REPORT OF THE COUNCILj MARCH 30 1855. THECouncil have the satisfaction to announce that there is a steady increase in the numbers of the Chemical Society. At the last Anniversary meeting the number of Fellows was-Eesident and Non-resident . . . 247 Deduct Deaths b a . 3 L_.l 244 Add Elected since . . ' . 17 Present number of Fellows . . . 261 The Fellows who have died in the last year are Mr. Richard Prosser of Birmingham; Mr. John Thomas Cooper; and Mr. Charles Blachford Mansfield. R i c hard Pro sseF was an engirteer of high original faculties and great attainments. He was the inventor of many mechanical improve- ments and among other inventions of the process of forming pottery from dry clay-dust by the application of powerful pressure a process which gave rise to the manufacture of those coloured mosaic tiles manufactured by M in ton which have attained so great a celebrity.To the exertions of Mr. Prosser the late reform in the Patent Law was mainly owing. At the time of his death he was sedulously pursuing a work of importance to the Ordnance Board-an appendix to the volume now issuing from the office of Mr. Woodcroft con- taining an account of all the patented inventions on the subject of Gunnery from the earliest periods. He died at the age of 50. John Thomas Cooper was born at Greenwich June 29 1790. In early life he studied for the niedical profession ;but Chemistry was his favourite science and we find him at 20 years of age delivering popular lectures on that subject in Moant Street Lambeth.He was XEPORT OF THE COUNCIL. subsequently appointed Lecturer on Chemistry at the Russell hstitu- tion and he was afterwards teacher of the aame science at the Aldersgate School of Medicine. At one time Rlr. Cooper was the sole manufacturer of Iodine in this country. He was also a very successful preparer of Potassium and Sodium by the process of Gay Lussac and Thhard at a time when those metals were sold for ten and twelve guineas the ounce. Among the published results of Mr. Cooper’s scientific investigations we may mention the fol- lowing :-r‘ On some Combinations of Platinum” (Q. J. S. iii. 119) ; “Analysis of Zinc Ores” (Q. J. S. ix. 19);An Examination of the Ancient Ruby Glass (Ann. Phil. vii. 105) ; “Improvements in the Instruments invented hy Dr.Wollaston for ascertaining the Refracting Indices of Bodies’’ (Mem. of Chern. Sjoc. April 1843); “ On Cate-chuic Acid” (Mem. Chew Soc. Dec. 1843) ; “On the Baroscope an Instrument for Measuring Heights” (read before the Royal Society Feb. 1839). He also discovered the Sesquioxide of Carbon but from delay in his investigation Mr. Serullas who also discovered it had the priority of publication. In the year 1823 Mr. Cooper received two of the medals of the Society of Arts for an improved Hydrometer for Saline Solutions and for an Apparatus for the Analysis of Animal and Vegetable Substances (Journ. Soc. Arts xli.) In 1835 he perfected his Oxyhydrogen Microscope and in con-junction with Mr. Carey the Optician produced it for public exhibi- tion.He first employed the Canada balsam for mounting microscopic objects an invention of great practical utility. He died Sept. 24 1854 in his 65th year. Charles Blachford Mansfield was the son of a clergyman and was born at Rowner in Hampshire in the year 1819. His interest in natural science exhibited itself at a very early age in an intense fondness for natural history which he always retained. I-Ie was edu- cated at Winchester School and at the University of Cambridge. Subsequently he placed himself as one of the first pupils at the College of Chemistry under the guidance of Dr. Hofmann. After passing through the ordinary training of the College he undertook the investigation of the constituent volatile cils of coal-tar among which he discovered the presence of benzol in considerable quantity.He invented and patented a process for obtaining benzol from coal-tar and for producing a new light by charging air with its vapour. His researches on this subject appear in Vol. 1 of the Journal of the Chemical Society and in the volume of the Researches of the Chemical REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. College as well as in a pamphlet. The Institute of Civil Engineers awarded to him for them the Telford premium. In the year 1851 he was invited to deliver a course of lectures on the Chemistry of the Metals at the Royal Institution. The earlier lectures of this course were remarkable for some broad and Griginal generalisations which were afterwards developed by hini in a manu- script work unfortunately left unfinished.During the last seven years of his life he was much occupied with efforts for the ameliora- tion of the condition of the working classes; and his interest in those matters by which science connects itself with social life may be instanced by some striking letters on the subject of the consumption of smoke contained in late numbers of the ‘‘Mechanics’ Magazine.” On his return from a voyage to tropical South America he devoted much time to the preparation of a work on the constitution of salts which he completed and placed in a publisher’s hands a few days before the accidcnt which put an end to his career. He had been officially invited to prepare specimens of the products he had extracted froin coal tar for the French Exhibition then about to be opened.In carrying out this purpose the accidental boiling over of the naphtha from a small still which he had long been using inflicted injuries on his assistant and set his own clothes on fire The still itself was in flames and the only chance of preventing them from extending to the premises was in removing the whole apparatus. High courage and presence of mind were never wanting to him. He seized the still in his hands and bore it a sheet of fire to the door. This he was unable to open and had to escape through the window It was on the 17th of February the coldest day of the present year ; the ground was covered with snow and he extinguished the flames with which he was enveloped by rolling himself upon it.The thought of another’s danger now flashed on his mind and he was with diffi- culty hindered from re-entering the building to rescue his assistant by a person who had come to his aid. He did not escape however without complicating hisinjuries by a violent blow on the head whilst passing through a low wicker door leading into the street. With his hands burnt almost to the bone his fa:“ and head a mass of injuries his countenance unrecognisable by his dearest friends besides slighter wounds on ths knees and feet he had to walk a mile supported by a woman to a cab and had himself carried to the Middlesex Hospital which he reached almost in state of collapse from the intensity of the cold. There he terminated his life after nine days of lingering agony.It would be wrong to estimate the man by what he had actually REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. given to the world. He was cut off at an age when with his varied gifts it would have been easy for him to have completed an ordinary life’s work. He had proposed to himself a task so broad that the time failed him to do more than lay the foundation for it. How broad that foundation was his manuscript works and fragments which are mostly preparing for publication may possibly show to the world. The following are the Fellows and Associates of the Chemical Society elected since March 30 1854:-April 3 1854.-A. Kekule‘ Ph.l). Reinhold Hoffmann Ph.D. Associates. May 1.-Robt Railton Esq. University College; Patrick Duffy Belfast Fellows.May 15.-Hugo W. Muller Ph.D. 110 Bunhill Row; Charles Greville Williams Esq. 3 Oxford Court Cannon Street Associates. November 6.-Robert Mortimer Glover M.D. F.R.S.E. Royal Free Hospital Gray’s Inn Lane; J. Taylor Esq. 5 Burchfield Terrace East India Road; Newton Samuelson Esq. 11 Temple Court Liverpool; Henry M. Noad Ph.D. Bark Place Bayswater ; Robert Hunt Jun. Esq. Government School of Mines; Isaac Newton Loomis M.D. of Macao in the State of Georgia U.S. Fellows. Messrs. Henry Buff and Richard Tuson of St. Bartholo- mew’s Hospital Associates. November 2O.-Mr. James Taylor Fellow. December l8.Tohn S. Abel Esq. Coquimbo Chili ; Charles Loudon Bloxam Esq. King’s College; Chas. W. Heaton Esq.,26 Lime Street; Fletcher Norton Esq.5 Stanhope Street Harnpstead Road Fellows. January 15 1855.-H. J. Smith Esq. B.A. Oxford; Mathew Warton Johnson Esq.; Charles Tookey Esq. 3 Mitre Street Claremont Square,. Fellows. February 5.-Messrs. Frederick Stohmann and Frederick Versniann of University College Associates. March 5.-John James Bancroft Esq. Ruthen North Wales Fellow. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. The followiiig is the List of Papers read before the Chemical Society froni March 30 1854 to March 30 1855:-April 17 1854.-Mr. Frederick Field communicated a paper “On the Composition of a Specimen of Atacamite from the Province of Copiapo Chili. May 15.-‘{On the Occurrence of Ozone and Peroxide of Hydrogen in the Electrolysis of Sulphuric Acid :” by Heinrich Meidinger.“On the Corrosive Action of Sugar on Iron and other Metals :” by Dr. J. H. Gladstone. June 19.-“.Preliminary Notice on the Action of Ammonia on the Oils and Fats :” by J. H. Rowney Yh.D. “On the Action of Iodine on Calomel :” by Dr. R. M. Glover. “On an unexpected Source of Nitrobenzol:” by Arthur H. Church. ‘‘ On the Substitution-compounds obtained by the Action of Nitric Acid on Cotton :” by Edward Ash Hadow. November ‘6.-“ On the Analysis of a Surface-Soil from the Desert of Atacama :” by Frederick Field. December 4.-“ On the Preparation of Pure Pyroxylic Spirit :” by W. Gould. December 18.-“ On the Produce of Barley Sown in Rocks of various ages :” by Dr. Daubeny. “ Notice of further Experiments as to the Reduction of Metallic Oxides by Peroxide of Barium :” by B.C. Brodie. January 15 1855.-“ On Thernio-Electric Joints formed with the metals Antimony Bismuth and Palladium :” by Richard Adie. “ Investigation of the Vegetable Tallow from a Chinese Plant the ‘Stillingia Sebifera :’” by N. S. Maskelyne M.A. F.G.S. “On the Absorption of Chlorine in Water:” by H. E. Roscoe B.A. Ph.D. February 5 ,-On a peculiar Eiflorescence of Chloride of Potassium :” by Robert Warington. “On the Preparation of the Metals of the Earths by Electrolysis :” by A. Matthiessen Ph.D. February 19.-<< On the Thermo-Electrical Currents generated in Elements where Bismuth is used to Form the Joint :” by Richard Adie. VOL. VII1.-NO. XXX. I REPORT OF THE COUNClL. The Society is also indebted to Professor Miller of King’s Col- lege for an able and interesting discourse ‘‘On the Action of Waters on Lead,” delivered at the last Meeting of the Society.The Council have during the past year entered into an arrange- ment with the Rdyal Society by reason of which the Fellows of this Society receive the ‘‘Proceedings of the Royal Society” free of charge. The Council wish to record their sense of the liberal spirit in which the Royal Society with a view to the diffusion of scientific intelli- gence has met their wishes upon this point. Several valuable additions have been made to the library of the Society; and the Council beg to call to it the attention of Fellows as a place of deposit for curious works upon Chemistry and for pamph- lets upon chemical subjects which collected are of great interest but separately are often of little or no value to the possessor.Dr. ROBERT PORRETT (TREASURER) IN ACCOUNT WITH TEE CHEMICAL SOCIETY. CT. 1854. March 27. To Balapce from last Account ........................ 1855. March 28. , Subscriptions since received ........................ , Admission Fees from Thirteen New Members.. ,Y 2 , One Year’s Dividend on 2300 Three per Cent. Y YY Consols minus Property Tax .................. ,? Rent for the Use of the Rooms by the Ethno- 2 2 logical Society to November 1854 and by the Chess Club to Christmas last ............... 9 ,> , Proceeds of Sale of “Memoirs” .................. 32 London 28th March 1855 d2 s.d. 105 2 lo& 265 2 0 26 0 0 8 9 5 30 15 0 1 14 4 427 3 7+ .€ s. a. By Payment of One Year’s Salary to the Librariar 15 0 0 , Ditto of One Year’s Rent t,o Polytechnic In. stitution ............................................ 120 0 0 , Ditto to Henry Watts for One Year’s Salary as Editor of the Society’s Journal ............... 50 0 0 , Ditto to H. Baillidre for Publishing the So-ciety’s Journal .................................... 116 8 0 , Ditto for Attendance and for Tea and Coffee. . 23 19 11 , Ditto to Henry Watts for Translations ......... 516 2 , Ditto for Petty Cash Postage Stamps &c. ... 5 511 , Ditto to Imperial Gas Company for Gas.. ....... 779 , Ditto to Cavendish Society Subscription 1855 110 , Ditto to Walton and Maberly for Books ......330 ,,Ditto to H. Baillikre for Books .................. 717 0 , Ditto to Taylor and Francis for Philosophical Magazine. ............................................ 115 0 , Ditt.0 to Charles Whiting for Printing ......... 500 , Ditto to the Collector for Poundage ............ 11 14 0 , Ditto to Royal Society for “Proceedings” sent to theMembers of this Society .................. 20 0 0 , Ditto to Doorkeeper of Polytechnic Institution 100 ),Balance carried to new Account ................. 31 15 lo+ f 427 3 7+ R. PORRETT Treasurer. Examined and found correct J. H. GILBERT WM. ODLINGC.