British Association. 315 



the cubes of each pin are all consecutive multiples of the number on 

 the head of the pin, and the two numbers on each cube, on being 

 added together, make the number on the head multiplied by 9 ; the 

 numbers ascending on one side and descending on the other. 



2. Dr. Daubeny explained the properties of an instrument he had 

 contrived for obtaining sea water at great depths. 



3. Mr. Braham explained an improvement he had made in the 

 mariner's compass. It was found, that in consequence of the vibra- 

 tory motion in steam vessels, the compass got out of order ; he, there- 

 fore, proposed to put a fluid in the box of the compass, so that the 

 card might float upon the fluid. It was obvious, that a card on a 

 fluid would be liable to injury and decay ; he had, therefore, caused 

 the points of the compass to be painted on porcelain, which he had 

 affixed to a flat piece of cork, and thus it was kept floating upon the 

 fluid, and the motion of the steam vessel had no effect upon it. 



JEvening 3Ieeting. — 4. Mr. Wliewell delivered a brief lecture on 

 Tides, and stated, that at the last annual meeting of the Association, 

 a sum of i£'250 had been voted for the purpose of making experi- 

 ments and observations relative to the subject, which sum had been 

 expended, but the report of the results had not yet been published. 

 He also produced a machine which had been used in the Avon, with 

 a view of ascertaining the variation in the tides, and the result had 

 been, that one of the theories on this branch of science had been 

 proved to be practically correct. 



5. Steam Communication with Iridia. — Dr. Lardner then pro- 

 ceeded to deliver a lecture on this question. The subject, which it 

 was wished should be brought under the consideration of the Section, 

 was one of very considerable importance, but of peculiar importance 

 to this particular city ; taking it in its whole extent, it was the 

 solution of a problem, how far the present powers of steam were 

 capable of being extended in their application to navigation. The 

 moment this question was proved, two grand commercial problems 

 would suggest themselves, namely, the connexion by steam of Great 

 Britain with our colonial possessions, and the connexion by steam 

 of Great Britain with the United States of America. These two 

 questions embraced a great variety of topics of much interest ; he, 

 therefore, proposed, with the approbation of the general council, to 

 present at present all the more popular and more intelligible 

 parts of the subject, reserving for the morning meeting the more 

 technical details. The subject to which he wished more par- 

 ticularly to address himself this evening, was the application of 

 steam to a communication between Great Britain and India. There 

 were several routes by which a communication could be effected ; 

 the only route which was in a continued line of navigation was by 

 the ordinary voyage by the Cape. That had been already tried by 

 steam, but if it had not, they were sufficiently conversant with the 

 properties of the present steam engine to know that it was incapable 

 of being worked profitably. That voyage was attempted by the 

 Cape by the Enterprize, and it was performed in 113 days, but only 

 64 days were worked by steam ; it afforded evidence, that to establish 

 a line of stpam communication by that route was out of the question. 



