The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-14 00:00:00

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FUR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF 6CIENCE.
SOUTHAMPTON, SATURDAY.—Last night the associa-
tion met in rather considerable numbers to hear Pro-
fessor Owen discourse on the fossil mammalia of the
British islands. The earliest formation (he said) in
which the remains of mammalian quadrupeds were found
was the oolitic ; here were little insectiverous quadru-
peds, warm-blooded and quick-breathing, and the cor-
responding animals were to be found now in Australia,
nearly at our antipodes. The various formations and
deposits above the oolitic was then described ; and the
discourse was occupied with one of these, in which were
to be seen a number of great fresh-water deposits,
showing that at one period we had a series of mammalian
forms very considerably surpassing anything we have
now. For instance, a species of elephant nearly double
the size of the largest elephant of Ceylon, a rhinoceros
with two horns, a hippopotamus quite as large as that of
Africa, and a deer with antlers whose extreme points
were sometimes nine or ten feet from each other.
We had, in the period in question, a large
species of reindeer and a little roebuck. We had
three species of wild ox, one a bison or bonassus
of enormous structure, another with horns a yard or a
yard and a half long, and a third with very short horns.
There was evidence that all these had continued to exist
in Europe within the historical period, and some of our
ancient stories of battles with dun cows might have re-
ference to these. There was also a feline animal of
equal size with any lion or tiger, but with canine teeth
of the most destructive form. There were the remains
of bears surpassing in size the great grissly bear of the
Rocky Mountains of North America; a species of hyena
was also found in caverns. In considering the question
huw these quadrupeds came to this island, the geologists
had arrived at the conviction that the separation between
England and the continent had been a comparatively
recent affair, compared at least with the period when so
enormous a mammalian class existed in this island.
These could not be the remains of animals brought
here from tropical climes by some great torrent; that
notion was contradicted by their enormous numbers, the
integrity of their bones, the wearing away of the floor
of the caves they inhabited, the crushed bones and teeth
of heedless young creatures dragged into these caves, and
other like reasons; there were hundreds of antlers, not
water-worn, and which must have been shed by living deer.
There were many signs of the former union of England
and France; England once had bears and wolves like
France, and the bones of the extinct animals in both
' countries agreed.
Sir R. Mirneursoie, the President, at the conclusion
of the Professor's discourse, expressed a hope that the
meeting would be favoured with the opinion of Dr.
Buckland, the great wizard of the caves, the necromancer
of all animals.
The Dean of WESTMINSTER objected to the discussion
of points of difference before an inexperienced and un-
learned audience. He would rather refer to the con-
firmation now given to what he stated twenty-five years
ago, and for which he was then deemed almost an auda-
cious liar.—(A laugh.) That there were British ele-
phants (more in that very county than the members of
the British Association), and rhinoceroses, and hippo-
potami, the aboriginal inhabitants of this country, the
predecessors of landowners and farmers—(Laughter)—
these, to use a fashionable phrase, were " great facts."
—(A laugh.) But how did these strange gentlemen find
their way into this now civilised and happy country ?
Whence came the bears and hyenas of thecaves of York-
shire, whose gambols had polished the sedilia upon
which they amused themselves with disporting ? On
that point geologists differed wide as the antipodes. But
looking at the extremely insignificant depth of the chan-
nel which divided us from the Continent, the greatest
depth between Dover and Calais being only the height
of the tower of Magdalen College, Oxford, the slightest
disruption might have made that difference in depth.
In that slight trough of the sea there might have been
dry sands. At all events, the animals in question must
have lived and died here.
Mr. LYELL remarked, that not only was this planet
inhabited for ages by a succession of plants and animals,
now extinct, before man came upon the stage; but that
even of those species now contemporary with man a
great number existed for ages before the era when we
had reason to suppose that the human race began.
Mr. BuLLIn suggested that a part of the audience
might find it wise to apply to this subject Paley's coun-
sel, not to suffer what we do know to be disturbed by
what we do not.
Sir H. MURCHISON observed, that Professor Porch-
hammer had promised the society a paper on sea-water
currents, and perhaps he would open the Straits of
Dover question. What he would pronounce upon it
could at present only be conjectured; "but," added Sir
Roderick, " I have heard say there is a tradition that
there was a prince of his country with whom a Queen of
England fell in love, and that this Danish prince being
refused to her in marriage, she cut a trench which
separated this country from the continent."—(Laughter.)
The proceedings of yesterday then terminated.
This morning's list of business for the day announced
meetings in four of the sections, but only one section
met in fact—the Statistical.
A paper by Mr. Wigglesworth, on the mortality of
children, was first read. This gentleman reported that
he had sent out a circular headed " Family Experience,"
and had obtained from 1,987 families returns of various
particulars; the persons thus applied to were of all sorts,
from the higher professional man down to the chimney-
sweeper. From these returns tables had been framed
aacgceol with the cause of
inted for in these
odfeaththe. nuomfbethreoflod,eoa7t6hschaitldreeanch
returns, 2,397 died under 21, nearly half of the deaths
occurring among children under one year old. Conta-
gious, epidemic, and endemic diseases, diseases of the
system,maosntdfatal
to respiratory diseases, were found to
young
children. The cases
in which the first child was reported a son were 618 ;
those in which it was a daughter, 588. A return had
also been obtained from the Foundling Hospital. In 67
nervousb
the diseases
years, ending with 1844, it had admitted 2,975 children
—1,545 males and 1,430 females; the mortality among
them was much greater than among children of the
same age in families ; it was greatest in January and
October.
A table by Mr. Howard, entitled " The contrast be-
tween plate-glass making in 1846 and 1827," was next
read. It showed the price of materials used at each of
those periods, the method adopted, quantity produced,
profit, price, and demand. It was stated, in a conversa-
tion which followed, that our manufacturers were unable
to keep pace with the demand at present; but as soon as
they overtook it, importation would probably cease, and
we should export this article. The great demand for it
had hitherto deprived the public of the full benefit of the
reduction of duty, the price- being thus kept up ; but
plate-glass was rapidly being substituted for common