Star.
London, England, 1830-12-11 00:00:00

THE ROYAL AND ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETIES.

A more numerous attendance of the Members of the Royal and Anti-
quarian Societies took place on Thursday evening than has occurred for
a long time past, it having been stated that his Royal Highness the
Duke of Sussex would take his seat, for the first time, as Prestdent of
the Royal Society, to which his Royal Highness was elected on St.
Andrew's Day last.
At about half-past eight o'clock the Duke of Sussex arrived at So.
menet House, and was ushered into the apartmenr occupied by the
Antiquarian Society, into which his Royal Highness was some time
since elected. His Royal Highness was in a Court dress, and wore the
stars of the Orders conferred upon him s he looked exceedingly well
in health.
J. H. HAMILTON took the Chair, his Royal Highness sitting on his
right. After the minutes of the last meeting were confirmed,
The Cnaramax stated that his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex
had expressed a desire to insert his name in the signature-book of the
Society—(Cheer.)
The Duke of Sussex wrote his name in the booliin a firm hand.
The ordinary business of the evening was then proceeded with, and
Lord fit. Germain, Sir Roger flresley, and John Payne Collin, Esq.
were then elected Members of the Society.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex then proceeded to the apart-
ments of the Royal Society, where he was inducted into the President's
Chair, amid much cheering.
The minutes of the Anniversary Meeting were read, together with
the Address of the late President. They were confirmed.
The President then admitted some new Members, and an interest.
ing paper was read on the detection of mineral poisons. Several Mem-
ber were balloted for, and the general business of the Society trans-
acted. On the Duke Sussex retiring from the Chair, he entered into
conversation with many of the scientific men present, and appeared
highly delighted with the proceedings. The Meeting did not separate
tin late.

A FEW WORDS ON WATZIL.

" I am for all teaters."—thuispzAzz.

I. Supposed to be incompressible. "The Florentine academicians
Ailed a globe of gold perfectly full of water, and submitted it to a very
powerful press; but could not perceive that they were able to make ft
occupy less spate than it did at first. They gave it such a degree of
pressure, that at length the water exuded through the pores of the
metal."—PAutzs's Chemical Classiness', p. 90, nine (b) 11th ed. .

This famous experiment, which has hitherto been constanilY adduced
by the majority of physical writers to prove the incompressibility of
water, appears, when carefully considered, defective and insufficient for
the purpose; for, though in forcing any part of the water contained in a
globe of gold, through its pores by pressure, the figure of the globe
must be altered, and consequently the internal space containing the
water diminished ; yet it was impossible for the Florentine academicians
to determine, that the water which was forced into the pores and through
the globe, was exactly equal to the diminution of the internal space by
the
prawn
Ie d to be oompressible.—" Mr. Jacob Perkins, however, re.
later that be has contrived an instrument which be calls a Piesosneter ;
and that by filling this with water, and placing it in an hydraulic pas,
subjected to a pressure of 328 atmospheres, he had succeeded in in.
creasing its density 3.5 per cent."—Panias, as above, who quotes for
the last fact the Roy. Inst. Journal, x. 399.
lam somewhat surprised that Mr. Pukes omitted to mention the
successful experiments, made between the years 1777 and 1779, by a
German phllosoper of the unharmonious name of Ableh, who not only
satisfactorily proved the compressibility of water and other fluids, but
also airertained the quantity of compression.
The particulars of Abich's various experiments are to be found in
" Mitt de l'Elasticite de l'Ean," &c. by Dr. Zimmerman, published
at Amsterdam, in 1782. Abich constructed a brass cylinder of one inch
and a quarter in thickness; and which was found to resist tactually
the immense power employed in compressing the several fluids with
which it was successively filled. The different of compression
Title produced by means either of a screw, or of degrees of to which
different weights were appended ; and the quantity of corn was
was
ascertained by the contraction of the water in bulk, as Ind dby the
descent of the piston ' • means having been taken to show in the most sa-
tisfactory manner, that no change of dimensions in the cylinder had
taken place. From one of the most successful of these experiments it
appears that 261 cubic inches of water visibly lost by pressure, no less'
than one cubic inch and 1-4 diminution in the bulk of the whole
volume, nearly equal to thel.ll4th part.
111. ReaserWle Phenomenon fa the Sea of Asof..—" During vio-
lent east winds the sea retires in so singular a manner that the people of
Taganrog are able to effect a plumage upon dry land to the opposite
coast—a distance of 20 vents (rather less than 14 miles) t but when the
wind changes, and this It sometimes does very suddtaly, the waters
return with such rapidity to their wonted bed, that many lives are lost."
—Dr. Clarke's Trawls, L 423. See also the 14th chapter of
Reams.

' IV. Superstitious sues of the Water of the Dead Semi—" The
monks of St. Salvador keep it in jars, together with the bitumen of the
same lake, among the artida oftink pharmacy ; both the one and the
other being esteemed for their medicinal qualities."—.Dr. CWIII4
iv. 308.

V. Analysis fif the waters of the Nile.—" The only result we have
been enabled to obtain, from the most careful chemical analysis of the
Nile water, proves it to contain the carbonates of magnesia, lime, and
iron; the muriat of sods; and a small portion of stlex and alumina.
But it is one of the purest waters known; remarkable for its easy di.
ration by the stomaeb, and for its salutary qualifies in afl the uses to
which it is applied."—Dr. CLItIE, V. MS.
VI. Sp** gravity af sea waters.—The ocean in the southern he-
mhiphere is more salt than in the northern, in the proportion of 1029 19,
to 1027.67. The specific gravity of equatorial sea-water is 1027.77.
There is no satisfactory evidence to show that the sea, at different depths,
is more strongly impregnated with salt than it is near to the surface;
except under peculiar circumstances, that may be explained. In gene-
ral, waters of the sea contain more salt in places where the ocean is
deepest and farthest from land ; and large masses of ice seem to have
the seine effect as land in diminishing the saltness of water. The no.
fortunate traveller Browne, who was murdered, sent a most interesting
specimen of water from the lake Ourmia, or Uremia, in Persia, near
Mount Ararat. This lake is. by computation, 300 miles In damn-
faance, is so salt, that fishes cannot live in it, and has a snlphureous
smell. The specific gravity was 1186.07. Except the Dead Sc,., this
is a greano:specific gravity than any other sea papaws.
VI. Temperature of sea waters.—ln the northern expedltioo. Lieut.
Franklin generally found the sea to be sensibly warmer at great depths
than near to the surface, by four or five degrees; and these observations
have been confirmed by other respectable naval officers. De Luc firsts
and next Blagden, observed that in freezing water It ceased to contract
when it reached the 40th degree, and then expanded gradually down.
wards till it became solid, when it underwent sudden considerable cx.
pension. Sea water of 1027 renudas fluid till cooled to between 18 and
IV deg. It contracts till it reaches 29 deg. and then expands a little
till it falls to 18 deg. or 19 deg. when it suddenly tresses, and rises to
28 deg. where it remains.
See a very elaborate and ingenious Memoir on the Specific Uravity
and Temperature of Sea Waters, by Dr. 31•1CLT, in the “ Philos°.
phial Transaction," for 1811.
VII. Depth ef the Otwoot..—According to infareaces pads. by La
Place from the phenomena of the tides, be states the mean depth of the
ocean to be eleven miles.

VIIL Qatorstity supplied Companies.—Professor Braude
estimates the total number of gallons daily awned by the. earetal
water companies at 29,000,000;. in raking whick 21 stoma eosins are
used, equal to the power of LSO horses,
IX. Water ordeal of des Anglo Saerms.--" The Vann was
then stripped naked, his hands and Isp made fast, sad a. cope tied about
his mtpole, with 8 knot uPon it, the distance of a yard and a hell
from his body, and thrown into the pool. If be bated (which was
hardly to be imasined) bowoo taken out and deciared sego s ifs be
sunk so deep as to helegaitirieteot on the rope under the water, he was
instand pulled osti be could nodes any Wilsey. and pro-
innocent."—}lestiree " England, 431.
ANZILNOX hninbllebatt a carious papa ia. the Ms volume of
the Memoirs of ths RJ deadolnes in which ha salanaaak to ohm
the probability that some 4, dime mkerable posts did actually Moat
on the water. Ha alms, the number of paean sublet( to
hysteria, and other there me many wits saiaret
sink in the water ; and boo hosoodedes diet thapelinded etweerwre
and others who dossed whoa, tried by ohs waits mind, Were pewee
deeply affected with Durveudookrami Pew, die as****d
ph
mysice opian ion. in his Traits des difeeilses Irepeetnesssee, supports the
sain
X. The real tame of its spoiling oa board ships.-1t is not the
water, in any am, that aomnpa and deeempeess, but the wood of the
cubs. This Is the awl portholes. It is. b 0 yens since. this we
first demossegzio, and yet it is may within a few years that boa tanks
have Mod dill, way into the navy ; a pretty snow proof of that
combination of ipatems, neglect, sad obstinacy, which are too Are.
queatly found In an public !Femur
XI. Its eeler.—For Nine and vapinteresting ranwirhe on
the color of water, NO 2/3 Sea H. D•TY.I. Salesswia ;or Dap
of The. au isle wawa of a deep bluish green color,
which Warms clew towards tbeneyets—a calor which has been sup.
peed to vios sit dos tbulweossess as the asurts tint of the sky g
ihe tart la, *DO t Ada nose rebassibbs, ma
irese
quantity tkt9ogb• wile% width, ea account ee sad,
dmths Maim elas 11001.° IL IWO. nino.l•& The nine cokes
athilsked imparts ed ea COWS' *Mao see Inds ant
ralatititues doolptive. The siNimm.... twit. uppwr.i. is said to
bate st,timp potpie**. la the gait et Hakes, the sea 4 srbgge
.areetad the bielineejneens, As is blob, and :be sea phew Is is slo.
moTod. to im se4.-wegmoomm• which 1e we aim ailso-tem fin
Week
.72Livisseat mend ever nos betteus,_►isnotas a Mit 'odds
otittle.olo- WSW 11.1114,11 tits-owe Of by
1 myriads Minute anitoskede ad name& J. J: w.