on the table, produced from peat. A company had lately been formed in Ireland for the purpose of extracting wax and oily matters from peat. He was recently in the manufactory in the county of Kildare, near the bog of Allen. Mr. Fox exhibited two specimens of the peat, taken from different depths, and also a specimen of moss, evidently in course of gradual formation into peat. The wax obtained from peat, and which was intended as a substitute or auxiliary for other wax, was called paraphine. The quantity produced was about 3 lbs. from a ton of dried peat; but there were also some other products obtained,—about half a gallon of naphtha, and one gallon and half of oil, and some other residuary products. Altogether it was estimated that the value of the products from a ton of peat was about 7s. or 8s. Mr. Fox then described the mode in which the tar, naphtha, oil, and wax were severally obtained; and, exhibiting a specimen of the beautiful substance, paraphine, and a small candle of the same material, he said the company in Ireland were hopeful that it would become of considerable value commercially. Large excavations were now being made in the bog of Allen, and the manager of the works informed him that the company intend to lay out a considerable sum of money in additional works. If the company should succeed, it would be interesting to see so beautiful a substance obtained from what was so useless as the peat earth in Ireland. In reply to a question, Mr. R. W. Fox stated that there was, of course, no charcoal, as the paraphine, and other products, were obtained by means of a blast furnace; but the slag, containing a great deal of potass, might be used for manure. In answer to several questions from the Hon. G. M. Fortescue, Mr. R. W. Fox said he was not prepared to state what was the cost of producing the wax, because hitherto the process had been merely experimental; but it appeared to him that the expense, in proportion to the quantity produced, must be very considerable: the works were rather extensive, and a number of hands were employed. But the value of the produce obtained from a ton of peat, which was valued at 1s. 7d. or 1s. 8d. dry, was about 8s.; and though the cost of production had not been ascertained, the

opinion of the company was that they could produce it with considerable advantage to themselves. The person who had the management of the concern stated that the company were about to lay out £30,000 in additional works, which was at any rate a proof of their good opinion of it.

Mr. Rundell then described a Steam Screw-propeller, the object of which was, by making the propeller to consist of two perfectly equal and similar parts, to facilitate its stowage and repair. As each half was precisely similar to the other, in case of accident to one, the other might be used as a pattern by which to mould for a new half. It is the invention of Mr. Moore, of H.M. Dockyard at Devonport, and it seemed to meet with the approval of most persons who examined it, including some nautical gentlemen.

A Portable Easel, or instrument for facilitating out-door sketching, was next described and exhibited by the Secretary as the invention of Mr. F. W. Harvey, of Oxford. It is suited for water or oil colours, and for a lady or gentleman. Its advantages over other portable easels are its small weight and size, and its strength and stability. It contains colour box, palette, waterbottle, box for brushes and pencils, two strainers which can be mounted with three relays of paper; and by means of two India rubber bands the strainers form a box for loose sketches. It was a seat, easel, and table, all in one. The seat will bear 3 cwt., and the whole, when folded up, measures only 22 inches by 12 inches; and its weight is but 7 lbs.

Mr. Rundell afterwards described two locks for connecting sliding doors, or joining sliding pannels, which latter are much used on board ship.

Mr. J. Jope Rogers exhibited some engravings published by the Arundel Society, and addressed the meeting on the formation and objects of the Institution, observing that the Arundel Society was formed in 1849 for the purpose of promoting the higher branches of art, by publishing, at a cheap rate, good engravings of the works of some of the early Italian and German masters, less known than others in this country, and of introducing artists to a knowledge of the highest works that are to be found on the

continent as objects for study aud for copying. In carrying out that intention, the society commenced by selecting from several early Italian works a few, of which copies were made in water colours by some of the best artists in Italy; and from these the engravings now exhibited were made. They were seven in number; six were from Fra Angelico, who flourished at the commencement of the 14th century, and was the founder of the Florentine school; the seventh, published last year was from Giotti, founder of the Bolognese school. In addition to these publications, the society had last year been induced to make experiments in sculpture also; their object being to publish by means of casts, accurate copies of some of the best works of ancient sculpture. Last year they employed Mr. Cheverton, who obtained a prize at the Great Exhibition for a mechanical process of copying and reducing statues accurately in all their parts. By that machine Mr. Cheverton had been able to reduce two of the most celebrated ancient works of sculpture in existence,-the Theseus and the Ilyssus, which formed part of the frieze of the Parthenon of Athens, and were now in the Elgin collection at the British Museum. These had been reduced, and plaster casts of them had been published by the Arundel Society, at their office at Colnaghi's in London. The society intended also to publish, for the use of English Artists, translations of some of the most celebrated ancient works on art; and, still further, the society was paying attention to the subject of architecture, and hoped to be able to publish drawings of the most celebrated and beautiful ancient buildings throughout Europe. Their operations, however, were at present limited for want of funds, and one object he had in exhibiting the plates on this occasion, and in addressing the members of the Polytechnic Society, was to make known the intention of the Arundel Society, in the hope that it would receive increased support from all who were interested in art.

The chairman after directing attention, in terms of warm commendation, to Mr. Burnard's busts of Beethoven and Kossuth, expressed the obligations of the society to Mr. Rogers for the communication he had made, and said he felt sure that all persons

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who took an interest in sculpture (which he considered to be the highest of all arts) would be very thankful to obtain correct models of the best statues in existence. Mr. Punnett then drew attention to the beautiful specimens of malachite exhibited by Mr. Lanyon of Redruth, from the Burra Burra Mines, in Australia.

The secretary, Mr. Rundell, then called attention to some Stereoscopes, which had been forwarded to the exhibition by Mr. Claudet, of Regent-street, London, and described this beautiful invention, illustrating his observations by means of diagrams drawn by him on a black board. After explaining the reason of two plain surfaces placed in the instrument appearing to the observer as one solid object, he stated that, though many persons might fancy that one eye was just as good to see with as two, a little consideration would show that it was only by the use of two eyes we could form correct notions of distance. Thus if, with both eyes open, any one were to place a sixpence or other small object on a table, then walk backward from it, and closing one eye, walk forward and attempt to place a finger on the object, he would doubtless find that he would place his finger a short distance in front of it. This showed that it required two eyes to judge of distance. Mr. Rundell illustrated his statements by diagrams of a truncated pyramid, representing it as it would appear to the spectator if using both eyes, or using either the right or left eye singly; and then placed in a stereoscope reduced drawings of the objects he had exhibited by means of diagrams, and handed the instrument to the company for inspection. He next showed how (contrary to the opinion entertained by some persons) an object in a tube can be seen with both eyes, if placed at a suitable angle. He then described the method by which double Daguerreotype likenesses are taken for the stereoscope. Two cameras of the same power and focal distance are employed, and so placed that they shall make with the sitter an angle of from 15 to 20 degrees; the two images produced thus, showing a proportionately larger portion of the figure than could be received by one camera only. When these are placed together in the stereoscope, one eye sees one picture, and the other eye the other picture, at an

angle corresponding to that at which each camera had been placed; but while each eye sees only its own picture, the two images are so combined as to convey the idea of but one object; and it is thus that an appearance of solidity is given to the object. He then showed several very beautiful Daguerreotypes which had been forwarded to the exhibition by A. Claudet, of Regent-street, having double images; and these by means of the stereoscopes enabled the visitors to appreciate the beauty of an invention which has been so admirably applied to Daguerreotype likenesses.

This concluded the business of the day; but, as on the first day, the company remained for some hours inspecting and admiring the various objects in the room, and enjoying some lively music, obligingly played by a gentleman on a piano which had been sent for exhibition.

On Thursday the chair was taken by Mr. R. W. Fox, when the Secretary continued his descriptions of the models, including an improved miners' quadrant, by Mr. W. Wilton, of St. Day; and a model of a man machine, proposed by Mr. T. Sampson, of Angarrack, near Hayle. Mr. R. B. Fox then favored the meeting with an account of the total eclipse of the sun of last year, as observed by a friend of his in Norway, and Mr. Charles Fox made some observations on the recent discoveries in magnetism, and called attention to an account of the shock of an earthquake which was felt a short time since in the eastern part of the county, written by Mr. Giles, of Liskeard, and which it was stated would be printed in the annual report.

On Friday, Mr. R. B. Fox having taken the chair, Mr. E. Simons described his candle and other lamps for domestic and mining purposes, and explained the advantages of the lock spring principle, which was his own invention. After the lecture, Mr. Simons experimented on the safety lamps by lighting them and introducing into them a stream of hydrogen gas, and showed that they were so constructed that the least attempt on the part of the miner to open the lamp would cause the light to be extinguished. The lecture excited considerable interest on the part of the auditors, and several expressed a wish to purchase specimens of