Dr. PATTERSON, Vice President, in the chair. The result of the annual election for officers, held this day, was reported as follows: President. Peter S. Du Ponceau, LL. D. Nathaniel Chapman, M. D., Secretaries. Franklin Bache, M. D., John K. Kane, Alexander D. Bache, LL. D., J. Francis Fisher. Counsellors for Three Years. William Short, William H. Keating, George Ord, C. C. Biddle. Curators. J. P. Wetherill, Isaac Hays, M. D., Franklin Peale. Treasurer. John Vaughan. The following donations were received: FOR THE LIBRARY. On the Functions of the Cerebellum, by Drs. Gall, Vimont, and Broussais. Translated from the French, by George Combe: also answers to the objections urged against Phrenology by Drs. Roget, Rudolphi, Prichard, and Tiedemann. By George Combe and Dr. A. Combe. Edinburgh, 1838.-From Mr. George Combe. Magazine of Natural History. Edited by Edward Charlesworth. Vol. II. New Series. Nos. 22, 23, & 24. London, 1838.From the Editor. The American Medical Library and Intelligencer. By Robley Dunglison, M. D. Vol. II. Nos. 19, 20, & 21. Philadelphia, 1839.-From the Editor. Railway Map of England and Wales. London, 1838.-From Mr. William Vaughan. Chart of George's Shoal and Bank. Surveyed by Charles Wilkes, Lieut. Commandant, and the officers of the U. S. Brig Porpoise, and of the Schooners Maria and Hadassah, by order of the Hon. Mahlon Dickerson, Secretary of the Navy.-From the Athe næum. Panorama and Views of Philadelphia, and its vicinity. From Paintings by J. C. Wild. With poetical illustrations by Andrew M'Makin. Philadelphia, 1838.-From the Publisher. FOR THE CABINET. An Ibis from Egypt.-From V. L. Godon, M. D. Dr. Dunglison made a verbal communication on the subject of the vaccine virus and its alleged liability to lose its protective character under certain circumstances. He stated that, in consequence of severe epidemic small-pox having recently occurred in England, from which many who had been previously vaccinated had suffered severely, it had been a matter of solicitude with many medical practitioners to revert to the original source for vaccine virus. Mr. Estlin, of Bristol, having succeeded in obtaining some lymph from a cow labouring under cow-pox, inserted it in the arm of a young lady, in August last, and from her the disease was subsequently propagated. Some of the virus, obtained at ten removes, was sent to Dr. Dunglison by Messrs. Estlin and Car penter, of Bristol. This has been used in several cases, and the disease produced by it appeared to him to be more satisfactory than that which results from the old virus. Dr. Dunglison stated that there was reason to believe that a sufficient supply of the new virus would soon be obtained for distribution through the country. Professor A. D. Bache stated to the Society that observations had been made on the night of the 12th-13th of November last, by Professor Henry, at Princeton, Professor W. B. Rogers, at the University of Virginia, and Professor R. P. Smith, at Kenyon College, Ohio, neither of whom had noted an unusual number of the meteors commonly called "shooting stars." The Committee on the paper entitled Contributions to the Geology of the tertiary formations of Virginia, by Professor William B. Rogers, and Professor Henry D. Rogers, reported in favour of its publication, and the publication was ordered accordingly. The resolutions presented on the 16th of November last, by Mr. Kane, relative to the distribution of the Society's Proceedings, were adopted as follows: That the Librarian be instructed to retain twenty copies of the Society's Proceedings, for the use of the Society; and that as soon as published he transmit one copy, 1. To each subscriber to the Transactions. 2. To each of the Societies in correspondence with this Society. 3. To each of the principal Colleges, Athenæums, and public libraries in the United States. 4. To the editors of each of the Scientific Journals in the United States, and of the principal Scientific Journals elsewhere; That he transmit to all donors to, and correspondents of, this Society, copies of the numbers in which their donations or communications are noticed; And that he distribute the remaining copies, at his discretion, to such members as may apply for them. Stated Meeting, January 18. Present, twenty-two members. Mr. DU PONCEAU, President, in the Chair. The following donations were received: FOR THE LIBRARY. Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijke Geschiedenis en Physiologie. Uitgegeven door J. Van der Hoeven, M. D. Prof. te Leiden en W. H. de Vriese, M. D. Prof. te Amsterdam. Leyden, 1838.—From the Minister of the Interior of the Netherlands. Flora Batava, of afbeelding en beschrijving van Nederlandsche Gewassen, door Jan Kops, en H. C. Van Hall. No. 115. Amsterdam.-From the same. Verzeichniss der Königlich Sächsischen Gemälde-Galerie zu Dresden, von Friedrich Matthäi, Director etc. Dresden, 1837.From Mr. Thomas Sully. Letter from the Secretary of War, the Hon. Lewis Cass, transmitting Captain Turnbull's Report on the Survey and Construction of the Alexandria Aqueduct. Document of the House of Representatives, No. 459. 1838.-From. Col. J. J. Abert. The Committee appointed to describe the Coins and Medals presented by Colonel Linah, reported and was discharged. Professor A. D. Bache and Mr. Walker were added to the Committee on the Observatory. Mr. John Vaughan was elected Librarian. The Standing Committees for the year were appointed. Professor A. D. Bache made a verbal communication relative to an extraordinary instance of the rapid corrosion of a chain cable in sea-water, reported to him by Lieutenant George M. Bache, of the United States Navy, and showed the Society a link from a portion of the cable. The chain cable, of which this was a part, was used to anchor the Light-boat off Bartlett's reef, near New-London, Connecticut. The portion between the hawse-hole and the bridle of the anchors, about eleven fathoms in length, is particularly exposed to corrosion. In a few months the links, or the keys of the shackles attaching the chain to the bridle, become so much oxidated as to lose the requisite tenacity. The link, presented as a sample of the chain, is irregularly oxidated and worn, presenting semi-spheroidal cavities, and the fibrous structure of the iron is very distinctly developed. While this is the case with the wrought iron part of the link, the cast iron stud which strengthens it is not materially acted on. The raised letters upon the stud are perfect. The circumstances in which this chain is differently situated from others, used in similar situations, result from the peculiar construction of the Light-boat, by which the copper sheathing rises above, and is in contact with, the cast-iron hawse-pipe, through which the cable passes. This cast-iron pipe has on its exterior a lead pipe. The copper sheathing is bright. This action being attributed by Lieutenant Bache, to the contact of the copper and iron in presence of sea-water, he had ordered the copper to be removed from around the hawse-hole, the result of which experiment would test the truth of the supposition. Professor Bache stated his wish to call special attention to the entire soundness of the cast-iron, while the wrought-iron was corroded; as if the latter had acted as a protector to the former. He believed that some general laws of interest would be made out by the Committee of the British Association engaged in investigating the subject to which this fact appeared to belong. The Committee on making and collecting observations of Celestial Phenomena, reported in part, that they had received the following observations of Lunar Occultations of the fixed stars, in mean time of the places of observation. 1. Nov. 2, d Pleiadum, Em. 13 53 11.10 d. 1. Phila. Obs'y, W. and K. |