The Minutes of the Philosophicall Society of Dublin from June 1st to June the 29th (85)
June the 1st (85)
This meeting was wholly taken up in reading Mr Aland's paper about the Longitude, & discoursing thereon.
June the 8th (85)
This being munday in Whison week our meeting was adjourn'd.
June the 15th (85)
A letter from Mr Musgrave dated May the 21th was read, containing Dr Garden's ingenious discourse of weather; the thanks of the S. were ordered to be return'd for it; some assertions of the Drs therein gave occasion to the following quaeries to be considered & examined;
1. Whither when it happens to rain, as the mercury rises in the Barometer, the wind still changes ?
2ly. Whether when the wind turns to north, northeast, or northwest, the mercury allways rises ?
3ly. Whether at the rising of winds, the mercury generally subsides ?
4ly. Whether the extream hights in the Barometer (which were observed by Mr Molyneux to happen at the same time here & at London) were highest here or there ?
The same letter also gave ocasion to Dr Willoughby to relate an account he had from Athan: Kercher of a way of Solving an odd meteor which happens about Rhegium in Italy every year in the hottest months, viz: the appearance of Cittys & men walking in the clouds, that the shore & Country thereabouts abounds with Antimony & Selinitis stone, the vapours drawn up from which are specular & of the nature of looking glasses; so that a small church upon a hill grows into a Citty, & 2 men walking or fighting will be multiplied into an army.
He also gave a conjecture how the trade of selling winds was performed in Lapland &c. viz: by a constant diligent observation they fore know the most notable changes thereof, which are more regular & stated in those colder Countrys than with us, & hence it is that the seller will determine his wind to such a day, but not any particular one which the chapman requires.
A Letter from Mr Aston dated June the 4th was read, & thanks were ordered to be return'd to the R. Soc: for the great honour & encouragement done to us, in obliging our members (which were also fellows of their Society) to pay but 26 shills a year contribution.
In relation to Mr Ray's History of Fishes which is setting out, every one promised by his inquirys & endeavours to promote it, and to bring in what information they could get. Dr Papin's way of raising water was ernestly desired, if not soon published, & also a more particular account of the monthly periodicall motion of the mercury, & of the experiment of bodies in water uniting in vacuo.
Ordered that the experiments of water passing thro bodies mentioned in this letter be repeated by Mr Ashe & Mr Smith.
Dr Silvius presented the new Journall de medecine & gave the S. an account of the disputation de acido et urinos between Voight & Kunchell, which he was desired to examin.
June the 22th (85)
The minutes of the former meeting being read, this quaere was ordered to be added to the former, whether the motion of the mercury was a more certain indication of the weather in the morning at noon or in the evening.
Dr Huoglaghan informed the S. that having dissected the Child with 2 heads, 3 arms &c. mentioned formerly, he found that all the inward parts were double except the liver (which was as big as 2 livers) & the heart not much above the ordinary dimension.
A Letter from Mr Musgrave dated May the 29th was read, containing the figures of a Large Stone of the bladder; the Earthen vessell, found at York, & a Shell taken out of the ureter of a woman, & likewise Dr Wallis's discourse concernng the airs gravity in pursuance of Dr Garden's; Half of this discourse was read, & upon mention of the weakening the airs spring as one of the causes of wind, Mr Tolet observ'd (as a confirmation thereof) that in the late fire of the Castle of Dublin the glass windows of a gallery were all forc'd inwards, the external air pressing in, as the spring of the other was weakned by rarefaction. Mr Ashe gave an account sufficiently attested of a man in Gallway, who suckled his Child for 9 months, the father & daughter are now both alive, the former having yet hanging breasts, like those of nurses, a more full & particular account hereof ordered to be brought in, information given of a Monstrous fish with two hinderfeet, taken upon the shore at Myrean, this will be seen and examined.
June the 29th (85)
The monstrous fish mentioned in the last was shewn; it is 4 feet 7 Inches 1/4 long with its tail, 2 feet 7 Inches 1/2 broad with the fins, the head 2 feet 2 Inches 2/10 round is like a Shark's, its mouth is 8 Inches 4/10 wide, having 4 rows of very Sharp teeth, it has 2 broad fins by the shoulders & two lesser ones at the Insertion of the tail, near the extreamity of which fins grow out 2 very strong feet 6 Inches 8/10 long with Joynts & hollow hoofs; its tayl is 2 feet 3 Inches 7/10 long much narrower than the body, & distinguish'd by severall vertebra; it was dry'd & Salted before we saw it, so that nothing remarkable within could be observ'd; our Seamen & fishermen affirm they have not seen any fish like it; the figure thereof is ordered to be taken by Mr Sandyes.
Dr Mullen presented some urns with the bones and ashes contained, found at Dontrilegue in the County of Cork, with a Letter giving an account thereof from Mr Antony Inby; they were taken up at 3 feet deep, being 15 in number each having a small round stone on the top for its Cover, some contain'd a pottle, others a quart, & the least a pint; ordered that the thanks of the S. be return'd for this present & the letter. Mr Smith also informed us of urns found at Warringstowne in the County of Down in a Danes fort, there was a small building of stone about the Cavity, containing a large urn with severall small ones; one of these is presented to the Colledge Library.
A Letter from Mr Musgrave dated May the 30th (85) was read, containing some minutes of the Oxford S. upon reading Dr Lister's proposall for cutting the Stone by the os pubis, Dr Mullen inform'd that this way of section is treated by one van Rhuinhuyse, & Dr Dun assures that such a method has been long practised in France. Some of Mr Ballard's experiments were tryed, viz: river water poured into a like quantity of spirit of wine grew only lukewarm as Kunchil affirms, the like also succeeded in spirit of wine mixed with water which had salt disolv'd in it; ordered that the other experiments be repeated at our next meeting.
A stone resembling a birds wing sent by Mr Foley.
Mr Smith also affirmed that near Loughbricklan in the county of Down upon removing a heap of stones to repair a bridge, the mouth of a cave was discovered, in a large room of which was a building of stone containing two great urns, these by the eagerness of the searchers (who supposed 'em to hold mony) were instantly broken.
Trin: coll: July the 4th 85
Sir
In return to your wellcome letter, I have little at present to send you, but our minutes for the last month. I am commanded by our S. to return their humble thanks to the R.S. for the very great honour & encouragement given to severall of our members by their order which you mention in yours.
The inclosed is a letter from our worthy vice president Dr Willoughby, containing Mr Tolet's (a member also of our Society) answer to an impertinent pamphlet of one Hern, who has appeal'd to the R.S. & that of Oxford to determine the question in dispute; Be pleased therefore at your leasure to let me know your opinion of it; He has likewise added 2 very usefull propositions in Gunnery, & somewhat in relation to one of the Ingenious Mr. Hally, which was imperfectly communicated to us without a Demonstration, which we earnestly desire from him; when you have done with Mr Tolet's paper, be pleased to transmitt it to Oxford.
Pardon these troubles from, your very humble servant
St George Ashe
Read July 15: 85:
Entered LB 10:170:174