| Description | Present at the meeting: President in the chair; Mr Brande; Mr combe; Mr Hatchett; Captain Kater; Mr Herschel; Dr Wollaston; Dr Young; Mr George Fisher attended
Hints of experiments and observations to be made in the Arctic Expedtition of 1821 were proposed by Mr Fisher;
' 1. To compare the chemical composition of the air of the polar regions with that of our Latitudes For this purpose a bottle of common air carefully sealed may be carried out, and equal quantities of this air and air from the polar regions mixed with twice their volume of nitrous gas and the diminution noted. A portion of air from the polar regions may be brought home carefully sealed in a Bottle with a glass stopper.
2. To ascertain the comparative contraction of common air and mercury, from the boiling point of mercury to its freezing point or from common termperatures to the freeziing point of mercury for which purpose an apparatus will be provided.
3. To expose the acid gases and other gases to the highest degree of artificial cold that can be produced in the polar regions, and if condensation into fluids or solids occur to ascertain the properties of the concreted xsubstances. The gases will be sent in propoer vessels and condensed by pressur e to render the circumstances of the esperiment more favourable.
4. To endeavour to freeze such fluid substances as have not yet been rendered solid, fopr example, Alcohol, Libacious Liquor, Chloride of phosphorous, Protocholoride of carbon, Oil of Sasafras etc and to use thermometers filled with these fluids for the purpose of comparing their contraction with that of mercury.
5. it is presumed that the best methods of producing artificial cold will be by mixing sulphuric acid with three or four added definite proportions of water, with snow, or alcohol with snow. Or by the evaporation of Alcohol, Cabaret of Sulphur or Ether in vacuo in contact with the substances to be experimented upon inclosed in tubes of thin glass.
6. To observe the Electricity of ice rubbed with different substances.
7. To try if ice can be made to affect the elecrometer by blowing cold air upon it.
8. To observe accurately the phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis, to make observations on the Altitude and direction of the Rays, with a precise account of time. This to be done in both in both ships. To observe particularly whether there are any phenomena of sound, and in what manner the dipping needle or common needle is affected by the phenomena.
9. To ascertain the temperature of the Sea at different depths, of animals killed, whether mammalia, fishes, or birds. To ascertain if the temperature of man alters by long exposure to cold.
10. Equal portion of quicksilver in each of which one eighth or some small quantity of lead, tin, zinc, and silver have been separately dissolved to be frozen and the degree at which they freeze compared with that of pure quicksilver.
11. To determine the contraction in length of various metals plate brass particularly and solids, being careful to allow several hours for the metal to take the temperature of the atmosphere - as a simple mode by employing equal weights of granulated metals or fragments of substances in a bottle containing alcohol the contraction of which to be ascertained in an apparatus of this form.
12. To ascertain by a train of experiments whether when the brain has been completely frozen, that on its being thawed the animal can so far recover, that it's muscles can be acted on by galvanism.
13. To ascertain in the same way the effect of completely freezing the heart and thawing it very slowly again. This to be tried with cold blooded quadrupeds of the lizard and frog tribe, with small fishes and insects.
14. To wrap up animals of the above classes in flannel bags, in eider down coverings, and then encrusted with snow frozen twenty degrees below nought and ascertain by experiment how long they can remain in that state without being deprived of life, determining by the thermometer the heat within the envelope at the time of examination.
15. To try whether respiration of this cold air makes a smaller number of inspirations necessary for carrying on the functions of life.
16. Whether when the arm has been exposed to the temperature of 120 degrees of heat by immersion in hot water, the force of the pulses beats being ascertained in that situation what variation takes place when the arm is dried and exposed immediately to the atmosphere at nought degrees or still lower feeling the pulse in the other arm all the time as a thermometer of the pulsations at the heart. This will not require the exposure to the atmosphere two minutes, and only to be tried in calm weather.
17. To determine whether the lungs expand more freely when the cold is intense in any proportion similar to what happens when the coldness is joined to high elevation.
18. Whether when men in cold calm weather are necessarily exposed to it, have the pulse materially affected not in frequently but fulness of stroke - The same when there is wind and the cold intense and insufferable.
19. To grease eggs, freeze them, and a month after boil them and see if good to eat.
20. To lay bare the bone of a pig's leg for half an inch length and blow the coldest air you have upon the surface for five minutes with a pair of bellows, and kill the pig twenty days after and save the bone to ascertain the power of cold in deadening a part. Any other animal will do. ' |