ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SCIENCE. 225 



Physicians— to the proprietors of the Assembly Rooms where the meetings were 

 held— and to other public bodies, for their liberality and kindness. Professor 

 Sedgwick proposed, and the Lord Chancellor seconded, a vote of thanks to M. Arago, 

 and the other distinguished foreigners who had attended the meeting, which was 

 received with great applause. M. Arago returned thanks in French. The 

 President then addressed the meeting, congratulating the members on the result of 

 their labours, and announced that the next meeting would be held in Dublin, on the 

 10th of August, Dr. Lloyd, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, to be President, 

 Lord Oxmantown and Professor Whewell, Vice-Presidents, and Professors Lloyd 

 and Hamilton, Secretaries. 



The Evening Meetings. — The design of the meetings in the evening was 

 to present some scientific subject in a popular form, so as to make it intelligi- 

 ble and interesting to ladies and ordinary visitors. On Tuesday the subject of 

 Comets was discussed. Wednesday, after the chairman of sections had re- 

 ported, Dr. Lardner gave a Lecture on Babbage's Calculating Machine. 

 Thursday, Professor Buckland gave an admirable Lecture on Fossil Reptiles, 

 which he enlivened by various strokes of humour ; whilst its great lesearch 

 and extensive information rendered it interesting to the most sober student of 

 science. The object of the Professor was to prove the admirable adaptation of 

 animal life to the constitution of the globe at the various eras of its history — 

 and in conclusion, he alluded to the probable age of the world. Friday, a Lec- 

 ture on several interesting phenomena connected with the tides, was delivered 

 by Mr. Whewell, who described the manner in which tides were brought to our 

 coast, and showed that the great tidal wave of the Atlantic in approaching the 

 shores of England, divided into three columns, and that two of them met 

 exactly at the mouth of the Thames, one of them twelve hours after the other, 

 so that each tide was compounded of an evening and a morning tide, and in 

 consequence there was no alteration in the daily tides of that port. Professor 

 Sedgwick, at some length, took a general review of the results of the labours 

 of the geological and geographical sections during the week, in the course of 

 which the learned Professor detailed the relation subsisting between the 

 geological formations of the sister kingdoms. Geology, he observed, had made 

 a very important advance during this meeting, in the course of which he 

 himself had gained new views of the science. M. Agassis, in particular, had 

 brought to light several interesting facts relative to fossil remains. In conclu- 

 sion, he congratulated the Association on the countenance which had been 

 bestowed on their meeting by the presence of so many of Scotland's daughters ; 

 and re-echoed the sentiments of Dr. Abercrombie, that the pursuits of science, 

 instead of leading to infidelity, had a contrary tendency — they tended rather to 

 strengthen religious principles, and to confirm morals. — The Professor's 

 Address was universally allowed to be most interesting and intellectual, his 

 scientific statements having been enlivened with the most eloquent language 

 and ready wit. 



The President of the meeting was Sir T. Brisbane ; the Vice Presidents were 

 Sir David Brewster, and the Rev. Dr. Robinson, Astronomer Koyal, of Armagh ; 

 J. Robison, Sec. R. S. E., and Professor Forbes, acted as Secretaries. The 

 Royal Institution and the Library of the University Avere thrown open as 

 reception rooms : and the class rooms of the University were appropriated to 

 the Sections. The Sections into which the business was divided, were as 

 follow : I, Mathematics and Physics; 2, Chemistry and Mineralogy; 3, Geo- 

 graphy and Geology ; 4, Anatomy and Medicine ; 5, Zoology and Botany; and 

 6, Statistics. The Presidents were Dr. Lloyd, Mathematics and Physics ; Dr. 

 Dalton, (in room of Dr. Hope,) Chemistry ; Professor Jameson, Geology ; 

 Professor Graham, Natural History ; Sir Charles Lemon, Statistics ; Dr. 

 Abercrombie, Medicine. 



The first of these meetings took place at York, at which 350 were present ; 

 at Oxford 700 gentlemen joined the Association ; at Cambridge the number 

 increased to 1400 ; and at Edinburgh to 2440, of whom it is calculated 1500 

 were actually present. 



The meetings in the Assembly Rooms were not only crowded to excess, but 

 many members were excluded, and forced to promenade the lobbies and stair- 



