusing point of 45 deg. C. (113 deg. F.), after
repeated crystallisation from alcohol, until the super-
natant fluid no longer possessed the slightest yellow
tinge when cold ; and finally, once from ether, the
fusing point of the 'substance was raised to be-
tween 52 and 53 C. (125. 6 deg. F.), (127. 5 deg.
F.) This method of purification was repeated several
times, the fusing point of the body remaining con-
stantly the same, the substance itself resembling,
after fusion, ordinary stearic acid. Before sub-
jecting the substance to analysis, I thought it more
advantageous to submit the body to a more rigorous
method of purification, and adopted that of saporifica-
don. With potass this body forms a beautifully clear
transparent soap, entirely soluble in water, with the
exception of the small quantity of vEllow oil which is
seen floating on the surface of the solution, and is
easily separated, together with other accidental impu-
rities, by means of a separating funnel or filtration.
The solution of the soap, on being decomposed by the
addition of a small quantity of hydrochloric acid, Ow
fatty acid separates. This has to be well washed with
large quantities of water, and subjected several times
to considerable pressure. In this state the fusing
point was found to be 53 deg. C. (127.4 F.), and the
same portion of acid having undergone the same rou-
tine of purification a second time, the fusing point
was not altered. An analysis of the body thus puri-
fied furnished numbers corresponding to the formula,
C. 32, 11. 230-4, and for which I propose the name of
Butyric-limnodic acid. The acid was subsequently
recrystailised from alcohol from which it was depo-
sited, as usual, in granular crystals; from the etherial
solution, however, it is now deposited in crystals of a
beautifully white satiny appearance, somewhat re-
sembling benzonic acid. In this state the acid was
carefully dried, its fusing point was found to be the
same as before, namely, 53 deg. C. (127.4 F.), and,
upon analysis, yielded numbers corresponding to the
before-mentioned formula. Having obtainledaamhilgedh
to
tnf
be
eah
ractnoounlAr
could
n in. Lt
have
theac
vk e
eafonnrtailrytehsliyiss acid, an-, der
point of fusion
removed the
that
ttity of oily matter, which he
less
small concludeamcihaua
thisa
ld beingtend
dprobably
yof
ttoheiniciaretuasree
men-
tions is most tenaciously retained by th himself
ny,,
the ahydro-carbon,
amount.haci do
f; caatrsdro-carbona:
bon. The products of this acid b
I think, will be extremely
intere3sttinoxid:fzing aagenfew
preliminary experiments upon it, I think riotmis likely
to yield one or more of the fatty acids, lower intha
scale of this series, viz , capsoic i
onanthlc, or butyric,
acid, but of this I can'only- vouchsafe for the truth by
the smell, caproic and onanthylic acids being well
having known to me, h • formed the subjects of previous
investigations.

C. H. O. Fusing point
Palmatic acid 32 22 4 58 deg.
Celytic acid 32 32 4
Butyric•Limnodic acid 32 32 4 55 deg.
deg. 5
The kegs in which the butter was found give as
example of the most primitive formand ten inches is
construction,
and are about one foot in height
diameter.
At the conclusion of the paper on butter,
A gentleman inquired of Alr. Brazier if he could
give any account of its history,b or how it came to
occupy
Mr. BnoEs stated that several statements had
been wade to him on the subject, from parties with
usistei°no if
n-itsthoerigoign had been put forward.
whom be had spoken, but that the fact was that as
pitcr.aoos asked if there was any evidence to
EVENING.
SECTION yet
no real
saaL S c iEaNSC to
show that it had been submergTeduEinsptthye
Mr. BaAziEn. said that he had discovered a small
quantity of soda in it, but whether that was any •
donee of its being submerged in the sea, or only- evi-
gA.b_ee:AoTnlicsemsaAlTteicdA,
LhAeNcDourldßynso:
Papers were read in this section b
sitEschTarovrrin
Raymond, t` On a new effect producedy Dr.
E.
Du
1"
the Electric Current ;" by F. Ronalds, on Muscles by
Annual Report concerning the Kew " The Ninth
Sir W. S. Hurls, " The Provisional Obervatory ;" by'
Reduction of Anemometrical Observationssional Report on the
Cap-
tain Johnson, R.N., " On the ;" by
in Iron Ships ;" by Captain Placing of Compasses
the Formula for the Strachey, KB , "On
by Sir W. R. \Vet Bulb Thermometer. ;"
nions ;" by Professor _Hamilton, "On Biquater-
Optical Properties of a G. Stokes, "On the.
Quinine." Professor Jecently discovered Salt of
sensitive media. Stokes also exhibited specimen of
C. P. Smyth, ~
oPapers were also read by Professor
n an improved form of reflecting
instrument for useat sea ;" by R. W. Townshend,
"On an instrument for examining the Colours of
Liquids by Transmitted Light ; 'hvyni
Sir I )avid.
Brewster, "E la
al,
in
abt Y n f DoS
i r David Theoryßrewster
of Lustre ;" ,
" Notice of a Tree struck by Lightning at
Clandeboy ;" by F. J. Moyle, " Results of hourly
observations of Barometer and Thermometer at Sa-
harunpore, in the north-west of India, I
-at. 30 deg.;'
by Dr. Tyndall, ,' On a new Thermometer of Con-
tact, and certain results obtained by it ;" by the Rev.
Dr. Bryce, "On Chinese Arithmetical Notation;"
by William Gartland, "On Criteria for real and
imaginary On
of Biquadratic Equations ;" by A.
Claudet, 'On the Stereoscopometer ;" by Admiral
Sir John Ross, "On the Aurora ;" by" W • H
Hooper, . ~
RN'. On the Aurora ." by 'H.
1 J. K. Watts,
" On the Aurora."
SECTION 8.---CHEMICAL SCIENCE.
R. Hunt, Esq., read a report on the Influence of
the Solar Radiations • and Dr. Ronalds, a " Notice
of the Oil, of the thin-fish taken off the bay of
Galway. Papers were read by J. B. I Awes, Esq.,
and Dr. J. H. Gilbert, " On- the Composition of
Food in relation to Respirationandthe Feeding oc