The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-22 00:00:00

BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of this association commenced on
Wednesday, the 9th instant, at Swansea. The general
committee held its first meeting in the theatre of the
Royal Institution, which was numerously attended.
Colonel SABINE (the secretary) read the report of the
council, which announced that the following names had
been added to the list of corresponding members of the
association:—M. Struve, of St. Petersburgh; M. Le
Verrier, of Paris ; Charles Bonaparte, Prince of Ca-
nino ; the Chevalier Bunsen ; Professor Nellsen, of
Sweden ; Professor Esmark, of Christiania ; Dr. Van
der Hoven, of Leyden ; and Dr. J. Mylne Edwards, of
Paris.

The first general meeting of the association was held in
the evening, at the Trinity Chapel, in Park-street.
Sir R. INGLIS, M.P., having taken the chair, addressed
the meeting at great length upon the transactions of the
association during the past year ; and, on concluding, re-
signed. according to form, the presidency, and inducted
the Marquis of Northampton, the president elect, into the
chair.

The Marquis of NORTHAMPTON said that unless the
institution had come to Swansea, or to some other
place in South Wales, South Wales would have re-
mained unvisited, and a large geographical por-
tion of the island would have been unknown
to the association. Again, Wales comprehended an
important and separate population of the island—
a people to whom, at one time, the whole of it be
longed—a people speaking a different, a more ancient
tongue, civilised when the Saxon and Norman ancestors
of the London and Oxford, and Cambridge of modern
times were heathens and barbarians—a people who had
seen among them a Julius Caesar and a Constantine.
The Noble President then alluded at considerable
length to several of the subjects of' scientific
investigation which at present occupy the learned
world. In the course of his remarks he said:—At
our meeting at Southamptom, Sir John Herschel
first intimated, as I believe, to an English audience,
the remarkable astronomical discovery which he so
soon after announced to the whole world, and
which added an unknown planet to our system. I
had the honour, as President of the Royal Society, to
give to M. Le Verrier the medal awarded to him by
our council; my predecessor in this chair had the sa-
tisfaction of receiving at Oxford both M. Le Verrier and
Mr. Adams, the two gentleman who had simultaneously
though without concert, pursued the same original and
lab3rious investigation in search of the great celestial
globe that discovered the course of' Uranus. Of the
two discoverers of Neptune, I fear I cannot hope
to see the illustrious countryman of Laplace ;
Mr. Adams, perhaps, may honour Swansea with a
visit. Certain lam that you, gentlemen, would delight
to honour the two philosophers whose names will now
shine together like a twin star, as long as astronomy shall
be considered the sublimest of sciences. lam sure,
gentlemen, that the members of the British Associa-
tion must have derived the liveliest satisfaction from
what I may call one of the principal events in science
that has occurred since our last meeting. I mean the
publication by Sir John Herschel, of the results of
his arduous labours at the Cape of Good Hope. Although
the Britian Association did not take any part in the re-
commendation of the expedition sent out by the Govern-
ment under Sir J. Franklin, and have, therefore, not
the same immediate interest in its success that they had
in Sir James Ross's expedition into the South Polar
region, yet I am sure that we must all feel the most
anxious desire for the safety of our gallant countrymen.
I wish it was in my power to give you any satisfactory
information on this point. Alas! I cannot do so. I
cannot do more than express the hope that the same
gracious Providence that shielded Sir James Ross amid
untartic icebergs may stretch out ii,„l arms and bring
back again our brave navigators.
Professor Grove having congratulated the assembly on
the British Association meeting in the town of Swansea,
and Sir H. de la Beche having alluded to the wide
field which the neighbouring district presented for scien-
tific research, the meeting separated.

SWANSEA, Ana. 10.-The real business of the asso-
ciation commenced this morning by the reading of papers
and by discussions in the various sections; though, as
usual on the first day, the subjects were not of first-class
imprtance, and many of the sections concluded their
business before the usual time for adjourning. The
sections were well attended.

In the Chemical Section, the presence of Dr. Faraday,
and his frequent observations ou points referred to him
on electrical science, gave special interest. The first
subject, however, was a report on colouring matters, by
Dr. Edward Schunck, which from its length drove most
of the ladies away. _

Dr. LYON PLAYFAIR said that the results of Dr.
Schunk's experiments had been so recently known, that
it could not be ascertained to what extent they were
practically useful.
A paper read by the Rev. Mr. EXLEY, on the pas-
saf„,e of electric currents through circuits of wire,
gave occasion to 1)r. FARADAY to state, in his
felicitous manner, the actual condition of know-
ledge respecting the nature of electricity. Each
fluid
ortwohypothesis,
ffluids
more,
t rceo,nos
ri considered electricitywhether
it w asan
aus
nodnue.
latory movement imparted to matter, could, he said, be
equally well supported. Though at one time he had
made up his mind on the subject, the more he studied it
the inure
nore he became open to conviction. lie was dis-
posed,indeed, to think that electricity consists of two
forces acting in opposite directions, but of the nature of
these forces ho must admit his complete ignorance.
In the Geological Section, which is usually the most
attractive, there were few papers of interest.
Mr. It. Roberts exhibited a very curious little imple-
ment, which was termed in the pa ..
Per i new element
of mechanism," by means of which various differential
movements may be obtained on the same shaft.
The following are the names of the Presidents and
Vice-Presidents appointed to the different sections:—
SECTION A.—MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE.
President—Lord Wrottesley.
Vice •Presidents—The Dean of Ely, Rev. Dr. Whewell,
Lord Adare.
SECTION B.—CHEMICAL SCIENCE, INCLUDING ITS