The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-30 00:00:00

of colour, in all probability, wrich will occasion a call
for military aid in every direction ; a call for aid
which, from the nature of the country, cannot be
effectively complied with, were even the whole nili-
tary force in the South Seas placed at the ,isposal of
the Governor of New Zealand —I am, &r, your
obedient servant, and a late resident in New Zealand,
ROBERT D'OYLY.
London, June 28, 1845.

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE

ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.

CAMBRIDGE, Jog! 2.s.—The soiree in the Senate House,
last night was very humerously attended. Among the dis-
tinguished pt-rsons present were the Alaiquis of Northampton,
Earl Fitzwilliam, Sir David Brewster, Sir Charles Schomburck,
&e. &c. Professor Faraday, who had arrived the day before,
explained towards the close of the evening the principles of the
electrifying-machine and much amusement was excited by the
various groups of ladies and gentlemen who v.-Inured to test
its effects. Even on those who experienced the shock it
seemed to have very nearly the powers of the laughing gas
also. _ _

One of the beat attended sections to-day was the Ethnolo-
gical, at which the Anglo-Saxon scholar, Mr. John Kemble,
of Trinity, and the Rev Rowland Williams, of King's, held forth
on the characteristics of the Celts and Sax"ns. The former was
of opinion that the Saxons had settlements on the coast long
before the period generally ascribed by our history to the Saxon
invasion, and he pointed on, circumstances which led him to
believe that there were Teutons in Brita•n before the Roman
conquest. Mr. Williams, during the course of some Ethnolo-
gical remarks, entered into an interesting disquisition upon the
local and hereditary difference of complexion in Great Britain.
His remarks concerning the colour of the hair as a charac-
teristic were very entertaining, and listened to with great
attention. It used to be thought that the colour of the hair
was of no more value tlr.n to po nt a compliment to beauty, or
afford a subject for the lover's sonnet. It helped now in an
investigating age, to form moral and physical deductions con-
nected with the human race. Speaking of the hair of the
ancient Britons, he alluded to Cse,ar's description of its light
c,Auur, and glanced at passages in Martial and Ovid, in which
the Roman ladies of a certain at e were reminded of the fact of
their borrowing the auburn locks of the Celts to repair the
ravages of time. The Rev. Speaker then traced the migra-
tions of the Celts on the map of the world, commencing from
the shores of the Caspian, east and west, through 'Europe and
through India, to the borders of China, pointing out where
they had advanced and succeeded, and where they had been
defeated aLd driven back, There was this particular feature
about their migrations, that they advanced in two bodies at
different period- of time, and these bodies were not, although
not nary dissimilar, similar, as the Persian and Mede, the Latin
arid the Greek, and the High and the Low German, were akin
yet different.

Sir ROBERT :"CHOMBURCE read an elaborate paper on the
Indians of Guisna, some of a hose superstitions were of an
extraordinary character. The education of their priesthood
in habits of the most wonderful austerity, gave them a great
command ever the feelings of the respective tribes, and these
priests laid claim to the power of expelling evil spirits, by
which they said their followers were possessed when troubled
with any species of disease. These Indians believed in a good
spirit, but did not adore him, and in an evil one, whom they
feared. The good spirit they believed had created men at
first with tails, for their protection. When they bebanie bad,
he took away their tails, and sent the mosquitoes for their
punishment.
It has been decided that the next meeting of the Associa-
tion be holden at Southampton, in September, 1846.
Inv,tatton; had been received fr,tn Cheltenham, Norwich, and
Oxford.

Professor Murchison was elected President for 184“-47, and
Colonel Sabine, General Secretary.