Front Matter

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 advisable, 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. LXXIX. PART I. I. DESCRIPTION of an Improvement in the Application of the Quadrant of Altitude to a celestial Globe, for the Resolution of Problems dependant on Azimuth and Altitude. By Mr. John Smeaton, F. R. S.; communicated by Mr. William Wales, F. R. S. Page 1 II. Objections to the Experiments and Observations relating to the Principle of Acidity, the Composition of Water, and Phlogiston, considered; with farther Experiments and Observations on the same Subject. By the Rev. Joseph Priestley, LL.D. F. R. S. p. 7 III. Observations on the Class of Animals called, by Linnæus, Amphibia; particularly on the Means of distinguishing those Serpents which are venomous from those which are not so. By Edward Whitaker Gray, M. D. F. R. S. p. 21 IV. Observations on the Dryness of the Year 1788. In a Letter from the Rev. Mr. B. Hutchinson to Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. p. 37 V. On the Method of determining, from the real Probabilities of Life, the Value of a contingent Reversion in which Three Lives are involved in the Survivorship. By Mr. William Morgan; communicated by the Rev. Richard Price, D. D.: F. R. S. p. 40 VI. Result of Calculations of the Observations made at various Places of the Eclipse of the Sun, which happened on June 3, 1788. By the Rev. Joseph Piazzi, C. R. Professor of Astronomy in the University of Palermo; communicated by Nevil Maskelyne, D. D. F. R. S. and Astronomer Royal. p. 55 VII. An Account of a bituminous Lake or Plain in the Island of Trinidad. By Mr. Alexander Anderson; communicated by Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. p. 65 VIII. An Account of a particular Change of Structure in the human Ovarium. By Matthew Baillie, M. D.; communicated by John Hunter, Esq. F. R. S. p. 71 IX. Some Account of the Vegetable and Mineral Productions of Boutan and Thibet. By Mr. Robert Saunders, Surgeon at Boglepoor in Bengal; communicated by Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. p. 79 X. A Meteorological Journal kept at the Apartments of the Royal Society, by Order of the President and Council. p. 113 THE PRESIDENT and COUNCIL of the ROYAL SOCIETY adjudged, for the Year 1788, the Medal on Sir GODFREY COPELEY's Donation, to CHARLES BLAGDEN, M. D. Sec. R. S. for his Two Papers on Congelation, printed in the last Volume of the Philosophical Transactions. ERRATUM. Page 37, line 15, for $\frac{175}{5}$ read $\frac{175}{7}$ CONTENTS OF VOL. LXXIX. PART II. XI. EXPERIMENTS on the Phlogistication of Spirit of Nitre. By the Rev. Joseph Priestley, LL.D. F. R. S. Page 139 XII. Observations on a Comet. In a Letter from William Herschel, LL.D. F. R. S. to Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. p. 151 XIII. Indications of Spring, observed by Robert Marsham, Esquire, F. R. S. of Stratton in Norfolk. Latitude 52° 45′. p. 154 XIV. An Account of a Monster of the human Species, in two Letters; one from Baron Reichel to Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. and the other from Mr. James Anderson to Baron Reichel. Communicated by Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. p. 157 XV. A supplementary Letter on the Identity of the Species of the Dog, Wolf, and Jackal; from John Hunter, Esq. F. R. S. addressed to Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. p. 160 XVI. Abstract of a Register of the Barometer, Thermometer, and Rain, at Lyndon in Rutland; by Thomas Barker, Esq. Also of the Rain in Hampshire and Surrey. Communicated by Thomas White, Esq. F. R. S. p. 162 XVII. On the Method of correspondent Values, &c. By Edward Waring, M. D. F. R. S. and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. p. 166 XVIII. On the Resolution of attractive Powers. By Edward Waring, M. D. F. R. S. and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. p. 185 XIX. Experiments on the Congelation of Quicksilver in England. By Mr. Richard Walker; in a Letter to Henry Cavendish, Esq. F. R. S. p. 199 XX. Catalogue of a second Thousand of new Nebulae and Clusters of Stars; with a few introductory Remarks on the Construction of the Heavens. By William Herschel, L.L.D. F. R. S. p. 212 XXI. An Attempt to explain a Difficulty in the Theory of Vision, depending on the different Refrangibility of Light. By the Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, D. D. F. R. S. and Astronomer Royal. p. 256 XXII. Experiments and Observations on Electricity. By Mr. William Nicholson; communicated by Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. p. 265 XXIII. Experiments on the Transmission of the Vapour of Acids through an hot earthen Tube, and further Observations relating to Phlogiston. By the Rev. Joseph Priestley, L.L.D. F. R. S. p. 289 XXIV. On the Production of nitrous Acid and nitrous Air. By the Rev. Isaac Milner, B. D. F. R. S. and President of Queen's College, Cambridge. p. 300