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THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 

 FOR THE PROMOTION OF SCIENCE. 



This meeting took place at the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, on Monday, the 8th 

 of September, and ended on the following Saturday. The large room was com- 

 pletely crowded with the members and the ladies by whom they were accompanied, 

 there being present about twelve hundred of the former, and four hundred of the 

 latter. Professor Sedgwick, the chairman at the Cambridge meeting, came forward 

 to resign his presidency to Sir T. Brisbane. He adverted to the original insiitution 

 of this association, which had been started by a set of independent men, with the 

 best intentions, and with the most sober views of future good, and of the success of 

 their scheme, hardly knowing what constitution to give it, and never dreaming of 

 the glorious success which it had now obtained. The first meeting had been held 

 at York, the second at Oxford, where a lai-ge accession of numbers was experienced 

 — the third at Cambridge, where they still further increased, and now it had reached 

 the Scottish capital, where an addition had been made to their number beyond all 

 precedent. He then proceeded to expatiate on the advantages of an association 

 of this nature. On his way he had the good fortune to meet with M. Arago, the 

 perpetual Secretary of the French Institute, and Dr. Vlastos, from Greece — to 

 meet with men like these, to breathe the same atmosphere, to partake the same 

 sentiments, and enjoy their conversation and their friendship, were enough to justify 

 the establishment of that association, were there no other advantages. After some 

 observations in reply to the doubts expressed by many well-meaning persons of the 

 moral tendency of such institutions, in which he denied that the investigation of 

 truth could ever be injurious to mankind, the learned Professor concluded by 

 moving, that in accordance with the resolution of the general committee last year at 

 Cambridge, Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Brisbane do take the chair. 



In complying with this request, the gallant officer. Sir Thomas Brisbane, observed 

 that the luminous expose of bis learned predecessor had left him no subjects to touch 

 upon. Professor Forbes had kindly undertaken the task of detailing the labours of 

 the association since the last meeting, and he need not say it could not be in better 

 hands. He should not, therefore, waste the time of the assembly, but conclude by 

 congratulating the association on its prospering condition, not doubting it would go 

 on progressively until its beneficial effects should be felt^ not only over the whole of 

 the united empire of Great Britain, but even throughout Europe. 



Professor Forbes then rose and proceeded to give a general view of the progress 

 of the affairs of the association, and an outline of the different subjects under dis- 

 cussion, mentioning the names of the individuals by whom reports in their respective 

 departments were drawn up — and after many pertinent observations on the several 

 subjects for discussion and inquiry, concluded by confidently anticipating the most 

 brilliant results from the exertions of its most distinguished members — This 

 terminated the transactions of the first day. 



Second Day ( Tuesday) The different sections met in the class rooms of the 



University, elected their office-bearers, and appointed committees for conducting 

 the business; immediately after which they proceeded to the discussion of their 

 various departments of science. 



At eight o'clock in the evening the general meeting took place in the Assembly 

 Rooms, at which the company was as numerous and brilliant as on the night 

 preceding— in fact the rooms were literally crowded almost to suffocation from the 

 first to the last evening. 



Third Day ( Wednesday). — The reports of the proceedings of the different 

 sections through the day were read by the following gentlemen : — Professor Whewell, 

 mathematics; Professor Christison, chemistry; Lord Greenock, geography and 

 geology ; Professor Graham, natural history ; Dr. Abercrombie, medicine ; and Sir 

 Charles Lemon, statistics. The papers read were — Professor Moll, on transverse 

 vibrations — Mr. Phillips's report on meteorology — Dr. Charles Williams, on a new 

 law of combustion — Dr. Daubeney, on the comparative degrees of heat in coal tar 

 and splint coal — Mr. Stephenson's report as to the change in the relative level of land 



