The Express.
London, England, 1861-11-21 00:00:00

SOCIRTY OP ARTS.

The (het ordinary meeting of the 108th session
of the above society was hold yesterday evening at the
Society's Rooms Adelphi, Sir Tares* Pirtu.us, Chairman
of the Cowed, presiding.
After the modem of the minutes the CHAism am delivered
the opening address. It commenced with allusions to the
recent deaths of Mr. Joseph Maudslay and Sir William
Cubist, and theditinguished services rendered by both the
deceased as engineer,. After tracing the history of the ex-
hibition of next year down to the prompt time it said that
should the exhibition. prove • great sorer the charter
secured to the society the parcel°, of the centre
of the picture galleries to the extent of en acre,
and the corondsmoners were required to expend out
of the surplus funds so mach money (not ex-
ceedia with the original oast of the works, 50,0001.) as in
the judgment of the commissioners of lftsl and 188'4 should
be Wm to render the architectural character of Mat pr. ,
ties of the building suitable for the objecte for which it was
to be employed the society. Any further surplus would
be at the dis of the guarantors, and those gentlemen
word dea be pretend to 000perate with the council
I. tericcOg future exhibitions as secure as possible. As
the building, were enecieptible externally of much decoration,
spa so prosiekm far that purpose was mode in the central, I
it bad hewthought dame, to esiginine a ealocriptios,
which use begun by Feel Granville, the chairman of the
Coremlidorte, for the purpose of making experiments in
the employment of mosaics on the. CiiillrOSl Mall of the
front in Oessewell-road. U those MOIlliC.4 were successful
they would give to the buildings a character which was pew
in this country and especially imitable to the climate, and
which wee.hanily to
_le bred eiro itildia.nertli of the
Al The applicability of mosaic, at as anmatial eleineot
could need armor,. " Its glowing
irllolllll would revive oar tare for the rich and
erameetal, and its ix:a:di would rive to per-
petuate the feet that once poseemed and cherished
a deonstive sat some, mere serer( than memo."
With respect to the mesh' el the essisapbezeznieatior for
the present year it was observed that the reports of the
examiners appeared for the most part to meager, an im-
proved acquestare Con the pert of the eledeate with the
subjects of examination, and the rerretary bad reported
that marred attention was given in the various institu.
Hens to systematic teaching, sod Ices to desultory lectures ;
bed the examiners in chemistry, egriculture, and botany
reworked that the student., in those subjects had
tasted to books for their knowledge, and had
pet devoted a sufficient portion of their time to
the laboratory, the farm, the field, or the garden.
The council had been authorised to notify the intention of
his Royal Highness the Prince Consort to offer annually •
pries of twenty-five guineas to the candidate who, obtaining
a oertificate:of the first dais in the current year, should have
obtained in that year, and the three years immediately pr
ceding it, the greatest number of such certificates. This
prise could not be taken more than once by the same candi.
dee. It would be accompanied by a certificate from the
esciety, setting forth the special character of the prize, and
the various certiffeates for which it was granted. Several
friends of the society had authorised the council to offer
additional prises for practical mechanics, animal phy-
siology is relation to health, agriculture, botany,
mining sad matallurpp, political, social, and domes-
tic economy, and English history and literature.
The council boked with much confidence for • continuance
alike valuable services of Lord Westbury in the promotion
of the measure in referees, to copyright, rid trusted he
would be induced to introduce a bill into the House of Lords
in the art erre. As reseeded the pateet Imes, it was
observed that the initiate. of 1862 was pot satisfactory,
and the society's committee reported so certain amendmenu
which were required. The • thoroughfare mid mere of
locomotion which saffirdler 1861 were wholly unequal to '
the wants of 1861, and to provide adequate accommodation
for the transit of the tau traffic involved ques-
tions which bad hither* ved no satisfactory solution.
Is a few yams dreier had been added to the metropolis
which would of themselves easialitate large cities, and this
extension proceeded in as reelerased ratio. Meanwhile,
mmeMerable megrim bad been suds in the coustructioe
of satrap, which were regarded r visionary in 1851.
There wen few subjeeta to which the council had mere
perseveringly directed the Werra ot manufacturtrs than
the unperson°, of lassearg the dependence of this country
on the American States for • supply of raw cotton. No
one could have anticipated that the:E:euinons ex-
pr d would be so soon realised, but must regard lei
with anxious forebodings the prancer sad tram
gerpeets of the manufacturers sad attire of Lancashire,
where many mills had been either stopped or were
working short time oa account of the wanly ea
a 1
sad eicreseed mice of raw cotton. After wu
lin mogratelakey terms to the exterior el dom.
mares 111 thine sad I. the British colour, el_ Thome,
rehrred to the prosperous state a( the sodety.. Thie DOM-
ler of member had, he remarked, doubled la the Irk
tee, and quadrupled is the lot fifteen year The bet sew
slats witnessed the election et MA new members, sad the
email had that rosin the gratification el notifying the
proposal of 297 candidotes for election, being Dearly thrice,'
the number ever submitted for election at • single silting.
(Cheers.)
The OHAINNAN them presseted the medals swanked toy the
cored at the class of the ler 111111600, as follows t
To Dr. Edward Berth, P.R.8., for his two papers. " Re-
coot Experimeetal fooleries into the Nature and Action of
Alcohols as Food,' and "Oa the Uses of Tee in the
Healthy System," the sodety's silver medal.
To A. K. baste; for his paper "On the Hader's Bay
Territories ; their Trade, oriole, and Resources; with
Suggestions for the Establishment and Economical Admi.
nitrogen of a Crowe Colony on the Red River and &Ert-
-1 crone," the society's silver medal.
To Alexander Rodger* for hie paper "Oa the Progress
dike Textile Maaufeetarea of Great Britain, " the eissety's
itvr medaL
_ _ .

To lir. Milligan, for his paper "On Tnyinanis ; its Cha-
racter, Products, and Resources," the society's silver medal.
To Charlie Ledger, for " The Introductioa of the
Alpaca Leto the Australia. Colonies," the society's silver
sied•L

To F. Jouben, for" The Application of Photography to
Qs Production at Images on Glen, which can be burnt
ia," the society's sliver medaL
On the motion of Mr. Moment Nguema, seconded by Mr.
W. Rom, thanks were voted to the Chairman for his ad•
dies, and this acknowledgment wee followed by the else.
boo of candidates for membership.