The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-25 00:00:00

S 4

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

(Yuan °us anao. couzspopmin.)

•
NOITEROHAY, Vanua,
Pleasure almost took precedence of business
yesterday. Although the Sections were well
attended in the morning, and some papers and dis-
cussions of extreme interest were expected in the
afternoon, the sttractions of the great floral fete in
the Park overcame the attractions of science, and
the Sections were comparatively deserted at an early
period of the day. The fete was certainly very
brilliant. As a collection of splendid flowers it
was one of the best that has ever taken place in
the Midland district, renowned though it is for
the love of its inhabitants for flowers. Nottingham
itself is surrounded by a wide belt of gardens
which are said to number nearly nine thousand
separate allotments, and the interest of the inhabi-
tants in the floral exhibition was evidenced by the
closing of many of the shops in honour of the fits.
The two principal characteristics of the show were
the orchids and the ferns. One of the largest of
the tents contained a magnificent collection of the
latter, and presented a vast mass of foliage, infinite
in its variety of form, exquisite in its minuteness
of development, and wonderfully illustrative of
the fact that the doctrine of " continuity " is not in
the least incompatible with the widest divergences
between the two ends of a series which are never-
theless closely linked together by a chain
of forms only slightly varying each from its
immediate neighbour. The display of fruits
was good, and the exhibition, though
not strongly adapted to advance science, at
least promoted enjoyment. One of the most re-
markable things in the show was in one of the
centre marquees. It consisted of a branch of
the Chinese mulberry tree, on which were a
number of sflk worms of a much larger and more
beautiful form than the ordinary silkworms.
They were in all stages of development, from the
egg to the cocoon, and were accompanied by some
fine specimens of last year's moths. They were
raised in Nottingham, and I was told that there
had been some expectation that the worms might
be cultivated with success, and with immense ad-
vantage to the silk trade of this district, if not in
England, at leant in some parts of Western
Europe. The trees on which the worms livemay be
seen growing, and, I understand flourishing, in the
garden of Mr. W. G. Johnson, in Nottingham-
park. Something like a scientific curiosity was
introduced in the shape of a machine for trans-
planting growing trees, invented by Mr. Barron, of
Borrowaah. On one of the machines stood a golden
holly, 30 feet in height, which had been twice
transplanted by it. Of course, the principle is the
lifting of the tree with an immense ball of earth
attached to the roots, which are consequently not
disturbed. The machine, we are informed, is
about to be removed to the Kew Gardens for use
there.

But the great feature of yesterday's pleasures
was the soiree at the Exhibition building in the
evening. The building had been beautifully de-
corated for the occasion, and transformed into an
immense drawing-room, hung all round with
choice pictures and photographs, adorned with
an immense number of objects of scientific
interest, and well lighted and carpeted. The halll
is about 200 feet in length, 37 in width, and 42 in
height, and a gallery 12 feet wide runs completely
round it supported on light columns, which rise
from the ground to the arched roof of the nave.
The whole of the space provided by the hall and
galleries was filled, about 2,000 persons being pre-
sent. The chief sources of attraction were the
microscopes and the breech-loading rifles, of which
there was a plentiful supply. There were also
many kinds of scientific apparatus, and a very
elegant machine producing by electrical action a
strong and continuous rotary motion. Of course
all the sciences were represented, but an attempt
to convey scientific knowledge entirely failed.
Professor Cobbold having been asked to give a
lecture on entozoa, many specimens of which were
exhibited at the microscopical stands, was quite !
unable to attract sufficient attention or command
sufficient silence to enable him to proceed. The I
place was too large for a voice to be generally
heard, and the company were too much bent on
enjoyment, and after the learned professor had
spoken for a few minutes with all the physical force
and demonstration in his power, he was compelled
to retire. Side by side with the exhibition build-
ing was the refreshment tent, containing some-
thing like half the area of the ball, and very
beautifully and appropriately decorated, in strong
contrast with it. It was approached from either
end of the ball by a covered passage, and was as
delightful a change from the busy scene there as
could possibly be made. Along one side of the tent were
the ample provisions for refreshment provided on
the most liberal scale. In the middle was a large
space of green sward, with growing shrubs and a
fine pyramid of flowers rising around each of the
poles which supported the roof of the tent. Along
the other side was a rockery covered with growing
farns, amongst which the water tumbled in many a
miniature waterfall, giving an air of charming
freshness to the scene. But the most remarkable
thing was the light which fell upon it. At each
end of the pitched roof of the tent was a large
lamp of Larkin's patent for the consumption of
magnesium. The light from these lamps, which
were not very dazzling to look at, was like a
gentle daylight, wanting indeed in perfect
steadiness, and reminding one of moonlight, but
far stronger than any light that has over been
reflected from our satellite. Yet it had a
blue look as it fell upon the faces of the assembly,
and on the first glance gave a rather cadaverous
appearance to us all. But a good deal of careful
comparison induced me to believe that the blue-
ness was exactly like that which early daylight
seems to have when it struggles through the blind
and falls on the white surface of the paper while
the midnight lamp is still burning, and the night's
literary labours have been protracted to the dawn.

(rnox oua °wig RE Dame).

SECTION A.-MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL

SCIENCE.

Here Mr. Fleeming Jenkin brought up the Report o
the committee on Electrical Standards, and the Prerident
of the Association (Mr. Goode) communicated a letter
from Professor Mateucci on earth-currents.
In Section ll—Chemical Science—the papers read were
merely technical, though two of them—" On Ozone," by
Dr. Danbeny, and "Disinfectants," by Mr. W. Crookes,
were more practical.