Page:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol 4.djvu/226

Rh assume an oval or circular figure, forming long bead-like strings by the approximation of their edges. In saline solutions they become rather smaller, but preserve their figure tolerably well.

In an appendix, the author gives an account of his observations of the blood-corpuscles of a new species of Deer inhabiting the mountains of Persia, of which a specimen has been lately received by the Zoological Society, Many of these corpuscles presented the singular forms above described.

A paper was also read, entitled " Meteorological Register kept at Port Arthur, Van Diemen's Land, during the year 1838." By Deputy-Assistant Commissary-General Lempriere, in south latitude 43° 9′ 6″, and east longitude 147° 51′ 33″. Communicated by Captain Beaufort, R.N., F.R.S.

The height of the instrument above the level of the sea till the 21st of August was 57 feet, 7 inches ; and during the remainder of the year 3 feet.

A paper was also in part read, entitled " Experimental Researches in Electricity, 16th Series." By Michael Faraday, Esq., D.C.L., F.R.S., &c.

Martin Barry, M.D. and Joseph Phillimore, LL.D., were balloted for, and duly elected into the Society.

The reading of a paper, entitled " Experimental Researches in Electricity, 16th Series." By Michael Faraday, Esq., D.C.L., F.R.S., &C.5 was resumed and concluded. On the source of power in the Voltaic pile.

The determination of the real source of electrical power in galvanic combinations has become, in the present state of our knowledge of electricity, a question of considerable importance, and one which must have great influence on the future progress of that science. The various opinions which have been entertained by philosophers on this subject may be classed generally under two heads; namely, those which assign as the origin of voltaic power the simple contact of dissimilar substances, and more especially of different metals ; and secondly, those which ascribe this force to the exertion of chemical affinities. The first, or the theory of contact, was devised by Volta, the great discoverer of the Voltaic pile ; and adopted, since it was promulgated by him, by a host of subsequent philosophers, among the most celebrated of whom may be ranked Pfaff, Marianini, Fichner, Zamboni, Matteucci, Karsten, Bruchardat, and also Davy ; all of them bright stars in the exalted galaxy of science.