Proceedings of the British Association. 371 



other hand, how powerful and how forcible was he when acting 

 in combination ! The brute elements could then be brought 

 fully into subjection, and himself raised in the scale of intellec- 

 tual beings, — for as he gained knowledge he gained power. 

 Thus great good arose from combination, and from collision 

 with men of even conflicting opinions, and a power of concen- 

 tration was obtained which was unknown to a person acting by 

 himself. It was said in opposition to this, that the greatest 

 philosophic works had been achieved in private This was so 

 far true ; but the first germ of such works was not suggested 

 in private, but originated from the authors' having mingled 

 with men of similar pursuits. He instanced La Place, whose 

 intercourse with men of letters and science must have greatly 

 aided him in disentangling the phenomena of nature, — for in 

 all such cases when a point of experiment was reached, it was 

 always necessary to call in experimental men. The learned 

 professor next adverted to the published Transactions of the 

 Association, in illustration of the uses of the Association. Last 

 year a discussion had arisen on the aurora borealis, which had 

 been found to be connected with electrical phenomena, thus 

 becoming a link in physical science. Soon after that a beauti- 

 ful arch across the heavens was seen simultaneously at various 

 parts by, he believed, most members of the Association ; and 

 experiments having been made by Dr Dalton of Manchester, 

 as to the altitude of the arch, it was found to be about forty 

 miles above the surface of the earth. 



The Association, at last meeting, had also recommended that 

 experiments should be made on heated bodies long kept in fu- 

 sion : in pursuance of which certain bodies were at present in 

 the furnace, and would probably be uncovered for examination 

 in the course of ten years. Now, but for this Association, 

 these experiments* would never have been attempted. He 

 also alluded to certain observations which had been made at 

 Greenwich, which were in a raw unreduced state, but which, 

 on application being made to Government by some mem- 

 bers of the Association, some hundred pounds had been ob- 

 tained to assist in preparing for the benefit of the world. 

 Observations on the tides were also in progress, from which 

 great good was expected. The Professor next proceeded to 



