^'U y M.j^ 3//4rf/l c/ >}% '' AS122 M3P72 * FOR THE PEOPLE FOR EDVCATION FOR SCIENCE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY MEMOIRS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE MANCHESTER LITERARY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. [ '" CENTRA' MEMOIRS' Al^tb PROCEEDINGS OF s , THE MANCHESTER LITERARY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY FOURTH SERIES SECOND VOLUME MANCHESTER 36 GEORGE STREET NOTE. The authors of the several papers contained in this volume are themselves accountable for all the statements and reasonings which they have offered. In these particulars the Society must not be considered as in any way responsible. CONTENTS MEMOIRS. PAOE Incompleteness of Combustion in Gaseous Explosions. By Prof. Harold B. Dixon, F.R.S.,and H. W. Smith, B.8c 2 A Decade of new Hymenoptera. By P. Cameron, F.E.S. Communi- cated by John Boyd, Esq II A New System of Logical Notation. By Joseph John Murphy. Communicated by the Rev. Robert Harley, M,A., F.R.S., Corresponding Member ... ... .. ... ... ... ... 22 Notes on Some of the Peculiar Properties of Glass. By William Thomson, F.R.S.Ed,, F.I.C., F.C.S. 42 On the British Species of Allolrina, with descriptions of other new species of Parasitic Cynipidiz. By P. Cameron. Communicated by John Boyd, Esq 53 On the unification in the measure of time, with special reference to the contest on the initial meridian. By C. Tondini de Quarenghi. Communicated by F. J. Faraday, F.L.S 74 Hytnenoptera Orientalis ; or Contributions to a knowledge of the Hymenoptera of the Oriental Zoological Region. By P. Cameron. Communicated by John Boyd, Esq o I On the equation to the Instantaneous Surface generated by the dissolution of an Isotropic Solid. By James Bottomley, D.Sc. 154 On the Vitrified Cement from an ancient fort. By G. H. Bailey, D.Sc. Ph.D 185 Notes on a form of Plantago viaritima [L.] new to Great Britain : / Piimila (Kjellman). By James Cosmo Melvill, M.A., F.L.S. 189 Colour and its relation to the Structure of Coloured Bodies : being an investigation into the Physical Cause of Colour in natural and artificial bodies and the Nature of the Structure producing it. By Alexander Hodgkinson, M.B., B.Sc. With Coloured Plate. 193 On Leaves found in the cutting for the Manchester Ship Canal, 21 feet under the surface, and on Green Colouring Matter contained therein. By William Thomson, F.R.S. Ed., etc. With Plate 216 PAGE On Sound propagated through an atmosphere, in which the surfaces of constant density are parallel planes, in a direction perpendicular to these planes. By Ralph Holmes, B.A 221 Notes on Seedling Saxifrages grown at Brockhurst from a single scape of Saxifraga Macnahiana. By William Brockbank, F.L.S., F.G.S. 227 On the Green Colouring Matter from Leaves found in one of the Cuttings for the Manchester Ship Canal. By Edward Schunck, Ph.D., F.R.S 231 On an Old Canoe recently found in the Irwell Valley, near Barton, with observations on Pre-Historic Chat Moss. By Mr. Alderman W. H. Bailey. With Two Plates 243 PROCEEDINGS. Bailey Charles, F.L.S.—On the decrease of Entomologists 90 BOTTOMLEY James, D.Sc, B.A., F.C.S.— "Note on the behaviour of Iodine in the presence of Borax." 40 On Smoke Abatement 72 Cameron P. —"On the excessive abundance of Aphis dianthi, Schr., round Manchester in September, 1888." Communicated by John Boyd, Esq 9 Clay Charles, M.D. —"On the results of some calculations with a certain class of figures. " 215 Dawkins, W. Boyd, M.A., F.R.S. &c. — "The Permanence of Oceanic Basins." 36 — Faraday, F. J., F.L.S., &c. "An historical account of the spectro- scopic evidence in support of the hypothesis that oxygen exists in the sun, with special reference to M. Janssen's recent researches on telluric oxygen and aqueous vapour lines and bands." 38 On the Study of Mathematics in the northern counties of England, and particularly in Lancashire 20 On the proposed Paris Conference on the unification of time 153 Gee, W. W. Haldane, B.Sc — "Electrolysis under Pressure." 21 GwYTHER, R. F., M.A. —"An account of Hertz's experiments showing the propagation of electrical vibrations in direct accordance with Maxwell's theory of light as an electro-magnetic phenomenon. " i Holden, Henry, M.Sc.—" Electrolysis under Pressure." 21 — — PAGE HoDGKiNSON, Alexander, M.B., B.Sc—On the iridescence of chlorate of potash crystals ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 70 On the colour of humming-birds 213 On the physiological phenomena of colour sensation ... 215 On the colours of fish 220 On the luminosity of eyes in the dusk. ... ... ... ... .. 224 Johnson, W. H., B.Sc. —On commercial and laboratory copper 90 Melvill, J. Cosmo, M.A., F.L.S. —On Zisyphimis haliarchus 183 Nasmyth, James, F.R.A.S.—Letter on an accompanying photograph of his original drawing of the solar surface 71 Reynolds, Osborne, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., President.—Notice of Professor Rudolph Clausius I On the quantity of water passed through the condensers of the " City " of New York Steamship ... 73 On the recent earthquake at Manchester 184 The death of Richard Peacock, M.P 192 Schuster, Arthur, Ph.D., F.R.S., F.R.A.S.—On Lord Rayleigh's colour-mixer ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 220 Springer, Alfred, Ph.D. —"On the Fermentation Theories." Com- municated by William Grimshaw, Esq. 236 Williamson, W. C, LL.D., F.R.S. —"The Permanence of Oceanic Basins." 33 The Krakatoa eruption Report ... ... ... ... ... ... 41 General Meetings 33, 73, 90, 226 Annual General Meeting 234 Meetings of the Microscopical and Natural History Section : Annual ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 224 Ordinary 8, 38, 70, 89, 183, 213 Meetings of the Physical and Mathematical Section : Annual 214 Ordinary ... ... 20 Report of the Council, April, 1889, with Obituary notices of Lichard Peacock and Rudolph Clausius ... 252 Report of the Microscopical and Natural History Section ... ... 267 Report of the Physical and Mathematical Section ... 214 List of the Council and Members of the Society ... 270 — ERRATA. In Mr. Cameron's paper on Hynienoptera Orientalis. In the penultimate paragraph of the Introduction on p. 92 for Sittaghui read Tittaghur. ,, Ishapue read Ishapore. ,, Serampue read Serampore. ,, Chandauague read Chandanagore. ,, Gusery read Goosery. ,, Port Cauumy read Port Canning. ,, Mussourie read Mussoorie. „ Nischindepue read Nischindipore. ,, North-West Province read North-West Provinces. On p. 138 for Tachytes Virchu read T. vischnu. " In Dr. Bottomley's paper on " The Dissolution of an Isotropic Solid : Page line 163, I, forCD readQ,T>. 163, 11, for[-^yead[—^y 165, 23, The expression in this line should be multiplied by 2. 166, 2, for dz read dZ. 167, I, for d(p cd^ ^ cdyi ^ ^ dx ill^v MEMOIRS AND PROCEEDINGS OF / THE MANCHESTER LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. Ordinary Meeting, October 2nd, 1888. Professor OsBORNE REYNOLDS, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. Reference was made by the PRESIDENT to the death of Professor Rudolph Clausius of Bonn, elected an honorary member of the Society in 1886, to whom, with Rankine and Sir William Thomson, following Dr. Joule, belonged the honour of developing the dynamical theory of heat. Mr. R. F. GwvTHER, M.A., gave an account of Hertz's experiments, showing the propagation of electrical vibra- tions in direct accordance with Maxwell's theory of light as an electro-magnetic phenomenon. Professor H. B. DixON, F.R.S., read a paper on "Incom- pleteness of Combustion in Gaseous Explosions." Prof. Dixon and Mr. Smith on Incompleteness of Combustion in Gaseous Explosions. By Prof. Harold B. Dixon, F.R.S., and H. W. Smith, B.Sc, Dalton Chemical Scholar, Owens College. (Received October 26th, 1888.) In the course of an investigation, in which we were engaged, on the rate of propagation of gaseous explosions, it was noticed that when a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, in the proportions in which they combine to form water, was exploded, there remained an explosive residue in addition to the unavoidable slight excess of one or the other gas due to inaccuracy in mixing. The mixture was exploded in a leaden tube 100 metres long and 9 mm. in diameter ; after the explosion the tap at one end was opened, and air allowed to rush in. Air was then pumped in by a bellows, and the other tap was then opened. On applying a light to the out-rushing gases, for the purpose of determining whether the hydrogen or the oxygen was in excess in the original mixture, the gas at first driven out proved to be rich in oxygen — supporting combustion vividly—and then the succeeding gas burnt with a series of sharp cracklings, and finally there was a flash down the tube. From this, it appeared that even in a mixture of hy- drogen and oxygen, containing a slight excess of oxygen, the hydrogen was not completely burnt. If the mixture had contained an excess of hydrogen it might have been reasonably supposed that the explosive residue was made up of the excess of hydrogen and the air admitted after the explosion. This explanation could not be admitted in tiie present instance, as the mixture contained an excess of oxygen. A similar phenomenon was observed when a slight excess of hydrogen was employed, and the residue was swept out of the tube by a stream of carbonic acid gas. — Gaseous Explosions. 3 Led by these experiments we began the investigation, an account of which is given in the following paper. Our object was to determine the conditions affecting the amount of this explosive residue—especially the influence of the surface exposed to the exploding gases. Mixtures containing slight excess, ist of hydrogen, and 2nd of oxygen were employed, and in all cases the residues were collected and analysed.