The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-06 00:00:00

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT DUNDEE.

The meeting of the general committee of the
British Association for the Advancement of Science was held
on Wednesday morning, and in the evening Kinnaird-hall
was crowded to hear the inaugural address. While the
company was assembling, Sir David Brewster, who sat In
a front seat on the platform, suddenly beams faint as be
was speaking to Professor Balfour, who was sitting behind
him, and was caught by Professor Balfour as he appeared
about to fall. Sir David Baxter and several medical gen-
tlemen came forward, and he speedily recovered from his
swoon, and was carried out of the ball. In • few
minutes he recovered almost completely, his illness having
been brought on by the extreme heat of the hall.
At eight o'clock precisely the Duke of Bucelench, the
President of the Association, entered the hall amidst loud
applause. He was accompanied by Professor Phillips, an
ex-president of the Association ; Sir Roderick Murchison,
Sir John Ogilvy, M.P.; Colonel Sykes, M.P.; Sir John
Lubbock ; Lord Kinnaird ; Earl of Enniskillen ; Sir David
Barter ; Sir Philip Egerton ; Sir John Bowring ; Principal
Tullosh ; Sir George Harvey ; Provost Hay, of Dundee ;
Provost Swan, Kirkcaldy ; and • large number of the
leading members of the association, moat of whom were
present at the meeting of the general committee in the
afternoon.
The Duke of Bremen,

in his opening remarks,
_I Use mho* aosieey he
metalled by the death of Professor Faraday. He then
dwelt on the national advantages arising from the pro-
gram et mime,. How many hundreds and thousands
of pounds, he said, might have been saved in this
country to individuals and to companies if the science
of geology had been better understood ! (Hear,
hear.) People have got a very extraordinary idea
of geology. " Them geologists," they say, " they manu-
facture the world—(a laugh)—they create all the different
formations of the world, at least they fancy they can, or
some previous geologist has done so for them. They talk
about all the different series of rocks—the secondary, the
tertiary, and I don't know how many kinds of ' dries ;
but what do they do ? They don't pretend to
create, and they have great difficulty in explain-
ing how, as they imagine, these different layers
were excited." But they have studied, so that they
can tell you in what pert of the country you may find
certain minerals, and in what other parts you may
spend a mint of money and find none. lam sure it
would be difficult to say how many hundreds of thou-
sands have been sunk and lost in seeking for that
wonderful vein of gold in the shape of coal and other
things, which nobody would have dreamt of doing if a
question had been asked of any ordinary geologist.
(Applause.) And when I speak of geology, it pats me in
mind of another point. I was talking a little while
ago of scientific education in schools. We want
scientific education in our universities. We waist
to have natural and physical science taught ht
our universities. (Applause.) It is not many
months ago sines a powerful effort was made to
get an endowment for a geological chair in Edin-
burgh—which, we may say, is the cradle of geology,
where it took its rise and flourished. Not only that, bat
Edinburgh happens to stand on a peculiar geological for-
mation, where almost every remarkable phenomena is to
he found connected with geology. Unfortunately that
attempt was simply snuffed out. (A laugh.) I cannot
prettied to go through all the different points and sections
which are taken up by this association. I will only call
your attention to one, which I take some interest in, namely,
meteorology. There great efforts have been made, and
with agog success, by the British Association for the
Advancement of Science, more particularly at Kew
Observatory. What I and others have urged on the
government of the day is the great importance of having
renewed and carried on what were called storm eignala at
our different porta. (Applause.) Ido not mean that we
have asked the meteorological department of the Board of
Trade to turn themselves into weather prophets, to give
us forecasts of weather • but as they have the power of
ascertaining the prevailing winds and storms by tele-
angraphic communication ever the whole of this country,
d over the continent of Europe, over all the shores of it
at least, and to very distant parts ther can inform us
where there are great disturbances of the elements prevail.
ing. (Hear, hear.) The great thing with regard to this
association is that it is not exclusive nor reclusive. It will
nether 'aped nor repel others, nor will it seek to
include wi!hln 6„„ sphere other societies that ought more
props, ly he by thet,;,lves ; but I believe it would be a
very good thing for this society, and for the countrffiti,2*-
rally, if a great many more scientific SlR:eiatimi springing
up throughout the country were, as I may call it, ams,:"•"
with us, looking to this society as their head, director, and
assistant. (Applause.) I must, in conclusion, be allowed
simply to thank the gentlemen of the British Association for
the Advancement of Science for the honour they have
done me in placing me in this chair. (Applause.) I know
it is no alight honour. I feel it is no slight honour. (Ap-
plause.) I also feel it is no alight responsibility; but, so
far as in me lies, I will endeavour faithfully to perform my
duties, and I hope these duties will not be so performed as
to show that you have been entirely deceived in having
selected a poison for this high and onerous position who
was totally unfit to be in this chair. (Cheers.)
Professor PHILLIPS proposed, and Provost HAY seconded
a vote of Meeks to the Duke of Buccleuch for presiding.
The Duke of Berm-turn acknowledged the vote, and
the meeting then separated.

MECHANICAL SCIENCE SECTION.
Thie section met in the Watt-ball Constitution•rowl.
_ _

Professor RANKIN', the president, in opening the pro-
ceedings, after having referred to the new researches
made in connexion with the strength of materials and
motive power, enumerated those that had been prosecuted
in hydraulic engineering. He stated, in ocncluidon, that
reports bad been made on the following subjects, at the
instance of the Mechanical Section, in conjunction with
various other sections of the association:—Weights and
Measures, 18644-6 ; Pateut Laws, 1858-9, 1861 ; Scientific
Evidence in Courts of Law, 1866.
At the close of the president's address a discussion
ensued.