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Major-General SABINE, President, in the Chair.

In accordance with the Statutes, notice of the ensuing Anniversary Meeting for the election of Council and Officers was given from the Chair.

The President stated that Captain L. L. B. Ibbetson, who by reason of non-payment of his annual contribution ceased to be a Fellow of the Society at the last Anniversary, had applied for readmission; and an extract from his letter to the Council was read, explaining the circumstances under which, during his absence on the Continent, the omission of payment had taken place. Notice was accordingly given that the question of Captain Ibbetson's readmission would be put to the ballot at the next Meeting.

William Crookes, Esq.; Frederick Field, Esq.; and John Russell Hind, Esq., were admitted into the Society.

Dr. Alderson, Mr. Busk, Dr. Gladstone, Professor Pole, and Mr. Archibald Smith, having been nominated by the President, were elected by ballot Auditors of the Treasurer's accounts on the part of the Society.

The following communications were read :—

I. "On Mauve or Aniline-Purple." By W. H. PERKIN, Esq. (See vol. xii. p. 713.)

II. "Notes of Researches on the Intimate Structure of the Brain." -Third Series. By J. LOCKHART CLARKE, Esq., F.R.S. (See vol. xii. p. 716.)

VOL. XIII.

B

III. "A General Catalogue of Nebula and Clusters of Stars for the Year 1860-0, with Precessions for 1880 0." By Sir J. F. W. HERSCHEL, Bart., F.R.S. Received Oct. 16, 1863.

(Abstract.)

This Catalogue contains all the nebulæ and clusters of stars which its compiler has been able to find anywhere described, and identified in position sufficiently to warrant their inclusion, with exception of a few which, having been observed by Lacaille or others with telescopes of very small power, have been obviously nothing but insignificant groups of small stars indistinctly seen. The number of objects comprised in it is 5078, including -1st. 2508 nebulæ and clusters described by the late Sir Wm. Herschel in his Catalogues of Nebulæ communicated to the Royal Society. 2ndly. Those comprised in the lists published by Messier, discovered by himself, Mairan, Oriani, and others, to the number of 102. 3rdly. Those contained in M. Auwers's list of "New Nebula" (Verzeichniss neuer Nebelflecke) at the end of his Catalogue of Sir Wm. Herschel's nebulæ (about 50 in number), and those few of Lacaille's nebula which seem entitled to be regarded as such from the description given of them. 4thly. A great many nebulæ pointed out by Lord Rosse in his paper in Phil. Trans. 1861, their places being indicated with sufficient probable precision to allow of their being re-observed and identified. 5thly. 125 new nebula obligingly communicated by M. D'Arrest, of his own discovery, for inclusion in this Catalogue; and some few others (some very remarkable ones) collected from various sources, as announced from time to time by their respective discoverers. And 6thly. 15 nebulæ not before described, communcated by Professor Bond, which are included in a small supplementary list. The remainder will be found described and their places (reduced to 1830) given in the Catalogue of Nebula and Clusters communicated to the Royal Society by the compiler in 1833, and in his Results of Astronomical Observations at the Cape of Good Hope,' published in 1847.

The places of the objects contained in the present Catalogue were in the first instance brought up by its compiler to the common epoch (1830), availing himself, so far as respects the nebulæ of Sir Wm. Herschel's catalogues, of a reduction to 1800 of all the individual observations of each nebula, by his sister the late Miss Caroline Herschel, which reduction, arranged in the form of a catalogue in zones, together with the originals of all the "sweeps" in which the observations are contained, and a synoptic register of those of each nebula in separate sheets for reference, with other original papers elucidatory of the above-mentioned documents, as well as the whole series of Sir Wm. Herschel's observations of Messier's nebulæ, accompany this communication for future reference.

In order, however, to render the catalogue so compiled available for future observation, it was considered desirable to bring the whole up to a later epoch. The computations necessary for this purpose being very

extensive and of a nature to be safely entrusted to other hands, the Royal Society, on the application of the compiler, readily and most liberally consented to supply the funds for defraying the necessary expense of this operation. On consultation with the Astronomer Royal, it was resolved that the places having been first roughly brought up to 1860, the places so obtained should be used to compute the precessions for 1880, by the application of which to the original places the final and exact places for 1860 should be obtained and entered up. This will secure the availability for the use of observations, of the present Catalogue, without fear of material error up to the year 1930 at least. The actual computation was executed by Mr. Kerschner, one of the computists employed at the Royal Observatory, the Astronomer Royal kindly undertaking the arrangement and supervision of the work. The computations were made on printed forms, and are preserved for reference.

The Catalogue is arranged in general order of right ascension-in columns, containing a current general number, four columns of synonyms and references to the original authorities; the right ascension, precession in R.A., and the number of observations on which this element relies; a similar set of columns for the North Polar distance, and a brief description, in abbreviated language, of the object, deduced from a careful comparison inter se of all the descriptions given in the original observations. Lastly, are appended two columns,-the one containing the total number of times the object has been seen by Sir Wm. Herschel and by the author of the present paper; the other, references to a series of notes annexed at the end of the Catalogue, and to a general list of places where engraved figures of the objects will be found.

The notes so appended contain remarks on every particular brought under discussion as affecting the evidence on which the adopted places rest, and whatever else may be considered requiring explanation in reference to each object. In particular they give the results of a very careful comparison of the present Catalogue with the elaborate catalogue (for 1830) of M. Auwers, already mentioned, of the existence of which the compiler was not aware till the whole of the computations had been completed and the present Catalogue arranged and copied out. This comparison has led to the detection (as might very reasonably be expected) of several instances of mistaken identification of stars of comparison, and some few of numerical error, and has so far resulted in the expurgation and improvement of both catalogues.

A general list of figured nebula, with references to the works in which the figures are to be found, and lists of errata and corrections discovered in the various works consulted, concludes the work.

B 2

IV. "Note on Kinone." By A. W. HOFMANN, LL.D., F.R.S. Received June 23, 1863.

The easy and perfect transformation of beta-phenylene-diamine into kinone, which I have pointed out in a former communication, has induced me to examine the action of oxidizing agents upon other derivatives of the phenyl-series.

Aniline, when submitted to the action of a mixture of peroxide of manganese and sulphuric acid, furnishes very appreciable quantities of kinone, which sublimes, the residue containing the sulphates of ammonium and manganese.

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This equation represents, however, only one phase of the reaction. The result, in a measure, depends upon the mode of experimenting: one part of aniline, four parts of peroxide of manganese, and four parts of sulphuric acid diluted with its own bulk of water were found to be appropriate proportions. But the amount of kinone is always limited, the greater portion of the aniline undergoing further alterations.

The experiment succeeds much better with benzidine. On heating the mixture of this base with the oxidizing agents, torrents of kinone are instantaneously evolved, which condense in the receiver into magnificent yellow needles. The quantity of kinone thus obtained corresponds to the amount of benzidine employed.

C12 H12 N2+H2O+0 ̧⇒2 C ̧ H ̧ O2+ 2 H ̧ N.

12

12

Benzidine.

6

Kinone.

The transformation of aniline into kinone, very naturally suggested the idea of examining the behaviour of these two bodies with one another.

The reddish-brown liquid obtained by dissolving kinone in aniline very rapidly solidifies into a crystalline mass. The crystalline product of the reaction proved to be insoluble in water, alcohol, and ether, and several solvents which I tried, so that purification by crystallization became impossible; it was therefore found to be convenient to accomplish the reaction in the presence of a large quantity of boiling alcohol. The brown liquid deposits on cooling reddish brown almost metal-lustrous scales, which by washing with cold alcohol become perfectly pure.

The analysis of this substance shows that it has the following composition:

(C, H2)z

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The complementary product of the reaction was discovered without dif ficulty in the mother-liquor of the reddish-brown crystals. The saline

residue which is left on evaporating this liquid with hydrochloric acid, is a mixture of hydrochlorate of aniline and hydrokinone. They are easily separated by treatment with ether, which dissolves the hydrokinone, leaving the aniline-salt as an insoluble residue. The ethereal solution, when evaporated, yields colourless needles of hydrokinone possessing all the characteristic properties which distinguish this remarkable body. Addition of ferric chloride to their aqueous solution produces at once the green prisms, with golden lustre of the intermediate hydrokinone. The action of kinone upon aniline is therefore represented by the following equation:

2C, H, N+3 C, H, O2=C1, H1, N2 O2+2C ̧ H ̧ O2.

Aniline.

4

2

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The study of this reaction has induced me to repeat an experiment mentioned by M. Hesse in his beautiful researches on the kinone group*.

By submitting aniline to the action of chloranile (tetrachlorkinone), M. Hesse has obtained a compound crystallizing in reddish-brown scales, the general properties of which resemble those of the kinone derivative above described. The composition of the compound formed with chloranile M. Hesse represents by the formula

(C, H1),
На

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I cannot confirm this somewhat complicated expression. In studying the action of chloranile upon aniline, I have observed all the phenomena described by M. Hesse: the compound formed had all the properties which he assigns to it, but was found on analysis to contain about 2 per cent. of carbon less than he had observed. The substance examined by me contained

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This is the formula of the kinone derivative with two atoms of hydrogen replaced by chlorine. The action of chloranile on aniline is therefore, in a measure, analogous to that of kinone.

4 C, H, N+C, Cl, O=C1, H12 Cl2 N ̧ O ̧ + 2 C ̧ II, N, HCI

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2

2

Hydrochlorate
of aniline.

The formula which I propose to substitute for that of M. Hesse is moreover supported by the result obtained in studying the deportment of chloranile under the influence of ammonia. This gives rise to the formation of chloranilamide discovered by Laurent†, and represented by the formula (C, Cl2 O2)")

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* Ann. Chem. Pharm. cxiv. p. 307.

H2

H2

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N2.

+ Laurent, xix. 323.

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