| Description | ' Present at the meeting at Gresham College; Vice President Mr Henshaw in the chair, the President not attending.
Experiment performed by Mr Hooke 'the show them a very easy but exceedingly curious way to examine the comparative weight of Liquors ' [Experiment and its results described in detail.]
' The debate being over It haveing been concluded in some foregoeing [blank] the president Mr Henshaw with the rest of the company desired Mr Hook Mr Oldenburg haveing dyed since the last recesse to take his place at the table and to take an account of such considerable matters that should be shewne or' discoursed of at the Meetings of the society which he accordingly did. Sir John Hoskins Mr Henshaw not being then present propounded Mr Thomas Smith Chaplain to Mr Secretary Williamson for a Candidate of this Society he was seconded in his proposall by Dr Holder and others. Mr Hook acquainted the Society of a new sort of Leather found at Paris and made impervious to Air and water soe that therewith have been made all sorts of rideing and wearing Apparell to keep out wiett cupps and Borachios to hold or carry liquors, beds to lye on and floats to swim with which hold air like a bladder covers of Tents, Coaches, Sedans, Mailes etc floors to tread on dry in Marish places, boots to wade in etc and from Mr Boyle presentred the Society with a cuppmade of the same Leather which he affirmed held water 6 daies without soaking through the Leather though as this as a Cordovan glove and also supple. Thanks was Ordered to be returned to Mr Boyle, Mr Packer objected that twas not fitt for Hattcases or Stockins etc Mr Hooke alledged that he conceived it was done onely by Soaking the said Leathere in a mixture made with sallett Oyle and was well boyled together. he was desired to make tryall of this way against next day.
Mr Hook shewed the Societie a sort of Portugall Onyen which he received from Dr Whistler who called it vivaprous the said root sending up a Stalk upon the top of which grew instead of seed a Cluster of very small Onyens exactly like the root each of which put into the ground would increase and produce such another bunch of small Onyens, notice was ordered to be taken of it none of the like haveing been seen before by any of the Company and the Onyon returnd.
Mr Packer acquinted the Society that though a Patent had lately been obteynd for an engine for grinding and pressing of Cyder by the Help fo cylinders toothing one into another yet he appeald to their Register to prove that he had some years before such PAtent, propounded it to the Society and that the Society had accordingly Ordered Mr Shortgrave to make tryall of such indented Cylinders. Upon this much discourse arose concerning Cyder. Mr Packer affirmed that by grinding and pressing out of the juice of the apple at once a Cyder might be made as cleer as rock water which woukld neither gave any lees or turn brown and that Mr Fettiplace of Batursy had made such Juice and kept it cleer 15 days but if the pulp were suffered tio lye after it were beat sometimes before it be pressed, the juice will both turne browne and yeeld a boundance of lees this was supposed to come from a kind of putrification begun in the fibres of the Apples before it be pressed, other supposed it a kind of fermentation, and there was much said to shew that fermentation differed from corruption, and that they were the working of differeing parts one upon another, and there perfomed differeing wayes for it was observed that the Substances whilst together in the apple would rott but when separate in the juice or liquor they would ferment. It was wished that tryall might be made what kind of Spirit would be produced by distillation of mellow Apples more than of green ones and fresh gathered. Dr Grew affirmeed that odoriferous plants would yield a spirit without firmentation, but it was answered that though they yeelded an odoriferous Substance yet that could not propoerly be calld a spirit at least it was not of the nature of a Spirit made by fermentation which was called a vinous or burning Spirit, the other odoriferous Substance might more propoerly be called the transpiration or sweat of teh Plant, very analogous to tht of Animals by which they are distinguished one from the other plainly by the Smell.
About fining of Liquors Sir J Hoskins affirmed that thick and Muddy Cyder may be Clarified by very fine Strayners others affirmed that fish Glue dissolved or [illegible] with some of the Liquor and then mingled with it would doe the same things, as also whites of Eggs beaten and broken with some of the Cyder and then mingled with the whole.
Mr Hook read a Letter which had been delivered him by Mr Henshaw to whom it was sent by the Lord Brouncker the effects of which was the Mr Lewenhoek the writer thereof understanding Mr Oldenburg was dead desired to know to whom he might address his letters for the future and therein included severall Testimonialls of his former Experiments and an account both in dutch and latine of some new observations.
The consideration of which was deferred to the next meeting in the mean time Mr Hook was desired to make a microscope after a way which he proposed as very likely to doe as much is not in the same manner as that of Mr Lewenhoek.
R H produced an Epherimerides of 12 eclipses of Saturne by the moon together with the transitus of [blank] through the Sun and a calculation of Eclipses for the two secceeding years one of which is omitted in Hocker which was inclosed in a letter to him from [blank] of Hambrough some coppies of which he promised to deliver to some Astronomical Observers.
R H related that [blank] had affirmed that by rasping his apples with a bread grater he was able to to make almost a 3d part more of Cyder then by the comon way. and the same mentioned an expedient of rasping those apples much easier by help of a Cylinder covered with tim plates made of the forme of a grater the shae of whiereof is here annexed.
To which Suggestion Mr Packer objected that though by that means a 3rd part more of Liquor was obteyned yet the quantity of Lees after settling would be so great that kittle more cleer Cider would be made that way then by the comon. ' |