The Express.
London, England, 1864-09-17 00:00:00

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.

(room OUR OWN 1370111128.)

BATH, TawAy.

A great gloom has been cast over thin city to-day,
awl we are ears that the painful feehog which has bass =-
sited will be participated in by the oonimnnity at large,
b the intelligeoce which reached here this monde& of the
awfallyeuddenly death. by rockiest, of Captain Spoke, the
ensinent Alricto traveller. lie attended the geographical
section up to one o'clock yesterday, and in the afternoon
went out shooting, when by some accident which is as yet
sisexplaiasd he was shot dead by his own grin. The air-
11.11W111b00 was feelingly alluded to by Sir R. Murchison,
t►s president of the Geographical Association. Turning
bun this painful subject to the proceedings of the mom-
Ilea. we have to record that last evening a oonvetuzione
was held in the Assembly-rooms, which was numerously
sad fashionably attended. This morning the sections as.
ambled at their appointed places of meeting.

SECTION E.—GEOGRAPHY AND ETHNOLOGY.
This section was presided over by Sr R. MURCHISON,
who, on taking the chair, said he bud to apologies for being
a few minutes behind time, but the cause was that in the
oesimittee they had bees profoundly afflicted by the dread-
ful calamity that had befallen his friend Captain Spoke. It
was impossible for him to proceed with the bookies of the
day without endeavouring to elicit from them an ezpressios
ef their sympathy which he was sure they must all feel for the
dreadful calamity which had happened, and to offer the
heartfelt condolence of all geographers and ethnologists, and
all travellers to the relatives and friends of Captain Spoke.
This calamity was still mom painful when be stated that
hie eminent friend bad intended to be present to-day and to
take pert is the discussion on African discovery. He would
therefore, without further preface, move "That the goo-
graphers and ethoologista of the British Association having
heard with profound regret of the fatal accident which has
befallen Canton Seeks. and by which they have suddenly
lost so eminent an associate, resolve that their most heart-
hit condolences be offered to bin relatives on his being thus
- sot off in ass awful a manner in the fulness of his strength
end vigour. and while animated by an unabated spirit of
eaterpnsa" It was an accident in shooting. lo going over
a wall with two or three of his friends the gun accidentally
went off. and the shot went near, or through his heart, and
he lived but a few moments.
The motion was formally put, and of course met with as
maseimons assent.
Captain R. H. Burton this read a paper on the etiinology
el Dahomey.
Kr. J. Patherick then read a paper giving the latest news
frees Hr. 8. Bober, the Central African traveller.
Au interesting discissios followed, m which Dr. Bryan
Dr. Kerk, and Captain Burton took part, respecting the
light which bed beau thrown by these recent discoveries on
the sources of the Nile.

Mr. MARKHAM, the secretary, than read a paper by Mr.
James Fox Wilson, on the increasing dessication of inner
i Southern Africa, which he attnbuted to the cutting down
of forests and the sauna' buraing of grass and herbage.
A discussion followed in the oourse of which the chairman
said the reasoning applied equally to this country. in
Bristol for two or three weeks there had been no water sup-
ply for the town.
The abuses of Dr. Livingstone wee also remarked upon,
the chairman saying they were to have occupied the same
Lease, but nothing had been heard of him.
A paper waa then read by Dr. T. Hodgkinson, on the in-
. emseingdessication of Souther@ Africa.
A paper by Mr. Jobe Crawford, F.H.S., Oa the Early
• Maigratioes of Man, was also read.

' SHICTION F.—ECONOMIC SCIENCE AND STATISTICS.
This section held its mooting in the smaller ball-room,
Dr. Fain, presidect of the sconce, in the chair. There
was a lorge attesdaacs.
Mr. Edmund Macrory, secretary of the section, having
mid the mimeos, which were confirmed,
Dr. F tea stated that the Ent business was the reading of
an important report, not of the section, but of the British
Asuenation. on the uniformity of weights and moistures.
The committee connoted of Lord Wrottealey, Mr.
Adderley, Sir William Armstrong, the Astronomer
Royal,
Mr. &mord Brown, Mr. William Ewart, M.P. (who was
chairman of the committee in the House of Comm..., and
who conducted the measure with reference to the
metric system through parliament), the Muter of the
Mint, Sir John Hay, Bart., Professor Heoneery, Mr. James
Heywood, Dr. Lee, Professor Levi, Professor Miller, Pro-
fessor Rankin, Rev. Dr. Robinson, Colonel Sykes, M.P.,
Mr. Tits, M.P., Professor Williamson, Mr. Purdy, and Mr.
Yates. A deputation attended from the Chemical Section
to express their opinion on the Report. Before
the paper was reed, be would lay on the table the metre—
• brans one—whieh was the proposed standard of measure.
It was thought to be a very myeterious thing, but, as they
would observe, it looked very much like an English yard,
Ist rather better measure. (A laugh.)
The Pittsipen then called on Mr. Heywood to read the
report.

iir. Heywood, before raiding the report, stated that the
111101 s Wu three feet three sod one.eqghth inches long, and
derived itensme from the Greek word " metros"—a wee-
rem

The following are the recommendations of the committee :
—l. That it is desirable, in the interests of science, to adopt
• decimal system of weights and measures.
Y. That, in furtherance of this proposal, it is desirable,
from its scientific capabilities, to adopt the metric system.
3. That as the weights and measures of this country are
vadually undergoiod a proems of decimalisation, it would
be mere advantageous, instead of drifting be degrees into a
heterogeneous variety of systems, to change at once to a
molly convenient system.
4. That it be recommended to the government, in all
asses in which statistical documents issued by them relate
to cneetione of intematiotial interest, to give the metric
equrrybiate to Eoglieh weights and Tonsures.
5. That is communications respecting weights and wea-
pons, presented to foreign nominee which have adopted the
metric system, equivalents in the metric system be given
ler the onlioary Eoglish expressions for leach, capacity,
link, and weight.
_ _

6. That it ge recommended to the authors of scientific
communications, in all Mel when the unease cc labour
involved would not le too great, to give the metric equiva-
lents of the weights and measures mentioned.
7. That the influence of the British Association would be
Beneficially exerted in obtaining from Paris aa authorised
est of metric weights and measures, to be placed kin some
public and frequented building in London.
8. That advantage will be danced from the recent publi•
adios of metric table', by C. H. Dowling, C. E., in which
British standard weights and measures an compared with
these of the metric system. That treatises explaining the
metric system, with diagrams, should be forthwith laid be.
fees the public. That works on arithmetic should contain
metric tables of weights and measures, with suitable exer-
cises fro those tables ; and that inspectors of schools should
examine toodidatee for pupil-teachers in the metric system.
9. On the subject of temperature, it is recommended that
the authors of reports to be presented to the British Awe-
claim relative to temperature, be requested to give the
of boat or cold, according to both the Centigrade
tiFahrenheit's thermometers.
10. It is noommeaded that the scales of thermometers
seentructed for seientific purposes be divided both acoordiag
to the Centigradeand Fahrenheit scales ; and that be: metric
sodas be divided into fractious of the metre, as well as into
these of the foot and inch.

IL That • committee on uniformity of weights and mei-
earls be re-appointed.
The Presideet observed that they had among than one
of the greatest writers au practical Ittithmstie in the world,
the Lord Bishop of Natal. (Loud cheery.) He hoped Dr.
Ooleoso would favour them with • few words on this sub-
ject. (Cheery.)
The Bishop of Natal, who was received with loud cheers,
mid— I shall detain the section with very few words, but
perhaps before proceeding to speak of the subject more im-
mediately before us I should do will to tit up the blank
which Captain Maury has left io the information which be
has just given you. You, in common with all the members
of the amocistioe, will I am sure le deeply grieved to know
that the lamentable event to which Captain Maury re-
ferred is the untimely death of • distinguished member of
our body, and one of our most illustrious English travellers
—who was present with us I believe and taking part in our
proceedings yesterday, and certainly meant to have beau
present to-day—Captain Spike. (Much sensatioo.) It
would seem that while stpeting with some friends, in
climbing • hedge his gun was accidentally discharged, and
its a hole mote° ts were poured into his brew.
His death was almost iosmotaneous, but his
foes has left • blank which we must all
psatly deplore, and which must cast a cloud over the
redo( the proceedisp of this otherwise most happy and
escosseful meeting of the British Associatioe. (Loud
cheers.) Having been detained in the geographical section
with this and other matters connected with Africa, I ass
unable to be present when the report of the ecomnitttee
was reed in this room. But I wee present at Berlin last
year wheu the subject was thoroughly considered, soil
where it is well known the greatest unanimity of feeling
prevailed in regard to it ; and I have glanced over the re-
port sufficiently to see that, as a whole, I should heartily
assent to it I believe that the time is some when a step
may be taken, and ought to be takes, decisively.
to promote the introduction of the metrical system
into general use mom our people. (Cheers.)
Mr. );rant has described, very humorously, the
difficulties encountered by young arithmeticians. I hope
that things have changed a little for the better in this respect
Mace Mr. Ewart was. boy. (Cheers and • laugh.) I remem-
ber wall my own schoolboy days—(a laugh)—end the diffi-
culties which I found in mastering the details of Bonny -
coatis and the other dreary books with which boys were
piqued is those days. (A laugh.) My arithmetical lessons
vows a perpetual misery, sad if 1 was ever punished it was
always °alai° to be for my sums. I could not understand
the rules which the books laid down, and I suffered the
pimel oassequeaces of such inability. (A laugh. Well, the
semembrance of past misery compelled me when I besets a
man, and was engaged myself to teaching boys at Harrow, to
endeavour to relieve the panes of others—(ahem)—sad I
trust that my 'aorta with those of other writers who have
lehoured in the earns field have not been altogether in vain.
farm I &Ashbaugh mittiersare immewhat simplified in
these days they would bevastly more simplified if the metri-
cal system were folly adopted among as. With respect to