218 Proceedings of tke British Association for [Sept. 



ence of the vowel sounds depended solely on the relative 

 size of the cavity of the mouth, altered by the tongue and 

 the opening of the lips. Willis, by a tube, (containing a 

 reed), altered in capacity by sliding, extended the scale to 

 other vowel sounds. He proposed a new mode of classifying 

 the consonant sounds. He exhibited a copy of the machine 

 of De Kemplin, in which the mouth is imitated by an India 

 rubber bell, and consonant sounds produced.''^ 



29. Mr. Whewell on a new Anemometer, The object kept 

 in view in the construction of this instrument, is to measure 

 the variation of intensity corresponding to the time. The 

 instrument was exhibited. It consists of a small vane, with 

 sails like a windmill, turning to the wind, and round its 

 axis. Its circular motion is thus converted into a much 

 slower vertical motion. A pencil is moved which traces a 

 line on a paper cylinder, shewing the direction and strength 

 of the wind. Sir John Ross made some remarks on his 

 own method of judging of the intensity of wind at sea, and 

 of the means adopted by him, during his last voyage, to regis- 

 ter the direction of the winds, and their velocity, combined 

 with the state of the weather, barometer, and thermome- 

 ter, from observations as accurately made as circumstances 

 would admit of, every half hour. He expressed his doubts 

 of the utility of the instrument in the Arctic regions ; but 

 said that it would have been desirable to have had such an 

 instrument with him in his last voyage, in order to test its 

 utility and accuracy. 



30. Professor Lloyd detailed his magnetic observations in 

 Ireland, made in connexion with Captain Sabine, which 

 were undertaken at the request of the Association. They 

 consisted of observations of the dip and force. The lines 

 of equal dip were pointed out, with irregular variations of 

 intensity, probably depending on atmospheric causes not 

 yet understood. The lines of equal intensity were in some 

 measure determined. These have been found not generally 

 parallel with lines of equal dip, but, in Ireland, they are 

 not greatly different from parallel. At the south-east point 

 of the county of Waterford, the least dip was observed ; the 

 greatest was on the north-west point of Mayo, or Donegal . 



* A short account of the same lecture has been given in Records of General 

 Science, vol. i. p. 469. 



