The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-17 00:00:00

SOCIETY OF ARTS.

The eleventh ordinary meeting of this society was
held on Wednesday evening. Thomas Webster, Esq.,
M.A.V.P., in the chair. The first communication made
was "on Mr. Rand's inventions for the manufacture of
metallic collapsable vessels for preserving paints and
other matters," by Mr. Carpmael. This invention, cer-
tainly one of a most important character, is extremely
simple. Mr. Rand was led to the invention by the ex-
treme inconvenience and loss he suffered, in common
with all artists, from the small bladders commonly used
for putting up artists' colours ; the moment a portion of
the colour confined in them was removed for use, the air
introduced itself and the remainder soon became unfit
for use. It rarely occurred that more than half the
colour was really used. The use of metallic vessels sug-
gested themselves to his mind, and after many experi-
ments, he succeeded in fermi►:g metallic tubes, so thin
that they should be able to collapse, and in collapsing
should shut out the air. The tubes are made of tin,
the 150th of an inch thick, furnished at one extremity
with a nozzle and screw-cap, and perfectly closed at the
other extremity. The tube is then filled and screwed
down. As the fluid which it contains is forced out, the
bottom of the vessel collapses, and precludes the possi-
bility of the entrance of the air—in fact, as will be readily
understood, the vessel itself always remains full. These
tubes are formed out of solid metal by one blow in the
following way. A very small disc of metal is placed into
a cylindrical recess of a die, and a punch whose diameter
does not exactly fit the diameter of the die is forcibly
brought down upon it by machinery. By the great force
applied the soft metal gives way, oozes out as it were,
runs up the side of the punch, and so forma
the tube. By the same blow the nozzle is formed ;
by another machine a screw is formed on its
external surface. The screw-cap is likewise 'formed
by a single blow from a third machine. The rough-
ness being taken off in a lathe, the tube is filled, and
the lower end perfectly closed with a pair of plyers.
The applications of those tubes are already extremely
numerous ; thus various sized tubes were exhibited
filled with ready-prepared mustard, castor oil, cold
cream, butter, essence of anchovies, volatile chemical
preparations, perfumes, &c. The specimens of per-
fumes were extremely beautiful, being externally deco-
rated with paper covered with gold and coloured
figures of flowers, &c. It is almost unnecessary to say
that as the air cannot enter, the contained fluid or semi-
fluid cannot by possibility suffer deterioration. The ma-
chines by which these tubes were formed, as well as the
whole process, were exhibited. A second communka-
tion, " On the cotton produced in Honduras and Yucatan,
and the practicability of introducing free-labour cotton
from Africa and other countries into the British market,'g
was read by its author, Mr. J. Banks, so inaudibly that
we cannot profess to give even an outline of it.
Messrs. E. Highton, C.E., and Mr. Samuelson were
elected members of the Society.

LONDON INSTITUTION.
The fourth and last Conversatione for the season was
held at this institution on Wednesday evening. The at-
tendance was as numerous as on former occasions. The
lectnre on the occasion was by E. Cowper, Esq., the
professor of manufacturing art at King's College, " On
self-registering instruments." Perhaps there tire no in-
struments which more fully exhibit the great triumph
of science and persev,rance in the nineteenth century
than those which were on Wednesday evening described
by the professor. Amongst them were the anemometer
and rain-guage of the Royal Exchange, and the count-
ing machine of the Bank, both of which are so well-
known as to require no lengthened detail. Three new
instruments—a pyrometer, a thermometer, and a fire-
alarm—were exhibited, the action of all of which de-
pended on electro-magnetism. The pyrometer con-
sisted of a metallic bar, which, when it expanded to a
certain extent, made connexion with a voltaic battery,
which, by a mechanism similar to that in the electric
telegraph, struck a bell. In the same way the thermo-
meter caused the striking of the bell when the fluid con-
tained therein had expanded to a certain extent. The
fire-alarm consisted of a small metallic apparatus which,
when heated, act in the same way upon the voltaic ap-
paratus and the electro-magnetic bell, and thus gave
notice of danger. The other apparatus described, such
as the dry gas-meter, are in ire familiar to the general
reader. They were clearly described by Mr. Cowper,
who, by the aid of models, diagrams, and the instru-
ments themselves, succeeded in gratifying his audience.
Amongst the excellent and interesting objects of art
and science laid out in the Library for the inspection of
the members and visitors, our attention waiparticutaLloyf
attracted to the following
Geor
mosaiccopy
g the
Fourth. Sir T h
o niTahsi s s Lawrence'ssuperb work
.portrait of
consistso of e
some
stlai(h o:usaanwdsayoafspiteocesgivoof vthaertocuhsaraccotleoruorefdanst(o)inlepsailnatitilngin,
sahnaddte. to
The representcompl
moosttiochororfescatleyheavewry o-rdkegmruesetohfalvigehttahanend
years of laboursom e; it
veryis valuedfih e
specimensa t the highdsauginu eor
rf 0 lt),,OpOeo,
guineas.
the productions of Messrs. Claudet, Lereborns, and
Egerton, were also exhibited. A beautiful model of the
Portland vase, of the same size as the original, manufac-
tured by the electrotype process by Mr. 11. Cox ; and
some specimens of wood-carving by machinery, ny
Messrs. Turner were much admired. A new form of ap-
paratus for the exhibition of the magnetism of light at-
tracted much attention. In this apparatus, which con-
sisted of a glass tube, fitted at each end with a tmurina-
line, placed within a soft iron core, surrounded with a
copper wire helix, the light is polarised by the first
tourmaline, and analysed by the second. When the po-
larised ray is perfectly invisible through the tourmaline,
which acts as the eye-piece, connexion with the battery
immediately renders it visible. This modification of
Farraday's apparatus we deem an excellent one.

SINGULAR ACCIDENT.—On Thursday a young man,
named Archbold Donaldson, undertook for a trifling wager,
to carry two sacks of flour at one time for a distance of 20
yards. Donaldson was possessed of great personal strength,
and when the sacks (which were tied together) were lowered
by means of a crane upon his shoulders, he walked off under
his burthen. Before, however, he had gone many yards, he
suddenly fell, and on his companions raising him they found
blood gushing from his ears, eyes, n,,se,land mouth. He was
removed to a surgeon's, when it was ascertained that some
internal vessel had been ruptured, causing an injury from
which there are no hopes of his recovery.
We annex an account in full fr,m the Emigration
Office of the number of passengers which sailed this month
for Quebec, from this port, viz —Borneo, 310; China, 209 ;
Ninian, 243; Jane Black, 386 ; Primrose, 361; Nerio, 140 ;
Mary of Milford, 28. Total, 1,772. For St. John's, New
Brunswick, Hornet, 40 passengers. The following ships are
_yet to sail, and all the berths are engaged :—Governor,
Thetis, Energy, Ann Moore, Bryan Abbs Ellen Forestal,
Sarah, and stadaconda.—Limerick C7tronicle.