130 The Scottish Naturalist. 



important of the two, even to the most eminently scientific members of the 

 Association ! 



We may prefix our observations with this general conclusion, that such con- 

 gresses, as that which now occurs annually under the auspices of the ' ' British 

 Association," possess (1) certain decided advantages : (2) sundry questionable 

 advantages : and (3) a large proportion of very decided disadvantages. It is 

 but fair that we should first set forth what appear to us to be their advantages ; 

 next, it may be well to regard the questionable advantages, which by some may 

 be regarded as ^advantages ; and lastly, as honest critics, we must catalogue 

 what seem to be their disadvantages or defects. 



I. ADVANTAGES.-!^) Decided. 



(1) The meetings of the " British Association" afford an admirable opportu- 

 nity of becoming acquainted with the personal appearance, at least, of scientific 

 or other celebrities — foreign as well as British — previously known only by their 

 works or reputation. At the Edinburgh meeting the Country Naturalist had 

 the opportunity of making this sort of acquaintance with Owen, Huxley, Herbert 

 Spencer, Tylor, Bowring, Carpenter, Adams, Andrews, Babington, Bateman, 

 Belcher, Bohn, Crookes, Perkins, Etheridge, Gassiot, Glaisher, Sir Richard 

 Griffith, Hardwicke, Huggins, Gwyn -Jeffreys, Joule, Lankester, Lockyer, 

 Balfour Stewart, Macalister, Markham, Clerk-Maxwell, Pengelly, Richardson, 

 Roscoe, Sclater, Sharpey, Dr. Angus Smith, Dr. Edward Smith, Stenhouse, 

 Stokes, Sylvester, Tristram, Waugh, Williamson, Willis, Davidson, Rae, 

 Bonney, Le Neve Foster, Lord Lindsay, Lowe, Prestwich, Strachey, Vignolles, 

 Godwin-Austen, Cayley, and a host of stars of lesser magnitude : as well as the 

 Abbe - Moigno and Dr. Jansen, of Paiis, Van Beneden of Louvain, and several 

 other distinguished foreigners : not to mention the Emperor of Brazil, and Miss 

 Lydia Becker, both of them attractions in their respective ways : and our own 

 Sir William Thomson, Lyon Playfair, Bain, William Chambers, and other 

 notabilities, representing the science and literature of Edinburgh, Glasgow, 

 Aberdeen, St. Andrews, Perth, and other parts of Scotland. 



(2) The Association gatherings furnish an admirable rendezvous for the re- 

 union of friends and correspondents from all parts of the country. 



(3) The reception-room, in particular, is a most convenient place for intro- 

 ductions : and in this and other respects the room in question is the most im- 

 portant feature of the Association's meetings. 



(4) These meetings are also convenient for the transaction of all sorts of busi- 

 ness — as that between authors and publishers. At such business conferences, not 

 only are authors brought into intimate contact— for the first time, it may be— with 

 their publishers, but with celebrated writers, whose well-known works happen to 

 have emanated from the same firm. Thus we had ourselves the good fortune at 

 Edinburgh to be summoned by the agent of one of the most enterprising pub- 

 lishing firms of the United States, to a business conference with some of the 

 leading savants or philosophers of this country — to wit, Professors Huxley, 

 Bain, and Balfour Stewart, Mr. Herbert Spencer, and Dr. Carpenter. 



(5) The meetings of the Association afford a pleasant means of seeing most 

 favourably the chief cities of Britain, and the scenery of their vicinity. From 

 this point of view alone, the mere Tourist makes a good investment of the 

 twenty shillings which constitute him or her an Associate for the year, and 



