New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-15
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

EDINBURGH, Aug. S.-May assume tnae YOU n'o"
all about the origin. history and work OF the b'sn
Association for the Advancement of Science III
not Won NAV find it all in the address of the new
President, Sir William Thomson. He has very prop
erlv relieved us correspondents of that part OF our
duty. For my part, prefer to begin with the Asso
citation as IL presents itself in Edinburgh No doubt
il does great deal of work during the year, work OF
that silent kind which attracts attention, but at
the end of each twelvemonth mounts up into solid
contribution TO the scientific knowledge OF the
world.
Rut what strikes an outsider at first is the social
side of the Association. All at once it becomes a
club All Edinburgh opens its doors for club
house The Association takes possession of the
town so completely that on the back of its cards OF
membership, it prints q plan of the streets, and
stains with red the great public buildings in which
its various sections meet. There are four of them.
The Parliament House itself surrenders to the AS
ISOLATION and that omnipresent body has turned the
Sgnet Library into a ticket-ofice, seized on court
room for its publication Office set up telegraph in
the vestibule-I could send you dispatch straight
to Nev-Yorll if il were worth while-a postOice is
HARDLY. and the great Parliament Hall is
the reception room for the Association. The
Parliament Hall is the Westminster Hall of Scot
land tits fitted up to-day with tables and chairs,
there are newspapers and writing paper, and great
throng of gentlemen and ladies talking about every
thing but science. Your Iight-hand neighbor is dis
cussing last nights debate in Parliament, which The
Scotsman reports by telegraph fully the London
papers which are printed next door to st. Stephens.
On your left hand goes on talk about lodgings and
hotels and You may learn what an excellent house
the Royal is, and how the Douglas has decayed.
THE reception room is good club" remarked
friend except that you can't get anything to
drink" As a compensation, there are ladies, to
whom the room is thrown open, as are all the Sec
tons and meetings of the Association. In this re-
spect it is shining contrast to the Edinburgh Medi
cal School, and may prove an example, let us hope
asked somebody to point out to me Miss Jex-Bake,
who has been fined $1,000 for differing in opinion
from the Medical Faculty of Edinburgh; but she
was not in the room.
There are a good many celebrities strolling about
Those whom recognize are mostly of the non-scien
tfc kind, except Mr. Herbert Spencer, whose strong
cold face looks the busy scene without trace OF
emotion or interest, scientific otherwise. The
hour is between 10 and II, when the Sectional Com
mittees to which most of the great men belong, are
in session: that they not likely to be present
in this room. To the rest of the world it seems to
he high change. Mr.. Alexander Russei is here who
edits The Sc0tsmGn-and Scotland, for that matter-a
man more powerful in his way than Duke, or than
more widely known personally than the great
paper which he controls. People do not
talk of what The Scotsman says so
much as of what Russell says, and wants; and
what he wants he is likely to get. Then here is Mr.
Archibald Forbes, who made his fame in Journalism
during the late in the service of The Daily Ners,
on the staff of which he has place. He is
man of extraordinary energy in getting news, and
capacity not less extraordinary for telling what he
has got. If these two men happen to be for the
moment the central figures of scientific reception
room that only shows how much force science has
TO bring two such men into its service. There on
the wall looking down on the company, is Lord
Brougham-a fine portrait; and one wonders what
last new scientific feat he would have attempted
had he lived to see this meeting.
The other three buildings given up in whole or in
part to the Association are the Music Hall, where
the public addresses are delivered the Museum OF
Science and Art, at which a cOnr9Sd,ione is to be
held Friday evening, and the University, which de
votes ats to the service of the sections
Add to all these the private houses which distribute
a liberal hospitality, and the great number OF
museums reading -rooms libraries, and public insti-
tutiOns of many kinds together with the beautiful
parks of Dalkeith, Newbattle, Dalmeny, and Hope
town. into all of which admission may be had by
members of the Association production of their
cards Now all this is very creditable and handsome
and would be so if the Association had been specially
invited to Edinburgh instead OF. as is its custom,
inviting itself.
The public business of the Association began last
night with the parting words of Prof. Huxley, its
last years President, and the inaugural address OF
Sir William Thomson, who succeeds him The
Music Hall was filed with great crowd so great
that good many members of the Association, who
had paid for tickets chiefly for the sake of reserved
e1Npa
left outside and their places in possession of the
public, which had not paid. Edinburgh is
in state of excitement over the visit
of the Emperor of Brazil, coinciding with
that of the British Association and it is not clear
which is the more attractive. ! have the honor to
lodge at the same hotel with his Imperial Majesty
the Royal Hotel. 1t flew the American flag for two
days. which seems to have been due to certain vague
geographical notions and failure to discriminate
between North and South America. AT any rate, the
American flag was hauled down yesterday, and the
Brazilian went up in its place. Perhaps the geo
graphical section of the Association interfered for
the Emperor. 1t is suspect, the first time Edin-
burgh has had an Emperor, ali to herself, whereas
the Association has been here before. Whenever he
;s expected TO 90 out for drive crowds of sprout-
ing Scotchmen, and of many who sprouted long ago,
gather about the door and ill the street. and stare
ND into my windows if i were the Emperor, and
when he shows his brown face they mob him with
that truly British courtesy, of which even the ex-
Emperor at Chselhurst has been afforded so many
examples; such as the grand stand erected on his
road to church-admission TO the stand, sixpence a
head-the same price charged at Madam Tussauds.
The Emperor-I mean he of Brazil-went to last
nights meeting and even Prof. Huxley began his
short speech with invocation to Your Imperial
Majesty" The fact that it was known the Emperor
was to be present is what leads to doubt whether
he or Huxley and Thomson, had most TO do with