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. I. The Croonian Lecture on the Arrangement and mechanical Action of the Muscles of Fishes. By Anthony Carlisle, Esq. F. R. S. F. L. S. page 1 II. The Bakerian Lecture on the Force of Percussion. By William Hyde Wollaston, M. D. Sec. R. S. p. 13 III. Mémoire sur les Quantités imaginaires. Par M. Buée. Communicated by William Morgan, Esq. F. R. S. p. 23 IV. Chemical Experiments on Guaiacum. By Mr. William Brande. Communicated by Charles Hatchett, Esq. F. R. S. p. 89 V. On the Direction of the Radicle and Germen during the Vegetation of Seeds. By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. F. R. S. In a Letter to the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, K. B. P. R. S. p. 99 VI. A third Series of Experiments on an artificial Substance, which possesses the principal characteristic Properties of Tannin; with some Remarks on Coal. By Charles Hatchett, Esq. F. R. S. p. 109 VII. The Application of a Method of Differences to the Species of Series whose Sums are obtained by Mr. Landen, by the Help of impossible Quantities. By Mr. Benjamin Gompertz. Communicated by the Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, D. D. Astronomer Royal, F. R. S. p. 147 VIII. An Account of a small Lobe of the human prostate Gland, which has not before been taken Notice of by Anatomists. By Everard Home, Esq. F. R. S. p. 195 IX. On the Quantity and Velocity of the Solar Motion. By William Herschel, LL.D. F. R. S. p. 205 APPENDIX. Meteorological Journal kept at the Apartments of the Royal Society, by Order of the President and Council. ERRATA IN THE MEMOIR ON IMAGINARY QUANTITIES. Page 26, line 23, for 3e. read zde. — 32, — 14, for \( (1 \pm \sqrt{-1}) \), read \( (1 \pm \sqrt{-1}) \). — 40, — 19, for \( \sqrt{2} \times \sqrt{2} \), read \( \sqrt{2} \times \sqrt{2} \). — 69, — 15, for \( + \frac{(o \times n \cdot 90^\circ \sqrt{-1})}{1 \cdot 2} \), read \( + \frac{(o \times n \cdot 90^\circ \sqrt{-1})^2}{1 \cdot 2} \). — 70, — 19, for cercle et, read centre à. — 76, — 18, for \( \{ (\sin. a \sqrt{-1} \cos. a) \}^{\frac{3}{2}} \), read \( \{ (\sin. a \sqrt{-1} + \cos. a) \}^{\frac{3}{2}} \). — 82, — 6, for \( \pm px \), read \( \pm \sqrt{px} \). The President and Council of the Royal Society adjudged the Medal on Sir Godfrey Copley's Donation for the year 1805 to Humphry Davy, Esq. F.R.S. for his various communications published in the Philosophical Transactions. Variation of the Magnetic Needle. 1805. June - - - - 24° 7',8 W. Dip of the needle - - 70° 21'. Note. Subtract 2' from the variation of last year, for the error of the instrument. CONTENTS. X. Observations upon the Marine Barometer, made during the Examination of the Coasts of New Holland and New South Wales, in the Years 1801, 1802, and 1803. By Matthew Flinders, Esq. Commander of his Majesty's Ship Investigator. In a Letter to the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. K. B. P. R. S. &c. &c. &c. page 239 XI. Account of a Discovery of native Minium. In a Letter from James Smithson, Esq. F. R. S. to the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, K. B. P. R. S. p. 267 XII. Description of a rare Species of Worm Shells, discovered at an Island lying off the North-west Coast of the Island of Sumatra, in the East Indies. By J. Griffiths, Esq. Communicated by the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, K. B. P. R. S. p. 269 XIII. Observations on the Shell of the Sea Worm found on the Coast of Sumatra, proving it to belong to a Species of Teredo; with an Account of the Anatomy of the Teredo Navalis. By Everard Home, Esq. F. R. S. p. 276 XIV. On the inverted Action of the alburnous Vessels of Trees. By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. F. R. S. In a Letter to the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, K. B. P. R. S. p. 292 XV. A new Demonstration of the Binomial Theorem, when the Exponent is a positive or negative Fraction. By the Rev. Abram Robertson, A. M. F. R. S. Savilian Professor of Geometry in the University of Oxford. In a Letter to Davies Giddy, Esq. F. R. S. p. 305 XVI. New Method of computing Logarithms. By Thomas Manning, Esq. Communicated by the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, K. B. P. R. S. p. 327 XVII. Description of the Mineral Bason in the Counties of Monmouth, Glamorgan, Brecon, Carmarthen, and Pembroke. By Mr. Edward Martin. Communicated by the Right Hon. C. F. Greville, F. R. S. p. 342 XVIII. Observations on the Permanency of the Variation of the Compass at Jamaica. In a Letter from Mr. James Robertson to the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, K. B. P. R. S. &c. p. 348 XIX. Observations on the Camel's Stomach respecting the Water it contains, and the Reservoirs, in which that Fluid is inclosed; with an Account of some Peculiarities in the Urine. By Everard Home, Esq. F. R. S. p. 357 XX. Observations on the Variation, and on the Dip of the magnetic Needle, made at the Apartments of the Royal Society, between the Years 1786 and 1805 inclusive. By Mr. George Gilpin. Communicated by Henry Cavendish, Esq. F. R. S. p. 385 XXI. On the Declinations of some of the principal fixed Stars; with a Description of an Astronomical Circle, and some Remarks on the Construction of Circular Instruments. By John Pond, Esq. Communicated by Smithson Tennant, Esq. F. R. S. p. 420 XXII. Observations and Remarks on the Figure, the Climate, and the Atmosphere of Saturn and its Ring. By William Herschel, LL. D. F. R. S. p. 455 Presents received by the Royal Society, from November, 1805, to June, 1806. p. 468 Index.