November, 1902 253 



THE 

 BRITISH ASSOCIATION 



IN 



BELFAST. 



The Belfast meeting of the British Association for the 

 Advancement of Science has come and gone, and " a right 

 good meeting" is the verdict of most of those who attended it. 

 In reporting the proceedings in this Journal, the subjects 

 falling within the scope of the Irish Naturalist are specially 

 dealt with, and it has not been possible, in the space at our 

 disposal, to refer to the work of Sections devoted to other than 

 natural science, or to give abstracts of papers except where 

 they bear on the fauna, flora, or geology of Ireland. For in- 

 formation given, or contributions supplied to the pages which 

 follow, the Editors' best thanks are due to the following- 

 gentlemen : — George Coffey, Prof Grenville Cole, J. H. Davies, 

 W. J. Fennell, William Gray, Rev. Canon Lett, Robert 

 Patterson, a H. Pethybridge, J. St. J. Phillips, R. F. Scharff, 

 H. J. Seymour, Rev. C. H. Waddell, and R. Welch. The 

 excellent reports in the Belfast Press have also helped to fill 

 some gaps in the narrative. 



FORMER MEETINGS IN BELFAST. 



On seven occasions has the British Association for the 



Advancement of Science met in Ireland — in Dublin in 1835, 



1857, and 1878; Belfast in 1852; 1874, and 1902 ; and Cork in 



1843. In 1852 Belfast was a town of only some hundred 



thousand inhabitants, without large public halls or much hotel 



accommodation. May-street Presbyterian Church was utilized 



for the President's address (attended, by the way, by the then 



Lord Lieutenant and a brilliant gathering) and the other 



general meetings, while Messrs. Workman's lately erected 



A 



