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. On the Grounds of the Method which Laplace has given in the second Chapter of the third Book of his Mécanique Céleste for computing the Attractions of Spheroids of every Description. By James Ivory, A. M. Communicated by Henry Brougham, Esq. F. R. S. M. P. p. 1 II. On the Attractions of an extensive Class of Spheroids. By J. Ivory, A. M. Communicated by Henry Brougham, Esq. F. R. S. M. P. p. 46 III. An Account of some Peculiarities in the Structure of the Organ of Hearing in the Balæna Mysticetus of Linnæus. By Everard Home, Esq. F. R. S. p. 83 IV. Chemical Researches on the Blood, and some other Animal Fluids. By William Thomas Brande, Esq. F. R. S. Communicated to the Society for the Improvement of Animal Chemistry, and by them to the Royal Society. p. 90 V. Observations of a Comet, with Remarks on the Construction of its different Parts. By William Herschel, LL.D. F. R. S. p. 115 VI. On a gaseous Compound of carbonic Oxide and Chlorine. By John Davy, Esq. Communicated by Sir Humphry Davy, Knt. LL. D. Sec. R. S. p. 144 VII. A Narrative of the Eruption of a Volcano in the Sea off the Island of St. Michael. By S. Tillard, Esq. Captain in the Royal Navy. Communicated by the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. K. B. P. R. S. p. 152 CONTENTS. VIII. On the primitive Crystals of Carbonate of Lime, Bitter-Spar, and Iron-Spar. By William Hyde Wollaston, M.D. Sec. R.S. p. 159 IX. Observations intended to show that the progressive Motion of Snakes is partly performed by means of the Ribs. By Everard Home, Esq. F.R.S. p. 163 X. An Account of some Experiments on the Combinations of different Metals and Chlorine, &c. By John Davy, Esq. Communicated by Sir Humphry Davy, Knt. LL.D. Sec. R.S. p. 169 XI. Further Experiments and Observations on the Action of Poisons on the Animal System. By B.C. Brodie, Esq. F.R.S. Communicated to the Society for the Improvement of Animal Chemistry, and by them to the Royal Society. p. 205 APPENDIX. Meteorological Journal kept at the Apartments of the Royal Society by Order of the President and Council. CONTENTS. XII. Observations of a second Comet, with Remarks on its Construction. By William Herschel, LL.D. F.R.S. p. 229 XIII. Additional Experiments on the Muriatic and Oxymuriatic Acids. By William Henry, M.D. F.R.S. V.P. of the Lit. and Phil. Society, and Physician to the Infirmary, at Manchester. p. 238 XIV. Of the Attraction of such Solids as are terminated by Planes; and of Solids of greatest Attraction. By Thomas Knight, Esq. Communicated by Sir Humphry Davy, Knt. LL.D. Sec. R.S. p. 247 XV. Of the Penetration of a Hemisphere by an indefinite Number of equal and similar Cylinders. By Thomas Knight, Esq. Communicated by Sir Humphry Davy, Knt. LL.D. Sec. R.S. p. 310 XVI. On the Motions of the Tendrils of Plants. By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. F.R.S. In a Letter to the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. K.B. P.R.S. p. 314 XVII. Observations on the Measurement of three Degrees of the Meridian conducted in England by Lieut. Col. William Mudge. By Don Joseph Rodriguez. Communicated by Joseph de Mendoza Rios, Esq. F.R.S. p. 321 XVIII. An Account of some Experiments on different Combinations of Fluoric Acid. By John Davy, Esq. Communicated by Sir Humphry Davy, Knt. LL.D. Sec. R.S. p. 352 CONTENTS. XIX. On a Periscopic Camera Obscura and Microscope. By William Hyde Wollaston, M.D. Sec. R.S. p. 370 XX. Further Experiments and Observations on the influence of the Brain on the generation of Animal Heat. By B.C. Brodie, Esq. F.R.S. Communicated to the Society for promoting the knowledge of Animal Chemistry, and by them to the Royal Society. p. 378 XXI. On the different Structures and Situations of the Solvent Glands in the digestive Organs of Birds, according to the nature of their Food and particular Modes of Life. By Everard Home, Esq. F.R.S. p. 394 XXII. On some Combinations of Phosphorus and Sulphur, and on some other Subjects of Chemical Inquiry. By Sir Humphry Davy, Knt. Sec. R.S. p. 405 Presents received by the Royal Society, from November 1811 to June 1812. p. 417 Index. p. 421 ERRATA. Of the figures intended to illustrate Mr. Playfair's paper in the last volume of the Transactions, Fig. 3 is named by mistake Fig. 1. Fig. 1 was omitted by accident, and is to be found at the end of this Part of the Transactions. Philosophical Transactions, 1811, page 230, line 13, for $8^\circ 35' 45''$ read $8^\circ 2' 5''$. Page 151 of this volume of the Transactions, line 20, for half read double.