The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-16 00:00:00

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE

ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.

SOUTHAMPTON, MONDAY.—This being the day se,
lected by his Royal Highness Prince Albert for his visit
to the several sections into which the association every
morning resolves itself, the town was in ,no small stir
from an early hour. Flags were waving in all directions,
and a number of the neighbouring gentry came into the
town. At half-past ten o'clock the Mayor, Aldermen,
and Common Council, assembled in their robes in the
reading-room at the utmost extremity of the pier, close
to the principal landing-place. They were soon after-
wards joined by Sir R. Murchison, to whom the Mayor-
ntroduced the several members of the corporation. The
room had been handsomely fitted up and decorated, and
a carpet was laid down to the water's edge. His Royal
Highness had fixed to arrive at- eleven o'clock, and pre-
cisely at that hour the Fairy was within 100 yards of
the pier, and the Prince stepped into her barge, and was
rowed to the landing steps. He was attended by the
Hon. G. E. Anson and Colonel Bouverie, and was re-
ceived on landing, under a salute, by the- Mayor and
corporation, Sir R. Murchison, and Captain Ellice, R.N.,
and conducted to the reading7room, where the Mayor
presented the following address, agreed to by the corpo-
ration :

'TO FIELD-MARSHAL HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS FRANCIS
ILBERT AUGUSTUS CHARLES EMANUEL, DUKE OF SAXE
COBURG AND GOTHA.

" May it please your Royal Highness,—
" We, the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the
ancient and loyal town of Southampton, beg respectfully
to approach and welcome your Royal Highness, and to
offer our sincere and cordial congratulations on the aus-
picious event of the visit of your Royal Highness to our
town at the time when it is honoured by receiving the
British Association for the Advancement of Science, and
that here for the first time your Royal Highness has
been pleased to testify by your presence at its meeting
the interest which your Royal Highness is well known
to take in all that tends to the progress of science, and
to the general and permanent well-being of the com-
munity. That your Royal Highness may long continue
in the enjoyment of uninterrupted health, and in the
beneficial exercise of that patronage which your Royal
Highness has ever afforded to objects of national utility
and importance, and that it may please Divine Provi-
dence long to spire her most Gracious Majesty to rule
over her loyal and devoted subjects, and that the royal
children may continue a blessing to her Al ajesty, as well
as to your Royal Highness, is our fervent and anxious
prayer."

The MAYOR having read the address,
His ROYAL HIGHNESS bowed and said—Mr. Mayor,
and gentlemen, I return you my best thanks for this
loyal address. It g►ves me great satisfaction to revisit
Southampton on the occasion of this great scientific
meeting.

His -Royal Highness then stepped into the Mayor's
carriage, accompanied by that functionary and Sir R.
Murchison. The carriage was driven first to section A,
which was sitting in the Bugle-hall, where about 150
persons were waiting to listcn to a report by Mr.
Phillips, of York, the assistant-general secretary of the
association, on anemometry. The section rose to re3eive
his Royal Highness, who took a seat on the right of the
president of the section, Sir J. Herschel. The report
was then immediately read. It detailed what had been
done by Mr. Whewell and others to arrive at an accurate
process of ascertaining the velocity of the wind. Mr.
Whewell also explained the mode adopted for ascertain-
ingsvoe smt gu
ea
ht ni
nidneteod h
tehtia,ti wind's sd
de oncoittyfo.
the height of the clouds—an ingredient in the in-
vestigation
some moments The Prince paid great attention to these statements,
ob-
serve the entrance of Lord Palmerston, who came upon
the platform during the reading of the report. When
Mr. Whewell had concluded, Sir J. Herschel addressed
the Prince; and solicited his acceptance of a geological
coloured drawing of the Isle of Wight, done with ex-
treme care by Mr. Drew, of Southampton, one of the
secretaries of section A; the strata were all distin-
guished upon the drawing. His Royal Highness ac-
cepted it with the utmost courtesy, and listened atten-
tively to Mr. Drew's explanation of it, in answer to
questions put to him by the Prince.
His Royal Highness having remained in this section
for nearly half an hour, drove off, accompanied by Lord
Palmerston and also by Sir J. Clark, to the sub-section
of ethnology, which was sitting in the Long Rooms, a
place appropriated to section E (physiology)—a section
which on Friday adjourned till to-morrow. Here Dr.
Latham was found detailing to about 70 persons the re-
searches of Professor Von Middendorf in Siberia. Dr.
Latham made a detailed statement respecting the dif-
ferent tribes met with by the Professor, their dialects
and their physical conformation. The Prince listened
with much apparent interest to this account, and also to
a further explanation which the Professor himelf added
in the German language. His Royal Highness remained
about a quarter of an hour here.
The next place visited was section G (mechanics),held in a large house in the High-strebt,-late the South-
nptonClub-house. Here Mr. Fairbairn stated " the
way and rilenai ;61"WecTii"11
model was exhibited to the audience. Here also the
Prince seemed much interested. Mr. Fairbairn re-
marked that the application of wrought iron to bridges
of a peculiar form was perfectly novel, and originated,
as he believed, with Mr. liobert Stephenson. In the
case of the Menai Straits, the extent of the span, and
the determination arrived at by the Lords of the
Admiralty, with a view to prevent the interruption of
the navigation, rendered the construction of arches
next to impossible ; a chain-bridge would not carry
a railway train across, because of the undulations; Mr.
Stephenson, therefore, conceived the idea of a large
cylindrical tube of wrought iron. The span would be
400 feet from tower to tower; and the tube would be
made of a strength equal to four times the utmost weight
it could ever have to bear. Mr. Fairbairn described the
experiments which had been made on the strength of
materials. The thanks of the section, which consisted
of about sixty persons, were voted to Mr. Fairbairn,
the discussion on the subject being postponed; and
having remained a quarter of an hour, the Prince left
this section.

His Royal Highness then went to the Polytechnic In-
stitution, to section B, which i 3 devoted to chemical
science, including its application to agriculture and the
arts. Professor Grove was in the chair, and Professor
H. C. ONsted had been discoursing " on the changes
which mercury sometimes suffers in glass vessels her-
metically sealed." The chairman explained the state of
the question to his Ro) al Highness, and the discussion
proceeded, the chief point under consideration being
the purity of the mercury employed in some processes
which had been described to the meeting. The Prince
did not remain above ten minutes. There were fifty or
sixty members present.
In the Victoria-rooms, to which his Royal Highness
next drove, at section C (" Geology and Physical Geo-
graphy"), the secretary proceeded to read a paper by
Dr. Forchhammer, " On arctic currents as exhibited in
the distribution of the northern drift." This room was
very well attended ; there must have been 180 or 200
persons present ; the Marquis of Northampton was
among them. The paper read detailed various indica-
tions that the north of Europe formerly had had a lower
temperature than it had at present, though there might
have been no general change in the temperature of the
earth. The discourse intimated that there were means
of fixing somewhat more closely than hitherto the period
of the separation of England from the continent, by an
examination of the nature of the currents and the
direction of the tide. The German Ocean was probably
once a bay, with the shores of Denmark at its innermost
parts.
A little before this period it was whispered about the
room that her Majesty was nearing Southampton in the
Fairy, which had gone back to Osborne-house after the
Prince had landed ; and the president of the section,
Mr. L. Horner, now rote and said, that the paper which
was being read was going so much into detail, that it
was not of a nature to be finished with advantage in the
section. Dr. Forchhammer therefore added a few words
respecting the sub-marine forests and peat mosses found
in his country. In one place a submarine tumulus was
found, in which were knives of flint ; the doctor seemed
disposed to date the separation of England from the con-
tinent between 2,500 and 3,000 years ago. Professor
Forbes then read a paper on some natural history
phenomena, bearing on geology, observed since the last
meeting, and stated the results of the dredging in the
European seas.
His Royal Highness having remained in this section a
full half hour proceeded to section D (Zoology and
Botany), which was held in the same building. As soon,
however, as the Prince had been introduced to the Pre•
sident, Sir J. Richardson, M.D., Sir R. Murchison stated
that his brother geologists had unfortunately been so
extremely long-winded, that they had taken all the time
which could be devoted by his Royal Highness to the
visit. The Prince accordingly took leave at once, and
drove to the pier at half-past one o'clock. The Fairy
was lying a short distance off ; and her Majesty was
sitting on the deck in conversation with her ladies. His
Royal Highness ran gaily up the side of the vessel from
his barge, and presented the Queen with a splendid
bouquet of rare flowers, which he bad brought with him.
He also introduced to her Majesty Sir R. Murchison
and Lord Palmerston, who accompanied him on hoard,
and who conversed for some minutes with the Queen.
Her Majesty appeared in excellent health. In about
ten minutes Lord Palmerston and the President returned
to the pier, and the Fairy started for Osborne House
under a salute from the platform, and amidst the cheers
of the spectators. The water was covered with boats ;
on 3 attracted some attention from its only occupant
being a lady, who was rowing herself.
The Prince was loudly cheered in the streets through-
out his progress. In the several sections there was an
evident wish to avoid noisy and exciting demonstra-
tions • the company received him most respectfully, but
in only one instance was there any cheering in the dis-
cussion room. About a dozen was the limit of the addi •
tion to any audience, in consequence of his having ar-
rived at that particular room. Out of doors the crowd
was considerable, but the admirable arrangements
made by the Mayor for the accommodation of the
press rendered it impossible for the reporters to be
inconvenienced.

At three o'clock the general committee met in the
Town-hall ; at this meeting,.
Sir R. lilnßcmsoN took the chair, and congratulated
the 686iniAti94 on the circumstance of the attendance of

• Prince Albert at the sections, skowing as he had by the
questions which he put to the presidents and others, the
liveliest interest in all their proceedings, and a very
considerable knowledge of all the branches of science
cultivated by the association.—(Cheers.) But on
day not only had the 'sun shone upon the association,
but the Queen of England also, Victoria, had shone
upon theth—(Cheers)—the Queen herself, desiring to
express her great interest in the society, had arrived in
the port an hour and a half since, and conveyed
his Royal Highness back again to the Isle of
Wight ; their one honorary member had gone back
with her Majesty, and her Majesty had been pleasedto
express her particular wish to have an account of the
progress the association had made, and expressed her
deep":mterest in its advance.---(Cheers.) They would
also hear immediately of a practical proof of member-
ship on the part of royalty, and it ,would be found in
that most important department, the banker's book.
Mr. TAYLOR then stated that Colonel Anson had in-
formed him that it was Royal Highness's wish to pre-
sent to the association the sum of 100/, and that he
wished to do so without in any way directing to what
purpoSe it should be applied, leaving it in the hands of
the association entirely, as he wished to convey his en-
tire approbation of their proceedings.—(Cheers.)
The object:of the present meeting being to arrange for
the next year's "Parliament," the invitations were then
called for.

From Oxford, the Ashmolean Society sent the asso-
ciation an invitation, and Professor Walker stated that
he had ascertained that the Vice-Chancellor and the
University authorities would render every accommoda-
tion in their power, though it would not be quite
suitable perhaps that they should send a special in-
vitation.

For
Belfast saeima,sMofr.thGantotvowEnsaaitdi,eas"thfeoraplpBe4aB.
red," and
holding in his hand apparently a barrister's brief,. he
put in a claim for 1848 by Dr. Robinson
It was then agreed, on the motion of the Marquis or
ou
fr gAedrm Stahwgeha alsoe.nl
NORTHAMPTON, seconded by Sir J. HERSCHEL, that the
next meeting be held at Oxford ; and the time for it to
commence was fixed to be Thursday, June 24, 1847.
The Dean of WESTMINSTER moved that Sir R. IL
Inglis, Bart., M.P., D.C.L., and F.R.S., be the President
elect. Sir R. Inglis, besides the honours . just enume-
rated, was also a member of the Royal Society Club'(as
we understood), and had that truly Anglican propensity
of meeting at a club to digest the good things of this life
before proceeding in the evening to study the arcane of
philosophy.—(A laugh.) It was needful that the presi-
dent of this association should be one who bad no reluc-

tance to take the chair at a public dinner. If they_had
be
Sirsadly
e.
LdrE)3,
raonNd s me
ceoangareed. —t(eL
ma uogt
ot
ne aanndd c
sh
teaet
er sd. )
no social meetings their philosophical meetings would
other
claims of Sir R. Inglis to the presidential chair.
The motion being agreed to, the following were
named Vice-Presidents elect:—the Earl of Rosso, the
Bishop of Oxford, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, Mr.
Estcourt, M.P., the Dean of Westminster, Professor
Daubeny, and Professor Baden Powell. The Rev. R.
Walker and Mr. H. W. Acland were appointed local se-
cretaries, and the Rev. E. Hill local treasurer; and at
half-past 4 o'clock the meeting broke up.
We subjoin a list of the business on the paper for the
day:
. _ _

SECTION A.—MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE.
Phillips, Professor.—Rt,port on anemometry.
Sykes, Colonel.—On the fall of rain on the coast of
Travancore.

Miller, J. F.—On the fall of rain in the Cumberland
Lake district.

Alctehni,ldienrsF,iniumr.arwk,. avvnd.—Cohrnistthiaenma,eitneoNroolrowgyay.
of Jersey.
Lee, Dr.—On meteorological observations made at
Dollond, Mr. G.—On an atmospheric record.
Edmonds, Mr. R.—On the;thunder-storms of July .sth,
and August Ist, 1846.
Lee, Dr.—On the aurora, at Alten, in Finmark.
Rankin, Mr. Thomas.—Account of a halo, parase-
lene, and remarkable Aurora Borealis.

Wartmann, Professor.—On some meteorological phe-
nomena.

Brooke, Mr. C.—On a new self-registering baro-
meter, thermometer, and psychometer.

SECTION 8.-CH E MIC AL SCIENCE, INCLUDING ITS AP

PLICATION TO AGRICULTURE AND THE ARTS.

Leeson, Dr.—On crystallography and a new gonio-
meter illustrated by apparatus and models.
Forchhammer, Professor.—On comparative analytical
researches on sea water.

Oersted, H. C.. Professor.—On the changes which
mercury sometimes suffers iu glass vessels hermetically
sealed.

Rose, H., Professor.—On a second new metal (pe-
lopium) in the Tantalite of Bavaria.
Connell, Professor.—Analysis of the American ne-
malite.
Percy, Dr., and Miller, Professor.—Report on chrys-
talline
Mallett, Mr. Robert.—Report on the corrosion of iron
rails in and out of use.

Daubeny, Dr.—On Cavendish's experiment respecting
the production of nitric acid:-

Gassiot, Mr. J. P., F.R.S.—On the electricity of ten-
sion in the voltaic battery.
SECTION C.—GEOLOGY AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

Buckland, Very Rev. Dr.—On the applicability of M.
Fauvelle's mode of boring Artesian wells to the well at
Southampton, and to other wells, and sinkings for coals,
salt, and other mineral beds.

Forbes, Professor E.—On some natural history pheno-
mena, bearing on geology, observed since the last meeting.
Forchh a mmer,'llr.—On arctic currents, as exhibited in
the distribution of the 'northern drift.

h • -f
Ditto--Sketch o. e georogica srruatr&iiransehaAin

SECTION D.-ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY.

Owen, Protesser.—On the vertebral structure of the
skull.

Thompson, Mr. \V.—Zoology of Lough Neagh (the
entomological part by Mr. Halliday).
Portlock, l•aptain.—On the natural history of Corfu.
Allman, Professor.—Un the structure of cristatella
mucedo.

Price, Mr. J.—On the embryogeny of palmogrades
and ciliogrades.
Thompson, Mr. W.—On additions to the fauna of Ire-
land, including species new to that of Britain.
Rankin, Mr.—On the hybernation of snails.
Beech, Mr.—On the marine zoology of Cornwall.
Carpenter, Dr.—Report on the microscopic structure
of shells.
Carpenter, Dr.—On the application of photography to
the microscope.
Knox, Dr.—Will conclude his inquiries into the na-
tural history of certain species of the Clupeadte, Corre-
goni and Salmonidcas.
• SECTION E.—SUBSECTION OF ETHNOLOGY._

Jukes, Mr. J. B.—On the Aborigines of Newfound-
Land.

Latham, Dr. R. G.—Remarks on a Newfoundland
vocabulary.
Jukes, Mr. J. B.—Varieties of the human race in the
neighbourhood of Torres Straits.
Port Essington.—On the inhabitants of Port Es-
sington.
Davies, Mr. H. B.—On the Tasmanians.
Von Middendorf, Professor.—Ethnological notes on
Siberia.
Brien. Captain.—On the Africans of the neighbour-
hood of Bonny.
Freeman, Rev. J.—On the inhabitants of Prince's
Island.

Rotting, Professor.—On the ethnological distribution
of round and elongated crania.
Latham, Dr. R. G.—Report on ethnological philology.

SECTION F: STATISTICS.

Guy, Dr.—On duration of life among professional
men. _ _ _

Neeld, Mr.—Remarks on the criminal and miscel-
laneous returns of the Manchester police in 1845.
Knowles, Mr.—On the annual consumption of coal in
England.
Porter, Mr.—Report on the iron manufacture of Great
Britain.

SECTION Gr.—MECHANICS.
Sharp, Mr.—On improvements in ga, meters.
Fairbairn, Mr.—The results as obtained from the
experiments in connexion with the proposed tubular
bridges across the Conway and Menai Straits.
Phipps, Dr.—An account of the construction and
performance of two sailing vessels, built on the' wave
system.
Bodmer, Mr. J. G.—Description of an apparatus for
storing and preserving corn in large national granaries.
Russell, Mr. Scott.—Account of some recent experi-
ments on railway ti ains, for the determination of the
resistance at high velocities.
Ricardo, Mr. M.—A description and models of self-
registering mechanism fur recording the velocity and
resistance of railway trains.
Dr. Guy's paper showed that the result of inquiry,
and of the tables produced by him, proved a fact which
may be somewhat startling to those who fondly believe
that health comes along with ease ; the average of life
is greatest in those who are the most accustomed to la-
bour. Labour, therefore, has its advantages to counter-
balance its privations.
A short discussion followed the reading of the paper,
the speakers confirming the doctrines therein laid down.
The sections were all better attended to-day than on
any previous day.

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.—OXFORD, SEPT. 12.
—The following members of this University have been
preferred :—The Rev. John Eddowcs Gladstone, 8.A.,
of Magdalen Hall, to the incumbency of St. Mark's
Church, Lakenham, near Warwick. The Rev. G. Had-
field, M.A., late fellow of Pembroke College, has been
appointed Principal of the Malta Protestant College,in
the room of M. Gobat, now Bishop of Jerusalem. The
Rev. James Elwin Millard, 8.A., dcmy of Mag-
dalen College, has been appointed head master of the
school, in the room of the Rol,. W. G. Henderson, M.A.,
resigned. The Rev. George Drinkwater Bourne, 8.A.,
of Oriel College, has been instituted by the Lord Bishop
of Gloucester and Bristol to the rectory of Weston •Su-
bedge, Gloucestershire, vacant by the cession of the Rev.
Hugh Smith. Patron, Mrs. Margarat Bourne, value
8111.; population, 367
CROTON OIL.—On a recent representation respect-
ing the mode in which the duty was charged by the
officers of the revenue, on the article called croton oil,
it was decided that it should be leviable with the duty
of ls. per lb. as a chemical oil, in conformity with a pre-
vious decision on the same subject in the latter portion
of the year 1842, which did not appear to be generally
known or put into practice by the proper officers, and
directions have been issued for this rate of duty to be
charged on all future importations of this article.
Croton oil is a distillation or extraction of the croton
s:Ecl, and is made use of for medicinal pu-rposcs,
being
a most pawerful purgative, and it is tiperne(.lbithat it
must be 3o considered for duty, and not atheism e_as._ if
it wtiiF.ll.4tased or :,queezed from the seed, as seed oils
are generlly, and useful in large quaAtiOe for
and ether kitili,4o6 purposes.