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March. 12. 1679/80

The President in the chair.
The minutes of March the 5th. were Read which gaue occasion
to Discourse further concerning vsefull mixtures of metalls and
particularly of such as would not suffer Rust from the air or
salt water. And It was propounded to be tryd whether Iron
copper or Brasse nayles being Dippd in tin or Lead and well
couerd therewth. would not secure them from being Rusted and
eaten by the sea water which would be of great vse for shea
thing of ships, for that the nayles now made vse of were ob=
serued to be much consumed by the salt water, and soe to
occasion the Leauing of or not vsing of the new way of sheath
ing ships wth. Milled or Roaled Lead.

Herevpon it was queryd whether Expts. of that kind could be well
made here since the sea water in hotter countrys might be
more powerfull for that effect then here, but it was supposd
that a strong brine kept warm might be made more pow
erfull here then the sea water in hotter countrys.

The President againe spake about the vsefullnesse of Collec
ting all the Iournalls of voyages that had been made and had
not been yet Published And urged that some care might be ta
ken to make such a collection.

mr Hill moued that a catalogue might be made of all the
Relations that haue hitherto been printed and particularly of such
as haue been since Purchas Published his collection.
The President Desired mr Perkins would make that collection
which he vndertooke to doe -
mr Hooke gaue an account that vpon his further Inquiry concerning
the materials vsed for scowring ^/& polishing mettalls as/ Brasse copper &c he had been Infor
med that it was called Rotten Stone and that It was brought out
of Lancashire Darbyshire or cheshire or that way but the
particular place he could not yet be informed of, there was
some of it also produced. It seemed to be a light hard & gritty earth

There being A number Present Mr. Ionas more propounded a Can
didate the Last meeting was chosen by Ballot. -

The account of the expts. tryd on Tuesday Last was brought in by mr Hook
and read, being examinations of the weight of a mixture of tin
& copper, As also of A crown Peice, It was orderd to be registred
mr Hooke gaue an account that he had written to mr William Bale
lately to inquire concerning the ^/present/ variation of the needle In Deuonshire
he was desired when he next writ to him to Desire him to giue an
account to the Society of wt. experiments of that kind he had formerly made

Ref: CELL/RS/HF_415  © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters