The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-27 00:00:00

Institution of Civil Engineers.

The annual meeting of this institution—Mr John Fowler,
vice-president, in the chair, was held on Wednesday. In
presenting an account of the proceedings during the past
12 months, the council reported that the charaoteristio
feature of study, progressive development, was never more
folly exemplified, in any similar period, since the first
establishment of the institution. The meetings had
proved very attractive, the discussion had been well sus-
tained, the library was fast becoming rich in all professional
and scientific works of this and other countries, the num-
ber of members and associates had greatly increased, and
the financial condition was very satisfactory. The im-
portance to engineers of being connected with the in-
stitution was felt more and more every day ; and
although the time had not arrived when it was
considered imperative for every one practising the pro-
fession to have received the diploma of the institution, yet
in general opinion it might fairly be said that that
position had been attained. On these grounds, there-
fore, it was more than ever essential that the quali-
fications of all candidates for admission should be
most scrupulously examined; and that the members should
'satisfy themselves, before signing any proposition paper,
that the preen so recommended, poesassed such character,
practice, and experience, as to entitle him to the distinction
he sought. There had been 23 ordinary general meetings
during the session, when 11 pipers had been read, many
of the evenings having been entirely occupied by discus-
sions. The communications related to the details of erection
of three lighthouses for facilitating the navigation of the
northern portion of the Red Sea; to the causes of the de-
e ine in the duty of Cornish pumping engines; to the cir-
cumstanc2s which determined the velocities of influx and
reflux, ant consequent scour, at; endant on the final closing
of embankments for reclaiming land from the sea, or from
a tideway ; to a description of the features of, and changes
in, that pertion of the et- et coast of England between the
Thames end the Wash Estuaries; to the setae' state of
the works in the Mont Coils Tunnel, perhaps the most
important and interesting work of civil engineering in
the present day; b an inquiry into the resistences to
bcdies passing through water; to the Santiago end Val-
paraiso Railway; to the structure of locoieotive engines,
for ascending steep gradients, when in combination with
sharp cut yes., end to the impedimental friction between wheel
tires and rails to the distillation of coal and the manufac-
ture of coke; and to the machinery employed in sinking
artesian wells on the continent. With regard to the publi-
cation of the minutes of proceedings, it was stated that
volumes xxi. and xxii. would shortly be issued, and that the
general index to the series of volumes from i. to xx, inclu-
sive, in itself a volume of about 400 pages, was also nearly
ready, A new edition of the catalogue of the library was in
preparatior, in continuation of that issued in 1851, now out
of print. At that date the library contained upwards of
3,000 volumes and 1,500 tracts; now the collection
amounted to about 5,500 volumes and 3.000 tracts. The
tabular statement of the transfers, elections, deceases, and
resignations, showed that the number of elections had been
93, of deceases 25, of resignations 6, and of erasures 7, leay.
log an effective increase of 53, and making the total number
of members of all classes on the books on Nov. 30 last 1,095
This was an increase of nearly 5.3 per cent, in the past 12
months. The deceased announced during the last year had
been—Francis Baird, Thomas Bartlett, John G. Bodmer,
Thomas Casebourne, Charles Dean, Joseph Gibbs, George
Hur wood, James Jones, Rhys Win. Jones, Edward Oliver
Manby, George Meredith, George M. Miller, Win. C.
Mylnc, Richard Roberts, Wm, Simpson, and Adam Smith,
members; John S. Atkinson, Wm. Bagman, Fredk. Law-
rence, Wm. Llewellin, Thomas T. Mitchell, Robert Ran-
some, Charles Fredk. Stuart Smith, Alfred Thompson, and
Arthur Wightmen, associates. This list included the names
of many very old members, several of whom had been en-
gaged under the first president, Telford, as well as one of the
six founders of the institution—Mr James Jones—who in
its early day acted as secretary, and whose death, at au ad-
vanced age, was the result of a lamentable accident. The
abstract of the receipts and expenditure for the year ending
the 30th of November last, as prepared by the auditors,
showed that the payments during the 12 months had
amounted to £2,955, against receipts from all sources of
£4,414; and that the amount obtained from subscriptions
and fees alone, without including the dividends upon in-
vestments, and the sums derived from other sources, had
exceeded the disbursements by about £450. The council
had therefore been again enabled to add to the institution
fund by the purchase of £1,200 4 per cent. debenture stook
of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Com-
pany. On comparing this statement of accounts with the
average of the previous 10 years, it appeared that the total
income now exceeded that average by nearly 40 per cent.,
while the inrease in the disbursements during the same
period had been less than 20 per cent. The realised pro-
perty of the institution now comprised :-1. General funds
£10,819 12s 10d; 2. Building fund, £1,751 Os ld ; and 3.
Trust funds, £9,970 12a 7d, making a total of £22,541 58
Bd, as against £20,649 163 2d at the same period last year.
The propriety of establishing a benevolent fund in connec-
tion with the profession received the serious consideration
of the council before any steps were taken to ascertain the
views of the members generally. It was well pointed out
by Mr F. J. Bramwell (M. Inst. C.E.), with whom the
present proposal originated, that in must, if not
in all, other professions and occupations there
was a regularly organised system for the aid of de-
cayed members when in necessitous circumstances ; and
that, es the civil engineers already formed a numerous and
increasing body, in some respects more liable to those mis-
fortunes and vicissitudes which were known by experience
to overtake thou following other pursuits, it was incumbent
on the prorissiou unit, sums I:LULLULL
taken in reference to soliciting subscriptions for individual
cases, now unfortunately found to be frequently requisite.
Private inquiries among a few of the members of the insti-
tution having shown that such a fund, if properly managed
and adequately supported, could not fail to be productive
of immense good,. it was determined to appeal to the ges
neral body, and the result had been such a response as
fully to justify the course which had been pursued. Al-
ready from 224 contributors donations to the amount of
£21,884, and annual subscriptions to the extent of £lB7
had been promised. Of these contributors 97 were donors
only, 14 were both donors and annual subscribers, and 113
were annual subscribers. At the meeting recently held
in the rooms of the institution the fund was formally
established, and that portion of the general committee,
which it was recommended should be elected by the
contributors was appointed. At the same time the com-
mittee was requested to prepare a scheme, with bye-laws
and rules, far the administration of the fund, and to report
the resutt of their deliberations to a general meeting of the
contributors, to be summoned for Jan. 17 next, The coun-
cil would not venture t anticipate what might be the issue
of the considerations of the committee; but they felt assured
that a measure so calculated to enhance the character of
the profession would be cordially supported, and on every
ground they commended it to the most favourable notice of
the members. It should be the constant endeavour to make
the institution the depository of the accumulated know.,
ledge of all the members, and all should strive so
to sustain and consolidate the institution that it
might continue truly and faithfully to represent the
important interests committed to the care of the;civil en-
gineer.
After the reading of the report a Telford medal and a
Telford premium of books were presented to Mr W. Lloyd ;
a Telford medal to M. Pernolet ; a Telford medal and the
Manby premium, in books to Mr G. H. Phipps; Telford
premiums of books to Messrs. J. B. Redman, W. Parkes,
T. Sopwith, jun., J. M, Heppel, and G. R. Burnell; and
Watt medals to Messrs. I'. Sopwith, jun., W. Bridges
Adams, and J. Cross.
The thanks of the institution were unanimously voted to
the president for his attention to the duties of his office ; to
the vice-presidents and the other members and associates
of council for their co-operation with the president, and
their constant attendance at their meetings; to Mr. F. J.
Bramwell, as the originator of the present movement for
the establishment of a benevolent fund in connection with
the profession to Mr Charles Manby, honorary secretary,
and to Mr James Forrest, secretary, for the manner in
which they had performed the duties of their offices; as
also to the auditors of the accounts, and the scrutineers of
the WM for their services.
The following gentlemen were elected to fill the several
offices on the council for the ensuing year :—John R.
M'Clean, president; J. Fowler, C. H. Gregory, T. Hawk-
, sley, and J. S. Russell, vice-presidents ; Sir William Arm-
strong, W. H. Barlow, N. Beardmore, J. Cubitt, T. E.
Harrison, G. W. Hemans, J. Murray, G. R. Stephenson-
C. Tignoles, and J. Whitworth, members ; and John Aire',
jun., and A. Ogilvie, associates.
The meeting was then adjourned until Tuesday, Jan. 10,
when the monthly ballot for members would take place,
and the discussion would be resumed upon Mt J. Taylor's
paper on " The river Tees."

A MESSAGE FROM THE SEA.—On Friday evening
last, while Mrs Bentley Foster, of Filey, was walk-
ing on the sands, she perceived a small parcel being washed
up by the tide, which, on being taken up, proved to be a
bottle wrapped up in a piece of silk, and tightly corked.
When broken it was found to contain half a sheet of note-
paper, upon which was well written as follows :—" Ship
Louisa, off Deal, November 29, 1864. A merry Christmas
and a happy New Year to all our friends in England, from
a party of emigrants to Auckland, New Zealand."
SERVICES OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE LIFE-
BOAT.--A violent gale of wind from the south
east visited the bay of Port Elizabeth, Cale of Good Hope,
on the 18th of October last. An excellent lifeboat, built
four years since in London under the superintendence of
the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, was fortunately
stationed at the port. Tho sea at the time was very high,
and the bay was quite white with foam. The barque Bal-
larat, of Port Elizabeth, was observed during the night to
drift ashore on the Bight. gfforts were made to rescue the
crew by an open boat, but unhappily when near the wreck
the steer-oar broke, and a sea striking the boat she was cap•
sized end over end, and three of her brave crew were
drowned. The Sailors' Friend lifeboat afterwards went
off, and succeeded in saving the whole of the wreck's
crew.