The Sun. — London, England, 1861-09-05 00:00:00

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. MANCHESTER, WEDNESDAY EVENING. The 31st annual meeting of the Association com menced here to-day. The attendance is likely to be more than usually numerous, and the arrangements - - appear to have been made with careful regard for the personal convenience and the entertainment of members and visitors, as well as for the satisfactory conduct of business. The great inaugural meeting took place in the Free Trade Hall at eight o'clock. The magnificent hall, which was tastefully draped with scarlet cloth and ornamented by paintings, drawings, and other works of art, was long before that hour filled by a distinguished company. Many ladies were present, and gave brilliancy to the assemblage. Among those present on the platform we observed the Bishop of Manchester, Lord Stanley, M,P., Earl of Enniskillen, Dr. Daubeny, Professor Sedgwick, General Portloek, Professor Owen, Sir J. Richard son, Professor Jukes, Mr. Napier, Mr. Headland, M.P., Mr. Turner, M.P., Mr. Bazley, M.P., Pro fessor Wheatstone, General Sabine, Captain Galton, Sir E. Belcher, Professor Chevallier, Sir Philip M.P., and Professor E g erton, Colonel Sykes, Kupffer, At a few minutes after eight Lord Wrottesley, the retiring President, took the chair amid loud cheers. lie said, Ladies and Gentlemen,—ln retiring from the office I h av e had the honour to hold it is a great pleasure to me to know that I am to be succeeded by one who is so well worthy of your support. (Cheers.) We may derive im portant instruction from the career of Mr. Fairbaim— (cheers)—whether we view him as the successful engineer, or as the distinguished man of science. (Cheers.) In the former capacity he is one who has by perseverance combined with talent risen from small beginnings to the summit of his profession, and he forms one of that noble class of men, the Stephensons, the Brunels, the Whitworths, the Armstrongs, which have conferred such important services on-their country—(cheers)—and some of whom, unfortu nately for that ceuntry, have perished, alas, too soon, ex _ _ hausted by their arduous toils. (Cheers.) Mr. Fairbairn, therefore, is one of many examples of what can be done in England by such men, who resolve, undaunted by the dif• ficulties and obstructions that beset their path, to struggle gallantly onward till success crown their efforts. (Cheers.) Again, if we look at Mr. Fairbairn's claims to scientific distinction, they read to us an important lesson ; for they show what can be done by zeal and energy, and the exer- else of a strong and resolute will, fully determined to carry ' out objects in which the public is deeply interested. It is extraordinary that any man should have been able during the few leisure hours that can be snatched from an impor tant and engrossing business, to accomplish for science what Mr. Fairl;airn has done--(cheers); and not only has he been a most successful contributor to mechanical science, but his liberality has been unbounded in placing all his great mechanical resources at the disposal of his fellow labourers in the same field. (Cheers.) Well and truly was it said when the royal medal was conferred on Mr. Fairbairn for his researches—" Perhaps there is scarcely a single individual living who has made so many careful ex perimental inquiries on subjects of primary importance to the commercial and manufacturing interests of the country, and has so liberally contributed them to the world." (Cheers.) Such a man is one whom all should delight to honour. And to such a man I resign with great satisfac tion the chair which I now vacate." (Cheers.) Mr. FAIRBAIRN then took the chair amid loud cheers. He spoke as follows : " Gentlemen of the British Association,—Ever since my election to the high office I now occupy I have been deeply sensible of my own unfitness for a post of so much distinction and responsibility ; and when I call to mind the illustrious men who have preceded me in this chair, and see around me so many persons much better qualified for the office than myself, I feel the novelty of my position and unfeigned embarrassment in addressing you. I should, however, very imperfectly discharge the duties which devolve upon me as the successor of the dis tinguished nobleman who presided over the meetings of last year if I neglected to thank you for the honourable position in which you have placed me, and to express at the outset my gratitude to those valued friends with whom I have been united for many years in the labours of the section of this association, and from whom I have invariably received every mark of esteem. A careful perusal of the history of this association will demonstrate tha't it was the first, and for a long time the only institution, which brought together for a common object the learned Professors of our Univer sities and the workers in practical science. These periodical reunions have been of incalculable benefit in giving to prat • tice t hat soundness of principle and certainty of progressive improvement which can only be obtained by the accurate study of science and its application to the arts. On the other hand, the men of actual practice have reciprocated the benefits thus teceived from theory, in testing by actual experiment deductions which were doubtful, and rectifying those which were erroneous. Guided by an extended ex perience, and exercising a sound and disciplined judgment, they have often corrected theories apparently accurate, but nevertheless founded on incomplete data or of false assumptions inadvertently introduced. If the British Associat ion had effected nothing more than the removal on the anomalous separation of theory and practice it would have gained imperishable renown in the benefit thus con ferred. Were Ito enlarge on the relation of the achieve ments of science to the comforts and enjoyments of man, I should have to refer to the present epoch as one of the most important in the history of the world. At no former period did science cautribute so much to the uses of life and the wants of society. And in doing this it has only been fulfilling that mission which Bacon, the great father of modern science, appointed for it, when he wrote that the legitimate goal of the sciences is the endowment of human life with new inventions and riches,' and when he sought for a mutual philosophy which, not spending its energy on barren disquisitions, ' should be operative for the benefit and endowment of mankind.' Looking, then, to the fact that, while in our time all the sciences have yielded this fruit, engineering science, with which I have been most in timately connected, has pre-eminently advanced the power, the wealth, and the comforts of mankind, I shall probably best discharge the duties of the office I have the honour to fill by stating as briefly as possible the more recent scientific discoveries which have so influenced the relations of social life. I shall, therefore, not dwell so much on the progress of abstract science, important as that is, but shall rather endeavour briefly to examine the application of science to the useful arts, and the results which have followed, and are likely to follow, in the improvement of the condition of so ciety. The history of man throughout the gradations and changes which he undergoes in advancing from a primitive barbarism to a state of civilization shows that he has been chiefly stimulated to the cultivation of science and the de velopment of his inventive powers by the urgent necessity of providing for his wants and securing his safety. Thera is no nation, however barbarous, which does not inherit the germs of civilization, and there is scarcely any which has not done something towards applying the rudiments of science to the purposes of dailylife. Among the South Sea Islanders why :n discovered by Cook, the applied sciences,—if I may use the term,—were not entirely unknown. They had ob served something of the motions of the heavenly bodies, and watched with interest their revolutions, in order to apply this knowledge to the division of time. They were not entirely deficient in the construction of instruments of husbandry, of war, and of music. They had made them selves acquainted with the rudiments of shipbuilding and nai igation in the construction and management of their can oes. Cut off from the influence of European civili zat ion and deprived of intercourse with higher grades of .mind, we still find the inherent principle of progres sion exhibiting itself, and the inventive and reasoning powers developed in the attempt to secure the means of s übsistence. Again, if we compare man as he exists in small communities with his condition where any numbers are congregated together, we find that densely populated countries are the most prolific in inventions and advance most rapidly in science. Because the wants of the many are greater than those of the few there is a more vigo- mica struggle against the natural limitations of supply, a more careful husbanding of resources, and there are more minds at work. This fact is strikingly exemplified in the history of Mexico and Peru, and its attestation is found in the numerous montunents of the past which are seen in Central America, where the remains of cities and temples, and vast public works, erected by a people endowed with high intellectual acquirements, can still be traced. There have been discovered a system of canals for irrigation; long minting galleries cut in the solid rock in search of lead, tin, a nd copper; pyramids not unlike those of Egypt; earthen ware Vases and cups, and manuscripts containing the re cords of their history; all testifying to so high a degree of scientific culture and practical skill that, looking at the cruelties which attended the conquests of Cortes and Pi zarro, We may well hesitate as to which had the stronger claims on ou r sympathy, the v:ctors or the vanquished. In attempting to notice those branches of science with which lam but imperfectly acquainted T shall have to claim your indulgence. This association, as y,au are aware, does not confine its discussions and investigations to any particular science ; and one great advantage of this is; that it leads to the division of labour, while the attention each department rece i ve s, and the harmony with which the plan has hitherto worked, afford the best guarantee of its wisdom and proof of its su ccess. In the early history of astronomy, how vague and unsatisfactory were the wild theories and con jectures which supplied the place of demonstrated physical truths and carefully observed laws I How immeasurably " It 'll, what a very speck does wan appear, with all the r ° ulers of hi s i nven tion, when contrasted with the mighty 1" lof the C rea t or; an d how impeTfect is o ur apprehen sicr"' even in the highest flicdits of the boundless d natu ral ly suggest th of s pOetic imagin ation, of space I These refl ec ti o ns natu of an Almight y _ themselves ow in thecontemplation of the works er with a re verential awe o f th e andimpress the mind treat Author of our existence. The gf .e.at revolutionh laid the foundation of modern as tronomy, and which, deed marks the birth of modern phyl lical science, is chreflY dna to th ree or four distin- guished philosephers. Tycho Brahe, by his system of accu rate measurement of the position of the heavenly bodies ; Copernicus, by his history of the solar system ; Galileo, by the application of the telescope ; and Kepler, by the dis covery of the laws of the planetary motions, all assisted in advancing, by prodigious strides, towards a true knowledge of the constitution of the universe. It remained for New ton to introduce at a later period the idea of an attraction varying directly as the mass, and inversely as the square of the distance, and thus to reduce celestial phenomena to the greatest simplicity by comprehending them under a single law . Without tracing the details of the history of this science, we may notice that in more recent times astrono mical discoveries have been closely connected with high mechanical skill in the construction of instruments of pre cision. The telescope has enormously increased the cata- Logue of the fixed stars, or those ' landmarks of the uni- verse,' as Sir John Herschel terms them, ' which never deceive the astronomer, navigator, or surveyor.' The num ber of known planets and asteroids has also been greatly enlarged. The discovery of Uranus resulted immediately from the perfection attained by Sir Wm. Herschel ill the construction of his telescope. ' More recently the structure of the nebulae has been unfolded through the application to their study of the colossal telescope of Lord Rosso. In all these directions much has been done both by our pre- • sent distinguished Astronomer Royal, and also by amateur observers in private observatories, all of whom, with Mr. Lassells at their head, are making rapid advances in this department of physical science. - Our knowledge of the physical constitution of the central body of our system seems likely, at the present time, to be much increased. The spots on the sun's disc were noted by Galileo and his contemporaries, and enabled them to ascertain the time of its rotation, and the inclination of its axis. They also correctly inferred, from their appearance, the existence of a luminous envelope, in which funnel shaped depressions revealed a solid and dark nucleus. Just a century ago, Alexander Wilson indicated the presence of a second and less luminous envelope beneath the outer stra- turn, and his diseovery was confirmed by Sir W. Herschel, who was led to assume the presence of a double stratum of clouds, the upper intensely luminous, the lower gray, and forming the penumbra of the spots. Observations during eclipses have rendered probable the supposition that a third and outermost stratum of imperfect transparency encloses concentrically the other envelopes. Still more recently the remarkable discoveries of Kirchoff and Bunsen require us to believe that solid or liquid photosphere is seen through an atmosphere containing iron, sodium, lithium, and other metals in a vaporous condition. We must still wait for the application of a more perfect instrument, and especially for the careful registering of the appearances of the sun by the photoheliograph of Sir John Herschel, so ably employed by Mr. Warren de la Rue,•Mr.Welsh, and others, before we can expect a solution of all the problems thus suggested. Guided by the same principles which have been so success ful in astronomy, its sister science, magnetism, emerging from its infancy, has of late advanced rapidly in that stage of development which is marked by assiduous and sys tematic observation of the phenomena, by careful analysis and presentation of the facts which they disclose, and by the grouping of these in generalisation, which, when the basis on which they rest shall be more extended, will prepare the way for the conception of a general physical theory, in which all the phenomena shall be comprehended, while each shall receive its separate and satisfactory explanation. It is unnecessary to remind you of the deep interest which the British Association has at all times taken in the ad- vancement of this branch of natural knowledge, or of the specific recommendations which, made in conjunction with the Royal Society, have been productive of such various and important results. To refer but to a single instance, we have seen those magnetic disturbances, so mysterious in their origin and so extensive in simultaneous prevalence —and which. less than 20 years ago, were designated by a term specially denoting that their laws were wholly un known—traced to laws of periodical recurrence, revealing, without a doubt, their origin in the central body of our sys tem, by inequalities which have for their respective periods the solar day, the solar year, and, still more remarkably, an until lately unsuspected solar cycle of about ten of our ter restrial years, to whose existence they bear testimony in conjunction with the solar spots, but whose nature and causes are in all other respects still wrapped in entire ob scurity. We owe to General Sabine, especially, the recog nition and study of these and other solar magnetic influ ences, and of the magnetic influence of the moon similarly attested by concurrent determinations in many parts of the globe, which are now held to constitute a distinct branch of this science not inappropriately named ' celestial,' as dis tinguished from purely terrestrial magnetism. We ought not in this town to forget that the very rapid advance which has been made in our time in chemistry is due to the law of equivalents, or atomic theory, first discovered by our townsman, John Dalton. Since the development of this law its progress has been unimpeded, and it has had a most direct bearing on the comforts and enjoyments of life. A knowledge of the constituents of food has led to important deductions as to the relative nutritive value and com mercial importance of different materials. Water has been studied in reference to the deleterious impurities with which it is so apt to be contaminated in its distribution to the in habitants of large towns. The power of analysis, which enables us to detect adulterations, has been invaluable to the public health, and would be much more so if it were possible to obviate the difficulties which have prevented the operation of recent legislation on this subject. We have another proof of the utility of this science in its application to medicine ; and the estimation in which it is held by the medical profession is the true index' of its value in the diag nosis and treatment of disease. The largest developments of chemistry, however, have been in connection with the useful arts. What would now be the condition of calico - printing, bleaching, dyeing, and even agriculture itself, if they had been deprived of the aid of theoretic chymistry l' For example, aniline—first discovered in coal tar by Dr. Hoffman, who has so admirably developed its properties— is now most extensively used as the basis of red, blue, vio let, and green dyes. The important discovery will probably in a few years render this country independent of the world for dye stuffs ; and it is more than probable that England, instead of drawing her dye stuffs from foreign countries may herself become the centre from which all the world will be supplied. It is an interesting fact that at the same time in another branch of this science M. Tournet has lately de monstrated that the colours of gems, such as the emerald, aqua-marina, amethyst, smocked rock crystal, and others, are due to volatile hydro-carbons, first noticed by Sir David Brewster in clouded topaz, and that they are not derived from metallic oxides, as has been hitherto believed. Another remarkable advance has recently been made by Bunsen and Kirchoff in the application of the coloured rays or the prism to analytical research. We may consider their dis coveries as the commencement of a new era in analytical chemistry, from the extraordinary facilities they afford in the qualitative detection of the minutest traces of elementary bodies. The value of this method has been proved by the discovery of the now metals cmsium and rubidium by M. Bunsen, and it has yielded another remarkable result in de monstrating the existence of iron and six other known metals in the sun. In noticing-the more recent discoveries in this important science I must not pass over in silence the valuable light which chemistry has thrown upon the composition of iron and steel. Although Despretz demon strated many years ago that iron would combine with nitro gen, yet it was not until 1857 that Mr. C. Binks proved that nitrogen is an essential element of steel, and more re cently M. Carou and M. Fremy have further elucidated this subject; the former showing that cyanogen, or cyanide of ammonium, is the essential element which converts wrought iron into steel ; the latter combining iron with nitrogen through the medium of ammonia, and then converting it into steel by bringing it at the proper temperature into contact with common coal gas. There is little doubt that in a few years these discoveries will enable Sheffield manu facturers to replace their present uncertain, cumbrous, and expensive process by a method at once simple and inexpen sive, and so completely under control as to admit of any re quired degree of conversion being obtained with absolute certainty. Mr. Crace Calvert, also, has proved that cast iron contains nitrogen, and has shown that it is a definite compound of carbon and iron mixed with various propor tions of metallic iron, according to its nature. Before leaving chemical science, I must refer to the interesting discovery by M. Deville, by which he succeeded in rapidly melting 38 or 40 pounds of platinum—a metal till then consi dered almost infusible. This discovery will render the ex traction of platinum from the ore more perfect, and, by re ducing its cost, will greatly facilitate its application to the arts. It is little more than half a century since geology as sumed the distinctive character of a science. Taking into consideration the aspects of nature in different epochs of the history of the earth, it has been found that the study of the changes at present going on in the world around us enables us Cr. understand the past revolutions of the globe, and the conditions and e:eceresteeses under which strata have been formed and organic remains entutd,l,l and preserved. The geologist has increasingly tended to believe that the elating-es which have taken place on the face of the globe, from the earliest times to the present, are the result of agencies still at work. But while it is his high office to record the dis tribution of life in past ages, and the evidence of physical changes in the arrar gement of land and water, his results hitherto have indicated no traces of its beginning, nor have they afforded evidence of the time of its future duration. Geology has been indebted for this progress very largely to the investigations of Sedgewick and the writings of Sir Charles Lyall. As an example of the application of geology to the practical uses of life, I might cite the discovery of the goldfields of Australia, which might long have remained hidden but for the researches of Sir Roderick Murchison in the Ural Mountains on the geological position of the strata from which the Russian gold is obtained. From this inves tigation he was led by inductive reasoning to believe that gold would be found in similar rocks, specimens of which had been sent him from Australia. The last years of the active life of this distinguished geologist have been devoted to the re-examination of the rocks of his native Highlands of Scotland. Applying to them those principles of classifi cation which he long since established, he has demon strated that the crystalline limestone and quartz rocks which are associated with mica schists, &c., belong by their embedded organic remains to the Lower Silurian Rocks. Descending from this well-marked horizon, he shows the existence beneath all such fossiliferous strata of vast masses of sandstone and conglomerate of Cambrian age ; and, lastly, he has proved the existence of a fundamental Gneiss, on which all the other rocks repose, and which, occupying the THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 5, 1861. prepared for that purpose. It is also preferable in ships which require auxiliary power in calms and adverse winds, so as to expedite the voyage and affect a con siderable saving upon the freight. The public mind had scarcely recovered itself from the changes which steam navigation had caused, and the impulse it had given to com merce, when a new and even more gigantic power of loco motion was inaugurated. Less than a quarter of a century had elapsed since the first steamboats floated on the waters of the Hudson and the Clyde, when the achievements thence resulting were followed by the application of the same agency to the almost superhuman flight of the loco motive and its attendant train. I well remember the com petition at Rainhill in 1830, and the incredulity everywhere evinced at the proposal to run locomotives at 20 miles an hour. Neither George Stephenson himself, nor anyone else, had at that time the most distant idea of the capabili ties of the railway system. On the contrary, it was gene rally considered impossible to exceed 10 or 12 miles an hour; and our present high velocities, due to high-pressure steam and the tubular system of boilers, have surpassed the most sanguine expectations of engineers. The sagacity of George Stephenson at once seized upon the suggestion of Henry Booth to employ tubular boilers, and that, united to the blast pipe, previously known, has been the means of effect ing all the wonders we now witness in a system that has done more for the development of practical science and the civilisation of man than any discovery since the days of Adam. From a consideration of the changes which have been effected in the means for the interchange of commodi ties, I pass on to examine the progress which has been made in their production. And as the steam-engine has been the basis of all our modern manufacturing industry, I shall glance at the steps by which it has been perfected. Pass ing over the somewhat mythical fame of the Marquis of Worcester and the labours of Savery, Beighton, and New comen, we come at once to discuss the state of mechanical art at the time when James Watt brought his gigantic powers to the improvement of the steam-engine. At that time the tools were of the rudest construction, nearly every thing being done by hand, and, in consequence, wood was much more extensively employed than iron. Under these circumstances Watt invented separate condensation, ren dered the engine double acting, and converted its rectili near motion into a circular one suitable for the purposes of manufacture. But the discovery at first made little way, the public did not understand it, and a series of years elapsed before the difficulties, commercial and mechanical, which opposed its application, could be overcome. When the certainty of success had been demonstrated, Watt was harassed by infringements of his patent, and lawsuits for the maintenance of his rights. Inventors, and pretended inventors, set up claims, and entered into combination with manufacturers, miners, and others, to destroy the patent and deprive him of the just fruits of his labour and genius. Such is the selfish heartlessness of mankind in dealing with discoveries not their own, but from which they expect to derive benefit. The steam-engine, since it was introduced by Watt, has changed our habits in almost every condition of life. Things which were luxuries have become necessa ries, and it has given to the poor man in all countries in which it exists a degree of comfort and independence and a participation in intellectual culture unknown before its in troduction. It has increased our manufactures tenfold, and has lessened the barriers which time and space interpose. It ploughs the land and winnows and grinds the corn. It spins and weaves our textile fabrics. In mining itpumps, winds, and crushes the ore. It performs these things with powers so great and so energetic as to astonish us at their immensity, while they are at the same time perfectly docile, and completely under human control. In war it furnishes the means of aggression, as in peace it affords the bonds of conciliation, and, in fact, places within reach a power which, properly applied, produces harmony and goodwill among men, and leads to the happiest results in every condition of human existence. We may, therefore, well be proud of the honour conferred on this country as the cradle of its origin, and as having fostered its development from its earliest applications to its present high state of per fection. I cannot conclude this notice of the steam engine without observing the changes it is destined to effect in the cultivation of the soil. It is but a short time since it was thought inapplicable to agricultural purposes from its great weight and expense. But more recent experience has proved this to be a mistake, and already in most districts we find that it has been pressed into the service of the farm. The small locomotive, mounted on a frame with four wheels, travels from village to village with its attendant, the thrash ing machine, performing the operations of thrashing, win nowing, and cleaning at less than one-half the cost by the old and tedious process of hand-labour. Its application to ploughing and tillage on a las ge scale is, in my opinion, still in its infancy, and I doubt not 'hat many members of this association will live to see the steam ; plough in opera tion over the whole length and breadth of the land. Much has to be done before this important:change can be success fully accomplished ; but, with the aid of the agriculturist preparing the land so as to meet the requirements of steam machinery, we may reasonably look forward to a new era in the cultivation of the soil. The extraordinary developments of practical science in our system of textile manufacture are, however, not entirelydue to the steam engine, although they are now in a great measure dependent on it. The machinery of these manufactures had its origin before the steam engine had been applied, except for mining purposes; and the inventions of Arkwright, Hargreaves, and Crompton were not conceived under the impression that steam would be their moving power. On the contrary, they depended upon water; and the cotton machinery of this district had attained considerable perfection before steam came to the aid of the manufacturer, and ultimately enabled him to increase the production to its present enormous extent. I shall not attempt a de scription of the machinery of the textile manufactures, be cause ocular inspection will be far more acceptable. I can only refer you to a list of establishments in which you may examine their operations on a large scale, and which I earnestly recommend to your attention. I may, however advert to a few of the improvements which have marked the progress of the manufacturing system in this country. When Arkwright patented his water-frames in 1767 the annual consumption of cotton was about 4,ooo,ooolb.weight. Now it is 1,200,000,0001 b. weight-300 times as much. Within half a century the number of spindles at work, spin ning cotton alone, has increased tenfold ; while by superior mechanism each spindle produces 60 per cent. more yarn than on the old system. Hence the importance to which the cotton trade has risen, equalling at the present time the l w i uhgo per e r r e va annum n n u u e m o . f thes latet h r e e a k s i l n B g 2 do o m t b s e , or power Co,o 10000,00 loom was s s tr ue not i c n lo tcloth, e rexistence;tune r o e w f a it m I p i r a o r d t e u r c m e s s a u b e o e u r t l y 1 8 4 , O ,O O O O O E I , o i o l O e s y e a f r d e l s t o h f per diem. I give these particulars to show the immense power of production of this country, and to afford some con eeffepeteitonsuocfhthNevonde number r a r n e d sult u s a . lit i‘ y ru of le th sp e iu m n a i c u h g in w e a s s whicle intro duced by Crompton in 1787, with about 20 spindles to each machine. Th e powers of the machine were, however, rapidly increased ; and now it has been so perfected that 2,000 or even 3,000 spindles are directed by a single person. At first the winding on, or forming the shape of the cop, was performed by hand ; but this has been superseded by rendering the machine automatic, so that it now performs the whole operation of drawing, stretching, and twisting the thread, and winding it on to the exact form, ready for the reel or shuttle as may be required. These and other im provements in carding, roving, combing, spinning, and weaving, have established in this country an entirely new system of industry; it has given employment to greatly increased numbers, and a more intelligent class of work people. Similarly important improvements have been ap plied to the machinery employed in the manufactm e of silk, flax, and wool ; and we have only to watch the processes in these different departments to be convinced that they owe much to the development of the cotton manufacture. In the manufacture or worsted, the spinning jenny was not em ployed at Bradford until 1790, nor the power loom until about 1825. The production of fancy or mixed goods from alpaca and mohair wool, introduced to this country in 1836, is, perhaps, the most striking example of a new creation in the art of manufacture, and is chiefly due to Mr. Titus Salt, in whose immense palace of industry, at Saltaire, it may be seen in the greatest perfection. In flax machinery, the late Sir Peter Fairbairn was one of the most successful inven tors, and his improvements have contributed to the rapid extension of this manufacture. I might greatly extend this description of our manufacturing industry, but I must for the present be brief, in order to point out the dependence of all h trb t ut e e s de among the rn n o e n r e t l h e i r i e r s o s n u r an e s d e c r o e a l u r s o i s w l u d e d l . y s are highly favoured in the abundance of these minerals, de posited with an unsparing hand by the great Author of Nature, under so slight a covering as to bring them within reach of the miner's art. To them we owe our present high state of perfection in the useful arts ; and to their extended application we may safely attribute our national progress and wealth. So that, looking to the many blessings which we daily and hourly receive from these sources alone, we are impressed with devotional feelings of gratitude to the Almighty for the manifold bounties He has bestowed on us. Previous to the inventions of Henry Cort, the manufacture of wrought iron was of the most crude and primitive descrip tion. A hearth and a pair of bellows was all that was em ployed. But since the introduction of puddling, the iron masters have increased the production to an extraordinary extent, down to the present time, when processes for the direct conversion of wrought iron on a large scale are being attempted. A consecutive series of chemical researches into the different processes, from the calcining of the ore to the production of the bar, carried on by Dr. Percy and.others, has led to a revolution in the manufacture of iron ; and although it is at the present moment in a state of transi tion, it nevertheless requires no very great discernment to perceive that steel and iron of any required tenacity will be made in the same furnace with a facility and certainty never before attained. This has been effected to some extent by improvements in puddling ; but the process of Mr. Besse mer—first made known at the meetings of this association at Cheltenham—affords the highest promise of certainty and perfection in the operation of converting the melted pig direct into steel or iron, and is likely to lead to themost im portant developments in this manufacture. These improve ments in the production of a material must ie La, n, stimulate its seplisstion of. 4 larger scale and lead to new constructions. In iron shipbuilding an immense field is *Telling before us. Our wooden walls have to all appear ances seen their last days; and as one of the early pioneers in iron construction, as applied to shipbuilding, I am highly gratified to w it ness a change of opinion that augurs well for north-western Hebrides and the west coasts of Sutherland and Ross, is the oldest rock formation on the British Isles, it being unknown in England, Wales, or Ireland. It is well known that the temperature increases as we descend through the earth's crust, from a certain point near the surface, at which the temperature is constant. In various mines, borings, and Artesian wells the temperature has been found to increase about 1 deg. Fahrenheit for every 60 or 65 feet of descent. In some carefully conducted experi- ments during the sinking of Dukinfleld Deer Mine—one of the deepest pits in this country—it was found that a mean increase of about 1 deg. in 71 feet occurred. If we take the ratio thus indicated, and assume it to extend to much greater depths, we should reach at two-anl-a-half miles from the surface strata at . the temperature of boiling water ; and at depths of about 50 or 6g miles the temperature would be sufficient to melt, under the ordinary pressure of the atmosphere, the hardest rocks. Reasoning from these facts, it would appear that the mass of the globe, at no great depth, must be in a fluid state. But this deduction requires to be modified by other considerations, namely, the influence of pressure on the fusing point, and the relative conductivity of the rocks which form the earth's crust. To solve these questions a series of important experiments were instituted by Mr. Hopkins, in the prosecution of which Dr. Joule and myself took part; and after a long and laborious investigation it was found that the tem perature of fluidity increased about 1 deg. Fahrenheit for every 5001 b. of pressure in the case of spermaceti, bees'-wax, and other similar substances. However, on extending these experiments to less compressible sub , stances, such as tin and barytes, a similar increase was not observed. But this series of experiments has been unavoidably interrupted ; nor is the series on the con ductivity of rocks entirely finished. Until they have been completed by Mr. Hopkins we can only make a partial use of them in forming an opinion of the thickness of the earth's solid crust. Judging, however, alone from the greater con ductivity of the igneous rocks, we may calculate that the thickness cannot possibly be less than nearly three times as great as that calculated on the usual suppositions of the con ductive power of the terrestrial mass at enormous depths being no greater than that of the superficial sedimentary b e ds. Other modes of investigation which Mr. Hopkins has brought to bear on this question appear to lead to the conclu sion that the thickness of the earth's crust is much greater I even than thatabove stated. This would require us to assume that a part of the heat in the crust is due to superficial and external rather than central causes. This does not bear directly against the doctrine of central heat, but shows that only a part of the increase of temperature observed in mines and deep wells is due to the outward flow of that heat. Touching those highly interesting branches of science, Botany and Zoology, it may be considered presumptuous in me to offer any remarks. I have, however, not entirely neglected, in my earlier days, to inform myself of certain portions of natural history, which cannot but be attractive to all who delight in the wonderful beauties of natural objects. How interesting is the organisation of animals and plants; how admirably adapted to their different functions and sphere of life. They want nothing, yet have nothing superfluous. E very organ is adapted perfectly to its func tions ; and the researches of Owen, Agassiz, Darwin, Hooker, Daubeney, Babington, and Jardine fully illustrate the perfection of the animal and vegetable economy of nature. Two other important branches of scientific research, Geography and Ethnology, have for some years been united, in this association, in one section, and that probably the most attractive and popular of them all. We are much indebted to Sir Roderick Murchison, among other members of the association, for its continued prosperity, and the high position it has attained in public estimation. The spirit of enterprise, courage, and perseverance displayed by our travellers in all parts of the world have been powerfully stimulated and well supported by the Geo graphical Society; and the prominence and rapid publicity given to discoveries by that body have largely promoted geographical research. In physical geography the late Baron von Humboldt has been one of the largest contri butors, and we are chiefly indebted to his personal re searches and numerous writings for the elevated posi tion it now holds among the sciences. To Humboldt we owe our knowledge of the physical features of Central and Southern America. To Parry, Sir James Ross, and Scoresby we are indebted for discoveries in the Arctic and Antartic regions. Geography has also been advanced by the first voyage of Franklin down the Copper Mine River, and along the inhospitable shores of the Northern Seas, as far as Point Turn Again ; as also by that ill-fated expedition in search of a North-West passage, followed by others in search of the unfortunate men who perished in their attempt to reach those ice-bound regions, so often stimu lated by the untiring energy of a high-minded woman. In addition to these the discoveries of Dr. Livingstone in Africa have opened to us a wide field of future enterprise along the banks of the Zambesi and its tributaries. To these we may add the explorations of Captain Burton in the same continent, and those also by Captain Spoke and Captain Grant of a hitherto unknown region, in which it has been suggested that the White Nile has its source, flowing from one of two immense lakes, upwards of 300 miles long by 100 broad, and situated at an elevation of 4,000 feet above the sea. To these remarkable discoveries I ought to add an honourable mention of the sagacious and perilous explora tion of Central and. Northern Australia by Mr. M'Douall Stuart. Having glanced, however imperfectly, at some of the most important branches of science which engage the attention of members of this association, I would now invite attention to the mechanical sciences, with which I am more familiarly acquainted. They may be divided into theoreti cal mechanics and dynamics, comprising the conditions of equilibrium and the laws of motion; and applied mechanics, relating to the construction of machines. I have already observed that practice and theory are twin sisters, and must work together to ensure a steady progress in mechanical art. Let us, then, maintain this union as the best and safest basis • of national progress, and, moreover, let us recognise it as one of the distinctive aims of the annual reunions of this association. During the last century the science of applied mechanics has made strides which astonish us by their magnitude; but even these, it may reasonably be hoped, are but the promise of future and more wonderful enlargements. I therefore propose to offer a succinct history of these im provements, as an instance of the influence of scientific pro gress on the wellbeing of society. I shall take in review the three chief aids which engineering science has afforded to national progress—namely, canals, steam navigation, and railways; each of which has promoted an incalculable ex tension of the industrial resources of the country. One hundred years ago the only means for the conveyance of inland merchandise were the packhorses and waggons on the then imperfect highways. It was reserved for Brindley Smeaton and others to introduce a system of canals, which opened up facilities for an interchange of commodities t a cheap rate over almost every part of the country. The impetus given to industrial operations by this new system of conveyance induced capitalists to embark in trade, in mining, and in the extension of manufactures in almost every district. These improvements continued for a series of years, until the whole country was intersected by canals requisite to meet the demands of a greatly extended industry. But canals, however well adapted for the transport of minerals and merchandise, were less suited for the con veyance of passengers. The speed of the canal boats seldom exceeded from two and a half to three miles an hour, and in addition to this the projectors of canals sometimes sought to take an unfair advantage of the Act of Parliament, which fixed the tariff at so much per ton per mile, by adopt ing circuitous routes, under the erroneous impression that mileage was a consideration of great importance in the suc cess of such undertakings. It is in consequence of short sighted views and imperfect legislation that we inherit the numerous curves and distortions of our canal system. These defects in construction rendered canals almost use less for the conveyance of passengers, and la to the im provement of the common roads and the system of stage coaches; so that before the year 1830 the chief public high ways of the country had attained a remarkable smoothness and perfection, and the lightness of our carriages and the celerity with which they were driven still excite the admi ration of those who remember them. These days of an effi ciently worked system, which tasked the power and speed of the horse to the utmost, have now been succeeded by changes more wonderful than any that previously occurred in the history of the human race. Scarcely had the canal system been fully developed when a new means of propul sion was adopted—namely, steam. I need not recount to you the enterprise, skill, and labour that have been exerted in connexion with steam navigation. You have seen its re sults on every river and every sea ; results we owe to the fruitful minds of Miller, Symington, Fulton, and Henry Bell, who were the pioneers in the great march of progress. Viewing the past, with a knowledge of the present and a prospect of the future, it is difficult to estimate sufficiently the benefits that have been conferred by this application of mechanical science to the purposes of navigation. Power, speed, and certainty of action have been attained on the most gigantic scale. The celerity with which a modern steamer, with a thousand tons of merchandise and some hundreds of human beings on board, cleaves the water and pursues her course far surpasses the most sanguine expec tations of a quarter of a century ago, and indeed almost ri vals the speed of the locomotive itself. Previous to 1812 our intercourse with foreign countries and with our colonial pos • sessions depended entirely upon the state of the weather. It was only in favourable seasons that a passage was open, and we had often to wait days, or even a week, before Dub lin could be reached from Holyhead. Now this distance of 63 miles is accomplished in all weathers in little more than three hours. The passage to America used to occupy six weeks or two months, now it is accomplished in eight or nine days. The passage round the Cape to India is reduced from nearly half a year to less than a third of that time, while that country may be reached by the overland route in less than a month. These are a few of the benefits derived from steam navigation, and as it is yet far from perfect, we may reasonably calculate on still greater ad vantages in our intercourse with distant nations. I will not here enter upon the subject of the numerous improvements w hich have so rapidly advanced the progress of this important service. Suffice it to observe that the paddlewheel system of propul sion has maintained its superiority over every other method yet adopted for tho attainment of speed, as by it the best re sults are obtained with the least expenditure of power. In ships of war the screw is indispensable, on account of the security it affords to the engines and machinery, from their position in the hold below the water line, and because of the facility it offers in the use of sails, when the screw is raised from its position in the well to a recess in the stern the security of the liberties of the country. From the com mencement of iron shipbuilding in 1830 to the present time, there could only be one opinion among thosebest acquainted with the subject—viz., that iron must eventually supersede timber in every form of naval construction. The large ocean steamers, the Himalaya, the Persia, and the Great Eastern, abundantly show what can be done with iron, and we have only to look at the new system of casing ships with armour plates, to be convinced that we can no longer build Wooden vessels of war with safety to our naval superiority and the best interests of the country. I give no opinion as to the details of the reconstruction of the navy—that is reserved for another place—but I may state that I am fully persuaded that the whole of our ships of war must be rebuilt of iron, and defended with iron armour calculated to resist projec tiles of the heaviest description at high velocities. In the early stages of iron shipbuilding, I believe I was the first to show, by a long series of experiments, the superiority of wrought iron over every other description of material in security and strength, when judiciously applied in the con struction of ships of every class. Other considerations, how ever, affect the question of vessels of war; and although nu merous experiments were made, yet none of the targets were on a scale sufficient to resist more than a 6-pounder shot. It was reserved for our scientific neighbours, the French, to introduce thick iron plates as a defensive armour for ships. The success which has attended the adoption of this new system of defence affords the prospect of invulnerable ships of war, and hence the desire of the Government to remodel the navy on an entirely new principle of construction, in order that we may retain its superiority as the great bul wark of the nation. A committee has been appointed by the War. office and the Admiralty for the purpose of carrying out a scientific investigation on the subject, so as to deter mine —first, the best description of material to resist projec tiles ; secondly, the best method of fastening and applying that material to the sides of ships and land fortifications ; and, lastly, the thickness necessary to resist the different descriptions of ordnance. It is asserted, probably with truth, that whatever thickness of plates is adopted for casing ships, guns will be constructed capable of destroying them. But their destruction will even then be a work of time, and I believe, from what I have seen in recent experiments,that with proper armour it will require, not only the most power ful ordnance, but also a great concentration of fire, before fracture will ensue. If this be the case, a well-constructed iron ship, covered with sound plates of the proper thick ness, firmly attached to its sides, will, for a considerable time, resist the heaviest guns which can be brought to bear against it, and be practically shot-proof. But our present means are inadequate for the production of large masses of iron, and we trust that, with new tools and machinery, .and the skill, energy, and perseverance of our manufacturers, every difficulty will bo overcome, and armour plates pro duced which will resist the heaviest existing ordnance. The rifling of heavy ordnance, the introduction of wrought iron, and the new principle of construction with strained hoops, have given to all countries the means of increasing enormously the destructive power of their ordnance. One of the results of this introduction of wrought iron, and cor rect principles of manufacture, is the reduction of the weight of the new guns to about two-thirds the weight of the older cast iron ordnance. Hence follows the facility with which guns of much greater power can be worked, while the range and precision of fire are at the same time increased. But these improvements cannot be confined to ourselves. Other nations are increasing the power and range of their artillery in a similar degree, and the energies of the nation must, therefore, be directed to maintain the superiority of our navy in armour as well as in armament. We have already seen a new era in the history of the con struction of bridges, resulting from the use of iron; and we have only to examine those of the tubular form over the Conway and Menai Straits to be convinced of the durability, strength, and lightness of tubular constructions applied to the support of railways or common roads in spans which ten years ago were considered beyond the reach of human skill. When it is considered that stone bridges do not ex ceed 150 feet in span, nor cast-iron bridges 250 feet, we can estimate the progress which has been made in crossing rivers 400 or 500 feet in width, without any support at the middle of the stream. Even spans greatly in excess of this may be bridged over with safety provided we do not exceed 1,800 to 2,000 feet, when the structure would be destroyed by its own weight. It is to the exactitude and accuracy of our machine tools that our machinery of the present time ewes its smoothness of motion and certainty of action. When I first entered this city the whole of the machinery was executed by hand. There were neither planing, slot ting, nor shaping machines, and, with the exception of very imperfect lathes and a few drills, the preparatory operations of construction were effected entirely by the hands of the workmen. Now everything is done by machine tools with a degree of accuracy which the unaided hand could never accomplish. The automaton, or self-acting machine tool, has within itself an almost creative power; in fact, so great are its powers of adaptation, that there is no operation of the human hand that it does not imitate. For many of these improvements the country is indebted to the genius of our townsmen, Mr. Richard Roberts and Mr. Joseph Whitworth. The importance of these constructive ma chines is, moreover, strikingly exemplified in the Govern ment works at Woolwich and EnfieldLock, chiefly arranged under the direction of Mr. Anderson, the present inspec tor of machinery, to whose skill and ingenuity the country is greatly indebted for the efficient state of those great ar senals. Among the changes which have largely contributed to the comfort and enjoyment of life are the improvements in the sanitary condition of towns. These belong probably to the province of social rather than mechanical science; but I cannot omit to notice some of the great works that have of late years been constructed for the supply of water and for the drainage of towns. In former days 10 gallons of water to each person per day was considered an ample allowance. Now 30 gallons is much nearer the rate of consumption. I may instance the water-works of this city and of Liverpool, each of which yield a supply of from 20 to 30 gallons of water to each inhabitant. In the former case the water is collected from the Cheshire and Derby shire hills, and, after being conveyed in tunnels and aque ducts a distance of 10 miles to a reservoir, where it is strained and purified, it is ultimately taken a further dist tance of eight miles in pipes, in a perfectly pure state, ready for distribution. The greatest undertaking of this kind, however, yet accomplished is that by which the pure waters of Loch Katrine are distributed to the city of Glasgow. This work, recently completed by Mr. Bateman, who was also the constructor of the waterworks of this city, is of the most gigantic character, the water being conveyed in a covered tunnel a distance of 27 miles through an almost impassable country to the service reservoir. about eight miles from Glasgow. By this means 40 million gallons of water per day are conveyed through the hills which flank Ben Lomond, and after traversing the sides of Loch Chou and Loch Aird are finally discharged into the Mudgdock Basin, where the water is impounded for distribution. We may look for ward to an extension of similar benefits to the metropolis, by the same engineer, whose energies are now directed to an examination of the pure fountains of Wales, from whence the future supply of water to the great city is likely to be derived. A work of so gigantic a character may be looked upon as problematical, but when it is known that six or seven millions of money would be sufficient for its °sem tion, I can see no reason why an undertaking of so much consequence to the health of London should not ultimately be accomplished. In leaving this subject, I cannot refrain from an expression of deep regret at the loss which science has sustained through the death of one of our vice-presi dents, the late Professor Hodgkinson. For a long series of years he and I worked together in the same field of scientific research, and our laboursare recorded in the " Transactions" of this and other associations. To Mr. Hodgkinson we owe the determination of the true form of cast-iron beams, or section of greatest strength ; the law of the elasticity of iron under tensile and compressive forces ; and the laws of resis tance of columns to compression. I look back to the days of our joint labour with unalloyed pleasure and satisfaction. I regret to say that another of our vice-presidents, my friend Mr. Joseph Whitworth, is unable to be present with us through serious, but I hope not dangerous illness. To Mr. Whitworth mechanical science is indebted for some of the most accurate and delicate pieces of mechanism ever exe cuted ; and the exactitude he has introduced into every me chanical operation will long continue to be the admiration of Posterity. His system of screw threads and gauges is now in general use throughout Europe. We owe to him a ma chine for measuring with accuracy to the millionth of an inch, employed in the production of standard gauges ; and his laborious and interesting experiments on rifled ordnance have resulted in the production of a rifled small arm and gun which have never been surpassed for range and preci sion of fire. It is with pain that I have to refer to the cause which deprives me of his presence and support at this meet ing. A brief allusion must be made to that marvellous dis covery which has given to the present generation the power to turn the spark of heaven to the uses of speech ; to trans mit along the slender wire for a thousand m iles a current of electricity th a t ren d ers intelligible words and thoughts. This wonderful discovery, so familiar to us, and so use ful in our communications to every part of the globe, we owe to Wheatstone, Thomson, De la Rive, haveand others. In land telegraphy the chief di fficulties been surmounted, but in submarine telegraphy much remains to be accomplished. Failures have been re peated so often as to call for a commission on the part of the Government to inquire into the causes, and the best means cf overcoming the difficulties which present them selves. I had the honour to serve on that commission, and I believe from the report and mass of evidence and experi mental research accumulated, the public will derive very important information. It is well known that three condi tions are essential to success in the construction of ocean telegraphs—perfect insulation, external protection, andeeaapn propriate apparatus for laying the cable safely on itsl ifi o uing bed. That we are far from having succeeded these conditions is evident from the fact that ou in t o f f u 12,000 e 1851, miles of submarine cable which have been laid only 3,0 A miles are actually in working order ; sositnl:at three fourths may be considered as a failure and loss try. the crwa t to try. The insulators hitherto employed are dete rioration from mechanical N water; but the sition and from the absorption of irom chenas"ilcjaledecompo. fast circumstance does not appear to influence seriously the durability of cables. Electrically, indiarubber possesses high advantages, and, next to it, ViTray's compound and pure gutta percha far surpass the commercial gutta percha hitherto employed ; but it remains to be seen whether the mechanical and commercial difficulties in the employment of these new materials can be successfully oVerCoute. The external projecting covering is still a subject of anxious consideration. The objections to iron wire are its weight and liability to corrosion. Hemp has been substituted, but at present with no satisfactory result. All these difficulties, together with those connected with the coiling and paying out of the cable, will no doubt yield to careful experiment and the employment of proper instruments in its construc tion, and its final deposit on the bed of the ocean. Irre spective of inland and international telegraphy, a new sys tem of communication has been introduced by Professor Wheatstone, whereby intercourse can be carried on between private families, public offices, and the works of merchants and manufacturers. This application of electric currents cannot be too highly appreciated, from its great efficiency and comparatively small expense. To show to what an extent this improvement has been carried, I may state that 1,000 wires, in a perfect state of insulation, may be formed into a rope not exeeeding half-an-inch in diameter. I must not sit down without directing attention to a sub ject of deep importance to all classes—viz., the amount of protection inventors should receive from the laws of the country. It is the opinion of many that patent laws are inju rious rather than beneficial, and that no legal protection of this kind out to be granted ; in fact, that a free-trade in inventions, as in everything else, should be established. I confess lam not of that opinion. Doubtless there are abuses in the working of the patent law as it at present exists, and protection is often granted to pirates and impos tors, to the detriment of real inventors. This, however, does not contravene the principle of protection, but rather calls for reform and amendment. It is asserted by those who have done the least to benefit their country by inventions, that a monopoly is injurious, and that if the patent laws are defended, it should be, not on the ground of their benefit to the inventor, but on that of their utility to the nation. I believe this to be a dangerous doctrine, and I hope it will never be acted upon. I cannot see the right of the nation to appropriate the labours of a lifetime, without awarding any remuneration. The nation, in this case, receives a be nefit ; and assuredly the labourer is worthy of his hire. lam no friend of monopoly, but neither am I a friend of injus tice ; and I think that before the public are benefited by an invention, the inventor should be rewarded either by a 14 years' monopoly, or in some other way. Our patent laws are defective, so far as they protect pretended inventions ; but they are essential to the best interests of the State in stimulating the exertions of a class of eminent men, such as Arkwright, Watt, and Crompton, whose inventions have entailed upon all countries invaluable benefits, and have done honour to the human race. To this association is com mitted the task of correcting the abuses of the present sys tem, and establishing such legal provisions as shall deal out equal justice to the inventor and the nation at large. I must not forget that we owe very much to an entirely new and most attractive method of diffusing knowledge, admi rably exemplified in the Great Exhibition of 1851, and its successors in France, Ireland, and America. Most of us re member the gems of art which were accumulated in this city during the summer of 1857, and the wonderful results they produced on all classes of the community. The im provement of taste, and the increase of practical knowledge which followed these exhibitions, have been deeply felt ; and hence the prospects which are now opening before us in regard to the Exhibition of the next year cannot be too highly appreciated. That Exhibition will embrace the whole circle of the sciences, and is likely to elevate the general culture of the public to a higher standard than we have ever before attained. There will be unfolded almost every known production of art, every ingenious contrivance in machinery, and the results of discoveries in science from the earliest period. The fine arts, which constituted no part of the Ex hibition of 1851, and which were only partially represented at Paris and Dublin, will be illustrated by new creations from the most distinguished masters of the modern school. Looking forwards, I venture to hope for a great success and a further development of the principle advocated by this association—the union of science and art. In conclusion, my apologies are due to you for the length of this address, and I thank you sincerely for the patient attention with which you have listened to the remarks I have had the honour to lay before you. As the President of the British Association, I feel that far beyond the consideration of merely personal qualifications, my election was intended as a compliment to practical science, and to this great and in fluential metropolis of manufacture, where those who culti vate the theory of science may witness, on its grandest scale, its application to the industrial arts. As a citizen of Manchester, 1 venture to assure the association that its in tentions are appreciated ; and to its members, as well as to the strangers who have been attracted here by this meet ing, I offer a most cordial welcome." Lord STANLEY then rose, and was greeted with cheering. The noble lord said—Ladies and Gentlemen,—l am afraid that it will be altogether out of my power to make myself audible to more than a small portion of that vast audience which I am attempting to address, I have been asked to propose a resolution, and I do so with great pleasure. (Cheers.) I have come here like the great majority of those to whom lam speaking, as a learner, and not as a teacher —as a pupil, and not as a master ; and therefore my remarks will be exceedingly brief. I believe we are all agreed in our wish to pay due honour to those eminent men of science who have met in Manchester on this interesting occasion. (Cheers.) You are always ready in Manchester to pay a due tribute of respect to intellectual eminence in any pro fession ; and scientific men—l may speak of them freely, for I am.not one myself—have upon you this especial claim, that while their works are comparatively less before the public eye than those of men who pursue other professions, the results of that work endure for ever. (Cheers.) Great conquerors, great statesmen, great authors, have their day of influence and popularity; but that influence and that popularity pass away, and even their names are but faintly remembered. But every victory which is won in the field of physical discovery —every con quest of man over nature, however slight it may seem to be, however slowly and gradually it may be effected, is effected not for a single nation nor for a single age, but for all countries and for all time. (Applause.) Lancashire has contributed her full share to the long list of English cultivators of science. There are many names which will occur to every one here—the name of the illustrious Dalton, the name of Dr. Whewell, one of the first mathematicians of the day, and the name of Professor Owen, whom we have fortunately present amongst us. There are others hardly less illustrious, who if time and opportunity served I might enumerate here. But I will pass from that topic, and will only say this—that I believe there is no city and no dis trict in the country which has profited more by the prac tical application of science than this city of Manchester, and the district of which it is the centre. (Applause.) What is it has made this great metropolis of manufactur ing industry that which it is ? It is not manual labour; that we have everywhere. It is not the abundance of capi tal ; for capital goes wherever it can find an investment. It is not even the coal under our feet, or the water which feeds our steam engines ; nor is it our proximity to the sea. Though all these are great, and some of them indispensable advantages, still they may be found in other localities less distinguished. What I believe has made us a race of prac tical workers, is the inventive aptitude and the peculiar and the almost exclusive devotion which has been shown here to the practical application of scientific methods and processes to supply the material wants of mankind. (Applause.) It is here, therefore, above all other places that the workers —and when I say workers there are workers in all classes—_ that the men of business should pay honour to the me n o f thought. (Cheers.) It is here, above all places, that those who have reaped the reward, and have profited by the result, of scientific invention, should be the foremost to acknowledge the merits of those 'without whose labours scientific inven tions could not have taken place. (Cheers.) But there are other objects of our meeting besides those of paying honour to those who are visiting us here. There are two classes of persons who are in the habit of attending such meetings as ours. There are some who come here as student ; who come in the hope—and it is a hope not often disappointed— of gathering from our lectures and our discussions some hints and suggestions which they may afterwards have an opportunity of working out in the only way in which scien tific ideas can be worked out—in retirement, and at leisure. There is another class of persons, not hitherto devoted to science, who come here partly from the instigation of a natural curiosity, and a desire to meet the leading men of our time ; who come here to catch from the impulse of a popular enthusiasm that taste for experimental research, and for scientific investigation, which is often latent in many a man's mind, but of which he is not aware that it is there until circumstances call it out. For both, our meetings are designed ; and I think that neither will be disappointed. If they are—if these meetings are barren of results—l think the fault will be our own ; and I hope, nay I confidently believe and expect, that there will be many men who will look back hereaft er with Pleasure to what has passed here, and will be able to say that here was first sown the seed which afterwards ger minated in th e i r minds, and which they have known how to render practically available, not only for their own ad vantage, but for the advantage of their neighbours, their country, a n d all mankind. (Applause.) Ladies and gen tlemen, en, I hav e said a little more than I meant; but the ob ject for which I rose was to Propose a resolution which has been put into cordially ra y hands, and which lam sure you will all accept. Ido not venture to offer any word of criticism upon the address to which you have just listened. This I will s ay , not only on ac We all h ear M r . F a i r b a i rn with respect, c ount of the private character of the man— and he is k nown to us he himself is entitled to tak e all—but also because an honourable pl ace a mongst the pioneers of scientific research. (Cheers . ) I have to propose, " That the thanks of th e members of the Assoc iation be voted to the President f or his excellent address, and that his per mission be as k ed to allow it to be circulated among the members." (Loud a Mr. J. A. Tu Pplause.) itamn, assure you it is not any wish of my own that I saould rise to address you, but I do so in obedienc,e,'J the request of the commitee that I should seer\zte ,de resolution which has been so ably placed before you by my Lord Stanley. (Hear, hear.) I presume I have been requested to second this resolution because I happen to bo one of the representatives of this city; and as Lord Stanley, representing the aristocracy of the county, has ex pressed his high approval of Mr. Fairbairn's merits, and as he rejoices that the Association has met in this district, so I, identified entirely with commerce, and representing this city, may perhaps be not unfitted to second this resolution — (applause) —and to express my own most cordial feeling of rejoicing, not only that the British Association has honoured Manchester with a visit this year, but still Author has hon- oured Manchester by appointing one of its most distinguished citizens as the president for the year. (Loud applause.) It is not your wish, nor is it mine, that you should be detained longer this evening; but I cannot help saying that, highly distinguished as William Fairbairn is, amongst us he is valued even more for his private character than for his scientific attainments, (Cheers.) In a note I received from him some time ago, there is one expression most characteristic of the man. I addressed him as " Dr. Fairbairn," and I believe I put some letters after his name. (Laughter.) He replied, " Pray, in future, address me as an old Dissenting minister named me many years ago— William Fairbairn." Learned societies may add letters to that name, may give him the dignity of a doctor, may even make him President if the British Association; but William Fairbairn, the citizen of Manchester, making his own way in the world by his own merit, distinguishing himself on every occasion not only by his talent but by his modesty and unassuming character, will long be remembered in this community as one of its most distinguished ornaments. (Applause.) He has given to you this night an address which I am afraid very few of you would be able to hear, for in this large hall a man even with strong lungs can scarcely make himself perfectly heard; but you will have this address printed and circulated amongst the members, for that is the object of the motion proposed by Lord Stanley, and which I have the greatest pleasure in second ing. (Applause.) The MAYOR of Manchester (M. Curtis, Esq;) said it was not the least of the pleasures attached to the office he now held, to be privileged to put this resolution to the meeting. He called upon them to vote upon it and to adopt it with acclamation.—The resolution was then carried amidst hearty applause. The PRESIDENT, in reply, said he felt deeply indebted to the noble Lord and to Mr. Turner for the very flattering way in which they had brought his name before the meet ing. He could only state this, that during the time he had the honour to preside in that chair, it should be his endea vour on every occasion not only to promote the advance ment of science, but to do everything to honour the science of Manchester and its citizens. (Cheers.) Professor PHILLIPS, after announcing that programmes of each day's proceedings could be obtained every morn ing after eight o'clock at the Portico, in Mosley-street, stated that on Monday evening the number of tickets sold was 684 ; on Tuesday evening, the number had increased to 1,394 ; and up to one o'clock on the present day he found that a total of 1,919 tickets had been disposed of. They had received that evening, at eight o'clock, old life members, who no longer paid to the society, 229; n ew lif e members, 76, who had paid £760 ; old annual members, who had come back to them, 140 ; new annual members entered, 83, contributing £166. 656 ladies' tickets had been purchased, and the number of associates or members for the present year was 1,194. They had, therefore, up to eight o'clock, 2,388 members, and had received £2,916 to be entirely devoted to the advancement of science. (Applause.) Since 1838, except when the Prince Consort presided at the meeting at Aberdeen, they had never had so large a register on the opening day of the meeting. He was proud to see that as mE.ny persons had come to do honour to Williams Fairbairn as to the Prince Consort. (Loud cheers.) The proceedings of the evening were then closed. COUNTRY DIAREBTS. HULL--SEPT. 3. supply of English yat 2s per qr advance r y k n e te to o , - which sold ha d f r a e l air f on the currencies of last week. Foreign, with a fair sale, at Is to 25 higher. Malting barley met with a slow de mand. Grinding samples, however, were in moderate re quest, and realised fully late prices. Oats ruled dull, with a downward tendency. Beans show no change. wh A e t at o , ur mo ma stl Wheat.... Old white.... per qr 548 Od to 65 8 Od Old red . . .... ~ New white .. „ New red .... 545 Od to 60 5 Od K Dantzic, onb , We. old white 545 Od to 63s Od Dutch, Belgian, and French. 50s Od to 588 Od Baltic and Hamburg, red . , 545 Od to 55s Od St. Petersb urg and Riga, old. 46s Od to 488 Od Barley.... English malting Grinding .... . ... . Seal and Oderbruck Holstein and Danish Grinding 275 Od to 29s Od English, old Archangel and Riga, per st oBl2}d to 13d Friesland and Dutch osl3d to 08131 d Swedish and Danish OBl2O to 0813 d Beans ....English, old, per qr. 4Bs Od to 505 Od New pigeon 42s Od to 44s od, New tick. 4os Od to 42s Od Egyptian .. 38s Od to 405 Od Peas Foreign breakers . 36s Od to 38s Od Grinding Tares .... Spring Indian Calm Linseed, feeding crushing 0 Linseed cakes (fluli) £9 15 0 to 40 0 Foreign] BlO oto 9 0 0 Rape cakes 6 0 oto 6 5 13 Bones 415 oto 5 0 a Oats NEWARK-SEPT. 3. A tolerable show of wheat from the growers to-day, the new samples being of a superior quality. The trade firm, at an advance of 2s to 3s per qr. on former prices. Barley in moderate supply. Oats were rather scarce, and prices firm. The demand for beans was healthy at high rates. White wheat, new, 58s to 60s Barley, grindig .. 27 Red do. 5 55 t o 57 8 Oats, old, ... n ... 30s to 29ss to 34s Old white s7a to 59s New do .......... 24s to 29s Red do. 45s to 50s ' Beans. ........... 45s to 50s Barley, malting 34s to 40s Beans. new...... 37s to 40s Peas, ....40a to 50s. SHEFFIELD-SEPT. 3. There was a meagre attendance to-day, and trade ruled quiet, though there were some demand for fine new wheat, which realised an advance of Gd to is per load. Old wheat was almost unsaleable. New oats more plentiful, and de clined is per qr from last week. Flour hi per 141 b higher. Other articles were at former quotations. Red wheat, per lead of 3 imperial bushels 17s Od to 25s Od White ft ft 2ss Od to 288 Od New red , , l 7B Od t o 26s Od New white „ ~ 2os Od to 24s 6d Beans ~ ft l6s Od to 18 s Od Peas, per qr..... 54s Od to 55s Od Grinding barley, per qr 33s Od to 35s Od Malting ditto, ~ 35s Od to 43 s Oft Oats ff 2ss 6d to 34s Od 141 b. Millers' prices for flour-2s Od, 2 s ld, and 2s 4d per COAL MARK (Prioes of Coal per Ton at ET—SEPT. 4. the close of the market Walla:End. s. d. Holywell 15 6 North Pelton. • l3 0 Penfield Moor Butes 12 9 Carway and Duffryn Malting 24 0 Do. Anthracite 21 6 a. d. South Hartlepool 16 6 Fletton .. .. lB 0 Russel's Heiton 16 9 Eden 16 0 Acorn Close 16 0 Sheriff Hill 14 6 Fratawellgate l6 0 K elloe ~ t, 51; sold. 33. Walls Eud. Trimdon Thornley.... 15 6 Woodhouse C105e..... 14 9 Ships at marke THE MAILS. MAILS DUB. Australia, Ceylon, and Mauritius (via South ampton) .. .. • • .. Sept. 18. Do. (via Marseilles) Sept. 12. Brazil and Cape Verde • • • • . Sept. 3. Buenos Ayres, Monte Video, &o. Cuba and Mexico Sept. 28. Canada, &o. (via L'derry) • • .. Sept. 4. Cape of Good Hope, &c. .. Oct. 1. China, Penang, and Singapore (via S'ampton) Sept. 1. Do (via Marseilles) Sept. 12. Gibraltar (via Southampton) .. .. Sept. 1. ndia (Calcutta), Ceylon, Bre. (via Southampton) Sept. 1. Do. ( v i a M arseilles) Sept. 12. India (Bombay), (via Southampton) .. Sept. 10. Do. (via Marseilles) .. Sept. 4. Lisbon .. Sept. 1. Malta, Egypt, and Aden (via Southampton) .. Sept. 1. Do. (via Marseilles) .. Sept. 4. Vigo, and Oporto .• .• • • • • Sept. I. United States, California, Sm. .. • • • • Sept. 4. Western Coast of Africa, Madeira, Teneriffe Sept. 10. West Indies and Pacific, Carthagena, Cuba, &c. Sept. 13. UNITED STATES' MAILS.—The Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia steamship company's screw steamer Kangaroo, sailed yesterday from Liverpool for New York with the United States' mails. Besides the mails she had on board a fair amour t of cargo and 45 cabin passengers. She had also £6,535 in gold on freight. BIRTHS. BEAVAN.—On the 2d inst., at Belmont Lodge, Bognor, Sussex, the wife of John Griffiths Beavan, Esq., of a daughter. GARVOCK.—On the 3d inst., the wife of Brigadier .General Garvock, Commanding at Dover, of a daughter. HOLGATE.—On the 3d inst., the wife of Wyndham Hob , g ate, Esq., barrister -at-law, o f a daughter. MARRIAGES. MANNING--TWEED.—On the 3d inst, a t a t Little Badd ow Church, George Th eo d ore Manning, of S P rin gfleld, to Fanny Maria, youngest daughter of the late Captain Tweed, R.N., of Little Baddow Hall, Essex. RADCLIFFE—SHARP.--On the 3d inst., at St. M ary ' s Bryanston-square, Lieut_Colonel R. P. Radeliffeiß.A.,, to Annie, only daughter of the late Wm. Henry Sharp, Esq., of 48, Upper Seymour-street. DUATIIS• Esq., of N ., obetthheo Hackney, Esq., aged 3. A .n br t h w orn AT as En. A — rew On te t r h , e 3d inst., at Dalston-rise, BLACK.—On the 3d inst., at 4, Bans-gate, Ayr, Archd. CLARKS.—On the 31st ult., at Filet', in Yorkshire, in the 59th year of her age, Sarah Anne, widow of the late Black, Esq., merchant, London., 31st ult in rPe, near Barnsley. GR lt u a r e i r T t it C .: C o l n ari t r e , Palace- green , Ely, the Rev. J. Griffith, 8.D. 1 for 61 years Minor Canon of Ely, aged 90. LEWELLEN.—On the lst inst., Mr. Frederick Lewellen, of the Leopard Coffee-house, 86, Fenchurch-street, aged 58. MOUNT-EDGCUMME.—On the 3d inst., on board his yacht, o ffErith, the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe. SS A shl FTESURY.— daughter of the E ar l and Countess of LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, at No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TIM Sus/ Office, No. 112,Strando In the Precinct of the Savoy, in th e ceu4ty of MndleseZ Thursday, September soon.