Collaborations 1893-1894

Hurter did, in fact, accept the Presidency, when Lodge formally resigned at the meeting of 23 October; Lodge was elected one of the Vice-Presidents. Five more resignations of members were accepted at this meeting and sixteen members (including George Tate) were recorded as being in two seasons' arrears with their subscriptions. “The Secretary read a list of members who had sent in resignations, and another of persons whose Annual Subscriptions were two Sessions in arrears.

“It was resolved that these names be removed from the list of members. The list, after this revision, contained 55 names.” 40 members and friends were present.

Hurter drew on his background in the chemical industry in giving his Presidential address on “Electrolysis”, paying special attention to the conversion of brine into caustic soda, a problem of great commercial importance in a region where salt supplies were plentiful and caustic soda a product in great demand. He first discussed Faraday's law, and its applications in cases of electrolytes giving rise to secondary reactions, before progressing on to the migration of ions, with special attention paid to the electrolysis of common salt. Here he showed the efficiency to be expected in the electrolytic conversion of brine into caustic soda. Lodge noted how Hurter, in such investigations, “earnestly strove to realise with his mind's eye the inner workings of things beyond even the aided organs of sense” and endeavoured “to picture to himself as clearly as possible what it was that was really happening in the molecular domain”.