The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-15 00:00:00

BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

SOUTHAMPTON, MONDAY.
This has been a great day for the Association, not to mush
in regard to the importance of the business gone through, as
its having been the ocasion of his Royal Highness Prince
Albert taking for the first time a prominent pert in the pro-
ceedings of the several sections. The intention cf his Royal
Highness in this respect was announced en Saturday, and
great preparations were in the meantime made by the Also-
elation, in conjunction with the Mayor and Town Connell,
to welcome their iduetrious visitor in a manner befitting his
high rank and position in the country. The landing steps
from the water's edge to the pier-head were carpeted with
crimson cloth, and the building at the extremity of the pier
was fitted up in a sumptuous manner as a reception room.
The royal standerd was hoisted at the pier-bead, and at the
top of Lee Mayor's, house. The numberless yachts and vessel*
in the Southampton Water presented the appearance
of so many pyramids of flags of all colours, and the
Yacht Club House, the various hotels and public build-
ings, and even the shops and private houses, were
adorned with the flags ot—judging from their variety of
ceeour and dcsive ail nations, and their balconies and
e Meows were crowded with elegantly-dressed ladies.
From one end to the ether of Southampton, the ppulation
of which, owiug to the great influx of members of the Asso-
ciation and others who have been attracted hither by busi-
ness or pleasure, far exceeds, at this moment, ite ordinary
limit*, was the whole morning long in a slate of unusual
bustle and excitement, which sueeidel only, when, on her
return, the royal yacht ceased to be visible in the Southamp-
ton Water. The pier, the various seetioual rooms, and every
spot from which glimpse of the prince could bct obtained.
were, of course, thronged. At a few minutes before eleven, '
the roar of artliiery front the platform announced the ap-
proach of the Fiery at the pier-head, and utmost home-
(lately his Royal Highness, who was received on landing by
the mayor, alitermen, and council of the town, Sir R. Mur-
chison, the president of the Association, and Captain Ellice,
made his appearance on the pier, amidst the almost deafen-
ing shouts of the spectators. The prince, who was attended
by Colonel Bowie rte and the Ilon. G. 'E. Anson, having
entered tee reception room, aceeimpaniei by the mayor and
council, and Sir It. Murchison, an address was pri stetted to
him, which appeared in yesterday's Express, together with
his itoyal Highness's reply.
On leaving the pier, hia Royal Highness, se. ompanied by
the mayor, Colcnel Buuverie, and Mr. Anson, and followed
by Sir It. Murchison, and other members of the Association,
cud the members of the town-council in other carriages, pro-
ceeded to the Long-rooms, where the section on 'mathema-
tical and pheeical science sue holding its meeting. On the
entrance of the Prince, Sir Jelin Herschel', who was presid-
ing, immediately rose, and the President's chair was offered
to, and accepted by, his Royal Highness. His Royal High-
t nese being seated, erofeesor Phillips read a long report on
Anenome' ry, and the various instruments and improvements
in them wh.eh had been devised for registering the pressure
of the atmosphere, which, together with the discussion which
followed, was listened to with treat attention by the Royal
Associate. Plow section A, the Prince was conducted to the
whale the sub-section of Ethnology was sitting,
and where equal attention was bestowed by his Royal High-
ness to some very detailed Ethnological notes of Siberia, by '
l'rofessor von Middenhorf, read by Dr. Latham, and after-
wards to an explanation in the German language by the
professor himself. By this time Lord Palmerston had arrived
and joined with those who were in attendance on his Royal
Highness. The party then proceeded to the section for
mechanics, where his Royal Highness appeared particularly
gratified with Mr. Fairbairres paper, illustrated by models
and drawings of the results as obtained from the experi-
ments in connexion with the proposed tubular bridges across
the Conway and Menei Straits, in which the lecturer shows
the superiority of the rectangular hollow bridge, as adopted
by Mr. Stephenson on the Chester and Holyhrad Railway
over the chain bridge, or a circular or eliptical iron tunnel
bridge. The next. section the Princ3 reeked was th .t tor
the discussion of chemical science at the Polytechnic, and
here, too, his Royal Highness bestowed considerable
attention to the business going on, which was a
paper by Professor Orrasted on the changes which mer-
cury sometimes suffers in glass vessels hermetically
sealed—the general impression of the means appearing to be,
that those changes were occasioned either by the quality of
the mercury or of the glass. The last place the hence
visited was the Victoria-rooms, where a paper was being
read by the Secretary of the Geological Section on the Arctic
currents, as exhibited in the distribution of the northern
drift, by Dr. Forehammer. This paper was remarkable as
bringing forward evicence to show that the separation of
England from the Continent of Europe had taken place
some time previous to the sixth century before Christ, or
from 2,e100 to 3,000 years ago; and that the German Ocean
was once a bay, in the innermost parts of which were the
shores of Denmark. Another paper, by Professor E.
Forbes, on some natural history phenomena bearing on
geology, observed since the last meeting, and having some
reference to Dr. Forehammer's lecture, followed. Leaving
this room, the Prince entered for a moment another
apartment, in which the zoological and botanical
section was engaged, but here it was announced by Sir R.
Murchison that his Royal Highness's time had expired, and
that her Majesty was waiting fur him on board the royal
yacht, which, after the debarcation of Prince Albert, hail
made the voyage to Cowes and back. His Royal Highness
accordingly proceeded at once to the pier to re-embark. In
the Victoria Rooms, besides the president, the professors,
Viscount Palmerston, and the civic authorities, there were,
during the prince's stay, the Marquis of Northampton, Sir
C. Lemon, M.P., Mr. H. Philips, M.P., Mr. IL M. Milne.,
M.P., and Sir James Clark. The Prince took leave of the
civic authorities at the pier-head, but Lord Palmerston and
Sir. R. Murchison accompanied his Royal Highness
and his attendants to the Fairy, whither they
were conveyed by the yacht's barge. Her Majesty
was waiting on the deck, on reaching which the
Prince presented her with a bouquet of choice flowers he had
brought from the Victoria Rooms. Sir R. Murchison had
the honour of being presented to her Majesty by his Royal
Highness, and was received with marked attention ; Viscount
Palmerston was afterwards honoured by the Queen with a
conversation of tome duration. The noble lord and Sir R.
Murchison having left the Fairy, at half-past one o'clock she
got under weigh, and amidst the salute of' the guns on the
platform and the cheers of the people, proceeded on her
voyage to the Isle of Wight. Several other papers were
read in the various sections after the departure of the
Prince, amongst others one by the Very Rev. Dr. Buck-
land, on the applicability of M. Fauvelle's mode of
boring artesian wells to the well at Southampton,
and to other wells and sinkings for coal, salt, and other
mineral beds. Mr. Vignolles suggested the propriety of
sinking a shaft for the Southampton well, on the principle
explained by him on a previous day as invented by Id.
Fauvelle, but the opinion of Dr. Buckland appeared to be,
that by the present boring they might get through the chalk
into the lower green sand for water, and probably sneceeu
in their object. This formation would be equivalent to that
from which the Parisian well obtained its supply, and he
illustrated the positions of the strata, by references to Mr.
Saipe'e geological map. At three o'clock in the afternoon,
a meeting of the general committee was held at the Town
Hall. The chair was taken by the President, Sir R.
Murchison, who announced the gratifying fact, that his R.