The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-07 00:00:00

MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE.

Professor Sir WILLIAM THOMPSON, D.C.L., in opening
the business of the day, alluded in the following terms
to the death of Professor Faraday :—I wish I could put
in words something of the image which the name of Fara-
day always suggests to my mind. Kindliness and unsel-
fishness of disposition ; clearness and singleness of pur-
pose brevity, Cmplioity, and directness ; sympathy with
his audience; natural tact and good taste; thorough cul-
tivation—all these he had, and each in a me degree, and
their influence pervaded his language and manner, both in
conversation and lecture. But all of these combined made
only • part of Faraday's charm. He bad an indescribable
quality of quickness and life. Something of the light
of his genius irradiated all with • certain bright intel-
ligence, and pee • singular charm to his manner
which was felt by every one—from the deepest philo-
sopher to the simplest child—whoever had the privi-
lege of seeing him in his home—the Royal Institution.
That light has now gone from us. While thankful for
having seen and felt it, we cannot but mourn our loss, and
feel that whatever good things, whatever brightness may
helot in store for us, that light we can see again.
Dr. BALFOUR STEWART, superintendent of Kew Obser-
vatory, also read • paper, " On the behaviour of the ane-
roid
barometer at different pressures." Experiments had
lately been made with the view of ascertaining to what
extent an aneroid ma' be considered • reliable instrument
when exposed to considerable changes of pressure, such as
occur in mountain districts. By means of an air-pump,
the anemias when placed in &receiver might be subjected
to any pressure. A. method of tapping the aneroid, had
also been devised, and by this maim the experiments as to
the deviations of the results given by these instruments
were conducted with comparative ease, and with the
greatest accuracy. The experiments were still going on.
Sir WILLIAM RAWSON said the aneroid had become so
popular an instrument that many had satisfaction in
learning that it was capable of giving results with
scientific precision. Dr. Stewart had shown that in
taking a barometer up • mountain 12,000 feet, the error
would only be about :.00 feet, and bad also shown how to
correct this error. By carefully using the instrument,
therefor,, they had • probabibty of determining with
much less probability of error, the height of a mountain of
12,000 feet.
Mr. BROWER entered into some explanations regarding
the action of the small aneroid, one of which he had
carried in his pocket for • considerable time in order to
regulate the graduations of the instrument.
Mr. GLAISHER corroborated the remarks of Dr. Balfour
Stewart with regard to the small aneroid.
Mr. GLAIIIHER called attention to the subject of luminous
meteors, and pointed out that reports and disquisitions
on meteoric bodies were for twenty years @mounted as
mere waste paper, and were treated accordingly. Year
after year the meteorologists toiled on in the fare of much
adverse criticism, and, from the indifference with which
their researches were treated, it seemed hopeless to expect
valuable results from the carelessness with which their com-
munications were received by an unscientific and unappre-
ciative public. This year, however, Mr. Disdainr rejoiced
to say that the matter wore ti much more hope-
ful appearance. The meteoric shower of last
November was witnessed by vast numbers of
people in all parts of the kingdom, and the recol-
lection of the splendid spectacle added a great ipte-
rest to any observat,ons which bad been since made re-
speating luminous meteors, their size, their composition,
their probable distance from the earth, and the relation
which they bore to the many other created objects in the
field of boundless space. The researches of the aetrono-
mere had incontestably proved that meteors, like comets,
had their orbits, and that their mevements, though erratic,
were regulated by the same laws as those which governed
the regular path of our own world round the sun.
Sir Jone Hen/room added his testimony to that of Mr.
Glidaber as to the importance of meteorology as • science,