The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-12 00:00:00

THE CONCLUDING MEETING.

At 1 p.m. to-day a meeting was held in the Town
Hall to receive the report of the committee of re-
commendations, and at 3 p.m. the usual concluding
meeting was held in the large room of the Free
Trade Hall, on which occasion a very large number
of members and associates were present, including
several hundreds of ladies.

W. Fairbairn, Esq., LL.D., F.R.S., C.E., the pre-
sident, occupied the chair, and he called upon the
assistant general secretary,
Professor Phillips, to state the financial results of
the meeting. That gentleman then said that the
average receipts of the nssociation during the last
30 years had been about £2,000 per annum, and
that the average attendance during that time had
been about 1,600 persons. This year was such a one,
both for attendance and money, as had never been
known in the history of the society. Up to this day
at one o'clock the treasurer had received for 321 old
life members, 108 new ditto, 184 old annual ditto,
119 new ditto, 1,588 associates, 818 ladies : total of
3,139 persons present. The amount received was
£3,909. Professor Phillips then read over the
amounts and purposes for which the committee had
determined to this year grant £2,363. One grant
has been made to a committee of gentlemen to report
upon the cause and best means of preventing rail-
way accidents.
The President then rose, and said it was his pleas-
ing duty to inform them how successful the present
meeting had been. Never had there been more im-
portant and more interesting papers read in the
various sections. He now came, he said, to the
mechanical section, about which he knew more
than any of the others. In that section he believed
there had been papers read which were more inte-
resting and important that those of any former
period. First, there was the patent law, and he
hoped they would soon be able to give
to the inventive talent of this country that pro-
tection to which it was so justly entitled. For his
own part he was one of those who would not give up
the patent law, would not throw open inventions
to the world—because he thought a man ought to
be paid for any invention of his which was likely
to be beneficial to the nation at large. Another
important subject discussed in that section was that
of our national defences—a subject, he might say,
which was of the very greatest importance perhaps.
Our stirring and energetic neighbours the French
were exceedingly active in this respect, and their
Admiralty were the first to protect their ships with
iron. Now, he held that it was our duty to be not
only not far behind, but far in advance with respect
to our naval armaments of every other nation in the
world—(hear, hear)—France not excepted. (Ap-
plause.) Then there was a very important discus-
sion on our artillery. Both these discussions would,
he hoped, lead to the best possible results. (Hear.)
After alluding to the success of each of the soirees,
and after saying that a letter had been received
from Miss Nightingale, thanking the association
for the interest it took in the sanitary condition of
the British army, he concluded by moving a vote of
thanks to the local committee and others who had
taken an interest in and had had the management
of the arrangements.

The Mayor of Manchester (Mr. M. Curtis) ac-
knowledged the vote, and said he hoped the asso-
ciation would again soon visit Manchester. (Hear.)
Professor Airy, the Astronomer Royal, proposed
a vote of thanks to the President, Mr. Fairbairn—
a vote -which was responded to by the meeting with
acclamation.
The President having briefly returned thanks, he
declared the meeting was adjourned, and would
meet by adjournment at Cambridge next year.