APPENDIX (Q.) PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF ARTS, SESSION 1867-68. The Annual General Meeting of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts was held in their Hall, 117 George Street, on Monday, 18th November 1867-George Robertson, Esq., M. Inst. C.E., F.R.S.E., President, in the Chair. 1. The President gave an Address, for which, on the motion of Mr David Stevenson, seconded by Dr Stevenson Macadam, thanks were unanimously given. The President was also requested to allow the Address to be printed among the Transactions of the Society, to which request he assented. (See Address, printed in the Transactions, Vol. VII. p. 365.) 2. The Report of the Prize Committee, awarding the Prizes for Session 1867-68, was read, and the Prizes were delivered by the President to the successful candidates. (See Report, Appendix (N.) The Models and Drawings of Inventions, for which the Prizes have been awarded, were exhibited. The following Donations were laid on the table, and thanks voted to the respective Donors: 1. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Nottingham, 1866. Presented by the Association. 2. Annual Report of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 1866. 3. Report on Epidemic Cholera in the Army of the United States during 1866. VOL. VII.-APP. y 4. Report of the Secretary of War, Washington, 1866. 5. Annual Report of the Surgeon-General, United States Army, 1866. 6. Miscellaneous Collections of the Smithsonian Institution. Vols. VI. and VII. 7. Conditions and Doings of the Boston Society of Natural History, May, 1866. 8. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History. Vols. X. and XI., 1864-66. 9. Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural History. Vol. I. Parts I. and II. All transmitted through the Smithsonian Institution. 10. Journal of the Scottish Meteorological Society, July 1867. New Series, No. 15. Presented by the Society. 11. Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland. Vol. I. Part III. Presented by the Society. 12. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Parts III. and IV. Presented by the Institution. 13. The Practical Mechanic's Journal, Parts XXVI.-XXXII. inclusive. Presented by the Proprietors. 14. The Journal of the Institute of Actuaries. Nos. 67-69 inclusive. Presented by the Proprietors. 15. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London. Nos. 95-96 inclusive. Presented by the Society. 16. The Journal of the Society of Arts, London. Nos. 751-780 inclusive. Presented by the Society. 17. Mechanics (Applied). By W. J. Macquorn Rankine, Regius Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanics in the University of Glasgow. Presented by the Author. 18. The Mechanic's Magazine. Nos. 2219-2242 inclusive. Presented by the Proprietors. 19. Annual Report of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, 1866. Presented by the Society. 20. The Canadian Journal of Industry, Science, and Art, Toronto. Presented by the Proprietors. 21. The Artizan, Nos. 5-10 inclusive of Vol. I. Presented by the Proprietors. 22. "Engineering." Nos. 67-96 inclusive. Presented by the Proprietors. PRIVATE BUSINESS. I. The Minutes of last Meeting were read and approved. II. The following Candidates were elected Ordinary Fellows, viz.: 1. G. H. Smith, M.D., 80 Great King Street. 4. John Sorley. LL.D., Principal of Birkenhead College, III. In terms of Law XV., the Society elected its OfficeBearers for Session 1867-68, viz.:— GEORGE ROBERTSON. ESQ., M. Inst. C.E., &c., 47 Albany Street, President. } JOHN BEATSON BELL, Esq., W.S., Chambers, 5 Hill Street, Secretary. JOHN SCOTT MONCRIEFF, Esq., C.A., Chambers, 26 Frederick Street, Treasurer. STEVENSON MACADAM, Esq., Ph.D., F.R.S.E., F.C.S., &c., Surgeons' Mr ALEXANDER JAMIESON, 71 Adam Square, Curator of Museum. Ordinary Councillors. CHAS. COWAN, Esq., of Logan House, THOMAS STRETHILL WRIGHT, Esq., M.D.,55 Northumberland Street. The Rev. W. H. GRAY, of Lady Yester's, 5 Regent Terrace. FREDERICK HALLARD, Esq., Advo- EDWARD ELMSLIE SANG, Esq., C.E, JOHN MACNAIR, Esq., 33 Moray Pl. Northumberland Street. ALLAN D. STEWART, Esq., C.E., 12 WILLIAM FIRTH, Esq., Secretary, IV. A List of the Office-Bearers, and an Alphabetical List of the Fellows, as at 1st November 1867, in the order of their admission, had been previously sent to the Fellows. V. A copy of the Report of the Prize Committee for Session 1866-67, had also been sent. Second Meeting-9th December 1867.-George Robertson, Esq., C.E., F.R.S.E., President, in the Chair. The following Communications were made: 1. On New Forms of Lighthouse Apparatus. By William Swan, F.R.S.E., Professor of Natural Philosophy in St Andrews. See Paper printed in the Transactions, Vol. VII. p. 473. The paper was referred to a Committee. Professor Swan also exhibited in action and described Foucault's new Regulator for the Electric Light. After remarks by several members, thanks were awarded to Professor Swan for the exhibition and interesting description of the Regulator. 2. Mr H. C. Baildon, 73 Princes Street, described his patented improvements in Nature Printing from Plants, Leaves, or other “natural objects," and exhibited specimens. The Author stated, that the advantages which his process appeared to him to possess over any other were 1st. The saving effected in expense, avoiding as it does all drawings, engravings, or woodcuts, which have hitherto added so greatly to the cost of illustrated works of natural objects; and 2d. The greater truthfulness attained, the impressions being an exact transcript of the natural objects both in figure and colour. Mr Thomas Moore, of the Chelsea Botanic Gardens, is admitted to be one of the highest authorities on Ferns, and the author being anxious to obtain his opinion, sent him a sheet similar to that now produced. In his reply, he said, "I duly received the examples of your process, and would compliment you on the success attained. The platyloma is perfect, the figure shows as much as can be shown without dissection, &c., and shows everything truthfully. The other is not quite so successful, as to the Sori, though the frond is perfectly well done, and with an analytical figure would show all that is necessary, &c." Mr Moore also suggested the applicability of the patent to the production of a work on Selaginellas, of which one specimen was among the examples shown, and which was quite equal to the Fern impressions. The author considered that his invention afforded the means of producing both scientific and popular works at a considerable reduction in the price hitherto possible. Extract from Draft Specification of Mr H. C. Baildon for "Improvements in Nature Printing from Plants, Leaves, or other Natural objects." My invention of "Improvements in Nature printing from plants, leaves, or other natural objects," has for its object the more perfect production of fac-simile copies of the fronds of ferns, leaves of plants, and other natural objects, by means of impressions taken with transferink directly from the plant or other natural object itself, and transferred to a lithographic stone in the usual manner. Then from this transfer, impressions can be taken with coloured ink, and one, two, or more printings can be used to produce an exact copy of the natural object. And such exact copies can be multiplied by printing in the usual manner. The transfer-ink is applied either directly to the frond or leaf or other natural object, by means of a small printing roller, or through the medium of a smooth stone or smooth surface of metal or paper previously inked with the roller. The frond or fern, leaf of a plant, or other suitable object, after having been, when required, pressed and dried, is then carefully inked with the roller, or laid upon or under the inked surface of the stone, metal, or paper, and then in the latter case pressed or rubbed equally all over, so as to cause the ink to become equally applied to the surface of the same. The frond or leaf or other natural object is then placed on suitably damped transfer-paper, and passed through or under a press. By this means a fac-simile copy of the leaf or other natural object is produced on the transfer paper, which copy is transferred to the stone by |