Front Matter

The only official reprint authorized by The Royal Society of London Printed in U.S.A. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. VOL. LXX. For the Year 1780. PART I. LONDON. SOLD BY LOCKYER DAVIS, AND PETER ELMSLY, PRINTERS TO THE ROYAL SOCIETY. MDCCCLXXX. ADVERTISEMENT. The Committee appointed by the Royal Society to direct the publication of the Philosophical Transactions, take this opportunity to acquaint the Public, that it fully appears, as well from the council-books and journals of the Society, as from repeated declarations, which have been made in several former Transactions, that the printing of them was always, from time to time, the single act of the respective Secretaries, till the Forty-seventh Volume: the Society, as a body, never interesting themselves any further in their publication, than by occasionally recommending the revival of them to some of their Secretaries, when, from the particular circumstances of their affairs, the Transactions had happened for any length of time to be intermitted. And this seems principally to have been done with a view to satisfy the Public, that their usual meetings were then continued for the improvement of knowledge, and benefit of mankind, the great ends of their first institution by the Royal Charters, and which they have ever since steadily pursued. But the Society being of late years greatly enlarged, and their communications more numerous, it was thought adviseable, that a Committee of their members should be appointed to reconsider the papers read before them, and select out of them such, as they should judge most proper for publication in the future Transactions; which was accordingly done upon the 26th of March 1752. And the grounds of their choice are, and will continue to be, the importance and singularity of the subjects, or the advantageous manner of treating them; without pretending to answer for the certainty of the facts, or propriety of the reasonings, contained in the several papers so published, which must still rest on the credit or judgment of their respective authors. It is likewise necessary on this occasion to remark, that it is an established rule of the Society, to which they will always adhere, never to give their opinion, as a body, upon any subject, either of Nature or Art, that comes before them. And therefore the thanks, which are frequently proposed from the chair, to be given to the authors of such papers, as are read at their accustomed meetings, or to the persons through whose hands they receive them, are to be considered in no other light than as a matter of civility, in return for the respect shewn to the Society by those communications. The like also is to be said with regard to the several projects, inventions, and curiosities of various kinds, which are often exhibited to the Society; the authors whereof, or those who exhibit them, frequently take the liberty to report, and even to certify in the public newspapers, that they have met with the highest applause and approbation. And therefore it is hoped, that no regard will hereafter be paid to such reports, and public notices; which in some instances have been too lightly credited, to the dishonour of the Society. CONTENTS OF VOL. LXX. PART I. I. CALCULATIONS to determine at what Point in the Side of a Hill its Attraction will be the greatest, &c. By Charles Hutton, LL.D. and F.R.S. In a Letter to Nevil Maskelyne, D.D. F.R.S. and Astronomer Royal. page 1 II. An Account of some new Experiments in Electricity, with the Description and Use of two new Electrical Instruments. By Mr. Tiberius Cavallo, F.R.S. communicated by the President. p. 15 III. A new Method of assaying Copper Ores. By George Fordyce, M.D. F.R.S. p. 30 IV. An Account of an Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which happened in August, 1779. In a Letter from Sir William Hamilton, K.B. F.R.S. to Joseph Banks, Esq. P.R.S. p. 42 V. An Appendix to the Paper in the Philosophical Transactions for the Year 1778, Number XLII, pages 902 et seq. intitled, "A Method of extending Cardan's Rule for resolving one Case of the Cubick Equation " \( x^3 - qx = r \) to the other Case of the same Equation, " which it is not naturally fitted to solve, and which is " therefore called the irreducible Case." By Francis Macleres, Esq. R. F. S. Curfitor Baron of the Exchequer. p. 85 VI. An Account of a Method for the safe Removal of Ships that have been driven on Shore, and damaged in their Bottoms, to places (however distant) for repairing them. By Mr. William Barnard, Shipbuilder, Grove Street, Deptford; communicated by Nevil Maskelyne, D. D. F. R. S. and Astronomer Royal. p. 100 VII. Experimenta quaedam novum acidum Animale spectantia. Autore F. L. F. Crello, M. D. et Prof. Chemiae, Helmstadiensi; communicated by William Hunter, M. D. F. R. S. p. 109 VIII. Account of a Woman who had the Small Pox during Pregnancy, and who seemed to have communicated the same Disease to the Fœtus. By John Hunter, Esq. F. R. S. p. 128 IX. Ett kort utdrag af en Journal, hållen på en resa til och uti Kejsaredömet Japan, gjord af Doctor Thunberg åren 1775 och 1776, skrifvit til Herr Joseph Banks, Præses uti Royal Society, i London. p. 143 X. Account of an extraordinary Appearance in a Mist. By Mr. William Cockin; communicated by Joseph Banks, Esq. P. R. S. p. 157 XI. Memoria sopra il Veleno Americano detto Ticunas. By the Abbé Fontana, Director of the Cabinet of Natural History belonging to his Royal Highness the Grand Duke Duke of Tuscany; communicated by John Paradite, Esq. F. R. S. p. 163 XII. A Conjecture concerning the Method by which Cardan's Rules for resolving the Cubic Equation $x^3 + qx = r$ in all cases (or in all magnitudes of the known quantities $q$ and $r$) and the Cubic Equation $x^3 - qx = r$ in the first Case of it (or when $r$ is greater than $\frac{2q\sqrt{q}}{3\sqrt{3}}$, or $\frac{rr}{4}$ is greater than $\frac{q^2}{27}$) were probably discovered by Scipio Ferreus, of Bononia, or whoever else was the first Inventor of them. By Francis Maferes, Esq. F. R. S. Cursitor Baron of the Exchequer. p. 231 XIII. A new Method of treating the Fistula-Lachrymalis. By Mr. William Blizard, Surgeon, F. A. S.; communicated by Mr. Joseph Warner, Surgeon, F. R. S. p. 239 XIV. A Continuation of a Meteorological Diary, kept at Fort St. George, on the Coast of Coromandel. By Mr. William Roxburgh, Assistant-Surgeon to the Hospital at the said Fort; communicated by Joseph Banks, Esq. P. R. S. p. 246 XV. A Journal of the Weather at Montreal. By Mr. Barr, Purveyor to his Majesty's Hospitals in Canada; communicated by Dr. Saunders. p. 272 XVI. Meteorological Journal kept at the House of the Royal Society, by Order of the President and Council. p. 279 CONTENTS. APPENDIX. I. Translation of a short Extract from a Journal kept by C. P. Thunberg, M. D. during his Voyage to, and Residence in, the Empire of Japan, in a Letter addressed to the President. Page i II. Translation of an Essay written by the Abbé Fontana, on the American Poison called Ticunas. p. ix CONTENTS OF VOL. LXX. PART II. XVII. THEOREMS for computing Logarithms. By the Rev. John Hellins; communicated by the Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, D.D. F.R.S. and Astronomer Royal. page 388 XVIII. Connoissances essentielles pour juger de quelque Espèce nouvelle de Moulin à Cannes qu'on puisse proposer. Par Monsieur Cazaud, Membre de la Société Royale. p. 388. XIX. Account of an Ossification of the Thoracic Duct. By Richard Browne Cheston, Surgeon to the Infirmary at Gloucester; communicated by Mr. Henry Watson, Surgeon to the Westminster Hospital. p. 323 XX. An Account of the Effect of Electricity in shortening Wires. By Mr. Edward Nairne, F.R.S. p. 334 XXI. Astronomical Observations on the periodical Star in Collo Ceti. By Mr. William Herschel, of Bath; communicated by Dr. Watson, jun. of Bath, F.R.S. p. 336 XXII. An Account of a new and cheap Method of preparing Pot-ash, with Observations. By Thomas Percival, cival, M. D. F. R. and A. S. Member of the Royal Society of Physicians at Paris, &c. p. 345 XXIII. On the Degree of Salubrity of the common Air at Sea, compared with that of the Sea-shore, and that of Places far removed from the Sea. In a Letter from John Ingen Houfz, M. D. F. R. S. to Sir John Pringle, Bart. F. R. S. Dated Paris, Jan. 22, 1780. p. 354 XXIV. The principal Properties of the Engine for turning Ovals in Wood or Metal, and of the Instrument for drawing Ovals upon Paper, demonstrated. By the Rev. Mr. Ludlam, Vicar of Norton, near Leicester; communicated by the Astronomer Royal. p. 378 XXV. Of Cubic Equations and Infinite Series. By Charles Hutton, LL.D. F. R. S. p. 387 XXVI. An Account of a most extraordinary Degree of Cold at Glasgow in January last; together with some new Experiments and Observations on the comparative Temperature of Hoar-frost and the Air near to it, made at the Macfarlane Observatory belonging to the College. In a Letter from Patrick Wilson, M. A. to the Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, D. D. F. R. S. and Astronomer Royal. p. 451 XXVII. Abstract of a Register of the Barometer, Thermometer, and Rain, at Lyndon, in Rutland, 1779. By Thomas Barker, Esquire. Communicated by Thomas White, Esquire, F. R. S. p. 474 XXVIII. Journal of the Weather at Senegambia, during the Prevalence of a very fatal putrid Disorder, with Remarks on that Country. By J. P. Schotte, M. D.; communicated by Joseph Banks, Esq. P. R. S. p. 478 XXIX. XXIX. Astronomical Observations relating to the Mountains of the Moon. By Mr. Herschel of Bath. Communicated by Dr. Watson, Jun. of Bath, F. R. S. XXX. Account of an extraordinary Pheasant. By Mr. John Hunter, F. R. S. XXXI. A Letter to Joseph Banks, Esq. President of the Royal Society, &c. from Daniel-Peter Layard, M. D. Fellow of the Royal Societies of London, Antiquaries, and Gottingen, &c. relative to the Distemper among the horned Cattle. XXXII. An Investigation of the Principles of progressive and rotatory Motion. By the Rev. S. Vince, A. M. of Sidney College, Cambridge. Communicated by George Atwood, A. M. F. R. S. XXXIII. Continuation of the Case of James Jones. By Richard Browne Cheston, Surgeon to the Gloucester Infirmary. Communicated by Mr. Henry Watson, Surgeon to the Westminster Hospital. XXXIV. Thermometrical Experiments and Observations. By Tiberius Cavallo, F. R. S. who was nominated by the President and Council to prosecute Discoveries in Natural History, pursuant to the Will of the late Henry Baker, Esq. F. R. S.