Front Matter

The only official reprint authorized by The Royal Society of London Printed in U.S.A. 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. LXIX. PART I. I. An Account of the Cure of the St. Vitus's Dance by Electricity. In a Letter from Anthony Fothergill, F. R. S. M. D. at Northampton, to William Henly, F. R. S. Communicated by Mr. Henly. p. 1 II. A Case in which the Head of the Os Humeri was sawn off, and yet the Motion of the Limb preserved. By Mr. Daniel Orred, of Chester, Surgeon. Communicated by Thomas Percival, M. D. F. R. S. and A. S. and Member of the Royal Society of Physicians at Paris. p. 6 III. Experiments on some Mineral Substances. By Peter Woulfe, F. R. S. Communicated at the Desire of William Hunter, F. R. S. and Physician extraordinary to the Queen. p. 11 IV. Account of a Petrefaction found on the Coast of East Lothian. By Edward King, Esq. F. R. S. p. 35 V. Account of Dr. Knight's Method of making artificial Loadstones. By Mr. Benjamin Wilson, F. R. S. p. 51 VI. Account of an extraordinary Dropical Case. By Mr. John Latham, in a Letter to Mr. Warner, F. R. S. P. 54 VII. Problems concerning Interpolations. By Edward Waring, M. D. F. R. S. and of the Institute of Bononia, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in the University of Cambridge. P. 59 VIII. Disquisitio de tempore Periodico Cometae anni 1770 observati. Autore J. A. Lexell; Academiae Scientiarum Petrop. Socio. Communicated by Nevil Maskelyne, D. D. F. R. S. and Astronomer Royal. P. 68 IX. On the General Resolution of Algebraical Equations. by Edward Waring, M. D. F. R. S. and of the Institute of Bononia, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in the University of Cambridge. P. 86 XI. Observations on the total (with Duration) and annular Eclipse of the Sun, taken on the 24th of June, 1778, on Board the Espagne, being the Admiral's Ship of the Fleet of New Spain, in the Passage from the Azores towards Cape St. Vincent's. By Don Antonio Ulloa, F. R. S. Commander of the said Squadron; communicated by Samuel Horsley, LL.D. F. R. S. P. 105 XII. Tentamen continens Theoriam Machinae publicarum. Autore Thoma Bugge, Astronomo Regio, Astron. et Mathem. Prof. in Academia Havniensi, e Societatibus Scient. Havniensi. et Nidrosi. Communicated by Sir John Pringle, Bart. F. R. S. P. 120 XIII. Account of an Iconantidiptic Telescope, invented by Mr. Jeaurat, of the Academy of Sciences of Paris. Communicated municated by John Hyacinth de Magellans, F. R. S. p. 130 XIV. Account of the Organs of Speech of the Orang Outang. By Peter Camper, M. D. late Professor of Anatomy, &c. in the University of Groningen, and F. R. S. in a Letter to Sir John Pringle, F. R. S. p. 139 XV. Account of the Effects of Lightning on Board the Atlas. By Allen Cooper, Esq. Master of the Atlas East India-man. In a Letter to Joseph Banks, Esq. P. R. S. p. 160 XVI. Extracts of Three Letters from John Longfield, M.D. at Corke in Ireland, to the Astronomer Royal, containing some Astronomical Observations; together with the Longitude of Corke, deduced from the said Observations, by the Astronomer Royal. p. 163 XVII. The Latitude of Madras in the East Indies, deduced from Observations made by William Stephens, Chief Engineer. Communicated by John Call, Esq. F. R. S. p. 182 XVIII. Account of an Infant Musician. By Charles Burney, Doctor of Music and F. R. S. p. 183 XIX. Account of the Method of cultivating the Sugar Cane. By Mr. Cazaud; communicated by Joseph Banks, Esq. P. R. S. p. 207 XX. Account of the Free Martin. By John Hunter, Esq. F. R. S. p. 279 XXI. Meteorological Journal kept at the House of The Royal Society, by Order of the President and Council. p. 295 CONTENTS OF VOL. LXIX. PART II. XXII. An Account of the Manner in which the Russians treat Persons affected by the Fumes of burning Charcoal, and other Effluvia of the same Nature. In a Letter from Matthew Guthrie, M.D. to Joseph Priestley, LL.D. F.R.S. page 325. XXIII. An Account of an Apparatus applied to the equatorial Instrument for correcting the Errors arising from the Refraction in Altitude. By Mr. Peter Dollond, Optician; communicated by the Astronomer Royal. p. 332 XXIV. Experiments and Observations on the inflammable Air breathed by various Animals. By the Abbé Fontana, Director of the Cabinet of Natural History belonging to his Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Tuscany; communicated by John Paradisi, Esq. F.R.S. p. 337. XXV. On the Variation of the Temperature of boiling Water. By Sir George Shuckburgh, Baronet, F.R. CONTENTS. and A.S. and Member of the Academy of Sciences and Belles Lettres at Lyon. p. 362 XXVI. Account of a new Kind of inflammable Air or Gass, which can be made in a Moment without Apparatus, and is as fit for Explosion as other inflammable Gasses in use for that Purpose; together with a new Theory of Gunpowder. By John Ingen Housz, Body Physician to their Imperial Majesties, and F.R.S. p. 376 XXVII. The Description of Two new Micrometers. By Mr. Ramsden, Optician; communicated by Joseph Banks, Esq. P.R.S. p. 419 XXVIII. Account of the Airs extracted from different Kinds of Waters; with Thoughts on the Salubrity of Air at different Places. In a Letter from the Abbé Fontana, Director of the Cabinet of Natural History belonging to his Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Tuscany, to Joseph Priestley, LL.D. F.R.S. p. 432 XXIX. Account of some Experiments in Electricity. In a Letter from Mr. William Swift to the Rev. Dr. King, F.R.S. p. 454 XXX. Sitodium incisum et macrocarpon, ususque fructuum qui exinde nascuntur, descripta a Carolo Petro Thunberg, M.D.; communicated by Joseph Banks, Esq. P.R.S. p. 462 XXXI. A Second Paper concerning some Barometrical Measures in the Mines of the Hartz. By Mr. John Andrew De Luc, F.R.S. p. 485 XXXII. On the Precession of the Equinoxes produced by the Sun's Attraction. By the Rev. Mr. Isaac Milner, M.A. M. A. and Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge; communicated by the Rev. Dr. Shepherd, F. R. S. p. 505 XXXIII. An Examination of various Ores in the Museum of Dr. William Hunter. By George Fordyce, M. D. F. R. S. and Mr. Stanesby Alchorne. p. 527 XXXIV. On some new Methods of suspending Magnetical Needles. By John Ingen Houfsz, Body Physician to their Imperial Majesties, and F. R. S. p. 537 XXXV. Abstract of a Register of the Barometer, Thermometer, and Rain, at Lyndon, in Rutland, 1778. By Thomas Barker, Esquire. Communicated by Thomas White, Esquire, F. R. S. p. 547 XXXVI. Extract of a Meteorological Journal for the Year 1778, kept at Bristol, by Samuel Farr, M. D. p. 551 XXXVII. A Treatise on Rivers and Canals. By Theod. Aug. Mann, Member of the Imperial and Royal Academy of Sciences at Brussels; communicated by Joseph Banks, Esq. P. R. S. p. 555 XXXVIII. Extract of Two Meteorological Journals of the Journals of the Weather, observed at Nain, in 57° North latitude, and at Okak, in 57° 30' North latitude, both on the Coast of Labrador. Communicated by Mr. De la Trobe to the President, and by him to the Society. p. 657 XXXIX. Improvements in Electricity. By John Ingen Houfsz, Body Physician to their Imperial Majesties, and 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. p. 659