The Express.
London, England, 1861-09-09 00:00:00

BRITISH ASBOCIATIOH

The meetings of the sections wore attended by
crowds of members, of bib seam us Saturday, awl in the
~ectioe of mechanical stietice some interest.ng and highly
practical papers were read, including the following :
le. Eddy : " Proposal for a Class of Gunboats capable of
engaging .trrnoar-plated Ships at Sea; accompanied with
seggestioas foe fastening on Armour Plates." Cap-
tain Liakely "Artillery ctn. Arnie' William Fairbairs,
1.11.11. (the President of the association) : " Results of
ExperissesM ea Targets at Shoeburyneos." E. J. Reed :
"Os the Iresessed Ships of the British Admiralty."
Theo. Ashton : "On Enlarged Projectiles for Rifled Fire-
arms.' After those 'pipers had been reed, a very lengthy
diermaWs took place, in which Mr. Scott Russell and Sir
William Armstrong took a leading part. In section E•
(Geology and Ethnology) Professor Owen rend an in-
teresting paper on "The Inhabitants of the Andaman
Isles ;" and Sir Roderick Murchison brought an
appeal forward for the eos of the late Mr. Thomas
Atkiwirsi, the explorer of Siberia, who was bore in that
inhospitable region, and who was left destitute by the
death of his father. Mr. Atkisecis was formerly of Man-
chester, where he was an architect by profession, and he
afterwanls expended the whole of his seam in his travels
in Siberia. The object was to give his son a good education.
The following names were pat down as subscribers :—Sir
It. J. Murchison, 20!. ; Mr. Fairbaire, lOC ; Mr. Charles
White, V. ; Mr. J. Crawford, IW. ; Mr. William Spottis-
woode, ; soil Mr. Denby Seymour, M.P., 51. A tekgra-
phic Rorie took place in the evening. An viewless took
place daring the day, by • numerous party of geologists, to
the colliery of Messrs Knowles, near Manchester.
A discourse was delivered in the Zoological Section of the
Association on Saturday, attempting to vindicate the
method of investigation used by Mr. Darwin, as being
in strict accordance with logical principles. The audience
was large and deeply interested. The speaker Mr. H.
Fawcett, having unfortunately lost his eyesight ty a gun
accident., napsorted permission to dispense with a written
paper, and delivered a remarkably clear and consecutive
speech, which was followed by a discussion.
During a brief address at the telegraphic soiree, Mr.
Grove had a message put into his hands; it was from the
Prince Coulon at Balmoral :
" Has the meeting of the British Association in Man-
skeeter boas suceredul
The following answer was immediately telegraphed back :
" Hie Royal Highness will be pleased to hear that the
meeting is a peat succe.s. Upwards of 3,C.* members, and
thing going off well."
Both the message and the answer were bailed by the vast
audience with cheers.

At 8.0 p.m., messages were exchanged with the Hague ;
at 8.10 p.m., with Hamburg ; and at 8.'33 p.m. with Berlio.
At 51 p.m.. a message regarding the weather was cent to
St. Petersburg, and at 24.5. the answer WY returned. At
8,56, the wood question about the temperature was sent to
EA. Petersburg, and at 8.7.7 the reply was received.
At 9.5 p.m., St. Petersburg joined up the Menchester
mid Moscow hoes, when Manchester put the following
question to Moscow :

lIPMSAGE.

....
" 9.6 p.m.—Please say what weather you have, and also
yw!

REPLY.

" 9.7 p.m. It is raining.lie 16 minutes past eleven."
At 9.17 p.m., Moscow joined up the Yeacheeter aud
Odder Vises, when the telluwins eerreeponslence ensued

lICSSAGIt.

" 9.18. p.m.- 111aochester arks What is your weather
and time !'

SUIPLT.

"9.20 paw —Weather coal, but very clear. Windy.
Mx minutes past eleven."
_

ii114544:6.

" 9.21 pm.—Manche ter asks 7—' la the harvest over?"
Were is rather a longer interval, the Wises clerk having
be.. called away from hie inatrusuant.)

IJUMT.

"9.33 p.m.--The harvot is over. and the grapes are now
i• searrow."

Oilmen then joined up the Manchester and Nicolas,
lines fit will be remembered Nioolaiiv is the Russian naval
yard on the northwest avant of the Black Meal, when the
usual compliments were exchanged by the two clerks; bat
the occurrence of • violent storm in some locality through
which the telegraph line posed, and the currents of
atmospheric electricity which it imputed to Ito wire, led
to the abandoemeot of the intention to extend the circuit
to Taganrog, on the northeast coast of the Soo of Asa,
which would have been about 3,100 EBB'. from tin Free
Trade Hall. However, the communication with Niookiev
direct, no Berlin. St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Odessa,is
a feat which, we believe, to bo unsurpanwein the annals of
telegraphy. The last most distant station spoken to=
Electric and International Telegraph Company was
by a cinch more direct route, • distance of about 2,21 C)
miles ; whereas the distaoce by wog of St. Petersburg,
to Niconew ie near 2,800 nubs.