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

these are the results of human science—results which
we may hope to consider as only the first step of that
progress which mankind is hereafter destined to make,
and in which, no doubt, the world will be greatly bene-
fited and assisted by the labours of such institutions as
that of which my Hon. Friend is so worthy and distin-
guished a president. Gentlemen, these contemplations,
and these results of science, are not only useful as con-
ducing to the enjoyments and the prosperity of mankind,
but they must have a considerable and salutary effect
upon the minds of mankind. Is it possible that they
who are in the enjoyment of great and overweening
prosperity must not be brought to feel a more proper
sense of their position, when they see the utter insigni-
ficance of this globe as compared with the mighty uni-
verse which the telescope of Lord Rosse unfolds to the
eye ?—(Hear, hear.) Is it possible that they who, on
the other hand, ate broken by misfortunes, or bowed
down by affliction, should not find sources of resignation
and of patience its that sense, of which they are more
specially reminded by the great duration of time which
these astronomical phenomena occupy—a sense that the
small period of time during which they are destined to
suffer in this world is as insignificant, compared to that
eternity to which they belong, as is the grain of sand
which they tread upon that sea-shore, compared with
the earth which we inhabit, or the earth itself compared
with the mighty universe of which it forms so small and
insignificant a portion ?—(Hear.) Gentlemen, these
scientific investigations also tend to unite nations together.
—(Cheers.) They bring together men of different coun-
tries, embarked in similar pursuits, engaged in a rivalry
the most honourable in which mankind can embark ;
and I trust that the more science is pursued, the nearer
we shall arrive at that period when mankind will
think the greatest glory consists in the advancement of
knowledge, and that the most honourable conquests
which nations can make are the conquests over the
secrets of nature.--(Hear, hear.) It is indeed, gratify-
ing to us to find, upon this occasion, gathered in this
our town that brilliant assemblage of distinguished fo-
reigners, whose names and whose titles of honour my
Hon. Friend has detailed in his address.—(Hear, hear.)
I trust that those illustrious foreigners will go back with
minds still more disposed, than even, as I am sure, at
the present moment they are, to feelings of friendship
and regard for the British nation.—(Cheers.) I trust
that as men who have sailed in the same vessel or have
fought in the same ranks are attached to each other for
the rest of their lives, so those distinguished foreigners
who find themselves here among their fellow-comrades
in that honourable pursuit to which they devote their
faculties and their time, will have consolidated and in-
creased in their minds those friendly feelings towards
us, which we entertain so strongly towards them.—
(Cheers.) It is also most gratifying, I am sure, to you
all to see that this love of science is confined to no par-
ticular ranks; that from the lowest to the highest it en-
gages the attention and excites the energies of all classes
in this country; and that while in every part of the
land we have institutions established, at which the lowest
mechanics devote their hours of leisure to the study of
these interesting topics, here, on the other hand, we
have the highest persons of the realm, the Consort of
the Queen—(Loud cheers)—honouring this meeting
with his presence, testifying by that presence the in-
terest which he takes in these important pursuits, and
giving to the development of the national mind, and
to the encouragement of these national pursuits,
that support which cannot fail to be afforded by
' his presence upon an occasion like this.—(Cheers.)
! His presence, too, gentlemen, is an earnest that
he is not an indifferent spectator of the progress.
of science in this country, but that devoting his ()An
energetic mind also to these pursuits—not indeed as the
business of a life, because that life is occupied by mat-
ters of a more active description—but making that the
enjoyment and amusement of his leisure, which in other
men, perhaps, is the object of laborious study, he ren-
ders that development of science, which is the object
and end of our institution, the ornament as well as the
amusement of his life.—(Much cheering.) Gentlemen,
I trust that you will receive with that satisfaction which
I am sure the speech and address of my Hon. Friend,
the president, must have afforded you, the proposal
which I make, that you should vote him your thanks
for the gratifying manner in which he has explained to
you, not only the objects of our meeting, but the gene-
ral progress which has been made in the different
branches of science.—(Cheers.)
The Marquis of NORTHAMPTON briefly seconded the
motion, and congratulated the society on its possession
of a president who had attracted, as a star, the Consort
of our Queen.
The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, informed the
association that Prince Albert had announced his inten-
tion of actively participating in their pursuits by attend-
ing the " sections."—(Cheers.)
The meeting then, shortly before eleven o'clock, ter-
minated. Prince Albert remained for some minutes on
the platform, conversing with Professor Oersted and
other distinguished scientific men ; some of the new
gun-cotton was exhibited to his Royal Highness. lie
then proceeded to the Fairy, and crossed the water for
Osborne House immediately. The utmost attention and
respect were paid to him by the Mayor and authorities
of the town.

The sections were very much better attended this
morning. What was done will be seen from the sub-
joined list :

SECTION A.-MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE.

Challis, Professor—Provisional repoit on the present
state of astronomy.
Stokes, Mr. G. G.—Report on recent researches in
hydrodynamics.
Brewster, Sir D.—On a new property of light as ex-
hibited in the action of chrysamonate of potash on com-
mon and polarized light.
Powell, Professor—On elliptic polarization.
Dale, Mr.—On elliptic polarization.
Ditto—On the duration of vibrations.
Brown, J. Allen—On magnetic observations made at
Sir T. M. Brisbane's Observatory, Makerstoun.
Hopkins, Mr.—On the relations of the semidiurnal
movements of the barometer to daily sea and land
breezes.

SECTION 8.-CHYMICAL SCIENCE, INCLUDING ITS AP

PLICATION TO AGRICULTURE AND THE ARTS.

Grove, Mr. W. R., F.R.S.— On the decomposition of
water into its constituent gases by heat.
Daubeny, Dr.—On the rationale of certain practices
employed in agriculture.
Way, Professor—On the cause of fairy rings.
Joule, J. P.—Playfair, Dr. Lyon—On the expansion
of salts.

Reade, Dr. J.—Notices of experiments in thermo-
electricity. a a . .

Knowles, E. R. J.—On a singular appearance in the
flame of a candle. _ _ _

Dr. Daubeny's paper detailed the principles on which
dressing land with quick lime differed from chalking, by
disengaging the alkalies from the materials of the primi-
tive rock, including also the volcanic, and thus furnishing
what is wanting to vegetation in argillaceous soils, which
the application of chalk does not produce ; of course
this is not applicable to calcareous soils. Gypsum also
furnishes the means of eliminating the dormant princi-
ples of soils ; but, of necessity, all who intend to deter-
mine the applicability of particular agents to restore
activity to a soil apparently worn out, must attend to
the chymical analysis of that soil.
Mr. PRIDEAUX stated some experiments on the Dart-
moor granite, treated on this principle, by which they
had facilities on the spot for producing abundance of
alkali. He remarked that the roots of plants generally
were acid, and hence he inferred the necessity of alkaline
earth for their growth. Some plants were benefited by
soda, but most by potash; they, of course, flourish most
with the particular alkali which suited them. With
respect to one observation of Dr. Daubeny that gypsum
appeared to be most beneficial to leguminous plants, he
thought that it would be proved to be a fact, that applied
to the leaves of plants it became converted into carbonate
of lime ; some ;parts of plants were acid and others
alkaline, and the object in view with chymists was to
supply either to the plant or its roots, what it required
for its development.
The question was asked, if by high manuring, the
growth of wheat, for example, was rank and luxuriant—
the stalk was invariably weak, and it was sure to be laid
—how could the stalk be strengthened?
Mr. PRIDEAUX replied that the best mode he knew of
stiffening the stem was by furnishing the plant with
silicate of potash.
Mr. SPOONER spoke of the use of supersulphate of lime,
and other salts, and of they errors of agriculturists in
using, at hazard, lime or chalk, or other ingredients,
which frequently failed from misapplication ; and he
introduced some diseased turnips as, in his opinion, the
result of something wrong in the soil.
The Bishop of NORWICH said, probably it would turn
out that the diseased turnips introduced rather an ento-
mological than a chymical question, and depending on
electrical causes, which might also be the case with the
potato disease.
Professor DAUIENY replied that he thought the weak
acid of roots, such as the ascetic, ought not to be com-
pared with the sulphuric or strong acids, advised by him
to bring the dormant ingredients of soils into activity.
Professor GROVE detailed the particulars of his com-
munication to the Royal Society on the decomposition
of water by heat only, which gave rise to a discussion on
this prin iple as explaining the case of the bursting of
boilers of steam-engines, but which he considered
inap-
plicable (as did the Chairman). Professor Play fair sus-
pected that some chymical change in• the constitution of
the water took place, which the Professor strongly
combatted.
1)r. LEESON drew attention to the subject of steam
boilers, which he thought favoured the non-decomposi-
tion principle, as he had observed no evidence of the
oxydation of the metal of the fractured part (as we un-
derstood). It was generally considered to depend more
on spheroidal repulsion of bodies. Professor Faraday
appeared to concur in this view.
Dr. J. READE produced an apparatus to explain the
effect of heat in producing a deviation, and also a rota-
tion of the compass needle. The mode pursued was by
placing a suspended needle in the focus of a copper re-
flector; and on placing a disc on the one side or the
other, so as to throw the heat to either pole; so was the
needle deflected on lighting a spirit lamp. It was stated
by the Chairman to arise from currents, and not from
thermal electricity, which seemed probable.
Professor Way's paper on Fairy Rings attributed the
appearance to seeds with a tendency to grow outwards.
A member considered them to arise from Fungi, and an
interesting discussion ensued ; one Learned Gentleman